Hours Before Kickoff: Week 12

How does Kyle Arrington do it?

Have you ever watched Arrington closely? He looks like an average cornerback. Nothing about him stands out. He stands only 5-10. His arms look ripped, but you wouldn’t say he’s above-average athletically. He doesn’t excel in press coverage. Heck, it doesn’t look like Arrington excels at any particular coverage skill.

He’s not a shutdown corner, not even after changing his number from 27 to 24, as if he wants to be the next Ty Law.

Yet somehow Arrington is leading the league in interceptions with seven. So as of right now, Arrington does have something in common in Law.

It’s a different method, but he gets the same result. While Law blanketed primary receivers and made quarterbacks regret testing him, Arrington has an innate ability to be at the right place at the right time.

Think about it. How many times do you remember Arrington anticipating the route and cutting in front of the receiver to pick off what was a perfectly timed pass? Once? Maybe twice?

Or do you recall Arrington being behind a receiver downfield, only to catch up in a few strides once the ball was in the air and snag the pass at the highest point? Nope? Same here.

But if a ball bounces off of a receiver, or a pass is batted at the line, or pressure forces an errant throw, it’s almost guaranteed that the ball will fall in the waiting hands of Arrington. It’s as if the pigskin is uncontrollably attracted to Arrington and can’t get enough of being in Arrington’s arm.

How is Arrington doing this? A rookie free agent isn’t supposed to lead the NFL in interceptions. Especially one that went to Hofstra. Hofstra! The university doesn’t even have a football program anymore after dropping it last year!

Arrington bounced through Philadelphia’s and Tampa Bay’s practice squads. After the Buccaneers released him in 2009, New England signed Arrington as a practice player before promoting him to the active roster when Cleveland came sniffing around with an active roster contract.

Since his promotion, we’ve seen a handful of higher profile corners come and go: Terrence Wheatley was a second round pick. Jonathan Wilhite was a fourth round pick. Darius Butler was also a second round pick. Leigh Bodden was an accomplished veteran free agent. One by one, Arrington nudged them out of the way to become a starter.

Despite his production, Arrington somewhat remains in the shadow of Devin McCourty, the 2010 first round pick who was selected to the Pro Bowl after seven interceptions in his rookie year. When breaking down the secondary’s play, the question, “What’s wrong with McCourty?” comes before, “Can you believe what Arrington is doing for the Patriots?”

Maybe luck is what Arrington has to explain all the interceptions. No, that’s not it. Maybe he’s illegally using pheromones to draw the football closer. Arrington hasn’t been cited for using an illegal substance, so that’s not it either.

One thing we know for sure is head coach Bill Belichick trusts his eyes. And what he sees from Arrington is a player that works hard on and off the field and puts in the extra time studying opponents and situations to prepare himself for anything. So when he ball ends up in Arrington’s hands again, best believe that Arrington did all he could do to be ready when the opportunity arose.

Arrington has a nose for the ball. It’s the instinct to be aware of where the ball is at all times. It’s an immeasurable ability that trumps 40 times and vertical jumps. And right now, Arrington has the best nose than anyone else in the NFL.

A few things I’m looking for:

Made for the Shade: LeSean “Shady” McCoy is an explosive back in and out of the backfield. The defense will be designed to stop him first.

Look Around Corners: Before worrying about the secondary, Philadelphia’s blitz-heavy pass rush has to be kept under control, starting with DE Jason Babin.

Plus/Minus: Turnover ratio (Eagles -8, Patriots +5) favors New England coming into the game. This has to hold true on Sunday.

Three interceptions thrown by QB Vince Young hopefully is a harbinger of gifts to come for New England’s defense. Enough turnovers and the Patriots hold off a Philly rally.