A locker room Q&A with Lions CB Amik Roberson ahead of one of the biggest regular season games in NFL history

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Allen Park — Every trip into the locker room is a little different. Most days, I have a focused agenda, trying to gather quotes or intel for a specific story I’m piecing together. Sometimes — less these days than in my previous roles at the newspaper — I toss my recorder into a group of reporters talking to a player. Other times, a topic organically develops from a casual conversation.

On Friday, while most reporters were talking to running back Jahmyr Gibbs, I wandered over to cornerback Amik Robertson. I had some follow-up questions about the upcoming matchup against Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson and Sunday’s matchup for the No. 1 seed in the conference. The plan was to use Robertson's answers to shape my weekly "Three Things to Watch" that runs the morning of that week's game.

Will Burchfield, my esteemed podcast co-host was on the same wavelength, so we snagged Robertson at his locker together. If you’ve listened to the pod, and I hope you have, I feel we work well together in these situations, and Robertson is one of the easiest players in the locker room to chat up. Instead of producing a traditional story, we split up the transcript from the interview — which eventually swelled to include additional reporters after Gibbs wrapped — and thought you might enjoy a raw Q&A.

Question are paraphrased:

Q: What make’s Jefferson great?

Robertson: “For me, his creativity. He’s in a good scheme, too, man. It kind of puts the DB in a bind. But it’s OK, man, we got a great scheme, we got some great coaches, they’re going to put us in position and put whoever’s on him in a position to make plays and limit him. He’s explosive. He’s Jets, man. He’s going to do a little something, but it just can’t be too much.

Q: When you say great scheme, you're talking about their route combinations?

Robertson: “Yeah.”

Q: And what do you mean by creative?

Robertson: “Being able to create space. Angles, levels, and he’s got a good feel for the game and he’s got a good quarterback, great offensive coordinator. And that’s why they’re playing well.”

Q: How much does having a field stretcher like Jordan Addison playing opposite him help create some of that spacing?

Robertson: “When you got another wide receiver that can also give you some help, it always balances it out. But we got some good guys here, man, I think we’ll be aight.”

Q: (Joking) Did you ask AG if you could shadow Jefferson this game?

Robertson: “I mean, whatever he decides to do, man. Nah, we haven’t talked about traveling, whatever side, whatever, we haven’t talked about it. … I’m a competitive guy, why not? But I don’t think that’s something we’re going to do.”

Q: How do you feel you’ve been playing since you got moved outside?

Robertson: “The thing about it, man, I know how this league is playing corner. I always think it’s levels. Yeah, I’ve probably been playing well, but I know I can play better. I just try to get better each and every week, try to work on little things and if I make mistakes at practice, try to fix them in the game. I’m an open book. And I know in this league, man, cornerback, you can make 1,000 great plays, but the one moment you mess up, everybody, ‘Oh, he’s a …’ you know what I’m saying. I know how this goes. That’s why I keep my head level.

Q: Where do you think you could be better?

Robertson: “Getting a motherf______ ball, man. Getting the f______ ball. Because the game is about the ball. I just gotta capitalize because I might not get too many (opportunities) or whatever the case may be. When it do come, I just gotta take advantage of it, continue going after it like I’ve been doing.”

Q: Do you find it easier to get picks playing man or zone?

Robertson: “I would say zone, man, because you got your eyes on the quarterback. Some of my picks were deep ball picks because the QB liked the matchup, but I think it’s easier to catch ‘em in zone. Because in man, your eyes are on the guy. You gotta be able to turn around and track it. It’s tough. That’s why everybody can’t do it.”

Q: You’ve been close on a couple this year.

Robertson: “Yeah, man, I’m trying to figure out — that’s why I’m saying, I don’t know if it’s the size or it’s just — I gotta be better. I’m leaning to the side that I gotta be better and I gotta capitalize on those opportunities, because I never know when it’s going to come back. Because when you’re playing sticky coverage, the quarterbacks in this league are smart. Usually I try to have, not a mismatch, but I try to guard bigger guys so I can get hat opportunity, but you got tight coverage sometimes, they just don’t throw it.”

Q: Does anything change with your approach knowing this team draws more pass interference penalties than most and this officiating crew flags that frequently?

Robertson: “I’ma be honest, man, I go into the game with no negativity on my mind. I go out there and play the game of football. One of my coaches told me, ‘It’s a game within a game.’ I just go out there and all I think about is making plays, positivity, and if some bad shit happens, I’m built to have that resilient mindset. I don’t know where it came from — God-given — but I have that mindset of next-play mentality. So I don’t worry about the referees, none of that, just go out there man play my style of football, do my job and try to do whatever I can to help this team win.”

Q: Tell us a little about those matchups with Jefferson in high school?

Robertson: “We beat them my freshman year of high school. We were the first team to go undefeated in the history of my high school. Then we almost beat ‘em again to win Districts. It was going to be the first time we ever did it, for varsity. Me and him battled. That time I shadowed him. Great matchup. And then camps, of course we battled. We was biting (at) each other. They had to separate us, which, you know, he’s a dawg, it’s all respect. And then in college, LA Tech, went against him my sophomore year and we battled.”

Q: Did you know Jefferson was going to be a dude when you matched up against him in high school?

Robertson: “Yeah, he had a different kind of wiggle to him, man. Some guys can’t keep it up with it. He’s a special guy, man. I remember when I came out they projected me and him going to the Saints, he was quoted like, ‘Amik a dawg.’ It’s all mutual respect. I’m not going to say we’re the biggest rivals in the NFL, but we know each other, man, and it’s all mutual respect. When we’re out there, we gonna compete. And when it’s all over, we go out there, shake hands, ‘I’m proud of you,’ he said he’s been proud of me. That’s what it is. But of course, if we ever match up or whatever, it’s going to be fun to watch.”

Q: How much did you think about matching up against him twice a year when you signed here.

Robertson: “Of course, but it was a lot other guys, too., it wasn’t just him. Me and Keenan (Allen) have history from when I was at the Raiders. So it’s like, I knew I was going to face some good receivers, man, and I just wanted to come here, compete and do whatever I can to help this team get over the hump.”

Q: Do you like playing nickel more now that you spent most of this season playing it?

Robertson: "Whatever I can get. At the end of the day, I'm blessed. I thank God. I'm blessed to be able to step foot on that grass. One percent make it, especially at 5-8. I'm blessed. Wherever they put me on the field, I'll do my best to be myself and make plays."

Q: If you catch a pick Sunday night, are you making Carlton Davis do push-ups on the sideline?

Robertson: "I don't think he's gonna be on the sideline, but I definitely will -- I'm going to text him -- but I'll definitely get TA (Terrion Arnold). If I do that, I'm going to have the cameraman. I'm going to grab the cameraman myself and tell him to get TA doing push-ups on camera."

Q: How do you spend the next 48 hours?

Robertson: "I'm excited, man. I'm pretty sure he is, too. I'm pretty sure Jets is, too, man. I'm excited to play, man. It's one of the biggest games this year. I kinda trying to keep low and save my energy for when I'm out there. But I'm a very competitive person, man. Of course I'm excited."

Q: (Wojo enters the conversation) This is maybe the biggest regular season game in NFL history? Does that get in your head at all?

Robertson: "No. Not at all. I understand the game is big. I'm not going to underestimate the game, but I don't overthink the game. Like I said, I go out there with my same whatever. I go out there, man, and just be myself. I don't overthink anything. I go out there with all positive energy. I don't overthink, what if this, what if that? I go out there and play the game of football. If you really think about it, this shit is 90% mental, 10% physical. So I go out there with that positive mindset, man, because I know who I am. I'm a very confident guy and I don't ever lose that."

Q: You love the bright lights of prime time, don't you?

Robertson: "It separates the boys and the men and the dogs and the wolves."

Q: Do you lean on your past experience in big games? Does that help knowing what the environment is going to be like?

Robertson: "Ford Field always feels like the Super Bowl. Every time you're in there, man. My first preseason game, it was that way. So I'm kinda used to it. Like I said before, I'm not going to underestimate this game. This is a very important, big game. Everybody is ready to go out there and perform, and most importantly, win.”

Q: Did you sense any tension from players this week?

Robertson: "Not me. You're going to get the same thing from me. You're going to get the same guy. I might shoot me some pool later on, take care of my body. You're going to get the same guy. I don't overthink this. This is football. I've been playing this since I was five years old. I know when I step on that grass, man, I know who I am. I'm pretty sure a lot of guys think the same way."

Q: Aaron Glenn said Dan Campbell is great at setting the tone each week with his message. Is there anything he said this week that's resonated with you?

Robertson: "Not really, man. He's been saying the same thing because he knows what the goal is. Anybody we play, they are in the way. They're just in the way, man. They've got some good teams out there, but we're a good team, too. What is there to fear. We ain't running from that."

Q: Is Justin Jefferson the most dangerous player you face?

Robertson: "This year? Yeah. I mean, we've had some guys we've faced, but I would say he's definitely one of them. I'm not going to sit up here — don't get me wrong, we're not scared, but I'm not going to sit here and not give him his flowers, man. He's done great things in this league. I respect him as an ultimate competitor like myself. I'm not going to not give him his flowers. Of course, he's one of the best players in this league."

Q: You understand how unusual the stakes of this game are, right? Two 14-2 teams playing like this has never happened.

Amik: "That's crazy, man. That's crazy, but, hey man, somebody's gotta do it. And after Sunday, somebody's gonna have a bye."

Q: How do you compartmentalize the crazy stakes but not treating it differently?

Robertson: "If you approach every game the same way, man — I'm not going to say — there's highs and lows, but what you're not about to do is approach it by overthinking, man, just going out there and (being like), 'Oh, we can't do (this), we can't do (that).' Out there, this Sunday, there's going to be mistakes on both sides of the ball. There's going to be catches, there's going to be turnovers. There's a game within a game and you just have to do out there and play it. We're not going to overthink it. We're going to go out there and play Lions football. If we do that, I think we'll be all right.”