{"id":89250,"date":"2025-05-29T23:57:14","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T23:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/89250\/"},"modified":"2025-05-29T23:57:14","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T23:57:14","slug":"in-talanoa-hufanga-steve-atwater-sees-broncos-latest-big-hitter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/89250\/","title":{"rendered":"In Talanoa Hufanga, Steve Atwater sees Broncos’ latest big hitter"},"content":{"rendered":"

The collision makes it impossible not to recoil when watching.<\/p>\n

It was Dec. 11, 2022, a soggy afternoon at Levi\u2019s Stadium when Tampa Bay\u2019s Tom Brady tried to squeeze a pass over the middle to Chris Godwin.<\/p>\n

Talanoa Hufanga read his eyes<\/a> and became a radio player \u2014 heard before seen. He slammed into Godwin with his left shoulder so hard it whiplashed the receiver and demanded the exchange of insurance papers.<\/p>\n

Watching Hufanga\u2019s highlights, Broncos Country can be forgiven if they drift off to images of punishing safeties Dennis Smith, Steve Atwater, Brian Dawkins and John Lynch.<\/p>\n

Heck, Atwater does.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI see it and I love it,\u201d Atwater told The Denver Post. \u201cYou can\u2019t worry about what might happen when you are trying to make the tackle. You just have to do it. (Hufanga) absolutely brings it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thursday\u2019s practice was unusual because among the former Broncos in attendance, no one talked about the quarterback. Bo Nix, in year two, has got this<\/a>. He is comfortable in his own skin, embraces expectations and is an unquestioned leader.<\/p>\n

But when looking for reasons why the Broncos will improve in 2025 \u2014 say winning the division and a playoff game for the first time in a decade \u2014 let\u2019s not forget a strong safety who brings thunder.<\/a><\/p>\n

Hufanga plays with passion, sharp instincts and a willingness to inflict jolts of pain. He separates receivers from the football, and ballcarriers from joy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s free violence,\u201d Hufanga said. \u201cYou don\u2019t get in trouble for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Broncos defense was tremendous last season, and added Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw \u2014 the franchise\u2019s first sideline-to-sideline linebacker since Danny Trevathan. Denver is the right fit for their skill set, as defensive coordinator Vance Joseph put it.<\/p>\n

What that means is they play downhill. The Broncos led the NFL with 63 sacks a year ago. But pairing Hufanga with the physical Brandon Jones and versatile P.J. Locke should translate to more takeaways. The Broncos ranked eighth with 25. Hufanga posted seven interceptions and forced two fumbles over the past three seasons.<\/p>\n

He operates like he is holding a grudge. It\u2019s quite the juxtaposition to the humble, polite person who spoke to team sponsors at an event this offseason.<\/p>\n

All of this is why the Broncos wanted him. He brings an edge, high football IQ and character. He also blends confidence with humility \u2014 a necessary trait for a team trying to take a step forward while taking nothing for granted.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just gives me joy when I step on the field,\u201d Hufanga said. \u201cAnd I like to endure stuff that is not easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The hard part for Hufanga is counting on a body that has betrayed him. He missed half of the 49ers\u2019 games over the past two seasons because of wrist and knee injuries.<\/p>\n

At 6-foot, 200 pounds, his style of play increases risk. He not only grew up admiring Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu, someone who has helped him since high school, but he modeled his game after him. It leaves him buzzing him around the ball \u2014 he has a knack for the tip pick \u2014 but also at the bottom of the pile.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing in, you have to understand what comes with it. So every injury that I\u2019ve (had), I think it\u2019s just a testament to who I am, to battle through adversity in those moments,\u201d the 26-year-old Hufanga said. \u201cIt is something that I\u2019ve taken in and wear on my sleeve when I go out on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hufanga is not the kind of player who tells people to Google him. He is determined to earn his teammates\u2019 respect. These are championship qualities. In Denver, he\u2019s joined former 49ers Mike McGlinchey, D.J. Jones and Greenlaw, his good friend who lockers next to him. That group reached a Super Bowl and won countless big games in San Francisco.<\/p>\n

You know, what the Broncos are trying to do in Payton\u2019s third season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a clean slate regardless if you\u2019ve been there or not,\u201d Hufanga said. \u201cI have to go out there and show them that I am willing to work, show them things that I have seen in the playoffs that is different than the regular season. But at the end of the day, we have to go through that journey together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TalanoaTalanoa Hufanga (9) of the Denver Broncos speaks during OTAs at Broncos Park in Centennial on Thursday, May 29, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\n

Football has changed over the past decade, becoming safer. But it remains impossible to legislate violence out of the game. At its core, the sport is defined by crashes. Some of the Broncos\u2019 best teams created fear in the middle of the field, leaving a trail of bug eyes and gator arms from reluctant receivers.<\/p>\n

Atwater won two Super Bowls with the Broncos. His voice rises when talking about this season, this defense, the possibilities. And that includes his mind wandering back to the highlights of the new safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat got me interested in football was that I could tackle people and not get into trouble,\u201d Atwater said. \u201cWith (Hufanga), you have a guy who can play man coverage. He can play zone. And he is going to hit you. You know how much I like guys with that mentality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The collision makes it impossible not to recoil when watching. It was Dec. 11, 2022, a soggy afternoon…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":89251,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2062],"tags":[925,10886,8542,232,7244,5294,3899,24118,24119,231,258,2426,1160,7,2810,929,3884,926,6,3913,1813,9,2833,12566,3319,1369,2831,2832],"class_list":{"0":"post-89250","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-denver-broncos","8":"tag-bo-nix","9":"tag-brandon-jones","10":"tag-brian-dawkins","11":"tag-broncos","12":"tag-broncos-country","13":"tag-broncos-defense","14":"tag-d-j-jones","15":"tag-danny-trevathan","16":"tag-dennis-smith","17":"tag-denver","18":"tag-denver-broncos","19":"tag-denverbroncos","20":"tag-dre-greenlaw","21":"tag-football","22":"tag-john-lynch","23":"tag-latest-headlines","24":"tag-mike-mcglinchey","25":"tag-more-broncos-news","26":"tag-nfl","27":"tag-p-j-locke","28":"tag-sean-payton","29":"tag-sports","30":"tag-sports-columnists","31":"tag-steve-atwater","32":"tag-talanoa-hufanga","33":"tag-tom-brady","34":"tag-troy-renck","35":"tag-vance-joseph"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114593834985398708","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89250"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89250\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}