Dallas Cowboys Free Agency: 6 Reasons to Throw Money at Michael Huff
To say that the Dallas Cowboys have no issues at safety is like saying Katie Couric isnโt one of the greatest journalist in the world; it's just not the truth.
Last season, Dallas tried Alan Ball out at free safety, and it was a disaster. Out of 85 NFL safeties, Balled graded as the 84thย worst in the entire league. He never seemed comfortable as a starter, and his inability to adjust and adapt in the secondary was part of his problem.
The Cowboys woes in the defensive secondary werenโt all on Ball as Mike Jenkins, Terrance Newman and the rest of the crew all had their fair share of mistakes.
According to Football Outsiders, last season the Cowboys dropped to 28thย in DVOA, which is a stat the site uses to judge defensive efficiency and productivity. The โBoys were 15thย the previous season.
Just judging by stats alone Dallas should have drafted an entire backfield of cornerbacks to try and fix their issues.
But there may be hope. Oakland Raiders free safety Michael Huff is a free agent, and heโs high on the Cowboys list. Last season, the former University of Texas standout recorded three picks and almost 100 tackles. Heโs also played under Rob Ryan before and should know his system pretty well.
But there are more reasons as to why Dallas should take a look at Huff, and here are six of them.
An Upgrade Over Alan Ball
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By no means is this is a knock on Alan Ball. OK, well maybe just a little.
Huffโs lightbulb went on last season, and his production increased dramatically.
He was considered a bust after his first few years in the league, but with last seasonโs success, heโs become a hot commodity on the free-agency market.
He was second team All-Pro in 2010, and he rated much higher than Ball in terms of grade and stats with Football Outsiders.
Connection to Rob Ryan
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Huff played under Ryan from 2006 to 2008, all years where he struggled. But it was due more to Huffโs play and focus and not Ryanโs defensive scheme.
Heโll know Ryanโs defensive philosophy pretty well and could act as a go between with Ryan and the rest of the secondary. Huffโs ascension to an All-Pro type of player could in turn translate to on the field leadership that the โBoys need.
Ryan has an aggressive style, and Huff had four sacks last season which may also help improve the Cowboys sack rate.
Super Bowl Piece
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Dallas was horrible against the pass last season, horrible. Mike Jenkins graded as one of the worst cornerbacks in the league, and Alan Ball graded as the next to last worst NFL safety.
If Huff brings the same production he gave to the Raiders last season, that is a significant upgrade over what Dallas currently has in the defensive backfield.
In 2011, Dallas will face at least four of the NFLโs top quarterbacks as they travel to New England in Week 6, play the Giants and Eagles twice and go up against an up-and-coming quarterback in Josh Freeman.
Stability and consistency will be key to their success against these passers, and adding Huff will aid in that process.
If they are able to achieve success against these passers, then Huffโs arrival may be a key piece to Dallas making it back to the Super Bowl.
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Adding Stability to the Cowboys Secondary
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By now we know the issues, and we have a good idea of what the solutions are: Better play and better players.
Of course coaching and other factors go into this thing as well, but we know the Cowboys canโt hope to do better with the same approach next season.
By moving Ball back to cornerback and signing Huff, the Cowboys will at least calm fears that team owner Jerry Jones didnโt do enough to address the secondary in the draft. Heโll also add a level of protection that Dallas didnโt have last season.
Ball didnโt work out for Dallas, and the team really had nothing else to fall back on since there were no contingency plans.
With Huff there is at least hope.
Competition in the NFC East
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Michael Vick is with Philly and Eli is still in NY, so Dallas has to be serious about competing against two of the NFCโs best quarterbacks.
Huff is athletic enough to keep up with Vick and has enough coverage skills to stick with Manning and those Giants receivers.
Ball was tested often last season and often the opposing team won that battle. But if Huff is patrolling the friendly skies then teams will know their rate of success against a player of his caliber is severely cut in half.
Huffโs said that he wants to play for a winner and exiting Oaktown and entering Cowboy town may increase his hunger as he knows his chances to win a Super Bowl greatly increase.
But the Cowboys' chances of defensive success, for lack of a better term, greatly increase with Huff playing free safety.
Improved Defensive Prowess
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Overall, the Cowboys need help, and thatโs an understatement. Mike Jenkins had more yellow thrown at him than a Ricky Fowler outfit last season, and their inability to stop big plays was dramatic.
Huff brings youth, toughness and plain โol ability to a team that seemed to fall off the cliff and through the ground in 2010.
The free-agency class for free safeties is a little weak, and if Dallas fails to scoop big Mike then Iโm afraid there may be another patchwork job in place for 2011.
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