Richard D'Attoria V had cruised through his football career for almost his entire life. As a peewee quarterback, he was just faster than everyone else and made the other seven-year-olds look silly. That didn't change in high school either - playing both quarterback and safety, he dominated on both sides of the ball. He switched full-time to safety in college, but that didn't prevent him from quickly earning a starting role. He did well in college, too - both defending against the pass, and as a tackling/box safety against the run. His performance in college and the pre-draft process was just as good, earning him a top-15 selection in the DSFL draft. Once in the DSFL, he didn't stop being a good player, earning a pro bowl trip. And once he got into the big leagues, finally, he made a splash in his rookie season, notching 4 sacks and 3 picks. So where, exactly, did D'Attoria V have this "small fish, big pond" moment? Well, it was that year. He'd done well and had exceeded most of his goals for the season. However, when the award season rolled around, he came a dismal 7th in NFC DB voting, just missing on out on a pro bowl slot. And he finished a disappointing third in DRoTY voting despite having had a better season than the winner Mo Berry. The competition level had increased.
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