FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Zac Robinson's first offseason as the Falcons' offensive coordinator in 2024 was hectic to say the least.
It was his first as an offensive coordinator, period. He was working with not one, but two new quarterbacks, both of whom possessed different skill sets and at polar opposite points in their respective careers. Plus, he was overseeing the complete install of a system that was quite different from what Arthur Smith had been running in the years prior. ... Yeah, "hectic" might actually be the nice way of putting it.
This offseason, though, Robinson's second as an offensive coordinator, It's a bit more introspective than hectic.
For example, at this time last year, the coaching staff was using the voluntary OTA period and mandatory minicamp to install their system to the team at large.
"There were just so many things that were going on," Robinson recalled. "And it was a big overhaul from the previous regime and the things these guys were used to with a lot of the players. Things moved fast."
Now, at least offensively, they have a bit more time on their hands and can take a step back. They can take a breath and find new ways to evolve.
This is exactly what Robinson found himself doing in his early evaluations this offseason. He began by looking inward.
"First and foremost, you study yourself," Robinson said.
What are the things the team did well? What should carry over? What shouldn't?
A big part of Robinson's early days were spent studying Michael Penix Jr., too. Fundamentally, Penix is different than Kirk Cousins, and the offense will run a little differently in order to best utilize his skill set. So, Robinson watched a lot of Penix film, even beyond the three games he started at the tail end of 2024.
"With Mike now, it opens up a different avenue within the offense," Robinson said. "So, going back to even watch some of Mike's stuff at Washington, refreshing the things we knew we liked about him coming out. Getting some refreshers, even though he played the three games, but here are some other things we can try to get to now that he is pulling the trigger."
A part of the playbook one can infer Robinson is referring, unlocked due to Penix's arm strength, is the ability to stretch the field vertically with explosive passes. Those plays showed up time and time again in Penix's Washington tape, and his deep-ball ability was something that struck Falcons evaluators as special the first time they saw him throw in person at his pro day last winter.
"You knew he had the arm strength," Robinson said, "but then you see it in person and its next level, like, 'Holy smokes, this is different from stuff we've ever seen.'"
So, yes, its safe to say the offense will continue to evolve in and of itself with Penix at the helm, but another point Robinson made about his own offseason film study is the need to keep up with the trends of the game.
"If you're not evolving in the NFL you're going to get stuck behind defensive coaches," Robinson said. "They're too good, and defensive players watch a ton of tape on you."
To combat this, you watch tape, too. You watch cutups of every team around the league. You watch the college game, too. You take notes, and you see if you can implement it yourself — that's the offseason in a nutshell when you're not overhauling the system, according to Robinson.
"You start picking up things that could possibly click for us," he explained. "There's a big culmination that goes into it because you watch so much film in the offseason because it's the first time we are in our office by ourselves, whether you are watching college prospects or around-the-league studies. You're always trying to keep up with the trends.
"Some of the stuff you maybe saw last year during the season and you didn't want to quite get to because you didn't want to introduce something new to the players on a game week, on a short week. But now, the plan is all together. Doesn't mean that its done — there are multiple plays last year that we didn't even run until training camp or we didn't even run until the third week of the season that became a staple concept that you have."
Evolution and the willingness to evolve is the name of this football game. You can't shy away from it, and a big part of Robinson's offseason has been leaning into it. It's a process that — after a chaotic first year — was a welcomed study for the second-year coordinator.
"It was a lot of fun watching a bunch of tape of ourselves, our players having a better understanding of what our guys do, seeing it up close and personal for a year now," Robinson concluded, "but then, obviously, evolving is something we will always try to stay ahead of because if you're not, you will get left behind."
