Michael Huff: A Bigger Impact at Cornerback Than Free Safety?

To say the least, Michael Huff has had a inconsistent carrer as an Oakland Raider and NFL Safety.

Many have criticized his play after such a promising college carrer at the University of Texas. In 2006 the Oakland Raiders took a chance on the award winning defensive back by taking him number seven overall. Though the Raiders have made a history of reaching for certain players, the decision on picking Michael Huff was one that many felt was a reasonable pick, even though QB Matt Leinart was still on the board(we all know how his career turned out).

The reason why Huff was considered a wise pick was due to his versatility. A decent tackler, good ball skills and even better coverage capabilities. Many felt he could play both Cornerback and Safety.

Fast forward to the present and we see that on the NFL level, that is not the case.

Until now, Huff has lost some fan support, as fans have become restless with his development.

Personally, I am still a believer in Huff, and feel that his struggles came from playing out of position for two years. Huff I felt would be a quality free safety, but played strong safety at the beginning of his career. In 2008 Huff finally made the transition to FS, but definitley showed growing pains.

But one thing Huff has always been good at, has been his coverage ability.

Now that Strong Safety Tyvonn Branch has emerged as a stand up player at the SS position, Huff has been able to put his coverage skills on display.

In the 28-13 win over San Diego, Huff moved from FS to cornerback and did a quality job in both positions.

But with the way the Raiders play defense, Huff might be better a man-to-man corner than a single safety. As a secondary player, Huff has a lack of interceptions, a stat very important for a defensive back. But if Huff was a man-to-man corner, that could boost his stats immensely. Especially the way quarterbacks stay away from Pro-Bowler Nnamdi Asomugha.

I'm not a big fan of position changes, but the Raiders have made some position changes in the past that has worked out for the better. Recently fullback Marcell Reece has made a big contribution after being a college WR. A more direct position change was moving Nnamdi Asomugha from safety to corner, a decision that has payed off well.

I believe the biggest question might be, how well can Mike Mitchell be as a starting FS. Mitchell has gotten increased playing time, but still can improve.

Stanford Routt has improved, but still is not what we need opposite Asomugha. Chris Johnson is continuously getting beaten, and the young rookies Walter McFadden and Jeremy Ware still have a lot to learn.

Keep in mind that we are approaching a NFL draft that is very cornerback heavy, so a guy like Aaron Williams out of Texas could fall to us in the second round.

I'm still a believer in Michael Huff, and it seems like the cornerback position is his best position right now, and the Raiders need to figure out what they are going to do to compliment Asomugha without spending big bucks. Huff could be that on the roster answer.

Huff and Asomugha could look dangerous on the edge with Mike Mitchell and Tyvonn Branch, two tackling machines, holding down our last line of defense could be lethal. Having some depth at that position with a guy like Aaron Williams would look nice as well.

It's time the Raiders start making some moves for the future of their defense, as they have done with their offense.