Sir Purr
Well-known member
- Mar 16, 2019
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"I definitely was on a different level that week because I was so mad," Arnold said. "At the same time, I was so ready to prove everybody wrong and make an impact."
After such a sudden shift in his professional arc, it's reasonable that it's taken a minute for it to dawn on Arnold the way it unfolded.
Tall, skinny wide receivers from Division III Wisconsin-Platteville don't make it in the NFL. They've had three players drafted to the league (in the 10th, 15th, and 12th rounds of the 1969-71 drafts), and their most famous athletic name was basketball coach Bo Ryan, who led the Pioneers to four D-III national championships before taking the Wisconsin job.
So when the phone started buzzing last Monday on his 26th birthday, the first day of the league's negotiation period, Arnold was at a bit of a loss.
"When you first come into the league as a small-school player, you're fighting every day to prove you belong," he said. "To have that role reversed, and it's like, 'Wow, people actually want me?' It's nice you can relax and see how the process unfolds. At that point, the hay's in the barn, you've done the work."
He said five or six teams called with varying degrees of interest, but the Panthers kept calling, and eventually, he knew this was where he wanted to be. The familiarity with offensive coordinator Joe Brady (who was with him in New Orleans) was a big part of it, but the chance at a defined role was, too.