Brian Branch joined the Detroit Lions in the NFL Draft a season before Terrion Arnold, and one former Alabama defensive back to another, he tried to prepare the rookie for Sunday night’s season-opening game at Ford Field.
“He told me it was louder than Alabama, and I didn’t believe him,” Arnold said after the Lions defeated the Los Angeles Rams 26-20 in overtime in the Detroit dome, “so I felt, like, my ears actually shaking, that’s when I said, ‘Oh, wow, this is amazing.’ And then just running out of that tunnel right there, it was almost like I couldn’t hear nothing. And I won’t say my head was shaking, but I kind of felt like an out-of-body experience. I was just like, ‘Wow.’ I feel like I was in a movie, so, I mean, that crowd, there’s nothing like it.”
Detroit’s first-round draft pick on April 25, Arnold started in his NFL debut and played all but two of the Lions’ 78 defensive snaps. He made eight tackles and earned praise from former first-team All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp after the game.
“He’s a competitive football player,” Kupp said. “I think that’s the thing as a young guy – being able to come up and compete and challenge guys. And he’s just going to continue to get better, I know, as the year goes on. You could see those guys talking, and the safeties, they’re communicating with him and trusting him. I think that’s something that’s going to be cool for him – just the growth he’ll have this year. It’ll be fun to watch him from afar, but it was certainly fun competing against him.”
Kupp had 14 receptions for 110 yards and one touchdown for the Rams on Sunday night.
“Cooper Kupp, he’s a very great player,” Arnold said. “Me guarding, even after the game coming up to him, he’s like, ‘Yeah, you’re one of them ones.’ It was a great game, great matchup going against him, and I liked it.”
Arnold got flagged for defensive pass interference twice, and the penalties moved Los Angeles to the Detroit 2- and 1-yard lines.
After the first penalty, on a third-and-6 throw by quarterback Matthew Stafford from the Lions 11, the Rams scored a touchdown on the next snap to cut Detroit’s lead to 17-10 with 3:33 left in the third quarter.
After the second penalty, on a second-and-5 pass from the Lions 18, Detroit made a goal-line stand, with the assistance of a Los Angeles holding penalty, and limited the Rams to a field goal to keep a 17-13 lead with 12:32 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“I feel like I played all right,” Arnold said. “Those PI’s, I hold myself to a high standard, so I felt like those kind of hurt our team a little bit. But I take full accountability of it. I’m going to get to the drawing board and get better.”
Detroit coach Dan Campbell said he didn’t think Arnold was out of position on the penalties while making a good start on his career.
“It’s very evident it’s not too big for him,” Campbell said on Monday. “He’s got a lot to clean up, but yet it was very promising. He was in stride, he showed up for us and he’s only going to get better and better. It was good to see.”
