Saying No To Nnamdi

I need to put something longer and better researched together on CB Nnamdi Asomugha, but with Clark Judge posting some strange info I need to get this out there ASAP.

Judge, who writes for CBS Sportsline, put up a blog post that Asomugha isn’t all that high on the Birds wish list.  I agree with him.  Judge then talks about why.  First, Asomugha will cost a fortune.  I agree with this point.  The Eagles have one pricey, big time CB already in place.  Do you hand out a mega-deal to another CB?

Judge then says this:

“…partly because he’s a press cornerback who plays only the right-cornerback position. I know, I know, the Eagles need another cornerback like L.A. needs Sig-Alerts, and they could especially use one at the right-cornerback spot.”

Can’t say that I’m buying this angle.  Judge said he heard this from a source.  Just doesn’t make sense.  The Eagles need a RCB.  The Eagles want a RCB that can press.  Those are the reasons you would go after Nnamdi.  He’s a great fit.  Either Judge misunderstood what was told to him or he needs new sources.

Judge later brings up age as an issue.  Asomugha will turn 30 next month.  That is a big reason the Eagles are hesitant to want to offer him $15M a year or whatever ridiculous number he’ll get.  In the NFL you pay for the future, not the past.  Will Nnamdi be a dominant CB in 2012?  2013?  At some point he’ll start to decline.

Judge makes the comment that being 30 “puts him in the prime of his career”.  Huh?   Maybe Judge is being cute with his words.  Nnamdi might technically still be in the prime of his career, but he’s speeding toward the downside.  CB is not a spot where guys stay at an elite level forever.  Ronde Barber has played a long time, but is in the Tampa 2.  Charles Woodson isn’t really a CB anymore.  He’s a CB/SS/LB combo.  Nnamdi is entering his 9th season.  For Judge’s comment to really make sense, Asomugha would need be have several years left in his prime.  That’s when age wouldn’t be a factor.  Age is absolutely a factor when talking about a 30-year old CB.  Samuel is 30 himself and we’ve got to figure out who will replace him, whether that is 2012, 2013, or beyond.

Namdi is still a very good CB.  I’m not arguing that point.  He’s #2 to only Darrelle Revis.  The question is when that level of play starts to go away.  Might be 2011.  Or 2012.  Or he could be a freak that will stay elite for a couple more years.  You’re making a very expensive gamble if you give him a huge contract.

I think some desperate teams will make that gamble.  I still see the Houston Texans as a major suitor.  I think the Cowboys could be right there.  I wonder if Baltimore could quietly come out of nowhere to make a run at him.  And Detroit would make some sense as well.  None of these teams has an established star CB.  We do.

I think Judge is hearing correctly when he says don’t expect the Eagles to make a strong push for Asomugha.  I think his comments about Namdi “just being a RCB that likes to press” are way off or misunderstood.  I’d like to know who he heard that from and the context of the comments.  Maybe there is some angle I’m missing.

I would love to have Asomugha play for us.  In a fantasy world he’d announce that he wants to play for a winner and for a team that has a good CB already in place.  He’d take a slightly lesser deal to come here so he could compete for a championship, even if the deal was only for one season.  Like I said, “in a fantasy world”, meaning not real likely.  Bottom line, don’t expect to see Asomugha in midnight green this year.