Robinson’s connection to Mayfield is central to the decision. Mayfield, who started five games with the Rams before Robinson’s arrival, has since started 54 games for the Buccaneers and helped the team win two division titles in that span.
In his first press conference with the team, Robinson highlighted Mayfield’s leadership: “When you have a guy like that, you have a chance to win every single Sunday. The impact that he has, obviously just as a leader – you can speak to the talent and the type of player he is and all those things, but those guys that give you a chance every single Sunday – and the guys in that locker room know it – it’s a big deal.”
The press conference also underscored why Mayfield was central to the hire. Mayfield attended the event, signaling his support for Robinson’s candidacy, while Robinson outlined an offensive philosophy that centers on tailoring schemes to personnel and leveraging Mayfield’s strengths.
One focal point of Robinson’s scheme is the pistol formation. He noted that Atlanta ranked No. 1 in the league in plays out of the pistol, but he wouldn’t overstate its necessity: “We won’t dive too much into that. Obviously, we’re tailoring everything to your personnel and what you believe is the best way to move the football and there’s definitely some advantages to that, working out of the pistol.”
Robinson’s approach also emphasizes pre-snap motion. In Atlanta, he used motion 65.6 percent of the time, the fourth most in the league. He acknowledged the importance of intent behind movement: “We’re not just going to motion — You’ve got to have the right intent behind it… the more that we can create leverage advantages in the run game as well, or manipulate second level defenders in the run game, pass game.”
With this clear offensive vision, the Buccaneers aim to move past the unit’s recent struggles. Whether Robinson is the right architect to execute the plan remains to be seen, but the hire signals a deliberate shift toward a personnel-driven, motion-friendly attack.
