Huff has the stuff all D-lines crave
Huff has the stuff all D-lines crave
By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Thursday, Apr. 13 2006
In recent seasons, the safety position has undergone a renaissance of sorts in
the NFL. Michael Huff of the University of Texas hopes to be the next in line.
"I think it's kind of a new breed of safety with myself, Troy Polamalu
(Pittsburgh), and Ed Reed (Baltimore)," Huff said. "Safeties have to do more
than just stay in the middle of the field and hit; now they have to cover and
blitz and do it all, and that's what I like to do."
Reed and Polamalu are both Pro Bowlers; Reed is a former NFL defensive player
of the year. It remains to be seen whether Huff will have that kind of impact
on the pro game, but he certainly has put together the kind of college resume
that foreshadows big things in the NFL.
While Texas quarterback Vince Young was generating most of the wows on offense,
it was Huff who earned defensive MVP of the Rose Bowl for his work in the
national championship game victory over USC. (Huff recovered an errant lateral
by Trojans running back Reggie Bush.)
In the long and glorious history of Longhorns football, Huff is the school's
first player to win the Jim Thorpe Award, which goes to the nation's top
defensive back.
"I love making plays," Huff said. "Whether it's hitting somebody across the
middle, getting a 'pick' and going back scoring, or blocking a kick. Whatever
it takes to help a team, that's what I'll do."
Fittingly, Huff did a little bit of everything over the course of his college
career. Where to begin? He rang up 25 tackles for losses, two sacks, six forced
fumbles and 43 pass breakups. He had seven interceptions, four of which he
returned for touchdowns.
"I love getting into the end zone," Huff said. "That's probably my offensive
mind-set. I played receiver in high school, and love getting the ball in my
hands and scoring."
When it comes to run support, Huff isn't what you would call a dominant player
in the box, but he's an impressive open- field tackler who combines speed with
instincts and intelligence. A regional qualifier in the 100 meters for the
Texas track team, Huff made all the secondary calls for the Longhorns the past
two seasons.
But there is some question whether Huff will play safety or cornerback in the
NFL. Bigger corners are in vogue in the NFL. Huff's size (6-0, 204) and speed
(4.34 seconds in the 40) could make him an attractive option at cornerback for
teams, including the Rams, who have the No. 11 overall pick.
In college, Huff made almost all of his starts at strong safety, though he did
start three games at cornerback as a freshman. But even at safety, Huff had
wide-ranging duties for the Longhorns.
"I was deep free safety, or I was strong safety in the box, or covering the
slot, or outside covering," Huff said. "I was all over the place."
In fact, some of Huff's best moments for the Longhorns came covering elite wide
receivers, such as Oklahoma's Mark Clayton as a junior and Ohio State's Ted
Ginn Jr. last season.
So how did Huff fare against Clayton, now with the Ravens?
"I held him to three for 19, so I guess I had a pretty good day," Huff said.
Holding Clayton to three catches for 19 yards is an impressive day's work for
any defensive back. Almost as impressive is the fact that Huff could rattle off
the numbers from that game almost a year and a half later.
"When you cover the best, you want to keep the stats to know how you did
against them," Huff explained.
Then again, Huff went up against the best every day in practice, whether it was
trying to cover wide receiver Roy Williams, now with the Lions, or chasing
Young around all afternoon.
"Every day was intense," Huff said. "It just made me a better person on and off
the field."
Re: Huff has the stuff all D-lines crave
Quote:
In fact, some of Huff's best moments for the Longhorns came covering elite wide receivers, such as Oklahoma's Mark Clayton as a junior and Ohio State's Ted Ginn Jr. last season.
So how did Huff fare against Clayton, now with the Ravens?
"I held him to three for 19, so I guess I had a pretty good day," Huff said.
Holding Clayton to three catches for 19 yards is an impressive day's work for any defensive back. Almost as impressive is the fact that Huff could rattle off the numbers from that game almost a year and a half later.
I would think that he will do well in the NFL if he played well against elite WRs in college. He also appears to have a good memory which, I think, would be an very important quality for a safety or a corner.
Re: Huff has the stuff all D-lines crave
Quote:
He had seven interceptions, four of which he
returned for touchdowns.
Amazing. This guy is without a doubt the full package. We have to find a way to get him.
