Yardbarker

Sam Robinson

Writer

Sam Robinson is a sportswriter from Kansas City, Missouri. He primarily covers the NFL for Yardbarker. Moving from wildly injury-prone sprinter in the aughts to reporter in the 2010s, Sam set up camp in three time zones covering everything from high school water polo to Division II national championship games. He has since settled in as the husband of a track and field coach, concentrating on the NFL. Boasting an unhealthy interest in the league’s history and fashion trends, Sam is the lead writer for Pro Football Rumors and has written about the sport for Yardbarker since 2018. In addition to working as a writer/editor for a few newspapers – the Cleveland Plain Dealer and St. Joseph (Missouri) News-Press, to name two – in a former life that included some awkward awards-show hosting gigs thankfully inaccessible online, Sam has written about the Olympics for The Athletic.

EXPERTISE:

NFL, track and field, boxing

NFL Wild Card weekend grades

The Browns' upset changed the AFC bracket and ensured its divisional round will include only young quarterbacks, while three first-ballot Hall of Famers are still left in the NFC.

The 25 most intriguing players from the 2021 NFL playoffs

One of the NFL's most unusual playoff slates begins this weekend. Multiple teams qualified for the first time in over a decade, while a handful of veteran quarterbacks accustomed to this stage will have a say in determining the Super Bowl LV matchup.

25 forgotten playoff games that all NFL fans should know

Each year, certain playoff games live on while others fade. As the NFL embarks on its latest postseason, here are some of the most underappreciated games from the Super Bowl era.

NFL Week 17 grades from around the league

The NFL filled out its first 14-team playoff bracket Sunday, a day that also featured the league's eighth 2,000-yard rusher emerge. While the scene in Philadelphia bizarrely overshadowed Sunday's more competitive action, a lot went down in Week 17.

The 20 best GMs in NFL history

Here are the personnel czars that previously led teams to sustained success. No coach-GMs are included here, just pure front office execs who assembled quality rosters.

NFL Week 16 grades from around the league

Here are the Sunday grades for each team and a look at where each of the 32 NFL franchises stands during the 2020 season's penultimate week.

The worst NFL teams from the past 50 years

With the 2020 season featuring some woeful teams impact Trevor Lawrence's projected destination, it feels like a good time to reevaluate the least successful seasons in modern NFL history.

NFL Week 15 grades from around the league

Here are the rest of the key developments from Week 15, along with grades for every team.

NFL Week 14 grades from around the league

A few key plot points unfolded during Week 14's 14-game Sunday slate. Here are the grades for each of the teams that played Sunday, along with a look at every NFL squad.

NFL coaches who thrived after getting a second chance somewhere else

While not every coach's second job qualifies as a true second chance, several types of circumstances allowed teams to enjoy success with a retread leader.

Forgotten NFL stars of yesteryear: Defense

Here are some of the NFL (or AFL) defensive greats whose quality careers have, to some degree, slipped through the cracks. No Hall of Famers or one-year wonders here, just high-end performers who were among their era's best. 

NFL offensive stars of yesteryear you may have forgotten

Here are some of the NFL (or AFL) offensive greats whose quality careers have, to some degree, slipped through the cracks. No Hall of Famers or one-year wonders here, just high-end performers who were among their era's best. 

NFL Week 13 grades from around the league

The NFC playoff picture observed some changes in Week 13, and the Jets-Jaguars race for Trevor Lawrence heated up. Here are the grades from the Sunday games, along with a look at each of the other teams going into the three Monday and Tuesday contests. 

NFL Week 12 grades from around the league

Tom Brady could not outduel Patrick Mahomes; Bill Belichick's troops did manage to contain Kyler Murray, and the Broncos were forced to play without a true quarterback on less than 24 hours' notice.

NFL Week 11 grades from around the league

Patrick Mahomes widened the MVP gap; the Colts continued their November climb; and the NFC East is creating historically strange drama. Week 11 produced one of the season's most eventful Sundays.

NFL injury replacements who went on to became stars

Several NFL standouts' paths toward awards, Pro Bowls or the Hall of Fame began with another player's injury opening the door. Here are 25 memorable injury replacements whose careers turned out quite well after they capitalized on opportunities. 

NFL Week 10 grades from around the league

DeAndre Hopkins making one of this century's signature catches was easily Sunday's top NFL storyline, but the AFC's depth and the Seahawks' sudden issues also emerged as key Week 10 plot points.

Urban legends: The absolute worst NFL coaching jobs of all time

As franchises prepare wish lists for their next hires, numerous cautionary tales exist. Here are 25 of the worst head-coaching tenures since the 1970 merger.

NFL Week 9 grades from around the league

The Saints' masterful performance in Tampa headlined Week 9's Sunday slate, which also featured a quality QB battle in Arizona and the Steelers remaining unbeaten.

25 NFL head coaches in waiting

The NFL has two head-coaching vacancies and will likely have a handful more by season's end. Here are 25 coaches who will be either in the running to become first-time NFL head coaches next year or surface on the league's radar in the years to follow.

NFL players who returned from devastating injuries

Featuring by far the highest number of significant injuries of the major American sports, the NFL has seen many players display resiliency by returning from severe setbacks.

NFL Week 8 grades from around the league

Some big running back performances (and wind) helped define Week 8, which also featured the AFC North declare a midseason champion and AFC East move closer to a changing of the guard.

The best NFL players who never won the MVP Award

Numerous Hall of Famers did not earn MVP acclaim. A few stars finished with repeated regular-season silver medals for their best work. Here is a list of the best players to miss out on MVP awards since the NFL began handing them out in 1957.

NFL Week 7 grades from around the league

More Seahawks primetime drama and more statements from the Steelers and Buccaneers headlined Week 7's Sunday slate. With the trade deadline looming, the non-contender contingent also has decisions ahead.

NFL Week 6 grades from around the league

Although Tom Brady-Aaron Rodgers III did not live up to expectations, Week 6 continued to reveal how AFC and NFC contenders stack up. Here is a look at all 32 teams entering the week's Monday doubleheader, along with grades for all the teams that played in Sunday's games.