With the news that Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell is thinking about shaking up the cornerback room a bit after Terrion Arnold’s struggles through three games, we decided to dive into the tape from Monday against the Baltimore Ravens.
Arnold, now in his second year, has not played up to expectations this offseason. After being hailed as the most likely player to take a Year 2 jump, Arnold has given up a handful of big plays already this season, and even been tagged for a few penalties, as well. As Campbell noted on Wednesday, some of that is due to the Lions’ defensive scheme. Arnold is often asked to cover with no help over the top, and that can be tough for any cornerback, let alone one that is still growing.
“What we ask of these corners is not easy, but it’s also why you’re here,” Campbell said on Wednesday. “It’s why we acquire you, whether it’s the draft or it’s free agency. It’s because we are going to put you on an island, and it’s not going to be easy, but that’s the task you’re given.”
But, also, was it as bad as it looked? It’s easy to point out the plays in which he got beat on, but what about plays away from the ball? How is Arnold looking when the ball is not thrown his way? After all, several Lions coaches and players pointed to the coverage when talking about the team’s seven-sack performance. The pressure can’t get there if the coverage isn’t good. Was Arnold at least partially responsible for any of the Lions’ seven sacks on Lamar Jackson?
Erik Schlitt and I jumped into the tape to find out. We break down the plays Arnold gave up, but also tried to give a bigger picture of his entire night in Baltimore. You can watch our breakdown below:
Note: Our connection broke down, so the video is split into two different streams. In fact, there are a lot of technical issues this week. Hopefully, it’ll be better next time.
After breaking down Arnold’s film, we jumped into the Lions’ two-back sets they used against the Ravens. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs shared the field for over a half-dozen snaps, including a bunch of Maryland I-formation snaps, which feature three players behind the quarterback. We broke down what worked with those plays, what didn’t work, and what they were trying to do to manipulate the defense. That breakdown begins around the 31:00 mark in the second video above.
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