Raiders.com is publishing a series of Q&As with the Silver and Black's position coaches.

Last but not least, we talk with Matt Robinson, the team's new safeties coach. Robinson played linebacker and safety at the University of Maryland before joining the Baltimore Ravens in 2021 as a defensive coaching fellow. He wore many hats over five seasons in Baltimore, working with the outside linebackers, defensive line and defensive backs as an assistant and quality control coach. He also worked with defensive coordinator Rob Leonard at the Ravens during the 2022 season.

Robinson describes his excitement of joining the Silver and Black and coaching the position he once played.

Levi Edwards: How was your experience playing safety at Maryland and how has that helped you as a coach?

Matt Robinson: "I always thought I was a really good student of the game and that always allowed me to play fast. And being a safety, you kind of always get a big picture of the defense. When I was in school, the safety was actually responsible for closing the front of the defense, which a lot of times that's usually the responsibility of the linebacker. So I was kind of baptized in blood early on that safety has to be a great communicator and you really have to have a total knowledge of the defense. ... I think that allows me now to instill that into the guys about being students of the game and that allows them to play fast."

LE: What led you to coaching after your playing career?

MR: "I dealt with some injuries while I was in school. I played three games my sophomore year, got hurt and the coaches gave me a headset. I was helping the GAs [graduate assistants] during that time. ... And from that point on, I was like, 'Man, I think after school that's something I want to get into.' When I was in high school, my notebooks would always be filled with drawn plays. ... My grandfather was a big-time high school athletic director in basketball, football, was kind of into everything, and that kind of inspired me to want to be a coach someday.

"I had a lot of great coaches in college, I had a couple of different coordinators, couple of different head coaches – they all had a different impact on me. I respected them and I loved their impact on me, and I thought if I can get into a profession and have an impact on others, that would be meaningful to me.

LE: What was it like getting your start as an NFL coach for the Baltimore Ravens, your hometown team?

MR: "It was a big blessing to be around family. ... But the community there and being immersed in it because I went to Maryland ... it was cool. I love learning ball and my high school mentor told me when I got there, 'You're going to get your doctorate in football. Go learn and be a sponge, soak up everything and that way you can pour into others when it's your time to shine.'"

LE: The Ravens had some formidable defenses during your time there, what was the biggest lesson you learned that's helped you progress as a coach?

MR: "In Baltimore, I worked from the front all the way to the back end. So I feel like I really had a chance to see the defense from front to back, back to front, and really understand issues at all levels. That helped me get well rounded as a coach.

"Player-wise, I saw a lot of impact players from Kyle Van Noy to [Jadeveon] Clowney, [Nnamdi] Madubuike, Marlon [Humphrey] being a turnover machine and the way he plays the game is violent. Once the ball is snapped, being around Kyle Hamilton, he's just an absolute unicorn when it comes to the [safety] position and being able to blitz, be physical, cover man to man, play in the deep half, play up close to the line of scrimmage. Blessed to have been around guys who you'll be hearing about for a long time, some might even be gold jacket players. Seeing their work ethic, their attention to detail and their playmaking ability, it was like, 'OK, that's what true pros look like.'"

LE: What attracted you to this position with the Raiders?

MR: "My relationship with Robbie Leonard. I had a lot of respect for him when I was in Baltimore. I can even remember when he interviewed for the job and I was just a QC [quality control coach] sitting there watching him interview and I thought, 'Man, I'm learning a lot from this guy. I hope we hire him because I'm going to be able to add some of his tools to my toolbox.' And then we kept a relationship throughout my time in the league."

LE: The Raiders drafted two safeties from Arizona in Treydan Stukes and Dalton Johnson. What are some traits you've seen that makes you excited to coach them?

MR: "With Trey, his movement skills and his fluidity, and his ability play nickel, both safety positions, play close to line of scrimmage, play back, and have range to cover man to man – I really like that. His abilty to blitz really pops on tape. That's what attracted us to him and getting him out here and working with him has been like, 'OK, we can work with that. You're going to help us big time.' Dalton, we loved how hard he played, his physicality and his play style. Robbie preaches all the time, it's play style above [all] else, and that type of attitude is really what the Raiders are all about."