Ronald Darby's strong debut should ease some concerns about Eagles' secondary

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Despite coming up with an interception, Ronald Darby wasn't quite satisfied with his Eagles debut.

"My next one, I'm going to end up in the end zone," Darby said following the Eagles' win over the Bills on Thursday night.

Don't be surprised if he follows through. Darby actually had two opportunities to score a touchdown during the Eagles' second preseason contest. There was the interception the third-year cornerback returned 48 yards before he was finally cut down at Buffalo's 18-yard line.

"It was a double move," Darby said. "I played it well, stayed patient, stayed over top and I made a play on the ball."

Darby had another opportunity at a pick-six earlier, but couldn't hang onto the pass after getting a nice break on the receiver's route.

"They tried to run a speed-out," Darby said. "I was trying to undercut it, react to him first and make sure that's actually what he was running. I got my head back around, got my hand on it, and dropped it."

That was all in the first quarter, by the way. Not a bad start for Darby, who the Eagles acquired less than a week ago in a trade for wide receiver Jordan Matthews and a third-round draft pick.

"It's very impressive," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. "Very exciting. Encouraging, obviously. He's definitely going to help us there in the back end.

"It's great to see our defense come up with takeaways and put the offense in good situations."

After all the questions about the Eagles' cornerbacks entering training camp, Darby's performance should put a lot of minds at ease.

"I just have to keep on making good impressions," Darby said. "I want to carry it over to the season, keep learning, and make my mistakes early so when it's time to really go, I'm on top of my game."

The transition has not been as easy for Darby as he made it look.

The trade went down exactly one week ago last Friday. Not only did Darby have to come into a locker room and new scheme, but six days later, he was also lining up against his old teammates.

"It was one of the hardest things I've had to do," Darby said. "I was with them since OTAs. Since I was drafted, that was my team.

"It was difficult, but on to new things."

There's also something to be said for going out and showing the team that just traded you away exactly what they are going to be missing.

"It's a great feeling to do good against the team you were just with," Darby said.

Darby seems to be embracing the change in scenery, right down to the vibe at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday. Attendance was relatively strong for an exhibition game, and the loudest cheer of the night was for Darby's 48-yard interception return.

Afterward, Darby called the fans "great," adding that the play, in particular, gave him an adrenaline rush.

"It was a great feeling," Darby said. "Felt like prime time. You get a lot of energy. They build you up."

So what's next for Darby, besides finishing a play for a pick-six? Coming off a whirlwind seven days, a break would probably be nice.

"This whole week has been fast, fast, fast," Darby said. "I need a lot of rest."

The way Darby was zigging and zagging across the field during that interception return, who can blame him?

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