Detroit Lions: Vikings defender calls Greg Robinson lazy
Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen goes out of his way to call Detroit Lions starting left tackle Greg Robinson lazy.
There is clearly no love lost between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings. The longtime NFC North rivals have battled for years. So it’s not breaking news when one side bashes the other via the media.
But Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen decided to stoke the fire a bit on the heels of their Week Four matchup with the Lions in Minnesota this Sunday. His target? One of the newest members of this Detroit team, and likely Griffen’s biggest adversary this weekend, starting left tackle Greg Robinson.
"“Quite honestly, [Robinson looks] kind of lazy,” Griffen told The Star Tribune via NFL.com. “He’s lazy. He gets beat on the inside. I think the biggest thing is, he’s got to compete more but yeah, he’s pretty lazy. I feel like the rest of their offensive line, they do pretty well, but to me he’s kind of lazy.”"
That’s some pretty damning statements against Robinson, who was a first round selection (2nd overall) out of Auburn in 2014 by the then St. Louis Rams. After three underwhelming seasons, the 24-year old lineman was traded from the Rams to the Lions this offseason following a shoulder injury suffered by starting left tackle Taylor Decker.
But where Griffin isn’t wrong is the fact the Detroit’s offensive line has played pretty well, which is a bit surprising considering the Lions’ have three new starters in Robinson, right guard T.J. Lang and right tackle Ricky Wagner.
Next: Will the Lions bounce back against the Vikings?
Robinson has played well in replacement of Decker, who is expected to return at some point this season. As for Griffen’s comments, the eighth-year veteran has racked up four sacks in three games and currently sits tied for fourth atop the league in that category. If his intention was to intimidate Robinson prior to their divisional matchup, it could end up having the opposite effect.