Ok, this might make some Lions fans upset because this the Lions first-round pick we’re talking about here. We’re not calling him a bust here because he’s far from it. We’re not even saying that Arnold should be benched for the rest of the season. We’re saying it’s time for him to sit down for a minute to get things together.
Arnold has played just three NFL games and he leads all defensive players in the league penalties. He also leads the league pass interference calls. This guy has played three games and he’s already been fined by the NFL for a face mask. This isn’t normal.
That’s not even the worst part, this is:
- Pass Interference in end zone, Rams score touchdown on next play.
- Pass interference in end zone, Rams score field goal plays later.
- Pass interference puts Bucs in field goal range and they hit chip shot.
- Facemask puts Bucs in Lions territory, they score five plays later
The opponent has been put in scoring position and scored on four of Arnolds five penalties. That is bad, this is really bad.
On top of that, the play hasn’t been as great as the Lions might have hoped it would be right away. Arnold is struggling quite a bit at the moment.
Again, Arnold is not a bust. The suggestion here is have him come off the bench for just a little bit while he works on technique and gets things under control. Start Kindle Vildor in his stead and then throw him back in the starting lineup when you feel the problem is cleaned up.
Look, I know that a lot of Lions fans think the calls are ticky tacky and some of them are, but he’s still doing something to be put in this position over and over again. We know he’s not a dirty player, so it has to be a technique thing that needs some tuning.
It would be better to have him tune that in the background to help cut down on some of these back breaking penalties.