Brian Robison says he played “very well” in Sunday’s 24-17 loss to San Diego that included a half sack, a pass breakup and a tackle for a loss. He also says you shouldn’t be surprised.

That goes for you, too, Twitter followers.

And you, Vikings fans, who miss Ray Edwards.

The Vikings’ first-year starter at defensive end was on the defensive even before he even suited up Sunday, taking any slights his way “very personally.”

Once Robison signed a three-year, $14.1 million deal with a $6.5 million signing bonus in March, he sensed the public perception that the Vikings would be weaker at end without Edwards, who produced 16-1/2 sacks the past two years opposite Jared Allen. Edwards signed a five-year, $30 million deal with Atlanta in August.

After four years and 13-1/2 sacks as a backup, Robison is using everything possible as motivation – articles and even Twitter posts suggesting Robison is a downgrade from Edwards.

Robison has used Twitter to respond directly to a post from a football scouting site with a we’ll-see-about-that tone.

“To me, it’s a slap in the face,” Robison said. “I’ve just decided, like every year but more so this year, I’m going to come in and play with a chip on my shoulder and just try to prove the world wrong.”

In some ways, Robison is a classic example of an athlete channeling on-field motivation by playing the under-appreciated card.

But Robison has too much at stake as a first-time starter not to exhaust all options and maximize his potential. He always considered himself a future starter in the NFL, but he entered this year with seven starts in 63 games on his resume. Opportunity breeds credibility.

Robison said he has felt labeled as strictly a pass rusher in past years. The Vikings are asking him to stop the run and the pass as an every-down player, a challenge he embraces.

On Sunday, Robison shared a sack with Allen, hit quarterback Philip Rivers’ elbow in midthrow to set up an interception by cornerback Antoine Winfield and shared a 5-yard tackle for loss with Winfield on a screen pass to running back Mike Tolbert.

Robison and the Vikings’ defense held the Chargers to 2.9 yards per carry.

“The biggest knock on me was that I can’t play the run,” Robison said. “For me, it’s going out proving to people that I’ve always been able to play the run, I’ve always been able to be a pass rusher. I think guys get labeled as a pass rusher and (experts, fans) automatically think they can’t play the run, and that makes them not an every-down player. My job is to go out there and prove them wrong.”

Without the proverbial chip on his shoulder, Robison believes he wouldn’t be a starter today.

But make no mistake: He’ll savor the moment every time he performs like a starter should.

“Once you become satisfied, you’re on the way down,” Robison said. “There are still some things that I need to improve on. But I think for the most part, my first start as a regular starter, I think I played very well.”

Ticket update: Despite a slow start in offseason ticket sales, the Vikings’ home opener will be broadcast locally as the team inches closer to its 137th consecutive sellout.

The Vikings have fewer than 1,000 tickets available for the game at the Metrodome against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, vice president of sales/marketing Steve LaCroix said Tuesday.

The Sept. 25 Detroit game has fewer than 4,000 remaining, LaCroix said.

The four-plus-month lockout affected early ticket sales because of the uncertainty, but the Vikings will safely avoid their first televised blackout since 1997. To bolster sales, the Vikings recently offered 50 percent discounts for the Bucs and Lions games.

Follow Jeremy Fowler at twitter.com/vikingsnow.