EAGAN, Minn. — Brian O'Neill checked in with Cam Robinson Friday afternoon.
Having been in Minnesota less than 48 hours since being acquired from Jacksonville via trade, Robinson had just one Vikings practice and a Friday morning walk-through under his belt.
"I asked him, 'Hey, how are you doing? What do you need more help with? What's giving you trouble?' " O'Neill recounted following Sunday's 21-13 win. "And he was like, 'Honestly, bro, I'm good.'
"I'll just say from my perspective and how I operate, I would not be the same," O'Neill added with a laugh. "I would need to know a lot more. But it's pretty cool."
Robinson had spoken with media members Thursday and emphasized "being a sponge" during a whirlwind week – and that clearly paid off as he helped Minnesota improve to 6-2 on the season.
"I knew the type of time, the type of work it was going to take me to prepare for this game, and I was all-in on that," Robinson said after the game. "My teammates and coaches did a good job of preparing me and getting me to a point where I could go out and roll."
The veteran lineman started at left tackle on Sunday Night Football and didn't allow a single sack or quarterback hit of Sam Darnold, earning a pass-blocking grade of 64.4 from analytics site Pro Football Focus and a run-block grade of 63.9.
Darnold said he and teammates felt an "unwavering confidence in the huddle with the way [Robinson] was able to go out there and execute a game plan."
Though O'Neill noted he'd have to watch the tape before fully evaluating Robinson's performance, he considers it a "pretty special" accomplishment.
"Just so much credit to him for the work he put in over 72 hours to be able to do that. Obviously, he's a veteran football player who's played a lot of games, had a lot of success in this league, and I thought our two o-line coaches, Kup' (Chris Kuper) and Shaun Sarrett, did a great job staying with him after meetings, after practice, late into the night … teaching him on the fly," O'Neill said.
He pointed out that Robinson had to learn not only the offense but also "hundreds of little made-up calls" used at the line of scrimmage that aren't necessarily part of the playbook.
"[Stuff] we just say to each other that we know what's going on, that we've been doing together for a couple years now, this group," O'Neill said. "He was able to pick it up on the fly – no problems, no questions asked."
Robinson also benefited from playing beside left guard Blake Brandel, whom O'Neill said provided ancillary in-game support if needed.
"Breaking the huddle, sometimes I would look over – Sam would call the play, and because I kind of was curious, I'd look over as we were walking to the line, and Blake's whispering in [Cam's] ear," O'Neill said. "You know, last season there was the game with [quarterback Joshua] Dobbs, who didn't know the system, and that was pretty crazy, but this one was one of the cooler ones I've seen for a lineman in the NFL."
Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell spoke highly of Robinson's performance during his postgame press conference and then revisited the topic Monday, as well. He highlighted Robinson's physicality in the run game and ability to be effective even in moments where his technique wasn't perfect.
"His length and strength and [being] able to come off the rock when we needed him to, depending on if we were running to his side or he was on the back side of a run, that showed up to me," O'Connell said.
O'Connell explained that a plan had been built earlier in the week, since at that point it remained unclear who would be starting in place of the sidelined Christian Darrisaw.
"We tried to have a mindset of that, so [Robinson] did get some help at different times throughout the night," O'Connell said, "but as the game went on and the interior became [more of a focus], we left him like a left tackle. We left him by himself a few times, and he answered the bell."
Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips was asked during his Tuesday press conference about this most impressive aspect of Robinson starting on such a crunched timeline.
"Everything," he responded. "I mean from Wednesday, he gets here, he meets with the line coaches, they come in immediately like, 'This guy's a stud.' "
Phillips noted that Kuper, Sarrett and O'Connell all raved early on about Robinson's football I.Q. and comfort level taking on a new offensive system.
"There was this kind of calmness, where you weren't worried about him," said Phillips, who helped guide the offense Sunday from the sidelines rather than his typical post in the booth. "Everything you talk to him about he says, 'I've got you, Coach. I've got you.'
"There was even a play where [I told him], 'Hey, if you can't get that guy, work up to the next, you know,' and he said, 'I'll get him,' " Phillips added. "For this type of situation with a new player coming in midweek, having two practices and going out there and starting a football game, we all had just a good confidence about us. There wasn't a worry in our mind."
Up next is a return to Jacksonville (2-7) where Robinson spent his first eight NFL seasons with the Jaguars.
He's seamlessly made the move to a new city and a new locker room, embracing the challenge of mastering a new offense.
"I love it," Robinson said. "I love everything about the offense; I love everything about the team. For me, it doesn't get any better than this."
