Safety Concern: Oakland Raiders Look to Solidify Position in 2010

The safety position has been a major concern for quite some time for the Oakland Raiders.

Tyvon Branch led all DBs in tackles last season but didn't record any INTs, which is probably what left him out of the Pro Bowl.

Michael Huff had more INTs last year than he has his entire career and was drafted with high expectations.

They say Mike Mitchell was a reach last year, but injuries held him back most of last year as he tried to prove the media wrong.

Let's take a look at the Raider safeties fighting for roster spots. They are in no particular order.

Michael Huff

Michael Huff was the seventh overall pick in the 2006 draft. He was drafted with high expectations but has never lived up to them.

He only had one INT his first three years and struggled with missing tackles. He was benched halfway through his third year and was expected to be released that offseason but was surprised that he wasn't.

He made a case to regain his starting job in 2009 by recording three INTs as a nickel safety and improving his tackling. Once he regained his starting job, he looked like the same old Michael Huff from his first three years.

If he were to be gone, I don't think we'd miss him.

Hiram Eugene

Hiram Eugene was an undrafted rookie in 2006 and spent that year on the practice squad. He made the roster in 2007 mainly as a special teamer.

In 2008 he became the starter ahead of Michael Huff halfway through the season, and I don't think he played much better.

His first career INT came in the end zone in 2009, and he was given big praise for it, but it wasn't one to seal a game or anything like that.

We've been needing our safeties to step up and make big plays when we really need them, like late in games, and this is something that neither Eugene nor Huff has ever done, whether it be preseason or regular season.

Tyvon Branch

Here's an interesting player. Tyvon Branch was a fourth round pick in the 2008 draft. It was already determined that Gibril Wilson would start at SS and Michael Huff at FS, so when Branch was drafted, he wasn't expected to be much more than a special teams gunner or compete for a kickoff returner job.

In his second career game, he came in as a nickel safety and grabbed an INT and ran it back 36 yards. Other than that, he was pretty much invisible. He went to IR halfway through the season, and many thought he was done.

An interesting chain of events happened after that. Huff was benched in favor of Hiram Eugene, and Wilson got on bad terms with the team publicly after DeAngelo Hall's release, saying that the team had no vision and just tried to plug guys in anywhere.

Many expected Huff to be released at the end of the season (including Huff himself), but it was Wilson, and then the Raiders drafted SS Mike Mitchell in round two of the 2009 draft. As many wondered why Wilson was released over Huff, Branch and Mitchell competed for the starting SS job. Branch won as Mitchell struggled with injuries.

In 2009, Branch would lead all DBs in tackles but didn't record any INTs, possibly due to the lack of passing against the Raider defense. If Branch would've had an INT, I think he could've had more consideration for the Pro Bowl.

Branch definitely proved that he belongs in our secondary, but with Mitchell competing to start this year, the question remains: SS or FS? I think Branch has the versatility to play either safety position, but his solid performance at SS last year can't be ignored.

Mike Mitchell

Mike Mitchell was a second round pick by the Raiders in the 2009 draft. Many criticized this pick as most draft boards had him going undrafted. It stopped after the media found out that the Chicago Bears were planning to draft him shortly after, but the Raiders beat them to the punch.

Mitchell was expected to win the SS job in 2009, but injuries held him back. After Tyvon Branch's solid performance at SS last year, Mitchell is now competing at FS. However, Mitchell seems to be more cut out for SS, so it is possible that he could win the SS job this year and Branch could move to FS.

He made about the same amount of noise his rookie year as Branch did in his, but that didn't mean anything as Branch came alive in his second year. Mitchell could easily do the same.

Stevie Brown

Here's a guy that's really impressed me this offseason—safety Stevie Brown. He was a seventh round pick this year and already has two INTs this preseason.

He got one against Dallas on the last play of the game as they threw a Hail Mary pass and he grabbed it in the end zone. Against Chicago, he got one towards the end that he nearly took to the house, but at least it gave us good field position.

Interceptions are the plays that get remembered by fans and opponents. He hasn't recorded many tackles, and I think that is due in part of the improvement in the front seven, but he's already showing me more than Michael Huff or Hiram Eugene ever did.

He has a good nose for the ball and pretty good hands, and that is what we need in a FS, so I really think he has a shot at being our starting FS.

Jerome Boyd

Here's a guy that I won't ignore. Jerome Boyd was an undrafted rookie last year. He played linebacker at Oregon and moved to safety when he signed with us.

He put on quite a few hits last preseason, but his lack of coverage skills are what kept him on the practice squad most of last year. I think he's made some good improvement since then.

He grabbed the game-sealing INT against Dallas and took it to the house for the game-winning TD. These are the kinds of big plays we need from our secondary to keep us in ball games. You can say "it's only preseason" all you want to, but preseason is where guys like this make names for themselves and prove they belong in the NFL.

Preseason is where it starts for guys like Boyd and Stevie Brown, because when they start doing things like showing a nose for the ball, good hands, and making big plays when it counts most, then they get recognized. If they don't make the team, then other teams will look at them and give them a chance.

Conclusion

Overall, I think Mike Mitchell and Tyvon Branch are the hardest hitters of the bunch. Stevie Brown seems to have the best cover skills.

Neither Michael Huff nor Hiram Eugene has ever impressed me, and I think they could be on the fall, especially since they've been around the longest and haven't proven anything.

Jerome Boyd ought to be a good contributor on special teams and as a backup safety.

If I had to name starters now, it would most likely be Branch at FS and Mitchell at SS, with Brown rotating in on passing downs. Branch has already proven himself as a starter and has the ability to play the open field as well as the box. Mitchell is mainly a box player and is the hardest hitter of the bunch.

Brown is putting on a show this preseason that can't be ignored and should supplant Eugene and Huff since he's doing things that they've never been accused of. Boyd seems like a legit backup SS and has shown more than Huff or Eugene ever has. 

Starters: SS Mitchell, FS Branch

Backups: SS Boyd, FS Brown