CLASSIC: Darian Stewart
By Adam Uribes
· General
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· 3 min read
One of my profiles that I am the most proud of, Stewart saw this online and asked if he could use it on his own website.
Looking at the Denver Broncos secondary, known in Denver as the No Fly Zone, it is collection of talent and characters. Aqib Talib at cornerback is the boastful one, flapping his gums to any receiver he’s covering or to any reporter asking him questions. Chris Harris Jr. is the technician, doing all the little things right to lock down his half of the field of in the slot. TJ Ward is the wild man, the Tasmanian Devil who covers the deep parts of the field as well as the line of scrimmage with equal parts fervor and ferocity.
Lost in the mix is Free Safety Darian Stewart, the silent of one the group. Stewart speaks softly but carries a big stick both literally and figuratively. After Carolina pounced to an early 7-0 lead on a Denver turnover, the Panthers were on the move again. On a crucial 3rd and 6 play, quarterback Cam Newton runs a shovel pass to running back Mike Tolbert who started the play on the wing of the formation. In what started out as a great play design from Carolina gets blown up by Stewart who races in from his spot in deep centerfield to stop the 260 lbs. pound Tolbert dead in his tracks and forcing a punt.
Look at the replay here:
https://youtu.be/lMR6XnHSNZI
When he was asked about the play after the game on Thursday, the soft-spoken safety had this to say,
“I felt good on that one. It was better than that first one in the Super Bowl, but I felt much better on this one. It was cool. We had a spy on him, and I thought [Panthers QB] Cam [Newton] was going to run it, and then I saw Tolbert, so I just filled the hole pretty quick.”
When asked about the close game, he stayed within his quiet nature by adding,
“That’s what we were saying in the huddle. We prepare for these type of moments. We had vets in the room to get this stuff done. That’s just part of us. That’s Bronco D.”
While he is reserved in demeanor and in interviews, his play on the field allows him the other members of the secondary to gain more notoriety. If Stewart is playing with Ward in a Cover 2 scheme he gives the defensive backs like Harris, Talib and Bradley Roby the security blanket of knowing they will have help if a they happen to get beat by the wideouts they’re covering.
If he’s playing as the only member deep in the middle of the field, like he did for chunks of the game Thursday night, it allows Ward to freelance more and help in either covering tight ends over the middle or helping in run support. Although he can be the Ed Reed-type player on the defense, he is still a willing and aggressive tackler in run support. In Wade Phillips defense you will see the rotation of the safeties to have Ward play the deep safety and have Stewart help in run support, adding another wrinkle to the Denver defense to help in confusing opposing signal callers.
Darian Stewart doesn’t get most of the credit he truly deserves and, in all honesty, he doesn’t mind or seem to care too much about it. Every team needs a ‘hard hat and lunch pail” kind of player. He may not be the loudest guy on the field, but you will always see #26 making an impact. If a play needs to be made, look for Darian Stewart to fill in.
If the defense needs a big pass break up, look for Stewart to come swooping in and either breaking it up or by making a leaping interception like he did against New England in the AFC Title game last year.
Does the defense need to add more bodies to the line of scrimmage to help the front seven? Stewart will answer the bell again, this time delivering rattling hits like he did to Tolbert and Cam Newton in the opening night win.
Stewart is silent maestro of the Denver Defense. Letting the other members of the secondary get the spot light, but keeping everyone in rhythm and time.
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