We’re getting close to wrapping up the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders 2000s All-Quarter Century Team, as the secondary is starting to take shape with the first safety spot up for grabs in today’s poll. The nominees are Michael Huff, Charles Woodson and Tyvon Branch.
A couple of housekeeping items: Woodson was also nominated at cornerback for his tenure with the Raiders from 2000 to 2005, so this poll is focused on his second stint in Oakland from 2013 to 2015, when he returned to the team and played safety.
Also, we will be doing two safety polls, so the two losers will have a second chance to make the All 2000s team.
Michael Huff
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Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesRaiders Stats: 441 tackles, 19 TFLs, 11 INTs, 53 PDs, 5.5 sacks (108 games, 7 seasons)
Accolades: 2nd-Team All-Pro (2010)
The No. 7 overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft, the Texas product was fresh off a National Championship before heading to the Raiders. His ball skills stood out with the Silver and Black, as he ranks in the top 25 in franchise history for interceptions and is third for passes defended*. Additionally, Huff recorded double-digit PDs in three out of his seven seasons with the Raiders. His best overall performance came in 2010, totaling 95 tackles, seven TFLs, four sacks, three interceptions and seven PDs to earn some postseason recognition.
Tyvon Branch
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Photo by Ed Mulholland/Getty ImagesRaiders Stats: 475 tackles, 25 TFLs, 4 INTs, 33 PDs, 9 sacks (75 games, 7 seasons)
Accolades: none
As Huff’s running mate for five years, Branch proved to be a solid strong safety in Oakland. From 2009 to 2011, he had three consecutive triple-digit tackle campaigns and was just shy of making it four in a row by racking up 94 tackles in 2012. As a result, he ranks eighth in franchise history with 367 solo tackles**, per Pro Football Reference.
Charles Woodson
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Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty ImagesRaiders Stats (2013-2015): 284 tackles, 10 TFLs, 10 INTs, 20 PDs, 3 sacks (3 seasons, 48 games)
Accolades: Pro Bowl (2015), 2nd-Team All-Pro (2015), Hall of Fame (2021)
After seven years in Green Bay, Woodson returned to end his career where it started, in Oakland with the Raiders. He made a significant impact with his ball skills, helping him rank eighth in franchise history for career interceptions (27) and first in passes defended* (84). Coincidentally, his career started with a five-interception and Pro Bowl campaign, and ended with a five-interception and Pro Bowl campaign. While Woodson didn’t play on any winning teams during his second stint with the Raiders, his leadership and the example he set in the locker room helped guide the 2016 squad to end the organization’s long playoff drought.
*PDs didn’t become an official NFL statistic until 1999.
**PFR states that solo tackles are “unofficial and inconsistently recorded”, adding ambiguity to the franchise rankings.
So, which defensive back are you going with for the first safety spot on the Raiders’ 2000s All-Quarter Century Team?
Vote in the poll below and sound off in the comments section with your reasoning. If you don’t have a commenting account already, you’ll need to create one but the steps are pretty easy and it’s a seamless process. Also, we have full-time moderators to enforce the Community Guidelines. Sign up and go to the comments section.
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