Kyle Arrington apparently has an early lead in the PatsFans DB Scapegoat primary.
In one poster's mind, anyway. This guy must be the #1 hater of the K.Arrington hater club.
We're
all well aware of Arrington's weaknesses, just like most other CB's in the NFL.
As Sciz correctly points out, he's best used for covering closer to the line of scrimmage, and the further out he has to go, the lessened his odds become of being able to make the play. Just another reason to hope that he can finally be switched to full time star/slot CB.
In his defense:
1. He's relatively cheap at 1.85 million per year. Some would even consider that a steal when compared to the other starting CB's around the league, especially for his production.
2. He had 7 INT's last yr, which tied for the league lead. He has risen to become an average to above average CB in some areas.
3. He is best utilized in the slot, which was likely the thinking that went along with the drafting of Dowling last yr, as Dowling started outside on day one. It was due to Dowling's injury that moved Arrington over to regular/outside CB.
4. He can/should be one of the gunners on ST, where he has excelled in the past and started his career. Having ST value is obviously quite important.
5. He allowed a 54% QB completion rate on 100 targets. The top 10 CB's in the league averaged between 41% #1 (Revis) and 50% #10(Carr), so coming in at 54% allowed is not that shabby. It should very well put him in the top 20-25 CB's in that area.
6. He was able to hold Cruz to only 4 catches and 25 yds in the SB, which was pretty impressive in itself. He was certainly not the weak link in our secondary when it came to the most recent game.
7. He has proved himself quite durable, and has played in every single game in the past 2 years including playoffs. That would put him at 36/36 games played in the past 2 yrs since taking over here in the CB core from special teams.
8. Even if he doesn't start, he offers great value for the depth chart, can start in a pinch (obviously), and provides value on ST's and in the salary cap department. There's absolutely no reason to not want Arrington here in our CB depth chart. There is a problem when expecting him to be our #1 CB.