How did this guy fall so quickly from being the #1-2 cornerback in the league to being pretty bad and then cut and now on the verge of not being able to make a roster spot? I've seen several stories like the one below on Nnamdi. What made him so great in Oakland but terrible everywhere else? http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000225628/article/nnamdi-asomugha-on-49ers-roster-bubble Dan Hanzus surmised that the loss of San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver to a torn ACL would likely lock up a roster spot for veteran Nnamdi Asomugha. It might be the logical inference, but defensive coordinator Vic Fangio suggested Friday that it's a premature one. "We didn't really know what we were getting when we got Nnamdi. He's had some good days out here and some days where you weren't sure if he was going to still have it," Fangio said, via The Associated Press. "I think we're kind of in between with him right now. Hopefully he'll be able to still have some gas left in his tank to go out there and play like he did prior to going to Philadelphia. So, I think the jury is still out there." Needless to say, Asomugha's first week of practice has left a lot to be desired. It's fairly damning that Fangio can't tell yet if Asomugha still has gas left in the tank. It's also no surprise to Eagles fans, who watched Asomugha get toasted on a consistent basis the past two years. Asomugha's one-year contract with the 49ers contains no guarantees. While it's early yet to write him off in a suddenly shaky secondary, Asomugha is sitting squarely on the roster bubble.
He got paid huge money in Oakland, too. Like, highest DB salary in league history huge. Didn't stop him from tearing it up there.
I think his decline has more with him trying to be a movie/television star than him getting paid. I think he has been focusing his attentions on his life after the NFL. just married Kerry Washington too
Well...I think maybe part of it was he was a man corner guy forced to play some zone in Philly. In Oakland at the time he was the only threat to realize so teams may have said don't throw his way and we'll be fine. So it may have added to this aura of no one throws his way. It's kind of like the guy in the NBA that thrives on a bad team. Or it's just like the LB that plays for a bad team and racks up a bunch of tackles because no one else can.
This. He's probably not passionate about football and the Eagles contract pushed him over the line. He seems like a sharp guy who has a lot of interests and now he doesn't need the game anymore. Winning a Super Bowl or being the best he can be doesn't drive his every waking moment.
Of course, but maybe the signing bonus the Eagles plopped on the table and the long-term security made him relax. Weren't his last couple of Raiders contracts year-to-year? That tends to keep players hungry because next year is at stake.
Yes but he knew he would get that security and the signing bonus whenever he decided got to UFA and make that move from Oakland I think.
They stopped throwing the ball to him. He got so used to doing nothing that he forgot how to play when someone did throw the ball at him.
How many more contracts do you think he planned on signing after getting 5 years 60 million with 25m guaranteed at the age of 30? I think he knew that was his last big deal, and hit cruise control. JJo on the other hand, was 27 when he signed his deal, so he still has a lot left in the tank. The Texans lucked out by backing off Aso and getting JJo instead, who clearly is worth his contract.
While I don't think it completely explains his precipitous dropoff in production, I think there is something to what you're saying here. For so long, it was just understood that he was one of the top two or three corners in the game and so no one threw his way. Maybe at some point along the way, that shouldn't have been the case.
This kind of dropoff would have showed up on tape and teams would've started throwing his way again. Something really weird happened with him that you usually don't see at positions other than RB. He basically fell off of a cliff from a production standpoint.
