One year ago, New York Giants wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson was flying out to Los Angeles to have surgery on his torn ACL, which ended his rookie season after just six games.
Three-hundred-and-sixty-five days later, he was a key cog in the Giants’ victory over the Green Bay Packers, recording six catches for 79 yards headlined by a 32-yard reception to set New York up for its game-winning field goal in a 24-22 triumph on Monday night.
“It’s actually a good coincidence,” Robinson said. “But it just shows how much you’ve got to put in and how much work you’ve got to put in to get back to where you want to be.”
The 22-year-old pass catcher who was drafted out of Kentucky 43rd overall last year had the most prominent showing of his career in primetime. With an additional 36 yards rushing, he accounted for 115 total yards from scrimmage.
He made a highlight-reel-worthy catch midway through the second quarter when he managed to make a lunging, toe-tapping reception down the left sideline after quarterback Tommy DeVito was flushed out of the pocket. He also reeled in an underthrown flea-flicker for 37 yards, making a leaping catch in traffic late in the third quarter that led to an Isaiah Hodgins touchdown to make it 21-13.
But his biggest catch of the night came with 49 seconds left in the game with the Giants down one. Lined up in the right slot, he used a devastating cut on a quick out toward the sideline to set up the win.
“Once we called the play, I knew that it was kind of a play that would have me isolated 1-on-1 as long as they were in man coverage,” Robinson said. “They were in man coverage, so I was going on an over route, the DB bit over on it and broke back out to the sideline and I was wide-open. DeVito gave me a great ball and I was able to go up the sideline for a couple more yards.”
That kind of cut was further evidence of what kind of receiver Robinson can be when he’s healthy — a sure-handed, precise-route-running option with the speed and agility necessary to get behind a defense. Just that route alone was something that head coach Brian Daboll loved to see.
“He’s still working back to full health where he can put his foot in the ground,” Daboll said on Tuesday. “If you really watch the route that was a huge play for us inside two minutes, the stem that he used, and the quickness and explosiveness to get back and beat the leverage of the DB who wanted to stay outside of him, that’s been a work in progress up to this point.
“Just being able to do those types of things, I credit him a bunch. He’s fought through. It wasn’t perfect. That’s a tough injury [to come back from].”
