Byron Murphy, Jr., used to jot down notes of everything Patrick Peterson did.
How the eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback studied film and played a highly personalized technique. How Peterson communicated, had hyper awareness of certain players' tendencies, his own alignment in proximity to the inside-most receiver and sideline; and what to do versus motion and when alone on an island.
"He was one of the guys that was like a big brother to me," Murphy said. "He always looked out for me."
Murphy was a 16-game starter for his home-state Arizona Cardinals at 21 years old. Pat Pete was one of a few vets in an older cornerbacks room that showed Murphy the ropes and taught him to be a pro's pro.
The accumulation of knowledge and playmaking portfolio over 56 career games served Murphy well when he signed with Minnesota in 2023 and was by far the most experienced cornerback on the Vikings roster.
Still, he was young himself and just scraping the surface of his NFL potential.
Fast forward to the present and Murphy, 26, is amidst a career season. In 11 games, he's forced five turnovers (four interceptions and one fumble), including a pick and "Peanut punch" on back-to-back drives in the final six minutes at Green Bay. His 70.5 defensive grade via Pro Football Focus is a personal best.
There's one big difference, an underlying change that's affected Murphy's game.
He's not the only veteran player on the outside anymore. Stephon Gilmore was the NFL's 2019 Defensive Player of the Year and has played more than double the number of games. Shaq Griffin was a Pro Bowl pick in 2019 and completed his 100th game in Week 12. Even reserve cornerback Fabian Moreau is four years older than Murphy and has appeared in almost 30 more games. Murphy is surrounded by wisdom.
"That just motivates me to be better because I'm trying to get a Pro Bowl under my belt, and I definitely think I'm on the right track to get that done," Murphy said. "To have those guys in the room shows me motivation every day, and I've just gotta keep going and keep going harder to get what I want to achieve."
We recently sat down with the defense's interceptions leader for this Water Break presented by Crown Royal to gauge Murphy's emotions before playing Arizona, which drafted him 33rd overall in 2019, for the first time in his career. Murphy said he expects 10-plus family and friends in attendance.
"It's nothing but love there," he smiled.
Q: What does the state of Arizona mean to you?
A: "It means the world to me. I can't wait to get back there. I have some stuff I want to do. My son is getting older now. He's playing football and all those things. I want to get around more kids and start a little 7-on-7. I've got some people that want me to come to camps, coach up some teams, so I'm going to do that. Arizona just means the world to me. I want to represent Arizona to my full potential. That's home. The biggest thing is just family, the support system — you can't beat it."
Q: Can you imagine how you'll feel running out of the tunnel at U.S. Bank Stadium to face the Cardinals?
A: "I'm going to have to try to stay focused. Those types of games – even in high school, you've got guys that you know – your brother or something plays on a different team, and you play against each other. It's like one of those types of games for me. I've just gotta stay locked in, make sure I'm doing everything I need to do on defense. Obviously, it's going to be a hype game. I'm looking forward to it and have been looking forward to it [since the schedule came out]. … I think those types of games bring the best out of you just because you've got to show up and show out, because that was a team you were on and you're not there no more, all those themes come with it. It's not a get-back, but I definitely owe them."
Q: What's your relationship like with Kyler Murray and what do you think of the job he's done?
A: "Right when we met, we became bros. Nothing but respect and support toward him. He was a leader on our team, a great quarterback and made plays. I just feel like mentally he fought through some stuff – the injury thing, got through it – and now he's back to doing the things that he does. I love that he came back and is doing his thing because that shows a lot about him – where his head's at, where his heart's at."
Q: Is there a 'Murray Moment' that's top of mind?
A: "He got out of a crazy [situation], literally, he was about to get sacked – game over – and he just threw a Hail Mary, and D-Hop (DeAndre Hopkins) caught it. I'll never forget that game just because that Hail Mary was probably one of the best I've been a part of; we won the game (against Buffalo, 32-30) and that year we were on a roll. … I'll never forget [playing against him in practice], too, because as a DB you've got to run across the whole field, you've got to stay in coverage. That's one thing I'll never forget; he's one of those quarterbacks that's mobile and always out there trying to make plays. He was doing whatever at practice, he was going right, left, throwing it deep, it didn't matter, he kept us on our toes."
Q: How has playing for Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores helped your growth as a player?
A: "I'm going to say it's elevated my game by far, just the knowledge of the game, knowing how offenses attack us and all those things. Learning and sitting back watching [film]. Obviously the energy he brings, he just brings that juice every day. I feel like my game has gotten better over these last two years. Scheme-wise, I love the scheme, we do so much different stuff. I just love playing with Coach because he's a great guy, he keeps it real every single day. I definitely want to just stay under his wing, for sure."
Q: How do you explain nearly all your takeaways this season occurring in the fourth quarter of games?
A: "That's what I've been doing since college. That's kind of the name they gave me: 'Closer.' Closing the games out. When it's late in games, [and if we're ahead], they've got to throw the ball and force something down the field. We've got to go get the ball in those situations. We have to go make a play. That's just my mindset. And if it's the fourth quarter and I haven't made a play, I'm going to run to the ball and try to go make a play. That's my mindset. I've got to [make an impact play] every single Sunday."
Q: What's the key to being able to win in coverage both as a nickel and outside cornerback?
A: "It's about watching film and knowing your receiver, what type of receiver you're going against because you switch your techniques up a little bit. Most of the time, it's the first steps, seeing if they're attacking your leverage or if they're attacking you this way or that way, and then we just talk about man tools – how we have to work with each other on motion. All that stuff comes together, and I think that's the biggest thing technique-wise: knowing your receiver and how they run their routes. If they're speed guys, you probably want to give them a little space and if they're bigger guys get your hands on them."
Q: Do you have any plans to get more involved with Camryn Bynum's 'viral' defensive celebrations?
A: "I'm not going to be like 'Beezy' because he's just crazy. I don't even know how he does it. I'm probably going to keep doing my little dance moves, find some more TikTok dance moves and keep doing those."
