A Pittsburgh Steelers rival has officially retired. Who would that be? Punter Kevin Huber, who spent all 14 years of his NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He became consistently reliable for Cincinnati, and he even made a Pro Bowl appearance back in 2014. His statistics went way down in 2022, which ultimately led to the team releasing him in December.
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Bengals punter Kevin Huber suffered a broken jaw in 2013 as a result of the massive block placed by Steelers linebacker Terence Garvin.
On Friday, the punter officially announced his retirement after the news broke a few weeks ago. Their projected new punter appears to be Drue Chrisman, who appeared in seven games in 2022 after the release of Huber. Chrisman did quite well, as he averaged 47.8 yards per punt across 28 tries. So how does this relate to the Steelers? Well, we’re going to take you down memory lane.
No, Huber wasn’t the punter that Antonio Brown karate kicked on a return, as that was Spencer Lanning of the Cleveland Browns. Rather, Huber had a few different memorable moments against Pittsburgh. Most notably, former Steelers linebacker Terence Garvin laid a booming hit on Huber in 2013. The result? Well, Garvin's hit freed up Brown for a punt return touchdown.
That would end up being one of Brown's four career punt return touchdowns. That’s not all though. Huber suffered a broken jaw from the massive collision, which landed him on the IR after the game. Somehow, Garvin wasn't even flagged on the play, which would've brought back the touchdown. Instead, the linebacker was subsequently fined $25,000 for what was later described as an “illegal” hit.
Gene J. Puskar / AP
Former linebacker Terence Garvin was a crucial special teams member for the Steelers for three years, including a memorable hit against the Bengals.
Nowadays, 10 years later, the former Steelers linebacker would’ve faced an even heftier fine and potential suspension. Without a doubt, he also would have been penalized on the field. Garvin spent the first three seasons of his six-year career in Pittsburgh, and this will forever be remembered as his most notable moment in the black and gold. While he didn’t play much on defense, he was a core special teams member.
Where does this hit rank in Steelers history?
With the Steelers, he played just 50 defensive snaps in three seasons. On special teams, he appeared on 810 snaps. Huber averaged 45.3 yards per punt in his career, but that number dropped to 43.2 in 2022, which led to his release. In 28 career games against the Steelers, Huber punted 149 times for 6,815 total yards. That equates to an average of 45.7 yards per punt, a slight uptick from his overall career numbers.
Any time you play 14 years in the NFL, all as a starter, that's an impressive career. Steelers fans won't miss him either, as Huber's big leg enjoyed some huge games against Pittsburgh over the years. Still, this hit is something that fans will always think of. Not only did Huber suffer a broken jaw, but doctors also discovered a cracked vertebrae after the game.
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The Steelers always seem to have some of the heaviest hitters in the NFL, including legendary edge rusher James Harrison.
The Steelers have had their fair share of big hits over the years. While consistently having one of the ferocious defenses, it makes sense. They’ve had some of the meanest defenders over the last 20 years as well, most notably guys like James Harrison and Joey Porter Sr. Still, this hit from Garvin remains quite memorable for most Steelers fans.
Do you remember where you were when Garvin laid this massive hit on Huber? Where does it rank amongst the biggest, most memorable hits in Steelers history? What would the repercussions be in 2023 if Garvin made the same hit? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, as well as on our social media sites, yinz!
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