Bears receiver Allen Robinson says he and Mitch Trubisky 'right on the cusp' of big plays
By Colleen Kane
Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson said he stopped worrying about how his surgically repaired left knee would hold up to exertion about halfway through training camp.
Instead, the bigger obstacle over the first two weeks of the season has been about "getting back into game form."
Before the opener against the Packers, Robinson hadn't played a full regular-season game since the end of the 2016 season because he was injured on the first passing play of the Jaguars' first game in 2017. He played just 11 preseasons snaps in August.
As the Bears head to Glendale, Ariz., to face the struggling Cardinals on Sunday, they're happy to see he's finding his groove. Robinson has 14 catches for 144 yards this season, including 10 catches for 83 yards Monday against the Seahawks.
"I know I'm 100 percent and I'm know I'm healthy," Robinson said Friday. "It's just all the time really thinking about the details and focusing on getting in and out of all of the cuts how I want to and I'm accustomed to. Even in certain routes that I may not have run against a certain leverage. When you get into games, everything is unpredictable, and that's when you get a genuine feel for everything."
Though five of his catches went for first downs against the Seahawks, Robinson's longest catches were for 13 yards in the first quarter and 14 yards in the third. The Seahawks defense allowed quarterback Mitch Trubisky to string together short, quick passes, but Robinson said he believes downfield, game-breaking plays are well within reach.
"We're right on the cusp of that," Robinson said. "Last week it was really taking what the defense is giving us, moving the chains, getting into the red zone and trying to get points."
Offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said he sees a chemistry building between Trubisky and Robinson. And while he said there were a few routes to clean up from Monday's game, he was encouraged by what he saw from Robinson.
"He's confident now," Helfrich said. "You never know with that kind of an injury how a guy is mentally approaching things, and that's a huge, huge hurdle to get over, (to say), 'Hey, I'm good.' And that's big."
Injury report: Cornerback Marcus Cooper (hamstring) and safety DeAndre Houston Carson (broken forearm) were ruled out for Sunday's game.
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Coach Matt Nagy said Cooper injured his hamstring at the end of practice Thursday. He said rookie Kevin Toliver likely would be the fourth cornerback option behind starters Prince Amukamara and Kyle Fuller and nickel Bryce Callahan.
Right guard Kyle Long didn't practice Friday, but Nagy said it was a rest day.
ckane@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @ChiTribKane
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Allen Robinson
Mitch Trubisky
Marcus Cooper