Ronald Darby responds to criticism following Eagles-Giants game

Ronald Darby did not have his best game as a professional in the Eagles’ win over the Giants on Sunday.

It wasn’t all bad; he made a crucial interception and had good coverage during other moments. But when you allow 139 receiving yards in a single game, that’s obviously just not good.

Darby’s performance drew criticism and media alike. He responded to said criticism on Tuesday via his official Twitter account.

Darby’s teammate Torrey Smith also weighed in.

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson offered his thoughts on Darby’s performance earlier this week. He noted the corner is still feeling effects from the dislocated ankle injury that Darby suffered in Week 1.

Q. What was your impression of how CB Ronald Darby played and how he's played since he came back? Obviously he made some big plays. What was your overall impression of him?

COACH PEDERSON: Obviously the interception was huge, so a big play there. A couple PBUs during the game. I think he's still sort of learning the scheme. I think there's times where, do I think he can be more aggressive? I do. I think he can. I think he knows that. But at the same time, he's still fighting through a little bit of injury with the ankle but yet he's out there practicing every single day, putting in the time and wanting to get better. We have a lot of confidence in him and what he's done and what he's brought to this football team, and we'll just continue to work.

Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz also gave his take on Darby’s performance. He said he believes the corner needs to be better from a technique standpoint.

Q. Are they CB Ronald Darby's issues?

JIM SCHWARTZ: I wouldn't say they're Ron Darby's issues. I would say it's secondary issues. Ron gave up some plays in this game. Everybody in our secondary, other than maybe Corey Graham, gave up at least a play. It's not a one-man game. Ron can play better than he did, he knows that. He's another one that had a chance to be able to make an interception down in the end zone. High point the ball, man, get that thing down. Those are the plays he can make. He made that interception. That helped spark us. We were struggling. That interception had a lot to do with us getting back in that game and winning that game. You have to give him some credit. I give him credit for that also. It wasn't just a Ron Darby thing. All of our corners gave up plays.

Q. Is Darby in shape?

JIM SCHWARTZ: I don't think it's conditioning. We played a lot of snaps on defense. He played every single one of them. That goes for what we do in the NFL.

Q. He hasn't played a lot in the defense this year. Is he still learning some of the scheme?

JIM SCHWARTZ: I would categorize his stuff more technique-wise in this game. With more experience, you do get more comfortable and communication happens quick. We mentioned the no-huddle and things like that. Maybe that could play a part. But when you look at it from a coaching standpoint and you look at it from a technique standpoint, I think that's where he can play a little bit better.

There’s no question that — like the Eagles’ defense as a whole — Darby needs to be better moving forward. The encouraging thing is that we’ve seen him play well before. He was pretty great in the Eagles-Cowboys game. He looked good in training camp/preseason. The consistency just hasn’t been there, though.

If Darby’s ankle truly is bothering him (he hasn’t been listed on the injury report, for what it’s worth), then getting him some rest down the stretch could be something to consider. The Eagles might have nothing to play for in Week 17 and then they have a first-round bye in the playoffs. Sitting Darby would also allow Rasul Douglas (and even Sidney Jones if he’s activated?) to get more snaps.