CHICAGO _ Adrian Amos recalls a few competitions with Allen Robinson that got heated.
Six years ago, before Robinson and Amos were Bears starters, the wide receiver and safety were roommates and training partners at Penn State.
They and four other Nittany Lions players dubbed themselves the "Supa Six," and Robinson and Amos often engaged in some sort of battle, whether video games or one-on-one drills.
"One of us would win and would be bragging too much," Amos said. "And the other would get mad and we'd get to wrestling. Or if you'd beat him, you'd have to play him three times after that."
Since Robinson joined the Bears on a three-year, $42 million contract in March, coaches have lauded his businesslike approach to fitting in to the offense. They call the 25-year-old serious and maybe a little introverted, at least around the coaches, but he asks questions when necessary and leads when he needs to.
"A true professional," coach Matt Nagy said Wednesday as the Bears geared up for their Sunday night game against the Vikings. "But he's also got that inner fight in him that not a lot of people know about. So you challenge him, he's got it in him, and I love that."
That's a running theme with people who have watched Robinson develop from a Detroit high school football and basketball star to a two-time Big Ten receiving leader to a prime target for Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
Robinson's serious approach to his craft and that "inner fight" go hand in hand. That showed up Sunday as he had his first 100-yard receiving game for the Bears in a 34-22 victory over the Lions.
"It actually may sound selfish, but the biggest thing for me is I don't want to fail at anything I do," Robinson said. "So being able to put myself in the best mental state and the best position to accomplish and be successful on Sundays is to be nothing but professional. ... If I was to go out there on Sundays and say, 'Dang, I should have done this or done that,' that's what would really keep me up at night. I know what I want to accomplish."
After two rocky years, he hopes he has reached a place in his career to accomplish it.
