Looking at Buffalo Bills cornerback Ronald Darby reminds you of the story of David. Compared to his opponents who are bulkier and bigger, it seems like they will let Darby eat dust. Darby himself had confessed how he gets nervous before every game. Despite these, Darby spells bad news for opposing receivers.
"It's like I can't even help it. Even when we were playing a D-1AA school, I was still nervous," Darby had confessed.
His jitters, however, has nothing to do with facing his opponents but more on the thousands of people watching him. It can be likened to pre-performance jitters a singer or a speaker experiences before he gets on stage.
Darby, of course, has no reason to feel nervous. The guy simply has talent and if everyone can remember his NFL debut, Darby has the savvy of a veteran NFL player despite being a rookie.
One of his strengths is route recognition. He instinctively reacts to a route and acts on it even before a receiver does. He also impressed fans and experts with his speed, agility, and talent. But the best thing about him is his hunger to learn more and improve. Even Bills defense coach Rob Ryan has high praises for him.
"That kid is out there working on it. It's amazing, this kid is a tremendous football player. He's a great person. He's smart. He's in the meeting rooms. He's attentive. He asks questions to get better," Ryan said.
Darby is also very observant about his opponents and his knowledge is not only because he was watching a lot of videos of his opponents. He got them while playing against them. For example, he was able to tell the difference in New York Jets WR Brandon Marshall's gameplay and declared that having knowledge of that prepares him better for the next season.
