FO: Get Rid Of Huff

December 27th, 2016
Should not be on roster.

Should be off roster.

Joe can somewhat forgive a professional player for a horrible, boneheaded mistake. But two in three weeks, c’mon?

That’s just what Josh Huff did. The receiver/return specialist did his best to blow the win over the Saints two weeks ago with one of the most ghastly maneuvers in NFL history, headbutting a kickoff out of bounds and setting up the Saints for a safety.

Thankfully, the Bucs survived that.

Then on Christmas Eve Huff tried to play Santa Claus for the Saints, gagging on fielding a kick which indirectly led to a pick by America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston.

Simply put, types Andrew Potter of FootballOutsiders.com, Huff has no business being on the Bucs roster.

At the start of the second half, Josh Huff makes another mistake to hand his team atrocious field position following a Saints kickoff. Two weeks ago, he let a short kick bounce off his facemask and out at the 1-yard line, leading directly to a Saints safety. This week, he fails to field a kick cleanly and ends up tackled at the 4-yard line, leading less directly to a Jameis Winston interception on a deep ball toward Mike Evans. Special teams plays usually swing the way of Tampa Bay: New Orleans has major issues in the kicking game, whereas Roberto Aguayo is very good on kickoffs and Bryan Anger is one of the league’s best on punts. Bad mistakes on individual returns will more than make up for that, however, and so it has proven. I’m just not sure what value Huff offers the Buccaneers, especially if the mistakes on kick returns continue, but there’s just about nobody else available — their receiving corps has been rent asunder by injuries.

Joe couldn’t have written it better than that. It seems Huff’s days of fielding kicks with the Bucs is over because the game Saturday ended with Ryan Smith back fielding kicks.

As Joe has written before, @Afroblunder Kenny Bell gagged on fielding a kick — in preseason no less! — and he never got another chance.

Why did a team in the playoff hunt allow a guy more than one chance to choke away a game?

23 Responses to “FO: Get Rid Of Huff”

  1. MadMax Says:

    Yes, he’s gone. But Im telling you guys, Adoree Jackson is who we need to draft. Heard it here first. Go watch his returns. And he’s a pretty good CB. I think he’ll be there lower end of the 1st or top of the 2nd after we draft a WR.

  2. Kevin Says:

    Not saying we would have won the last two two games without him but he sure didnt help

  3. JonBuc Says:

    Makes me long for the Dexter Jackson Era…and I don’t mean the Super Bowl 37 MVP.

  4. pick6 Says:

    he could be useful as WR depth and maybe as a gunner unless\until someone else plays him off the roster next offseason, but he should not be allowed to affect the game as a return man. it’s amazing how many poor decisions he’s made in such a limited number of opportunities, but i guess the circumstances of his arrival here were a pretty big red flag on his decision making in the first place

  5. RCS Says:

    I actually think Huff could be a great player for the team as a WR, he was trying to do too much… Let them coach him up… He has the speed to take the top of the D and could add to the KR game when coached up.
    We could use the speed. Or at least wait to see what you get in the draft first.

  6. Bucsfanman Says:

    Yeah, I’ve seen enough. Where’s the supposed “speed”?

  7. tmaxcon Says:

    i was hoping for better results from this dude but NEXT!

  8. LakeLandBuc Says:

    It’s difficult to understand why Jason Licht would sign Josh Huff off waivers. But when Taylor Gabriel was on waivers, he never gave it a thought.

  9. Lamarcus Says:

    So Martin couldn’t do a better job than Huff?? OK he was inactive so we would never know but I’m sour about it cuz Huff was in game. I would of have Martin return kicks at the very least

  10. bculaw Says:

    I was also less than impressed with his play on the bubble screen against the Saints in the second half. Perfect play call and good blocking. Huff literally fell down before at the defender’s feet he could even make a move. JW3 is not exactly one to call out teammates, but he was visibly upset on the field. It really should have been a very long gain, if not a TD.

    For someone with supposed burst, shiftiness, and speed, I have yet to see any of it translate on the field.

  11. tmaxcon Says:

    Lamarcus

    Martin is a unreliable one dimensional part time player who does not play special teams…

  12. TheBucsAnthem Says:

    Send Huff back to the practice squad

  13. JMN Says:

    Huff has been nothing but a liability and has added no value to our sad sack of receivers, with the exclusion of Evans. He probably won’t be a Buc after the Carolina game.

  14. lightningbuc Says:

    Luckily, Jameis bailed out Huff when the Bucs needed it most. Oh wait, nevermind.

  15. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    I think injuries kept Huff on the team longer than he would have otherwise.

    Saw this one coming a while back. He was never a great returner. That was a myth. He had a couple returns, and they were luck.

    Ironically, Kenny Bell actually was a great returner in college…but his mistake cost him his opportunity to prove it here. He was never a great WR though.

  16. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    The proof Huff will be gone? Jameis Winston’s treatment of him. He was constantly mad at the kid for screwing up routes.

    In a way I feel bad for him on that point, because he really didn’t have much time to learn things…but he should never have been the returner.

  17. rayjay1122 Says:

    Can someone tell me why Hump could not have been our KR when he was healthy? I do not recall him muffing any punts which are much more stressful to catch cleanly with defenders standing in your face just waiting to pounce on the ball if not caught cleanly. I would have used Hump or VH3 at KR. Huff should be selling alarm systems door to door moving forward. He is no profession football player. He is a fraud.

  18. Tony in Los Angeles Says:

    Yes – just cut everyone who makes mistakes and never develop any talent at all. Brilliant. That’s the reason the Bucs are in this mess in the first place. Watching Winston do everything eh could to complete a pass with our horrible backup TE’s late in the 4th was the epitome of sadness. Brate easily catches one or even both of those TD attempts.

    Huff has talent. Period. The Bucs have a severe lack of it at the backup WR and TE positions.

  19. rayjay1122 Says:

    Yeah, Huff has talent….talent at screwing up kick returns. Oh and he was such an asset at WR too. I guess the legalized recreational Marijuana in Cali has your judgement a little clouded.

  20. iamkingsu Says:

    Maybe it’s the kick return team. How many people have to look terrible before you’ll start looking at Special teams?? He didn’t look terrible in philly that’s for damn sure.

  21. IK Says:

    When there are stretches of time where the best offensive play is to take a touchback on a kickoff there are major problems with the offense too.

  22. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    Huff ran the wrong routes, gave up too quickly on plays, and messed up KRs. He sucks.

  23. Doctor Stroud Says:

    The only thing that gets Huff even considered for an invitation back to training camp next year is a kickoff TD (or two).