Linebacker Mark Robinson works as fullback

LATROBE, PA (93.7 The Fan) – Mark Robinson didn't have too much to say about it, but an interesting position move at the end of Steelers practice at St. Vincent College on Sunday. The linebacker was lined up as a fullback.

A number of players knew it was a possibility, but it didn't seem like they really thought it might happen, even in a practice setting.

"We were talking about it in meetings and I thought they were joking," said linebacker Patrick Queen. He didn't believe Robinson was missing the middle linebacker meeting he should have been in to attend an offensive meeting.

Yet there at the end of practice as they set up for a goal line drill between the first-team offense and first-team defense, Queen was looking at the 5'11", 235-pound Robinson across the line of scrimmage.

"That first play, I see him and Isaac (Seumalo) came at the same time, run at us," Queen said. "I'm like this is not going to end up too good so I kind of ole' him."

"He played running back in college," said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. "Those of you that are familiar with his resume, so it's not a completely foreign act. We just want to give him a look at it and see what it looked like."

Robinson was a running back at Presbyterian College scoring five touchdowns his only season there on 75 carries and was Southeast Missouri's second-leading rusher (364 yards) with four touchdowns the following season. He was moved to linebacker when he transferred to University of Mississippi.

"Maybe we'll do some more in the future with him," Tomlin said. "Maybe we'll do some more with some others. The more versatile you are, it adds to your cause, and it adds to ours."

Tomlin did a similar thing with his former starting center, Kendrick Green, a couple years ago and it became a bit of a camp phenomenon as he would routinely participate in fullback drills

"I'm not going make a big deal out of it," Tomlin said. "I know it's probably pretty interesting, but we just gave him a couple of snaps."

"It's just football, I'm down for whatever," Robinson said.