By: Steve Doerschuk (CantonRep.com) —
BEREA —

It’s hardly as if Ohio is all Brian Robiskie ever knew.

He lived his first seven years outside Los Angeles; the next seven outside Washington.

But the rest is all Ohio. How far does that get him now that he’s making the transition from the Ohio State Buckeyes to the Cleveland Browns?

He barely knows Brady Quinn, the Ohio-bred Browns quarterback.

“I’ve met him,” Robiskie said. “I’ve talked to him a couple times over the phone. That was it.”

The Browns complex became Robiskie’s second home before college. He was 13 when his family arrived in Cleveland at the same time as Butch Davis in 2001.

His dad was Cleveland’s wide receivers coach at first. By 2006, Terry Robiskie had cycled from offensive coordinator to interim head coach, back to wideouts coach, then out the door. So much has changed.

The weekend rookie minicamp was a time to reconnect for the younger Robiskie.

As a second-round draft choice, he projects as an instant contributor to the wideout-needy Browns.

“The coaches are throwing a lot at us,” he said. “You’ve got to spend a lot of time in the playbook.”

He was a finalist for the Draddy Award, the “academic Heisman” won by his new teammate, center Alex Mack. Browns coaches are experimenting with creative roles within the offense. Set plays might include options on which smart teammates read each other and improvise.

“It might change from week to week,” Robiskie said, “but they give you a lot of freedom to do different things.”

The concept is classic Belichick: fill the roster with football minds, give the kids a monster workload and expand on what they can handle.

Meeting of the minds

Robiskie and Quinn are in for a meeting of the minds. At this point, Quinn likely is the starting quarterback.

“I remember him from my first year at Ohio State,” Robiskie said. “He was established at Notre Dame. We played against them in the Fiesta Bowl.

“He’s a great quarterback and a great competitor. I’m excited to have him on my team.”

Quinn had decent stats in that Fiesta Bowl, 29-of-45 for 286 yards with no TDs or interceptions. He was sacked five times in a 34-20 Ohio State win. Troy Smith was even better for Ohio State, passing for 342 yards.

Robiskie’s breakout year at Ohio State was 2007, when he caught 55 passes for 935 yards and 11 TDs, mostly with Todd Boeckman at quarterback. Early in 2009, freshman Terrelle Pryor replaced Boeckman. Ohio State’s passing game never took off, and Robiskie’s numbers dipped to 42 catches for 535 yards.

Did this hurt his draft status?

“With the quarterback change, the one thing we probably took a hit on as receivers was catching footballs,” Robiskie said.

That’s a pretty big hit for a receiver, isn’t it?

Buckeye wideouts in the NFL

Ten Ohio State wide receivers have been Propecia cheap drafted within the first 50 picks of an NFL draft, dating to Hall of Famer Paul Warfield.

Paul Warfield, Browns, 1964, No. 11 overall.

CAREER YEAR 1968, 50 catches, 1,067 yards, 12 TDs

Jeff Graham, Steelers, 1991, No. 46 overall.

CAREER YEAR 1995, 82 catches, 1,301 yards, 4 TDs

Joey Galloway, Seahawks, 1995, No. 8 overall.

CAREER YEAR 2005, 83 catches, 1,287 yards, 10 TDs

Terry Glenn, Patriots, 1997, No. 7 overall.

CAREER YEAR 1999, 69 catches, 1,147 yards, 4 TDs

David Boston, Cardinals, 1999, No. 8 overall.

CAREER YEAR 2001, 98 catches, 1,598 yards, 8 TDs

Michael Jenkins, Falcons, 2004, No. 29 overall.

CAREER YEAR 2008, 50 catches, 777 yards, 3 TDs

Santonio Holmes, Steelers, 2006, No. 25 overall.

CAREER YEAR 2008, 52 catches, 942 yards, 8 TDs

Ted Ginn Jr., Dolphins, 2007, No. 9 overall.

CAREER YEAR 2008, 56 catches, 790 yards, 2 TDs.

Anthony Gonzalez, Colts, 2007, No. 32 overall.

CAREER YEAR 2008, 57 catches, 664 yards, 4 TDs

Brian Robiskie, Browns, 2009, No. 36 overall.

Robo’s greatest hits

Brian Robiskie’s top games as an Ohio State Buckeye:

2008

• Eight catches, 90 yards, six for first downs, vs. Minnesota.

• Five catches, all for first downs, for 116 yards vs. Texas.

2007

• Nine catches for 153 yards vs. Youngstown.

• Five catches for 99 yards vs. Minnesota.

• Four catches for 117 yards, one a 68-yard TD, vs. Washington.

2006

• Seven catches, 89 yards, TD in 42-39 win over Michigan.

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