“I am Sam. I am Sam. Sam I am” – Dr. Seuss, Green Eggs and Ham
For many kids, reading books by Dr. Seuss was a favourite part of their formative years. ‘Horton Hears a Who’, ‘The Cat In The Hat’, ‘The Grinch That Stole Christmas’ and ‘Green Eggs and Ham’, among others, all became required reading for youngsters around the world.
The opening line from ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ describes the recent positional shift for Toronto Argonauts defensive back Alden Darby Jr. perfectly. The second-year Argo has moved around the secondary, mostly playing at halfback or cornerback.
That changed a few weeks back, as Darby found himself playing the strong-side or “Sam” linebacker spot. He can now literally say “Sam I am.”
It was part of a personnel shift about a month ago. Marcus Roberson Jr. was inserted into the lineup as the boundary corner. Cassius Vaughn moved to the boundary half from his normal spot at ‘Sam’, and Darby replaced the veteran there.
It’s worked out well for the Arizona State product, who had two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and two touchdowns in the last two games. He loves moving back inside.
“That’s my natural position,” said Darby, eager to talk about the move. “In the NFL, in college, I played strong safety. For the ‘Sam’ position up here it’s more in the box. I haven’t played corner since my freshman year in college, so me coming up here and playing corner was actually me being out of position.”
Playing the field corner can at times get boring for a player. There’s less action to the wide side, so moving closer to the ball makes the game a lot more fun or the Long Beach, California native.
“A lot more fun, a lot more tiring, a lot more exciting,” Darby told Argonauts.ca, “A lot more responsibility as well because you have a lot more control of the defence. You can’t make any mistakes in there. If you make mistakes, it’s touchdowns.”
Cassius Vaughn controlled the defence. He’d call out coverages based on what the offence was showing. Middle linebacker Bear Woods says that the newcomer isn’t just playing Vaughn’s position, he’s assuming his leadership role.
“Darby has stepped right in there dealing with our coverages,” said Woods. “That’s something that Cassius has implemented into that position, the vocalization of where we’re going coverage wise, and Darby has done a great job with that.”
A great job, yes. But not perfect, according to Head Coach Marc Trestman.
“We had a mistake on a zero blitz (a blitz with and no deep safety),” said Trestman, “That wasn’t entirely his fault, but it was his guy, but he would tell you and I would tell you that no one guy’s mistake is going to make that difference.”
The head coach was quick to point out the positives of his player.
“Darby has had a heck of a season,” continued Trestman. “He’s great in the locker room, he’s great on the practice field, he’s charismatic, and he shines a light on our football team.”
He also scores touchdowns. He’s found the end zone twice in the last two games, a 46-yard pick six in Montreal, and his 100-yard fumble return on Labour Day, one yard shy of Don Wilson’s regular-season record set in 1991.
He also scored on a 75-yard interception return against Montreal last season at BMO Field. He’s scored three TDs in just 18 CFL games. Compare that to safety Jermaine Gabriel, who has played 82 games for the Argos and finally scored his first touchdown this year.
“I also had a pre-season touchdown,” said a broadly smiling Gabriel, quickly reminded by Argonauts.ca that pre-season stats don’t count. “He has a knack for finding the football and it shows. I did help him get to the end zone on the other touchdown (springing him with a key block in Montreal). He’s got two, I’ve got one. I guess I have to catch up.”
Gabriel mentioned his teammate’s ability to anticipate where the ball is going and get there in time to make an interception. Bear Woods has a similar knack for being able to find the ball carrier and make a tackle.
How much of that anticipation is learned, and how much is simply instinct? Woods gave his theory.
“It’s both,” explained the linebacker. “The intuition is a part of your character, but a lot of work goes into it. Being able to learn from Cassius also helped.”
What also helps Darby find the football is his background. He wasn’t always a defensive back.
“In high school I was an offensive guy,” said Darby. “I was the number four (ranked) receiver in the state of California in my junior year. In my senior year I played quarterback.”
But he played strong safety at Arizona State, where he had ten career interceptions, returning two for touchdowns, both against USC. He was named All-Pac-12 twice.
Darby has found a home in Toronto as well as a home at his new position. The Argos are hoping he says “Sam I am” for some time to come.