Penn State Q&A: Lions great Michael Robinson talks NBC role, playing days, and more

Penn State great Michael Robinson knows the Big Ten well. The former Nittany Lion passer who went on to win a Super Bowl with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks will now return to his roots as a member of NBC’s new Big Ten Saturday Night crew. Robinson will call some games as a color commentator, including the Penn State-Delaware clash in Week 2, and will also be part of the network’s pregame show, which will originate from various conference towns weekly, including State College for the West Virginia game this weekend

I’m a big preparer,” Robinson said.

“It started with my quarterback days at Penn State. Sometimes it gets me in trouble, I over-prepare sometimes. But at the end of the day, I’m excited to be working in the Big Ten with NBC.”

Robinson will be one of two former Nittany Lions quarterbacks who are part of the network’s coverage. Todd Blackledge will also call games for NBC. He is on the call for Saturday’s matchup with the Mountaineers.

BWI caught up with Robinson to learn more about his journey and where things stand. 

BWI: How did the challenges you experienced at PSU in 2003 and 2004 shape you and your teammates ahead of the 2005 season?

Michael Robinson: “Yeah, each of those years, we were trying to win the Big Ten, but we knew we didn’t have a great recruiting class coming in. We knew that there were some people within the university at the time that was trying to get our head coach (Paterno) out of there. We all knew that, it wasn’t a secret around the locker room. That time period made me fall in love with the process.

“Obviously, that process ended up (with us) in the Orange Bowl, the Big Ten title, all of those things, with an opportunity to go to the National Football League.”

Q: Looking back at your pro career and the ups and downs, how did those shape your life?

MR: “I directly go back to 2003, 2004 (at Penn State) when I think about my pro career because I got to my eighth year in the league and my liver and my kidneys failed based off some medicine that a team gave me. And I could have very easily tried to sue the team, I could have very easily got upset but at the end of the day, you look and you say, ‘That’s a championship roster Seattle’s got. I would love to get back on that team’.

“You go through the adversity that you have to go through to ultimately get to where you wanna go – winning a Super Bowl, putting your name in indelible ink, getting the Lombardi Trophy is kinda what I wanted even in 2003, 2004. … So yeah, it definitely helped me in my life.”

Q: What is your outlook on expected Penn State starting quarterback Drew Allar?

MR: “I’m expecting a big year out of Drew. The offensive line is solid, the defense is returning a lot of starters, and they have a run game with an offensive line. I don’t think they’re going to be asking him to win the games with his arm, which is a good thing to say when you’re at the quarterback position.”

Q: What does being part of the initial NBC Big Ten broadcast team mean to you?

MR: “Being a part of this package is complete to my football life. I’m able to be around athletes on almost every step of the journey, and it just helps me continue to cover the game like I want to. This is a big deal. I still want to do games. The fact that I get an opportunity to call games in the Big Ten — I still do USFL — it just gives me more reps to do what I finally, eventually want to do.”

Q: Finally, what does it mean to be on the same team with Todd Blackledge after you both played at Penn State?

MR: “He was always that figurehead in the Penn State quarterback room that we all were chasing. So, being able to work alongside him, being able to work alongside some great people, it’s humbling. “I’ve always watched Todd really closely, even when I was playing. He keeps it all the way real and that’s all you can ask for.