Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Baltimore Ravens‘ secondary has been an area of concern, with Jimmy Smith hogging all of the negative attention. He has been getting beat on like an old dirty rug. Quarterbacks are constantly taking shots in his direction. However, there is another player of concern: has anyone seen or heard from Michael Huff?
The Ravens’ defense has allowed an average of 222 passing yards per game in the preseason; that puts them at 13th in the league. Huff has been so ghost, it’s almost hard to blame any of the secondary woes on the speedy veteran.
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Oh, but he has been there. He got caught lurking too close to the line of scrimmage, looking into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ backfield when Tom Crabtree weaved through the secondary for a 61-yard gain.
The main problem with Huff is that he hasn’t been making the right guesses. He has been playing up too close, making players like Smith look bad on the deep ball, and may have been the direct reason Julio Jones pulled in a score from Matt Ryan in the back of the end zone.
I am sure Jimmy Smith will never speak on whose area of responsibility it was when Jones came down for six, but after viewing the replays, it is clear that there was a certain ball hawking safety missing from the picture.
Normally, Baltimore fans were used to seeing no. 20 come up with a circus catch interception in that situation; however, that particular middle fielder is now the team’s ex down in Texas. The TD to Jones was a clear example of Huff not having the same instincts as the departed Ed Reed.
Was this play a preview of things to come from the former member of the Oakland Raiders? Is the Ravens’ Secondary doomed to give up the big play due to lack of help on the back end, or will Huff step up?
