The Minnesota Vikings really have nothing to complain about right now. They’re hot off a big win over the Atlanta Falcons, where they took it 42-21, and they’re 11-2 for the season, even without their No. 1 draft pick, quarterback J.J. McCarthy, in the fold. But, the happiness doesn’t stop Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy from seeming a bit obsessed with the Detroit Lions, and not in a good way.
Murphy has taken to talking smack about the Detroit Lions lately, and that continued on Monday, December 9, just a day after the Vikings’ win over the Falcons.
Minnesota Vikings’ Byron Murphy is ‘Tired of the Detroit Talk’
Following the Vikings’ win over the Falcons on Sunday, December 8, Murphy was back at it, talking about the Lions as he spoke with NFL analyst and expert Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. The conversation turned from the Vikings’ victory to how sick he is of hearing about the Lions in the press.
“Y’all need to start talking about us,” Murhpy said.
Then, he had a six-word message about the Lions, stating, “We’re tired of the Detroit talk.”
He added, “We’re going to get to that [Week 18] game eventually, but right now, [we’re] just focused on every single Sunday and we’ll see them soon. But right now, talk about the Vikings because we on one right now.”
As Brad Berreman of SideLion report notes in a December 9 feature, “Players carrying derision for division rivals is nothing new, it’s totally expected and it’s totally fine. The Week 18 game between the Lions and the Vikings is shaping up to be huge, and both sides are looking forward to it.”
More Lions Talk from Vikings’ Byron Murphy
This isn’t the first time Murphy has spoken up about the Detroit Lions. On Friday, December 6, following the Lions’ Thursday Night Football win over the Green Bay Packers, Murphy also expressed distaste with all the fanfare the Motor City is getting.
Speaking with KSTP’s Darren Wolfson, he once again said he was “over” hearing about the Lions.
“Obviously Detroit came out with the win. I didn’t like that,” he said. “It was a good game. (I) feel like some plays Green Bay could’ve done better. But, it’s football, things happen and obviously Detroit won the game. But, we’ll see them soon.”
He added that he wasn’t “liking all this Detroit talk right now” and that he just keeps “hearing it over and over.
“I’m just over them,” he said. “I’m over Green Bay, too, but Detroit, they just talk about them too much, and I’m over that, as well.”
Berreman notes that, “A 12-1 team is going to get talked about a lot, in good or sometimes critical light. And it’s not like the Vikings are being ignored. But use whatever it takes to motivate you.”
Considering the Detroit Lions have never even made it to a Super Bowl and have experienced decades upon decades of losing seasons, it’s no wonder the press is talking about the team so much. It’s a Cinderella tale. It reads like a story about anything being possible. So, get used to it, Murphy.
