Regardless of what happens, there will be extremists on both sides of the Michael Robinson debate. There will be those that feel that the special teams unit will inherently suffer to a cataclysmic degree, and there are those who will say Robinson wasn't good at all and there are hundreds of players in the league who could do what he did, and probably better. It would be nice if we could find the middle ground as a whole, but it just won't happen, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that, we're all entitled to our opinions!
At the very least, we can take a look at Robinson and what he provides for our division rival Seahawks As is their newfound custom, they signed him as soon as the 49ers were done with him, and there's a few ways they can use him. As much as I hate to say it, I think Robinson is a very good fit there. One of his ex-fellow special teamers, Jeff Ulbrich, is now one of his coaches. Seattle is lacking a special teams captain and standout to Robinson's extent, and they also currently lack an actual fullback on their roster.
So he'll go in there and be in the rotation at fullback, which, for those of you who are quick to forget, he isn't bad at. He's not an ideal starting fullback for any team, but definitely someone who can make blocks in space, as he's been good at doing on special teams. He'll likely immediately become their core special teamer and perhaps be the captain on the unit.
My question is, whether or not you feel the 49ers will suffer on special teams, are you worried about him going to a divisional rival? Even if, only to a small extent. I don't think any of us will claim he'll push them over, making them suddenly a favorite to beat the 49ers, but I definitely feel it's a solid signing for them.