Nate Robinson’s tryout with the Seahawks was easily the most ridiculous story involving Seattle’s NFL franchise Monday, and that’s saying something.
You never want to one-up Pete Carroll’s bad sneaker opinions. Likewise, you never want to put yourself in a no-win situation, but that’s exactly what the three-time slam dunk contest champion has done.
Let’s not beat around the bush: Robinson won’t make the Seahawks’ 53-man roster. He’s unlikely to even receive an invite to training camp, and even if he does, what’s the point? Robinson has multiple businesses to look after in Seattle, and if he still has his heart set on being a professional athlete, he should ball out overseas. It was less than a month ago that he went off for 46 points in an Israeli league playoff game:
“But Matt,” you might be wondering, “didn’t Robinson play football at the University of Washington? Surely he could hold his own in an NFL practice.”
Indeed, he did … at cornerback. Obviously, the Seahawks aren’t hurting for defensive backs, and even if they were, the 5-foot-9 Robinson doesn’t quite fit the profile of a team that’s known to feature titans in the secondary. Robinson would certainly make the Legion of Boom more entertaining — the on-field banter between him and Richard Sherman would be amazing — but he wouldn’t offer much else.
Listen, I love Robinson. You love Robinson. Everyone loves Robinson. I don’t know a single person who rooted against him in the slam dunk contest, and his block of Yao Ming remains the stuff of legend. I’m just trying to look out for his long-term interests. Why risk injury as a training camp body when you can inspire millions of young Israelis to achieve basketball greatness? Meanwhile, the people of Seattle depend on him for quality wings and waffles, not pass defense. Stay in your already-wonderful lane, Nate.