Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. ó Nnamdi Asomugha sums up his performance after each Oakland Raiders game with a review and a grade in his trusty notebook that features tips and reminders about how to play cornerback.
The postgame summaries have been rather brief this year as Asomugha has become perhaps the loneliest man in football.
Spending nearly the entire game on an island in man-to-man coverage, Asomugha has been avoided by opposing teams as if he had an infectious disease. Superstar and rookie quarterbacks alike have preferred to pick on former Pro Bowler DeAngelo Hall or other defenders instead of challenging Asomugha.
“A lot of guys just don’t want to deal with it,” Carolina star receiver Steve Smith said. “The way he plays, I kind of see why.”
There could be even less action this week against the Panthers (6-2) following the surprising decision by the Raiders (2-6) to release Hall and move untested Chris Johnson into the starting lineup against Smith, Muhsin Muhammad and the rest of Carolina’s talented receiving corps.
“I still believe that the ball is going to come at some point, probably this week,” Asomugha said.
He admits that he says that to himself every week in order to guard against complacency. But no matter what the team or how good the quarterback and receiver are, Asomugha has been rarely tested all year.
According to numbers compiled by STATS, Asomugha has had 16 passes thrown his way this season, with eight being caught.
So opposing teams just design their offenses to go to the other side of the field, like they did against Deion Sanders and other great cornerbacks.
“I remember, back when I was with the Giants, in Deion’s hey day when he was with Dallas, he had that kind of reputation where people never really threw on him,” Panthers coach John Fox said. “I’d say he’s playing, if not better, as well as anybody in the league right now.”
While Asomugha has never been to a Pro Bowl, his numbers this year stand up favorably to last year’s picks at the position. If the film wasn’t enough to convince Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme of Asomugha’s skills, he got a firsthand report from backup Josh McCown, who spent last season with the Raiders.
“He is extremely smooth, very big. He’ll quick-jam you at the line of scrimmage and he runs effortlessly,” Delhomme said. “He’s like a gazelle. Having Josh in the meeting room, he’ll say he’s good. He’s one of the best he’s ever been around. So he’s extremely talented.”
The Raiders have just a 21-67 record since Asomugha joined the team in 2003, and this year has been the most difficult of all for him. The first month of the season was dominated by talk of coach Lane Kiffin’s feud with owner Al Davis.
After Kiffin was fired, the team has been blown out in three of four games under interim coach Tom Cable. And now, Asomugha is bewildered by the decision to release Hall.
“You’re paid to deal with problems. At the same time, six years and running, you do get tired of a lot of things,” he said. “Mind, body and soul, everything, you do get tired. Straight up. No lie.”