Listen: Bijan Robinson appreciates his teammates’ respect, praises Michael Penix Jr.’s poise

ROB MADY, HOST: Welcome to football with me, Rob Maddy. We face two 4-1 teams in Week 6. I will be there for it. 49ers at Tampa Bay. The Lions visit the Chiefs in a game that many thought, when the schedule was revealed, was a potential Super Bowl preview. But the Chiefs are off to a 2-3 start. Still could, given the way the AFC has had a slow start. Our guest this week, Falcons star running back Bijan Robinson. He is coming soon.

MAADDI: The Bengals traded for Joe Flacco this week because Joe Burrow is hurt, and they’re 0-3 with Jake Browning. They needed a quarterback as they are still 2-3 in the playoff race. Burrow could return in December. I don’t understand why they didn’t target Russell Wilson or Jameis Winston of the Giants. The Giants are going with Jackson Dart. Wilson and Winston are available. Listen, Joe Flacco is a very likable guy. Everyone loves him. My daughters were born in the same hospital as him in South Jersey, but he is 40 years older. He is challenged by his mobility. The Bengals have one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. If they were serious about winning, why didn’t they go after Russell Wilson?

MAADDI: Falcons Pro Bowl running back Bijan Robinson has the potential to become one of the all-time NFL greats. We sat down this week. Bijan, appreciate your time, man. Thank you so much for joining me. You guys are coming off for the bye week. How did you spend it? How did you spend your time?

ROBINSON: Yeah, I mean, I felt really cool in Atlanta. I didn’t really go anywhere. I went to see the Florida-Texas game in Gainesville, flew there like Friday night, so I wanted to go see it. But other than that, man, I just worked for a few days and then stayed here, just me and my girlfriend. I was playing video games, just feeling comfortable there. So that’s what I’ve been doing since the bye week. It was really good.

Maddi: When you guys play inconsistently at the beginning of the season, saying goodbye with such an impressive win, right? How much does this help? The confidence, the feeling of being around, being able to just step aside, step away from the game for a short period of time, have such an impressive win like you had.

Robinson: Yeah, man, I mean, it’s great. But I think the biggest thing is, like, you know, obviously getting people back healthy and getting people back who were injured. And then looking at the last four weeks and looking at some little things that we can clean up, especially on offense, and looking at opportunities that we could have had, that we missed, and what we should be looking for in this next step of the season. And I think that’s what the bye week is for. You know, always, like making sure that you’re cleaning up those little mistakes that you want to make to be the best. And for me, that’s what I did. I know teammates have done the same. I think we’re definitely ready to get back into that area. The early bye weeks definitely suck because I just want to play and just go out there. So, but I mean, it’s for everything and I can’t wait to see how we react to it.

MAADDI: What are you looking forward to now in Michael’s first full season as a starter? Obviously you were there with him the whole last year. He got his chance at the end of the season and what are you seeing in his development and his maturation process?

ROBINSON: Yeah, I mean, he’s just cool and level-headed, man. I think with Mike he’s exactly the same as a person. So when he brings us to the ground, it makes everyone around him calm, cool and collected. And we have a lot of leaders in this offense, and from the O-line, to the receivers, to the running backs, everybody that’s involved, to the tight ends, we all have a role in what we’re trying to do to make every single one of us better. So with Mike, he has a lot of support around him. And I think it’s really good for him to see that. When we get on that field, we’re all calm, comfortable, ready to go and it shows.

Maddi: What has been Kirk’s specialty as a veteran voice, right? Not just for Mike, but for the rest of the offense. He has been through a lot. He has a lot of experience in the NFL. What was it like to get it?

Robinson: Man, this is huge. It’s a huge deal, like, to have his expertise and for him to be a vet in this league for so long and do it at a high level for so long, like, you know, even when I have to ask him questions or ask him certain things and, you know, he just has to respond to it. And, you know, you highlight that offense, that guy, the whole team, you know, everybody enjoys being around Kirk and, you know, he’s a support for Mike. But, you know, he supports all of us, you know, he’s even bigger on the field, off the field he’s amazing and you know his knowledge of this game goes way beyond his knowledge of it, so as you know he’s sharing that with all of us, it’s a huge thing for this team.

Maddi: Bijan, when you hear guys like Saquon Barkley, and I’m sure you’ve been asked this before, they praise you like you’re the next great player, you’re that guy, and you get that kind of respect, how does it feel?

ROBINSON: I mean, it’s a blessing, man. You know, like, God blessed me to play this game at a high level and do so not only on the field, but off the field as well. So it is always a great thing to get respect like this from other people. But for me, as you know, I’ve got a lot of work to do, man, like I’ve got to continue to get better every day. You know I’m never a finished product. And for me, like, I play that way and I practice that way because, you know, I want to be the best, not just for myself or for this team. For everyone who sees me playing on that field. So, you know, it’s great to have respect from my teammates and, you know, guys like Saquon, he’s my friend. Like, you know, it’s always great because I’m trying to catch up to what they’ve achieved, what they’ve achieved. So, you know for me, like it’s a lot, I take it, I take it one day at a time to get better in all aspects of my game so I can be the best I can be on this team and let everything else take care of itself.

Maddi: Bijan, I got to see your ad with Colgate, and man, you look like a natural to me, like in front of that camera. How much fun did you have? What was that experience like to be able to do that?

Robinson: It was a great experience, man. It was a lot of fun, not only doing the commercials, but being around those guys. Like they’re amazing people who made it really easy for me during that process. And you know, yeah, like this partnership has been amazing and you know it’s just been a partnership. Like, you know it’s, it’s something that really excites me and it’s really near and dear to my heart, just because, you know with the Colgate Total Active Prevention System. You know, it comes with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash, if you want. I think you should get it, you know, everybody should get it. Because you know it prevents the oral health problems that you know maybe some of us have, maybe some of us don’t want that, and like me it just gets you ready for the dentist, you know when the time comes but you know, it strengthens your teeth all over. You’re in your gums, mouth, everywhere and it’s been very helpful to me as I’m trying to keep my smile looking its best because I’m smiling all the time. But yeah, that ad with those guys, it was so much fun to be a part of and it was so easy and I can’t wait to keep doing it.

Maddi: It’s time for some pro picks. The four-pack straight up is 13-6-1, against the spread is 13-7. My best bet and the upset special starts the straight at 8-2, against the numbers 7-3. My best bet this week, New England at New Orleans. Patriots minus three and a half. Drake Mays completed an impressive comeback win on the road against the Buffalo Bills. Sunday Night Football. The Patriots and Mike Vrabel have proven that they are going to be a legitimate contender in the AFC East. They would never let the Buffalo Bills reach another division title. Now they have to avoid defeat against the Saints. I think they will. Patriots, 26-17. For my particular upset, the Seahawks are only a one-point underdog in Jacksonville. Sam Darnold’s late interception against Tampa Bay set the platform for the Buccaneers to win that game. Despite that selection, the Seahawks are thriving and were missing a lot of defensive players against the Buccaneers. Now, the Jaguars, they have proven under Liam Coen that they are for real, they are off to a 4-1 start, an impressive comeback win. Monday Night at Home – Trevor Lawrence finally scored a touchdown where he could have been tackled for a sack. Didn’t do it, avoided all that. Emotional win for the Jaguars on Monday night, this is a tough situation in a short week. I’m going to go with the Seahawks 27-23. Lions and heads were mentioned at the top. 4-1 Lions, 2-3 Chiefs, yet Kansas City is a two-and-a-half point favorite at home. Detroit has a strong offensive attack with Jared Goff, David Montgomery, Jahmir Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown. I can’t wait to see how Steve Spagnuolo plans against him. The Chiefs need more of this game. I’m taking Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, 30-27. Last of the four pack – the Broncos, seven-and-a-half point favorites against the winless Jets in London. Bo Nix leads Denver in impressive comeback win over Philly. They trailed by 14 in the fourth quarter against the defending Super Bowl champions and won that game. They’ve got a tough, stingy defense. As for New York, they’ve got a new coach in Aaron Glenn, but it’s the same old Jets. Broncos, 24-13.

That’s all for this week. Thanks to Bijan Robinson. Thanks for listening and thanks to Haya Panjwani for producing this episode. Please visit APNews.com for complete pro picks, football analysis and more NFL news.

,

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL