Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen calls Greg Robinson ‘kind of lazy’

Under Jim Caldwell, the Detroit Lions have been notorious for how little they talk. Outside of a few players (*cough*EricEbron*cough*), the Lions have offered little in post-game sound bites or controversial statements.

The Minnesota Vikings aren’t apparently built that way. Defensive end Everson Griffen was asked about Lions left tackle Greg Robinson on Wednesday—the player he’ll likely be lining up against early and often—and Griffen did not mince words:

This isn’t the first time Robinson has been accused of laziness. Back in his days with the St.Louis/Los Angeles Rams, many believed Robinson was unfocused in his studies of the game. A particularly damning report came from Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole, who said, via Twitter, that Robinson “spent more time learning rap lyrics than studying pass protections.”

So far in Detroit, Robinson has been a mixed bag as a replacement left tackle. The Lions have only given up six sacks in three games, but Olivier Vernon and the Giants defensive line were dominant against Robinson last Monday. According to Pro Football focus, Robinson allowed five hurries and committed two penalties when lined up against Vernon. Against the Falcons, he committed another penalty and gave up four more pressures, including one sack.

Griffen, himself, has only faced off against Robinson twice in his career. In 2015, Griffen was held to three tackles (1 for loss) against the Rams. The two faced off in the previous year, but it was Robinson’s first career NFL game, and he only came in as relief for offensive guard Rodger Saffold in the second half. In that game, Griffen feasted, notching two sacks on the day.

Obviously, Griffen has seen Robinson’s work on tape, as well. So will Robinson use this as bulletin board material? Will Griffen back up his words with a huge performance? No one knows, but Sunday’s matchup between the two just got a lot more interesting.