What a strange turn of events it has been for cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha these past few years. After signing a lucrative contract that saw him depart Oakland for Philadelphia, the former superstar is making his return to California. After being considered an elite playmaker on defense, Asomugha’s play has fallen off noticeably since his Raider days.
The 31-year-old Asomugha signed a 1-year deal worth up to $3 million to resurrect his career with the San Francisco 49ers instead of the New Orleans Saints. This discount comes after a megadeal which paid the cornerback over $60 million in Philly, speaking to the testament of how poor Asomugha has been over the past few seasons with the Eagles.
Though his poor performance in Philadelphia is a cause for concern, Asomugha isn’t worried about his past performance over the last two years.
“I know what went wrong in Philly and I know what I can do,” Asomugha said. “It’s not a see-what-happens-out there sort of thing. For me, it’s going to happen. There isn’t a disbelief in me anywhere.”
Asomugha admits that he has been the target of much criticism, and he has wasted no time in publicly addressing his critics since his move to the Bay area.
Asomugha said in his exclusive team interview that, “There’s a drive, there’s a hunger inside of me that says ‘I know what I can do and I’m going to get it done.’ Regardless of what others are saying or how others are feeling, I’m just going to make it happen.”
San Francisco plans to use their new acquisition as a starting CB, despite talk that they would convert Asomugha to safety, a position he played in college and in stints with the Raiders. Asomugha is still very much in the prime of his career, despite being on the wrong side of 30. He will be a better player in a scheme that allows for physical play at the line of scrimmage, a scheme that he used in Oakland.
The 49ers currently have Carlos Rogers and Tarrell Brown, as well as nickel-corner Chris Culliver on the roster, so Asomugha should add to the physicality that Rogers brings to the table. He should ideally win out the starting job over Brown and improve the team’s vulnerable secondary. However, his main goal is to bring a championship to the Super Bowl XLVII runner-ups.
“From afar, you can tell that they have the piece in place and the game plan to win,” said Asomugha. “Then, when you come up close and talk to the coaches and players, the front-office staff, you realize how serious they are about it and how they’ve mapped it out. They made me a believer from the first time I met with them.”
The San Francisco offseason continues to get better and better. The Niners most recent signing could wind up being the move of the offseason. The team shored up a big team need and went out and signed a player with a high ceiling at a low-risk contract. Should Asomugha wind up being a bust, the team can be rid of him for the 2014 season. Asomugha was once an elite player when he played in California and maybe his return to the “Golden State” will prove that he can get back to that level this season.
