Bad news, D-Rob: Rick Smith hasn't blinked. As we've said all along, principles are nice, but no one believed for a second that Dunta Robinson is going to continue raging against the machine once it means missing regular season paychecks. So let's be adults about this, shall we?
Dunta is not doing himself any good by continuing this charade. We get it: He's still angry that the Texans didn't give him the long-term deal to which he believes he's entitled. Additionally, he's pissed the team refuses to agree not to franchise him again. Understood. The reality, however, is that Dunta has played this thing out. He's hurting his future earning power by not getting practice reps.
Even if Dunta Robinson is in phenomenal physical condition, he can't just walk onto the field and not miss a beat. Especially not when he's got a new defensive coordinator, a new position coach, and a new scheme. There's going to be a learning curve there, even for a savvy veteran. Dunta needs practice time. He needs meeting time. He needs film time. None of which he's getting, and all of which could negatively impact his salary in 2010 and beyond.
As Dunta has repeatedly lamented, he's on a one-year contract in '09. There are no future guarantees. Dunta has to play, and play exceptionally well, in 2009 to warrant the kind of dollars he wants. Missing every single offseason activity and coming in cold to Week One doesn't seem conducive to maximizing one's playing time and earning ability, regardless of how wounded the secondary is.
If Dunta Robinson does in fact stroll into Reliant Park sometime next week, with no preseason action and no exposure to the revamped defense, will Kubes really stick him on the first-team defense for the season-opener against the Jets? I don't see it happening. And because it likely won't happen, Dunta will have achieved nothing but a Pyrrhic victory. Ask Pyrrhus if that pays the bills.