ENGLEWOOD, Colo.– In early September, safety Michael Huff was a Raven and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was the enemy.
"Whew, it was brutal," Huff said of the Week 1 showdown. "It seems like no matter what defense you're in, no matter how much you disguise, Peyton just knows what you're in before you even know what you're in. No matter what disguise we were in, no matter what coverage we were showing he just knew what we were in and where to go."
After Huff signed with the Broncos signed Tuesday, Manning was the first player to greet him — with a friendly face.
"He just welcomed me here," Huff said Wednesday in front of his new locker at Dove Valley. "I'm glad I'm playing with them and not against them. I'm just looking forward to helping."
Huff is in his eighth season in the NFL – the first seven of which he spent with AFC-West rival Oakland. Huff played seven games this season with Baltimore before being waived in late October. He said Wednesday that he worked out with three other teams before working out with the Broncos on Tuesday.
His signing comes on the heels of safety Rahim Moore's injury and subsequent move to the Injured Reserve list with a designation to return – a move that in all likelihood moves safety Mike Adams back into a starting role.
"Unfortunate for Rahim – really a great young man, was having a nice year for us, cared so much," Interim Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio said. "It's really football that he loves. So unfortunate for him, it is good that we have capable veteran like Mike (Adams) to step in – a guy that played a lot last year for us.
"And then we were able to sign Michael Huff to add to the depth in the backfield. We get a guy with experience that has started in this league that understands what it takes to win on Sunday."
There hasn't been much talk about what Huff's role will be, because for right now he's trying to master the defensive playbook. That requires learning new terminology and checks among other things, Huff said. Though that can be a tough process, Huff believes he found the right fit for him in Denver.
"It's definitely tough," Huff said of spending three weeks without a team. "It was the first time I've been out of football, been unemployed, just back home working out and having tryouts now and then. So it was definitely tough but I kind of knew that the right situation would come, and I think this is the perfect situation."
