In his Philadelphia Eagles debut against the Buffalo Bills, his former team, Ronald Darby saw two passes come his way. He almost picked off the first target and returned it for a touchdown. The second time the Bills tested him, Darby made them pay with an interception and a long return.
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Both plays came against Anquan Boldin, a receiver likely to enter the top 10 all time in receiving yards this season, although certainly not the same player he once was.
On the first target, Darby stays in his backpedal all the way through Boldin's 10 yard out route. When Boldin makes his cut, Darby is in an excellent position to break on the football and knock down the pass.
The longer you can stay in your backpedal, the better. Once you turn and run, you're toast on this kind of route. Because Darby has excellent speed, he has the luxury of knowing that he can turn and run later than most corners because he trusts his recovery speed.
Later, the Bills tried a double move on Darby, which Darby played perfectly.
“It was a blitz,” Darby said. “They tried to hit me with a double move. I just played it right, and I went up and attacked the ball.”
Two targets, one pass breakup, one interception. Great start.
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