Raiders Safety Huff Was a Tough Tackler

The Las Vegas Raiders Michael Huff was an underrated star that brought toughness, tenacity, and a brutal ability to punish opponents.

Safety Michael Huff played seven solid seasons for the Oakland Raiders but was underrated during his career and probably is not even remembered by some members of Raider Nation these days.

That’s probably because the 6-foot, 211-pound Huff played on Raiders teams that compiled a woeful overall record of 36-76 between 2006 and 2012, with their best seasons 8-8 in 2010 and 2011.

The Raiders chose Huff with the seventh overall pick of the 2006 National Football League Draft out of Texas after being selected first-team All-American and winning the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in the nation.

In the 2006 Rose Bowl, Huff made a big fumble recovery and had a crucial tackle on fourth down in the final minutes as the Longhorns beat USC, 31-28, to win the national championship by finishing the season at 13-0.

Huff, a hard-hitting tackler, signed a five-year contract with the Raiders, but not until missing the first morning of practice in training camp at the El Rancho Hotel in Santa Rosa, Calif., and making it onto the practice field in the afternoon.

“This morning when everyone was out here, I was just wishing I was out here,” Huff said after donning the Silver and Black for the first time. “But I’m out here now and read to go. I’m happy to be a Raider.”

Huff, wearing the No. 24 made famous by Hall of Famers Willie Brown and Charles Woodson for the Raiders, started at strong safety in his rookie year and made 78 tackles, including five for losses, while playing in all 16 games.

“He’s a very athletic guy, a very smart guy, you can give him a couple of different things, and he picks them up very well,” Coach Art Shell said of Huff. “We don’t see it as a problem. He can play free safety, he can play strong safety, he can play corner. He can do all those things. That’s a plus for us in the secondary.”

After adding 87 tackles, including three for losses, while recording his first career sack and interception and breaking up ten passes the next year, Huff was moved to free safety in his third season after the Raiders acquired Gibril Wilson to play strong safety. He didn’t put up the same type of numbers, with only 28 tackles.

But Huff bounced back with 49 tackles, 14 passes defended and three interceptions in 2009, though his best as a Raider was yet to come.

During the 2010 season, Huff made a career-high 95 tackles, including seven for losses, had three pass interceptions, added four sacks, seven passes defensed, and was selected to the All-Pro team.

In his last two seasons in Silver and Black, Huff made 94 tackles, 16 pass breakups, and four interceptions, but one play stands out.

On October 9, 2011, against the Houston Texans, Huff intercepted a pass in the end zone with no time remaining to ensure a 25-20 victory at Reliant Stadium in Houston. The Raiders inadvertently had only ten men on the field in the game that came one day after the death of the Raiders' famed owner Al Davis.

Said Huff: “Al Davis had his hand on that ball.”

Huff finished his career in Oakland with 441 tackles, fourth on the Raiders’ all-time list, adding 5.5 sacks, 11 pass interceptions, four forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in 108 games.

Those who saw Huff play can’t help but believe he could have been even better with a little more talent around him.

Huff played for the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos in 2013 before retiring, and these days he is Assistant Director of Player Development at Texas, his alma mater.

The NFL Scouting Combine is scheduled for Feb. 28-March 6, 2023, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. March 7, 2023, before 4 p.m. EST, is the club's deadline to designate Franchise or Transition Players.

March 13-15 is the free agent negotiation period. From 12 p.m. EST on March 13 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m. EST on March 15, clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2022 Player Contracts at 4 p.m. EST on March 15.

The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period begins at 4 p.m. EST on March 15. The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this season.

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