Last season, the light finally turned on for Oakland Raiders safety Michael Huff, as he posted an impressive +13.9 rating (second-best amongst all NFL safeties, 1,009 snaps) and finally delivered on the enormous potential that spurred Al Davis and company to select him with the seventh overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. On Sunday, the Raiders came to terms with the durable Huff on a contract extension.
In 2008, Huff's playing time dwindled dramatically (468 snaps), as he posted a dismal -3.2 rating that was dragged down mostly by his poor play against the run (-2.9). In 2009, his overall rating improved to +1.0 on the strength of his much-improved pass coverage (+5.4), and though he remained quite poor in run coverage (-5.9), his playing time increased (749 snaps). But it was clear that there was an upward trajectory at play, and Huff took a huge step forward in every area in 2010, posting positive ratings in pass coverage (+8.4), run coverage (+1.1), pass rush (+3.8) and penalty propensity (+1.0). In other words, Huff emerged as an all-around asset for the Raiders, one upon whom head coach Hue Jackson clearly intends to rely upon.
There had been rampant speculation that Huff – a graduate of the University of Texas – would want to play for the Dallas Cowboys, whose starting safety spots are currently held by second-year players Barry Church and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah. But the Cowboys haven't moved on any of the high-quality safeties that were available in free agency, and so it's more likely that they'll sign a second-tier option like Abram Elam. In other words, if Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins don't significantly step up their play, things will be very ugly in Dallas.
Fantasy spin:
The nice thing about Huff's production in 2010 was that it was balanced between tackles (62 solo, 8 assists) and big plays (4 sacks, 3 INTs, 4 passes-defensed). It's a good bet that his tackle totals will remain relatively stable, while his improved play in coverage suggests that the interception and passes-defensed totals should rise a bit. Two games against the Broncos – and expected starting QB Tim Tebow – should certainly help his numbers, as should match-ups against the Bills and Dolphins.
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