As long as he can remember, Terrion Arnold has felt butterflies before games. They aren't fluttering yet, three days before his NFL debut, but Arnold expects that nervous energy to hit him Saturday morning when he wakes up: "It's a good feeling, the same feeling I’ve been having since I was six years old playing."
But this is a different game -- or is it? Next time he takes the field, Arnold will be under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football, in a raucous environment at Ford Field, preparing to defend one of the best wide receiver tandems in the game and a quarterback with a cannon for an arm.
"I mean, I went to Alabama," he said. "So I feel like this is really just another game. But for me, knowing that I’m the rookie, I don’t really know what type of quarterback or what’s going through Matthew Stafford’s head, but I know guys like Aaron Rodgers prey on rookies like that. So my main thing is just be alert at all times."
Stafford will be on the prowl. The first time he returned to Detroit, he feasted on the Lions' secondary for 367 yards and two touchdowns. That was against a cornerback duo of Cam Sutton and Kindle Vildor. This time, the Lions are answering Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp with Arnold and Carlton Davis III, a first-round pick and a proven vet. Amik Robertson and second-rounder Ennis Rakestraw are also new to the secondary.
"Stafford is elite, man, said Arnold, who was six when No. 9 made his NFL debut for Detroit.
One of the Lions' goals, he said, is "going out there and showing that we have elite defenders."
"Me and (Jared Goff) even talked about it, he’s probably one of the best in the game at no-look throws," Arnold said of Stafford. "Even when you’re in zone coverage, it can look like his eyes are over here and he’s throwing the ball over there. So you gotta do a great job of not trying to be greedy, just being in the right spot and trusting it."
As for Nacua and Kupp? The first challenge, Arnold pointed out, is filtering through all the pre-snap motion in Sean McVay's offense. It can make simple routes look much more complicated. It can coax defensive backs into blown assignments. Communication will be crucial for the Lions Sunday night, and it won't be easy in what's sure to be a deafening environment.
And those two receivers "do a great job of controlling the tempo," Arnold said. "They might not look like guys who will just line up and beat you one-on-one, but they know how to attack your weaknesses, how to win with leverage and they have great chemistry with their quarterback. You just really have to stay disciplined when you’re guarding guys like that."
Arnold debuted at Alabama against Utah State, "way different," he laughed, than the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football. But the next week they played Texas, which was the first game for Arnold that "felt like a game like this." He remembers it to this day because he dropped an interception in coverage against his friend (and now Chiefs receiver) Xavier Worthy.
That would have gotten Arnold fined in Detroit. New Lions' defensive backs coaches DeShea Townsend and Jim O'Neil have introduced "a fine book" to the position room, whereby players are penalized for their mistakes or any conduct detrimental to the team. Not punching at the ball in practice could cost you five pushups, Arnold said. Your phone going off in a meeting? 500. The aim is to get a new secondary thinking as one.
"I had one today where the ball grazed my finger. That's a fine, because if you touch it, you can catch it," said Arnold.
Arnold is bursting with confidence. His charisma is that of a movie star -- he's already on set in Allen Park. It's part of the reason the Lions like him so much, and why they aren't afraid to test him as a rookie. Even offensive coordinator Ben Johnson had to smile when asked about Arnold on Thursday. Johnson said the offense has "tried to pick on him a little bit" in practice, without much success.
"He’s sticky as all get out," Johnson said, "so he’s given us some issues there. ... He certainly lets you know he’s out there, in more ways than one."
Likewise, Aaron Glenn seems to grin anytime Arnold's name is mentioned. On Thursday, the Lions defensive coordinator, a former star cornerback himself, said his "expectation for (Arnold) is to be a damn good player in this defense because it fits who he is." With better cover corners in the backend and a deeper unit up front, Glenn wants his defense to play under the offense's chin.
And Arnold wants to "prove to my teammates" that he's up to the task. They don't get much taller than his first one.
"I can't wait to go out there," he said.