Lions
Lions CB Terrion Arnold learned a lot in his rookie season and has the confidence that he will soon be the best cornerback in the league after making changes and gaining more experience.
“It was nothing but experience. Like, I always said, a lot of teams sit back there and play zone, but I had to go out there and challenge wide receiver ones, and I’m young,” Arnold told reporters, via Eric Woodyard of ESPN. “So, I know I’ll be the best corner in the league pretty soon. I’m very confident.”
“Even at the beginning of the season, like the PIs, it wasn’t a matter of if I was beat, it was a matter of just turning your head, locating the ball,” Arnold added on correcting his mistakes. “Those are things that you can fix. It was never a talent thing as far as lining up and somebody was better than me,” Arnold said. “It was just things from my inexperience and not seeing, but the only way to get better and gain experience is by being out there.”
Lions GM Brad Holmes was happy with the way Arnold’s first season turned out after drafting him in the first round.
“He’s a highly confident kid, and had some up-and-down moments early on, had some aggressive moments, which was a good thing, didn’t have any timid moments,” Holmes said of Arnold. “But I think all those snaps that he played are going to serve him well going forward, and then you just saw, the waters were a little choppy early and then you saw the waters kind of calm down, kind of midpoint to later in the season. So, very high expectations for him going forward. Again, we all know how he’s wired. He’s wired the right way. He’s long. He’s athletic. He’s got instincts. He’s tough. He’ll tackle. And so all those reps are just going to improve his confidence even more.”
Packers
Packers RB MarShawn Lloyd appeared in just one game as a rookie before landing on injured reserve with an ankle injury, and then suffered a hamstring aggravation in November shortly after being activated. Lloyd said he doesn’t have any limitations in practice.
“I’m doing good, really good,” Lloyd said, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “Running as fast as I can, can jump as high as I want, can catch the ball. I’m doing pretty good.”
Matt LaFleur said Lloyd is an explosive runner and can become a “really valuable weapon.”
“He’s different in a lot of ways from some of the other guys,” LaFleur said. “He definitely has some great explosiveness and could be a really valuable weapon out of the backfield, I think. We saw that when he was healthy. He’s a guy that’s got to prove it. He’s got to be able to go out there, and it’s certainly not for a lack of effort. This guy, he spent the majority of his offseason here, and he’s been at a much better place, I would say, right now. I’m excited for him, but ultimately he’s got to prove it.”
Packers RBs coach Ben Sirmans thinks Lloyd is in a “much better spot” this offseason compared to his rookie year.
“I think he’s in a much better spot,” Sirmans said. “Mentally, he’s pretty sharp there in the classroom. He’s moving around pretty good out there on the football field. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of high expectations for him because he brings a different blend to our offense, just with his speed and quickness. I’m pretty pleased with him so far and looking forward to getting him out there in a real game situation.”
Vikings
Heading into his first year as a starter, many have doubted whether Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy has enough arm talent to succeed at the NFL level. McCarthy acknowledged the criticisms about his arm strength but plans to disprove that notion when the season gets underway.
“I would say, you know, a lot of it just comes with the stigma of playing at Michigan, and not throwing the ball a lot,” McCarthy said, via SKOR North. “But at the same time… it could be my frame. They don’t see a 6-5, 240 guy, so how can he throw 61 miles per hour at the combine? But at the end of the day, you know, it’s gonna show up, and the people who know, know.”
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