Dorian Thompson-Robinson has had a surprising week, to say the least. He woke up on Tuesday, his 24th birthday, and didn’t know that he would be named the starter later that day. That is exactly the way things played out. Deshaun Watson received news that his shoulder fracture would shut him down for the season and Thompson-Robinson was surprisingly named the starter over P.J. Walker.
Walker has had his own struggles, but the Ravens were blown out in Thompson-Robinson’s first career start in Week Four against the Baltimore Ravens. He threw three interceptions and only passed for 129 yards on 36 attempts. That is a rough start for any quarterback, let alone one playing in his first NFL game. Quarterbacks feed off confidence, so it would be fair to assume his was shaken after a rocky start. He spoke about this in his Thursday media availability posted on the Browns’ website.
“I know what to expect now,” he said. “Unlike many people out there, I’ve been in an NFL game, so I’m not stepping out there for the first time. I’m not just going out there wide-eyed anymore.”
Last time he started, it was a very sudden change for him as Watson anticipated playing before being shut down a couple hours before the game.
“You just kind of knock all the rust and stuff off after your first go-around,” Thompson-Robinson said. “It’s going to be night and day. Just my progression, the maturity, how I’ve handled the week this far. Just being able to learn from that experience.”
This go-around he has most of the week to prepare as the starter. Players often say that they always prepare as the starter, but practice time in the NFL is very limited. You don’t get all the reps you need when you are second or third string to properly prepare.
“Reps are everything,” Thompson-Robinson said. “So when you can get as many reps as you can, it’s going to help you on Sunday. We’re finally getting on the same page now instead of me just going out there and kind of winging it.”
While it remains to be seen just how much of a difference all the practice time will make, Thompson-Robinson, seems to have the right mindset. His coaches believe the circumstances of him getting thrown into the fire in Week Four deserves a mulligan, and he will try to prove them right on Sunday afternoon.
