Throughout Craig Robertson's career in New Orleans, he and assistant coach Kevin Petry filmed an in-house show called "Crash Corner."
It was for no one but the team, and they all watched it on Saturdays. He's glad none of the footage "ever got out," but the goal was always the same: To lighten the mood.
And that was the story of the special teams ace's career in New Orleans who announced his retirement as a member of the Saints on Friday: He was a player second, a teammate first. And if he made his team laugh and kept them loose, he was doing his job.
"It was something to where we did as a team that kept it fun, and that’s what New Orleans was — that’s what I was," Robertson said. "I’m not here to be a star. I’m here to make everybody laugh in the locker room."
But Robertson was downplaying his impact on the team itself, a team captain on special teams who rolled up 579 tackles, 9 sacks and 10 interceptions throughout his 10-year career that spanned 136 games. Now-head coach Dennis Allen spoke to that career, and pointed to the prototype characteristics the Saints look for in the draft and in building a defense. Height, strength, speed, you name it -- Robertson had none of it.
But that didn't stop him, because of the intangible traits he brought. One of those was loving special teams, where he so often made his biggest impact.
“He was really part of the foundation of building the culture in the way the we wanted to operate defensively, and that carried over into all aspects of our team," Allen said, going on to call the now-retired linebacker “one of the best leaders that we’ve had here.”
And that growth as a leader was a major part of what brought Robertson back this week to announce his retirement. He began his NFL career in 2011 with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent after a standout career at North Texas, but it was his arrival in New Orleans in 2016 where he really felt like he'd found a home.
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Robertson played five seasons with New Orleans before departing as a free agent prior to the 2021 season. He knew then, as he did when he first arrived, that he wanted to retire with the Saints. He had calls to sign elsewhere as teams attempted to navigate COVID outbreaks. He turned them down. He's a "family man" now, a point he underscored by bringing three of his four children on-stage with him -- the fourth was taking a nap at the time.
In his typical style, he reacted to a question of whether he'd get into coaching with a gasp that drew laughs from the crowd. That's Robertson, forever a showman. He conceded he might get into pro or college coaching ranks down the road, but before he considers taking a paycheck to coach, he wants to coach the prep teams for his children and impart the many lessons he's learned throughout his own playing career.
And now he's officially retired, that's the next thing on his plate -- along with a good number of laughs.
“My whole thing was moreso about relationships and giving back to people and actually pouring into people, and I hope everyone I felt like I touched, I touched in a good way just so I can always leave a good mark" Robertson said. "You do that when you want to come back home. I feel like I’m home now.”
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