Cardinals Agree To Terms With Linebacker Orlando Huff

[40yearfan]

Overall, Huff is a physical interior run-stuffer that plays with great intensity

Sounds like he's just what the doctor ordered to me and he sounds like a DG guy. I think it's a good move.

 

[Snakester]

Sounds like we just got Gerald Hayes a decent backup and someone to push him. I do believe this means Ron McKinnon will not be back for sure.

 

[overseascardsfan]

Call it a hunch but I think this signals the end of Raynoch Thompson in a Cardinal uniform. I'm thinking Hayes and Dansby are on the outside w/ Huff in the middle and Darling as a back up to all three spots. If Johnson falls to us at eight I still think the Cards will take him and move Hayes to the middle and Huff as his back up.

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

I hope this does not allow seahawks to sign Hartwell, I will be very mad!!

 

[MastersofCombat]

I will have to say after watch the Seahawks play last season Im feeling this signing if for any money over 1.4 a year would be a joke.
Why all the Hype this guy did very little to make Seattle feel good and the back up played as much it seemed.
Add to the fact that the backup looked better and that they are interested in Hartwell just means how bad is this guy?


Strange signing unless they are about to negiotiate with Boldin or about to pull a trade off.

 

[ajcardfan]

Strange signing unless they are about to negiotiate with Boldin or about to pull a trade off.

Perhaps they do have something close with Boldin or a trade. That does make sense.

Also, remember, Green said that they would target guys in free agency who stood out in film of their games. They brought Huff in right off the bat, so they must see something they like. A lot of people didn't understand the Ayanbadejo signing last year, with Hodgins on the roster. Hopefully, this guy pans out as well as Femi did.

 

[PortlandCardFan]

lot of people didn't understand the Ayanbadejo signing last year, with Hodgins on the roster. Hopefully, this guy pans out as well as Femi did.

Good point....

I also agree with Snakester that this is a push for Hayes. DG likes competion in camp and I think Huff will provide that for Hayes. The Bio seemed to like his run stuffing ability and I have to believe that DG will use him for specific roles.

I would prefer Hartwell but he took to damn long to make up his mind!!

 

[az jam]

He'll add inside linebacker depth and push Hayes (as several of you had stated). He is young and the price is right. However, he is not in Hartwell's class but Denny wanted to speed the money on Okeafor not Hartwell which IMO makes sense. Huff is what I call a second tier free agent signing. I think we may see a couple more to add depth to the roster and perhaps have a chance at starting. A TE and CB should be on that list.

 

[Solar7]

I like Hayes at MLB, so I think the signing of Huff for depth is a good move. Had we signed someone like Hartwell, I think we'd be done entirely with signing new free agents, but now I think we could re-sign Hill, and perhaps a lower end TE.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

You heard it here first: Gerald Hayes will not beat out Orlando Huff for starting MLB.

.... and we will remind you of this...

 

[john h]

We still need a CB and Quan will also suck up about $5 million if we re-sign him.


There is no way that we sign Hartwell now!

The longer the Quan thing drags on the less likely he will get his new contract. With two years to go I would not give him the moon. If he has another great year then he should get a contract accordingly. As it is he had one good year and who really knows how good he will be in the long run. What do you offer a guy who had one great year and still has two years on his contract??? If it means you are unable to sign a good RB or DB do you go ahead and give him what he wants? That is what management is faced with.

 

[Pariah]

I hope Hayes get moved to the outside now. I think that kid needs to be on the field.

 

[Metcalf Rules]

Paulie Walnuts

 

[Skkorpion]

Seattle didn't want Huff back. For us, he's a backup behind Hayes.

 

[john h]

Cardinals Agree To Terms With Linebacker Orlando Huff
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 15, 2005

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Tempe, AZ – The Arizona Cardinals today announced that the team has agreed to terms with free agent linebacker Orlando Huff on a two-year contract. In accordance with club policy, terms were not disclosed.

Huff becomes the fifth unrestricted veteran free agent to join the Cardinals since the beginning of the free agency period. The team has already added offensive tackle Oliver Ross (Steelers), quarterback Kurt Warner (Giants), defensive end Chike Okeafor (Seahawks), and safety Robert Griffith (Browns).

Huff (6-2, 250) started 14 regular season games at middle linebacker for Seattle in 2004 recording 51 tackles (41 solo), 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles and 1 pass deflection. He also appeared in the Seahawks Wild Card contest vs. St. Louis, recording four tackles.

Originally a fourth-round selection (104th overall) by Seattle in the 2001 NFL Draft out of Fresno State, Huff has appeared in 55 career regular season games (23 starts) collecting 123 tackles (96 solo), 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 interception.

The 26-year old Upland, CA native originally started his collegiate career out at Eastern Arizona (Thatcher, AZ) where he earned All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference and Arizona Junior College All-American first-team honors in his two seasons before transferring to Fresno State.

I know zip about this guy. Hope he is good.When I see his contract I guess I can make an educated guess about his worth.

 

[CardinalChris]

He's a depth guy, nothing more. And he'll play run downs.

I doubt Hartwell can sign with Seattle unless they trade Alexander or backload the heck out of his contract.

 

[az1965]

Starbucks espresso is so bad I actually put sugar in it. They burn the crap out of the bean breaking down the oils into acids. Beleive it or not, espresso should not be bitter. The only positive is they provide my DOC, caffeine, and it's better than nothing in emergencies. I spent part of my honeymoon in Seattle, and had lots of options to avoid Starbucks.

I could go on, but this is the Cards board!

I thought I was the only crazy person who does not like Starbucks. I agree, it tastes aweful, it sucks.

 

[az1965]

Back up and ST guy.

If he starts then, IMO, he is a downgrade from Ron McKinnon. Moreover, it may mean that Denny has not seen enough in Hayes to let him start.

 

[Redsz]

I'm pretty sure that Hayes wil beat him out.

But hey, he could be one of those guys that just buys into Pendergast's scheme and the 'gets it'.

 

[RON_IN_OC]

Good point....

I also agree with Snakester that this is a push for Hayes. DG likes competion in camp and I think Huff will provide that for Hayes. The Bio seemed to like his run stuffing ability and I have to believe that DG will use him for specific roles.

I would prefer Hartwell but he took to damn long to make up his mind!!

I think Green and Graves may also be sending a message to Hartwell and other future free agents, that the Cards are no longer a team that they can mess with and use as a negotiating ploy with other teams.

 

[wilycoyote24]

"Huff became the fifth player from another team to sign with the Cardinals this off-season. His two-year contract is worth $2 million, including a $400,000 signing bonus."

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/0316cards0316.html

 

[slanidrac16]

This is yet another way of business we are not use to seeing. We are adding depth and not merely hoping somebody steps up or that somebody stays healthy for an entire season.
Even if HAyes is the starter at mlb, who did we have to back him up. After watching the Patriots defense over the last few years it has become obvious to me that their LB's are the heart and soul of the defense.

If am somewhat surprised that the G' Men( Green and Graves) have bulked up the defense in this free agency. I thought for sure we would load up entirely on offense. But it makes sense. We had nobody behind Berry. If he were to get hurt our pass rush would go right back to where it was 2 years ago. Okeafor will be a great bookend with Berry , but it's also nice to know that if Berry has to miss a game we have a guy that can step up.

I'm thrilled with Huff. If Denny likes him, there must be a reason.

 

[azdad1978]

Huff started 14 games last season for Seahawks

By Darren Urban, Tribune

As Orlando Huff watched film during his visit with the Cardinals, defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast showed the free agent middle linebacker how he could fit Arizona’s schemes.

"He let guys play at their full potential, which is what I liked," Huff said Tuesday, after signing a two-year contract with the Cards.

Signing the bargainbasement Huff — his salary cap number isn’t expected to be much more than $1 million — eliminates any small chance the Cards still might try to sign fellow free agent linebacker Ed Hartwell. It’s also likely the last signing the Cardinals will make for awhile.

Huff, who started 14 games last season in Seattle but eventually split time with rookie Niko Koutouvides by season’s end, could start in Arizona. Gerald Hayes, who hasn’t yet locked up the starting middle linebacker job, would be the main competition.

The 6-foot-2, 250-pound Huff is known for his run defense. He said the Seahawks hadn’t made him an offer to return.

Pendergast wouldn’t say Tuesday if Huff might start, deferring to coach Dennis Green, who was unavailable.

Huff said his role hadn’t really been discussed yet.

"What they have seen on film of me is only a smidgen of what I can do," Huff said.

More important to Pendergast, adding defensive end Chike Okeafor, safety Robert Griffith and now Huff gives the Cardinals the roster makeup that will make his creative defenses work better than last season. Okeafor and Griffith will both start.

"We’ve brought them in one by one and shown them how we can utilize their abilities and how they would have an opportunity to contribute," Pendergast said. "I think we’re selling a good product to the players about the direction we’re headed.

"We’re trying to be a diverse defense that plays with a lot of speed and a lot of different personnel groups, and they lend us a hand in that situation."

The Cardinals are thin at cornerback. Renaldo Hill, a free agent who hasn’t signed anywhere, still could return. The team will also look at the position in the draft, and Pendergast raved about the cornerback class coming out.

"It’s probably the most talented and fastest group of secondary guys, as a whole, in some time, I would think," Pendergast said. "You were sitting in the stands at the (scouting) combine, just going ‘Wow.’ If a guy ran 4.5 he was slow. It was like that."

Pendergast admitted he is already eager to try out his new personnel. "I just wish we were practicing next week," Pendergast said.

EXTRA POINTS: With the news breaking nationwide about the Cardinals and 49ers playing a regular season game Oct. 2 in Mexico City — ESPN.com reported that the only hang-up is agreements with Mexican television partners — Arizona vice president Michael Bidwill reiterated Tuesday the game was a golden chance to get the Cardinals known nationally and internationally.

"If it happens, we’ve been talking internally we’d want to use it as a platform to raise the profile of Los Cardinales de Arizona," Bidwill said. . . .
Bidwill said the plan to play a home preseason game against the Cowboys in El Paso, Texas, is basically dead. That was pitched to the team after the planning had already started for the Mexico trip. . . .

It’s notable, as the Cards plan to give up a home game, that the franchise has lost 20 of its last 21 games away from Sun Devil Stadium. . . .

In Tuesday’s story about the Cardinals playing in Mexico, it should have said the Cardinals have not played outside the United States since moving to Arizona. The team has played preseason games outside the United States a few times, including a game in Tokyo in 1976.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=38038

 

[CardLogic]

I am not surprised at the underwhelming enthusiasm related to the signing of Orlando Huff. After all most everyone was hoping for Hartwell.

But that is the wrong perspective. It became obvious that the Cardinals were not going to get Hartwell. It is not a matter of Hartwell vs. Huff... The question is, "Have the Cardinals become better with this move?"

The answer is found in the comparison of Huff vs. McKinnon. All Cardinal fans like and respect Ronald McKinnon. But given the choice between bring him back for another year (contract) or bringing in O. Huff, what is your choice???

Huff will be better competition for Hayes at MLB, Huff will add to special teams. I, as most every Cardinals fan, like and respect Ronnie Mac. But Orlando Huff provides a better option than bringing McKinnon back. And that was the real choice!

 

[ajcardfan]

I am not surprised at the underwhelming enthusiasm related to the signing of Orlando Huff. After all most everyone was hoping for Hartwell.

But that is the wrong perspective. It became obvious that the Cardinals were not going to get Hartwell. It is not a matter of Hartwell vs. Huff... The question is, "Have the Cardinals become better with this move?"

The answer is found in the comparison of Huff vs. McKinnon. All Cardinal fans like and respect Ronald McKinnon. But given the choice between bring him back for another year (contract) or bringing in O. Huff, what is your choice???

Huff will be better competition for Hayes at MLB, Huff will add to special teams. I, as most every Cardinals fan, like and respect Ronnie Mac. But Orlando Huff provides a better option than bringing McKinnon back. And that was the real choice!

Now, that is a solid take!

Not only that, they've sold the guy on the scheme and that he'll have a chance to make plays.