7 thoughts to end the week: On Arnold's nonlinear development, Campbell's toughness and LaPorta's blocking
Allen Park — Here are seven thoughts to end the week as the Detroit Lions prepare to host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
A step back to take a step forward
After Al-Quadian Muhammad temporarily quieted the “We’re good” crowd with 2.5 sacks in Monday’s win over Baltimore, there’s been a scrambling to find something new to complain about with the 2-1 Lions.
This week, the spotlight of fan ire has been on second-year cornerback Terrion Arnold, who has admittedly fallen short of the offseason hype he earned with a stellar training camp.
Regarding the hype, I’m as guilty as anyone. Revisiting my assessment, I wouldn’t change it. Arnold had an exceptional camp defending teammates Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, two dynamic pass catchers. Sure, there is something to be said for tendency familiarity that develops from working against the same people every day, but that’s never stopped St. Brown from cooking the roster’s other cornerbacks over the years.
And, in my defense, praise for Arnold’s year-to-year growth wasn’t exclusive to the media. This is what defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard has to say during a podcast appearance in late August.
“The job that (defensive backs coach) Deshea (Townsend) has done with that player, he’s looking like a CB1 that can go follow people and do it on a consistent basis,” Sheppard said.
Despite all that, the practice field success clearly hasn’t translated to the regular season. Arnold gave up two long catches in the season opener, including a touchdown, before exiting with a groin injury at the half. Against Chicago, he got regularly torched by Rome Odunze, giving up six catches on nine targets for 89 yards. That one could have been worse if not for a couple of plays by his defensive linemen, altering throws where the corner was beaten.
Arnold had some more issues on Monday against the Ravens, getting beaten on back-to-back plays like in the opener, including a poor adjustment on a corner pattern that resulted in a 34-yard gain to the 3-yard line. He also drew a pass interference penalty, although that one could have just as easily gone against receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Regardless, the thing about being a cornerback is that your miscues are often obvious. Working on an island, the world sees when you’re beat, and when it’s a big play, it sticks in your memory, no matter the game’s outcome.
Arnold actually tightened up done the stretch, with some smothering coverage on Lamar Jackson’s first reads that lead to negative plays for the opposition. The cornerback’s final numbers, five targets, three catches for 58 yards, are actually decent. But, as noted, the bad plays tend to linger in our memory, especially after the struggles in Weeks 1 and 2.
The issues have not gone unnoticed in the building, with coach Dan Campbell acknowledging the team is going to start using Amik Robertson a little more on the outside, implying a reduction in Arnold’s playing time. Sheppard confirmed as much on Thursday, but emphasized that it’s more about Robertson earning the opportunities vs. Arnold losing them.
The heart of the matter is an important reminder that player development isn’t linear, as much as we imagine it to be. Arnold struggled mightily to start his rookie year and finished strong. He was borderline dominant during his second offseason and has hit a rocky patch coming out of it.
Yes, he was a first-round draft pick. We’ll always attach lofty expectations to that. He’s also only 22 years old with limited experience in both college and the pros. We should temper those expectations because of that.