JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Cam Robinson didn't like what he saw.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles had just been tackled by New York Jets defensive lineman Leonard Williams and linebacker Darron Lee after a 5-yard scramble, which was OK.
What wasn't OK with Robinson, however, was Williams taking his time getting off Bortles. That's why he rushed in and gave the Pro Bowl defensive tackle a small shove, which eventually led to the two barking at each other.
The fact that Robinson, playing in just his fourth NFL game, was eagerly getting in the face of one of the league's best defensive players did not go unnoticed by his teammates. They love the fact that he plays with an edge, something which has been missing from the offense for a while.
"He's awesome," Bortles said. "As a quarterback or anyone that is carrying the ball down the field, anytime you watch the tape, by the time you get tackled and before you can get up, Cam Robinson is usually there to throw people off you and help you get up. He has the perfect mindset for a left tackle. He has been unbelievable.
"To have that as a rookie and come into the NFL and do it the way he does it, it is impressive and it is fun to be around and definitely makes him fun to be around."
To Robinson, what he did that day wasn't anything special. He didn't think anything about potentially mixing it up with Williams. He just wanted people to get off his quarterback.
"I see that as just part of my job," Robinson said. "That all just ties in to what I do. I don't know [when I first started playing with that edge]. Maybe just growing up, just being the man in the house. I grew up with all women in my house, so I kind of always had the protective instinct or the protective gene so I don't know if that's what it is. That's just the way I always have been.
"When we're on the field those guys are my brothers, so I look at them as brothers [and] that's how I treat them."
Robinson has been everything the Jaguars had hoped he be when they drafted him 34th overall out of Alabama. The 6-foot-6, 320-pounder was supposed to compete with Branden Albert at left tackle but inherited the job after Albert left the team after three training camp practices. Robinson has been one of the Jaguars' best linemen.
He's given up just one sack through the team's first six games and has helped them rank first in the NFL in rushing (165.8 yards per game).
"The only time people usually focus in on that position is when the quarterback is getting hit," said coach Doug Marrone, a former offensive lineman and offensive line coach. "I think he's been doing a really good job and he's getting better and better each week.
"I'm excited the way he has come along. He needs to continue to do that. I think he has a good understanding of that and I think that the one thing I know I appreciate is the way he goes about his business and his passion for the game. I think that's the one thing that I’ve been impressed with."
Though he's only six games into his career, Robinson is arguably already better than Luke Joeckel -- the No. 2 overall pick in 2013 -- was in four seasons with the Jaguars. He's incredibly athletic, strong, has quick feet, and has gotten better at using his hands.
He also has a bit of nastiness on the field, which is helping -- along with the presence of running back Leonard Fournette -- infuse an attitude of toughness and physicality into the offense.
"I think the attitude that he plays with -- he is not a quiet person when he is on the football field -- [and] how he handles himself on the football field has kind of bled into the other guys," Bortles said. "It goes to show that a young dude can step up and take a leadership type of role or have an influence over the rest of the group."
Robinson didn't set a goal of playing with an edge. He's just doing what he normally does, which is something he's not always aware of.
"I'm not sure if it gives me an exact advantage over anyone," he said. "It's not the thing as, 'How does it help me?' because I kinda do it, like, subconsciously. I'm not doing it and thinking, 'OK, this can help me get this edge,' or, 'This can help me get this edge.' I obviously notice but it’s not something that I deliberately do to try to gain an edge. It's just my personality.
"I think it kind of just sets a personality for us as an offense and us as a team as well. When you come out and that's your mentality and that's what you're trying to get done with that attitude, I think it kind of rubs off on people."
And keeps them from piling on your quarterback, too.