FOOTBALL. FAMILY. MUSIC.

BY MATT COHEN

Q: What was running backs coach Craig Johnson's message to you this season while you waited to get your opportunity?

Darkwa: "We have a lot of talented backs on this roster. I knew my role was special teams. He didn't have to say anything to me, I knew it. I just tried to be patient as much as possible. I was never going to sit around and pout. I always have a job to do, and I have to get that done. He didn't have to say much because I knew my role."

Q: If you weren't playing football, what sport do you think you'd be playing?

Darkwa: "My first love was basketball. Obviously, I don't have the height for it. I always thought I was going to be in the NBA when I was younger. I felt I was a nice point guard. I had a nice little jump shot. I played in high school until I realized football was my future."

Q: Talk a little bit more about your parents and the experience they had coming over from Ghana.

Darkwa: "My dad [Orleans Sr.] came first and then my mom came about four years before I was born. I actually went there when I was 10. I don't remember too much about the trip. It's changed a lot. There's a lot of poverty in certain areas, but it's not as bad as people might think."

Q: While you were growing up, was the culture of Ghana a big part of your upbringing?

Darkwa: "The biggest thing for them was discipline. I realized that at a young age. Just from an education standpoint. I remember on my trip over there, I was with my cousins in a tutoring group. I remember there was a math question I got wrong, and the tutor brought me over. I didn't know what was going on and he hit me with like a whip thing. So they take education very seriously over there. It sure made me do my homework. Growing up, I saw my older brother Clarence and how strict my parents were with him in terms of education. My mom was much harder on discipline than my dad. He's a little bit of a pushover."

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