Kyle Arrington finished the season with a team-high seven picks. (AP)

When he went home to visit his family this past week, Patriots cornerback Kyle Arrington had just one request.

“My folks, they watch NFL Network and SportsCenter 24/7 during the season, and even in the offseason. So when I came home, they had a replay of [the Super Bowl] on,” he said. “I said, ‘For the next two months, there will be no football, no NFL Network in this household.’”

It’s been a long week for Arrington, as he attempts to try and put the Super Bowl loss in the rear-view mirror and start on what will be an eventful offseason, one that includes a March wedding. Despite the fact that he had an excellent game (holding celebrated New York receiver Victor Cruz in check for most of the night), he says he’s seen a “tidbit” of the contest, but has tried to stay away until he gets to a point where he can look at the game with a critical eye.

“Yeah, I’ll eventually watch it. But right now, I’m just trying to relax and get away from football for the moment,” he said Monday afternoon while doing a signing event for charity at Smoothie King on Newbury Street. “Right now, it’s only been a week, but for me, it’s been cold tub, hot tub, cold tub, as much as I can. I’m still really trying to get the legs back. The body, really, but more so the legs back.”

Arrington’s season was one of the better in recent history for any New England defensive back. The Hofstra product, who led all Patriots’ defensive backs in snaps this season with 1,177 (according to Pro Football Focus), had seven picks, and was tied for the league lead in interceptions with San Diego’s Eric Weddle and Green Bay’s Charles Woodson.

“It’s a great accomplishment to lead the NFL in any individual stat. It’s a great accomplishment,” he said. “But that’s not really what we’re here for as a team. Individual awards, accolades, you name it. We’re here for a championship. We fell just short, but we have a young team and we have a lot of confidence that we’ll have more opportunities.”

Over the course of the season, Arrington built a case as New England’s most consistent cornerback, and he’s “confident” that with a lockout-free offseason, the Patriots’ secondary will respond with an excellent 2012.

“Thankfully, we have an offseason program this year, so that’s even more time we get to talk the same language, be on the field together and be off the field together,” he said. “The more we’re around each other, the more it’ll benefit us.”

The offseason — at least, before the organized team activities start in the spring — are a good time to decompress and get away from the game for at least a month or two.

“I can only speak for myself personally, but I just kind of like to get as far away from football as possible,” Arrington said. “That process starts up again when you get back into your training regimen. That’s the offseason focus for a lot of guys. They have personal trainers of whatever they do in their home, so that’s big too. That starts up again. Thankfully, we have an offseason this year, so that’ll start up later in April. It’s one step after another, with OTA’s and minicamps, and then back into it.”

In the meantime, Arrington has thrown himself into his community work. His signing over the weekend served as a benefit to help raise money for the family of fallen Peabody firefighter James Rice. And money raised at Monday’s signing will also be donated to an area school, according to his agent, Sean Stellato.

“He’s getting more involved in the community,” Stellato said of Arrington, who also has designs on launching a local football camp sometime this summer. “He likes to have an intimate relationship with his fans, and being able to go out there and raise hundreds of dollars this weekend for the Rice family, who suffered a tragic loss, being able to spend some time with them, it was pretty gratifying and pretty moving.”