Sitting in Bill Bryant's office, Bryan Robinson sat quietly as his coach talked about his talent and his mistakes. He didn't revel in praise, didn't sour at criticism. He took it all in, looking down at his hands.
For East Aurora, they're a good pair to be in.
The Tomcats (0-7, 0-4) have struggled again this year with a schedule that includes five potential playoff teams, but Robinson's development has been a bright spot. As a first-year varsity quarterback, the 5-foot-11, 198-pound junior has directed an offense that has already put up more total yards then the last three seasons combined.
There have been growing pains, however. The Tomcats haven't scored a touchdown since Week 4, and Robinson's passing statistics are shaky (10-for-52, 185 yards, no touchdowns, six interceptions). He is learning when to throw the ball away, rather than force throws with an arm that can launch a football 65 yards or lose yardage by scrambling around in the backfield. He's trying to improve his touch, as well as his trust in his receivers.
And many times, he's learning all of that on the fly.
"One thing that hurts us is our lack of depth -- we can't get that 'game' look on the offensive side of the ball every day. It's difficult," Bryant said. "We do put him in a situation where he has to adjust on the run and pretty darn quick. But he's done a great job with it."
What Robinson doesn't have to learn, however, is what do once he's beyond the line of scrimmage. He has an outside chance to become the first 1,000-yard Tomcats rusher in recent memory.
Perhaps more important, Robinson has already grown into a leader, a role he embraces and expects to expand upon once the season is over.
"It took awhile to get the ball rolling, but he tells everyone what to do now and everyone asks him questions," senior left tackle Chris Sheldon said. "He should probably be a captain right now."
Robinson wants to recruit the East hallways for teammates and lead offseason weightlifting sessions -- and perhaps reshape Tomcats football altogether.
"I want to do that," he said. "There are some people in this school where the reason they don't want to play football is because they're like, 'Why would I play football? The team sucks and they're not winning games.' Well, we could win games if you come out and just try. Try your hardest and do something. You don't have to go home, come do a sport after school. I hope to get some people out."
With a realigned Upstate Eight Conference awaiting next year, the Tomcats will be facing the biggest schools in the conference week in and week out.
"My plan is to get some of the guys to get in the weight room so we can get stronger," he said. "Most of the teams that we play are big schools and they're over there in the weight room all year long."
Not only does he want to prepare himself and his teammates for the 2010 season, but he hopes to play in college.
He has gotten interest from several colleges, including Indiana and Illinois.
"He can be a quarterback at the next level," Bryant said. "He's making junior mistakes. He knows what he wants to do with the ball, it's just getting it to the point where the receiver is going to have the opportunity to catch it.
"As he comes in as a senior he'll come in more mature about it and I think he'll be a more multidimensional quarterback for us."
Close
Community Login
You've successfully logged in to the Sun-Times Media Community, click the close button to return to browsing.
Facebook App
Font Size
Email
Bookmark
Black Text
Cell Phone Alerts