Giants LB Keenan Robinson on Redskins: 'It's the same old story'

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - New York Giants linebacker Keenan Robinson knows a little something about the Washington Redskins. Robinson played in Washington for three seasons before joining the Giants.

What's happening with the 0-2 Redskins right now looks familiar to Robinson, who signed a one-year deal with the Giants this offseason. Washington has allowed 65 points the first two weeks of the season despite signing prized free-agent cornerback Josh Norman, and there are already reports of grumbling in the locker room.

Robinson has seen this before.

"It's the same old story," he said Tuesday as the Giants began preparations to face the Redskins on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Robinson left as a free agent this past offseason. He said he was offered a long-term deal after the 2014 campaign, but he decided against it because he didn't think Washington was where he wanted to be for the next four or five years.

The atmosphere wasn't right, he said, and he struggled with injuries and performance last season. A return was never an option, even though the Redskins won the NFC East and made the playoffs in 2015.

"When I was there, three out of four years, it was the same thing," Robinson said. "Once they get down, they start pointing fingers. And that is true. That is what happens. And for the Redskins -- I've only been on one team before I came here, and that was them -- and all I saw was not the right way to handle it. I feel like they didn't handle it the right way when I was there. They may be handling it different now. But when I was there, they started pointing fingers, people started talking. That's how you get dissension in the locker room.

"For us, we have to use that to our advantage. We have to do what we do, play our role, play football, play aggressive, play fast, play physical. We can't worry about what their team is doing."

Robinson is much happier with the Giants. He's not starting in their base defense, but he is one of their two primary nickel linebackers. He played 52 of the 62 defensive snaps Sunday as the Giants held quarterback Drew Brees and the Saints to one touchdown.

"I like it here better. I would say that for sure," Robinson said. "Obviously, I was there four years now, I'm here now. Just so far, the kind of atmosphere, you've got a whole bunch of guys from new places and we have lots of big changes on the defensive side of the ball. We've all seemed to bond together, come together pretty well. You've got a lot of big name guys but they don't act like big name guys."