Despite versatility, Raiders’ Huff should sit back

By Anthony Carroll  |   Thursday, July 06, 2006  |  Comments( 12 )

Oakland Raiders
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With Art Shell instilling an old-school philosophy in Oakland, rookie Michael Huff should stay within his old school's philosophy.

At the University of Texas, Huff lined up for the bulk of his defensive snaps at the safety spot. Seeing just a handful of reps at cornerback throughout his collegiate career, Huff sat back at the strong safety position for the entirety of his final two seasons as a Longhorn.

Listed at 6-1, 198 pounds, the Thorpe award-winning defensive back was a consistent defensive playmaker throughout his four-year career at Texas. As a freshman and sophomore, Huff impressed early, recording 143 tackles, 16 pass deflections, and four interceptions. As a junior, the Irving, Texas-native improved, registering 73 tackles, 14 passes defended, and two interceptions. Finally, to end an illustrious collegiate career, Huff showed incredible versatility and flexibility, compiling 109 tackles, two sacks, 14 pass deflections, and an interception.

Heading into the Raiders Napa Valley training camp, Huff may be forced into a double-sided role. Already proven athletic and versatile, there is no doubting the 23-year-old's ability to play both from the corner and safety positions. However, on a unit already scattered with youth and inexperience, Huff should find a permanent home in the strong safety slot in 2006.

For one, transitioning Huff from one position to the other will only complicate the young player's first-year defensive duties. For any rookie entering into the professional ranks, a smooth transition is already a nearly unattainable feat. Forcing Huff to learn two different positions will merely make the 23-year-old's rookie learning curve a steeper one to climb. For Charles Woodson, who spent his first eight NFL seasons as a member of Oakland's secondary, it wasn't until his late 20s before he took on a dual defensive role.

Also, constantly shifting No. 24 around the defense will induce unnecessary confusion for the rest of Oakland's stop unit--which, in the secondary, is considerably young. Fellow safety Stuart Schweigert just recently turned 25, while corners Nnamdi Asomugha, Fabian Washington, and Stanford Routt all list under the age of 25. Offsetting the age scale are offseason acquisitions, Tyrone Poole and Duane Starks; however, they will likely be used in moderation in Rob Ryan's defensive layout.

With a large gap already present at the strong safety position, the logical choice would be for Art Shell and Rob Ryan to position and lock Huff in the deep spot. Keeping Derrick Gibson close to the water cooler, while allowing an already-youthful secondary to maintain a strong amount of defensive reps would be in the best interest for the Oakland Raiders in 2006.

"If it's just being deep at free safety, lining up and covering the slot or blitzing, I love doing it all."

For Michael Huff, the required confidence to excel in the NFL for years to come is noticeably present.

For now, however, Rob Ryan and the Oakland Raiders need to remain confident in two specifics before the 2006 season commences:

One, Michael Huff can make enough plays from just one area on the field.

Two, Michael Huff's teammates can handle their own areas.

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Anthony Carroll can be contacted at acarroll@realfootball365.com
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About Anthony Carroll

Anthony Carroll began writing for RealFootball365.com on Sept. 26, 2005, making him one of the longest tenured contributors to the “365” team. As a senior writer, Anthony has taken on the task of delivering original content to the silver and black faithful year round, despite having to deal...
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