So far this season, Atlanta Falcons rookie running back Bijan Robinson has emerged as an instant star for the team and is already considered by many their top offensive weapon. But curiously, he had only one touch in Sunday afternoon’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and now we know why.
During his press conference this week, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith revealed that Bijan Robinson was largely held out of the game because he “just wasn’t feeling all that great” and had a headache.
“Situation was good that he’d be available. How much, we’d just see how the game went,” Smith said. “The way the game went, [Cordarrelle Patterson] and Tyler [Allgeier] did a nice job, but he asked if he could go. I think he does a good job, especially in the two-minute stuff, and he went out there and how it affected the game, maybe it affected some calls, we’ll never know.
“But we got the look we wanted with Kyle [Pitt’s 39-yard] play, and [Robinson] got us a couple of yards and finished the game and helped get the field goal closer. But things come up all the time. Thought it was communicated with the players and strange things have happened on game day before, but we would never put him out there if we thought it was something we thought would be detrimental long-term.”
As for the decision to give Robinson one carry at the end of the game, Smith called the decision “situational football.”
“He was in a two-minute situation,” Smith said, via Rothstein. “Gave us 3 yards, and it was situational football. He changes how people want to call it and that’s why. It’s pretty simple.”
