Daren Stone (born August 21, 1985 in

Lockport, New York Lockport is both a city and the Lockport (town), New York, town that surrounds it in Niagara County, New York, Niagara County, New York (state), New York. The city is the Niagara county seat, with a population of 21,165 according to 2010 census ...

) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

Linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

. He had a stint with the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...

in 2011. Stone is a former

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

. He was drafted by the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. Stone has also played for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

and

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

Early years

Stone attended

Lockport High School Lockport City High School (also LHS) is a comprehensive New York public high school located on Lincoln Avenue in Lockport, east of the city of Niagara Falls in the Lockport City School District, serving ninth to twelfth grade students. It is ...

and was a student and a letterman in football, basketball, and track. In football, as a senior, he was named the team's Defensive Player of the Year, was a first-team All-League selection, and was a second-team All-Western New York selection. In basketball, he was a second-team All-League selection. In track, he was a first-team All-Western New York selection. Daren Stone graduated from Lockport Senior High School in 2003.

Professional career

Atlanta Falcons

As a rookie in 2007, Stone made the

' active roster. In his debut against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

, he sacked quarterback

J. P. Losman Jonathan Paul Losman (born March 12, 1981) is an American football coach and former quarterback. Losman played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at UCLA and Tu ...

. Stone was released by the Falcons for Drunk Driving Arrest on August 30, 2008 during final cuts.

Dallas Cowboys

Stone was signed by the

on October 21, 2008 after

Roy Williams was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

. Stone was released a week later on October 28 when the team re-signed

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

Quincy Butler.

Baltimore Ravens

Stone was signed by the

on November 5, 2008 after the team waived

Anwar Phillips Anwar M.S. Phillips (born October 25, 1982) is a former American football cornerback. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Penn State Nittany Lions football, Penn State. Phillip ...

. He contributed on special teams for the remainder of the season. In the 2009 AFC Championship Game versus the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

, Stone committed an unnecessary roughness penalty that cost the Ravens field position (moving them from near midfield to their own 14) at a critical time in the game. Stone had suffered a concussion on the opening kickoff of the game. An

exclusive-rights free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in the 2009 offseason, Stone was not tendered a contract offer by the Ravens.

Calgary Stampeders

On May 27, 2011, the

signed Stone as a free agent.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

On May 18, 2012, the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

signed Stone.

References

External links

Just Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Daren 1985 births Living people People from Lockport, New York American football safeties Maine Black Bears football players Atlanta Falcons players Dallas Cowboys players Baltimore Ravens players Calgary Stampeders players Saskatchewan Roughriders players