Packers Daily Links: Asomugha Said To Have Sights Set On Green Bay
An NFL beat writer says cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha will sign with either the Packers or the Jets in free agency. That and more in today's Daily Links...
San Francisco Chronicle NFL writer David White made a bold prediction on Twitter. He wrote that Nnamdi Asomugha – who's scheduled to become a free agent after this season – said his choice will come down to the New York Jets or Green Bay Packers. "According to former Raiders beat writer David White (now with the San Francisco Chronicle), Asomugha has long wanted to play for a proven winner, and his next home will likely come down to two locales: Green Bay and New York," writes Chris Kolb of NFL News and Rumors. "The main motivating factor for a move to the Packers is Asomugha’s close friendship with standout cornerback Charles Woodson, and while it would seem that there wouldn’t be much in the way of space for him with the Jets, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them unload another player or two to make room for Asomugha next season."
The Packers would be foolish to not to pay a fair price for Asomugha, but they're not going to overpay for him. They've already got one of the best secondaries in the entire NFL. And with the maturation of Sam Shields this year, I'm not sure where Asomugha would fit in. Some have said Charles Woodson may eventually move to safety. But he's still very productive in the slot. This is all a lot of speculation at this point. I have a hard time seeing it come to fruition, but you never know.
Head coach Mike McCarthy called his unit a "championship-caliber defense" on Monday. "McCarthy, speaking one day after his team’s 21-16 NFC Wild Card playoff victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, was adamant Monday that his team has what it takes to run the table as the conference’s No. 6 seed and win Super Bowl XLV," writes Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin. It's hard to disagree. They're best at what matters, keeping other teams off the scoreboard.
James Starks appears to be the featured back in the Packers offense. "Well, he definitely deserves opportunity," McCarthy is quoted as saying by Gary D'Amato of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "He'll run the ball against Atlanta, if that's what you're asking me. Yeah, he's going to carry the ball in Atlanta. He earned that." After Sunday's performance the Packers have no choice. They have to go with Starks. Jason Wilde pens a similar article.
Starks is compared to Ryan Grant by Cliff Christl and Eric Baranczyk of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Starks is very similar to Grant. He’s a nice one-cut runner. That’s all they were missing without Grant: A put his foot in the ground, head up-field runner that fits their zone schemes. Starks is a longer strider than Grant, but their feet are a lot alike when they run along the line of scrimmage, find their hole and go." The question now becomes, who is the featured back next season?
Ted Thompson and Russ Ball have looked into instant replay rules following the previous matchup at Atlanta. "The replay system was scrutinized following the Packers 20-17 loss because of a critical on-the-field ruling that saw tight end Tony Gonzalez convert a fourth-and-3 late in the second quarter," writes Kareem Copeland of the Press-Gazette. "Gonzalez caught a four-yard touchdown five plays later with 12 seconds left in the first half to give Atlanta a 10-3 lead." The feed available to the Packers coaches was said to be lagging far behind the action on the field, not allowing them to get a good look and challenge the call.
Following James Jones' drop on Sunday, information has cropped up that he has a thumb injury. "After the game and again on Monday, McCarthy said Jones has been playing with a 'very painful thumb injury,'" writes Bill Huber of Packer Report. "Interestingly, Jones has not shown up on the injury report, and McCarthy said it hadn’t been mentioned for 'competitive reasons.'" I'd like to know what McCarthy means by competitive reasons. It seems like if it's important enough to use it as an excuse, it should be on the injury report.
McCarthy says the Packers are feeling confident in themselves. "He's selling his team on the idea that it will have the upper hand because it is on a roll, having won three consecutive do-or-die games," writes D'Amato.
Aaron Rodgers has been nominated for FedEx Air NFL Player of the Year.
A pep rally is scheduled for Friday night in Atlanta.
A Falcons scouting report is provided by Pete Dougherty of the Press-Gazette.
Former Packer Matt Bowen breaks down the matchup for the National Football Post.
Comments (54)
January 11, 2011 at 08:28 am
If Nnamdi signs with the Packers, oh my... Best defensive backfield in the history of the NFL? That's possible... Morgan Burnett. Charlie Peprah. Tramon Williams. Sam Shields. Nick Collins. Charles Woodson. And now, possibly the best cover corner in the NFL in Nnamdi Asomugha? I will scream like a little girl if I go to NFL.com or watch ESPN one day and see this news.
January 11, 2011 at 08:39 am
Either Asomugah takes a serious pay cut and goes to GB where he has friends and can win it all,
Or he gets a serious pay raise and goes to NYJ where he has friends and can win it all (but won't)...
January 11, 2011 at 09:09 am
Would obviously be an amazing pick-up, but I don't see it happening unless Woodson is moved to safety, which I also don't see happening for a few years.
January 11, 2011 at 09:42 am
You can only afford so many stars before you kill your depth on the team.
January 11, 2011 at 10:36 am
Well put and concise.
January 11, 2011 at 10:34 am
Sign him if you get the chance. Especially if Dom sticks around. I'm positive Dom could find a way to make it work and it might keep him around.
It's awesome that big name high talent guys respect GB. I'm sure a log of it has to do with #12
January 11, 2011 at 10:34 am
i don't see it happening. it looks like shields and tramon are going to be the main cover guys with woodson playing a corner/safety/linebacker hybrid position. i can't see thompson messing with the chemistry they have right now.
January 11, 2011 at 11:25 am
+1. No need to mess with a good thing here.
January 11, 2011 at 12:17 pm
man, you just reminded me...how good was that sam shields play on (i think it was) maclin? when they both went up for the ball and shields got his hand on it and ripped it out as they fell to the ground... that was a pro bowl play right there.
January 11, 2011 at 12:37 pm
And Pepra's hard and fundamentally perfect tackle that ended up spraining the ankle of Jackson.
January 11, 2011 at 11:00 am
Maybe Asomugah wants more balls thrown to him again instead of running around for nothing most of the time. :-)
But I doubt him going to either team. Packers have too much depth at the position, and the Jets have to pay too much for their other "stars" on D already.
January 11, 2011 at 11:00 am
I don't care for FA as most of them are only for themselves.If Nnamdi comes to Green Bay it must be to win TEAM Championships and not MONEY driven.This will be easily distinguished during,if any "serious" negotiations take place.
Packer fans rejoice in how TT gets players from the draft and resigns guys so inexpensively and then maybe willing to partake to the selling of the whole ship for one.
His contract will start a wave of dissention from those who have done and given already and make much less than the guy who hasn't.
FA=the #1 killer of TEAMS.
January 11, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Free agency is only a tool. It's the people who wield the tool that make or break teams. You might be able to say overuse of free agency is the #1 killer of teams, but I'd argue that it's more of a symptom of other problems.
You only use free agency when you feel that the players that you have are not as good as the players that you can get. Therefore consistently going after free agents likely means that you have been drafting poorly. If getting a free agent means you have to cut depth, that's likely a sign of poor salary (cap) management. If the free agent is acquired because of a need to win in the short term, that means management has screwed up somewhere - you don't get that kind of hotseat treatment unless things are going wrong for your team.
January 11, 2011 at 01:21 pm
Whether a killer or symptom,the points you raise as to why a team does delve into FA are the very reasons the Packers don't have to.
We draft well
We money manage well
We have depth
We are not the Viqueens
January 11, 2011 at 02:57 pm
The Vikings do desperately need CB help.
January 11, 2011 at 11:57 am
Sign him. Any excuse to push Jarrett Bush off the bottom of the depth chart...
January 11, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Jarrett Bush is a special teams captain. He's been making loads of plays on special teams. As long as they don't line him up from scrimmage, he's a real asset to the team.
January 11, 2011 at 01:02 pm
The problem is (is) that J.Bush is currently the dime DB. Also, who would you rather have on-field: Peprah or Nnamdi Asomugha?
January 11, 2011 at 01:04 pm
yep, bush has been very good on ST this season. i can see the packers drafting a CB in the 5th or 6th round of the draft and developing him but there's no way they sign a big name free agent like asomugha at the CB position.
January 11, 2011 at 01:05 pm
Wow. A Jarrett Bush fan. Okay. How about this?
"Sign him. Anything to keep Jarrett Bush from ever having to play another snap on defense."
January 11, 2011 at 07:09 pm
the guy will be 30 years old in july. it goes against ted's whole philosophy of draft young guys and develop them. sure the guy's a great player and i would MUCH rather see him out there than bush but it ain't gonna happen.
January 11, 2011 at 07:37 pm
JB is a good 5th stringer and special teamer. He is responding to coaching and is improving.
He has had some great plays this year. Has shown some heads up play too.
January 14, 2011 at 01:29 am
Ay Man Jarret Bush is cool. He is trying out there to be a great CB like Williams and C-Wood, he just can't though right now but he does work hard and earned ST Captain. Hes an excellent person with the correct attitude. Hes not a bad player. He works hard.
January 11, 2011 at 12:00 pm
Would this mean that Bush's nine lives are up? I say do it!
Although JB has actually been an asset this year, he has garnered enough ill will with me to wish him well and send him on his way.
January 11, 2011 at 11:09 pm
Why are people calling to get rid of Bush and not Lee/Underwood? Bush is both better at CB and ST than those two.
January 11, 2011 at 12:01 pm
Regarding the thumb of JJ.
"It seems like if it's important enough to use it as an excuse, it should be on the injury report."
I thought the only time injuries were required to be on the report was when they may impact the potential for that player to play. Sheesh, terrible sentence but I think you get my point.
January 11, 2011 at 12:48 pm
Has silly season already started? I cannot see TT going after him.
January 11, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Someone would probably have to take a paycut to fit him in. I'd LOVE to see it, but I just can't imagine it happening. It feels a little too good to be true.
January 11, 2011 at 01:10 pm
My guess is that he's go sick of Al Davis being his employer, that he's ready for a team that has proven it is committed to win on the field, not just in ego-land. If so, he would sign for a reasonable amount (maybe the same as Tramon, for instance), and not incite a revolution. If Woodson is on board with this, maybe he (Woodson) would take on the nickel back spot and punt returner to keep himself healthier, as he seems to have a nagging injury every year, even if he doesn't miss games. That still leaves Shields on the out; he'd be miffed at being a dime when he could start on many teams. I agree, Dom would find a way to get our monies worth from the signing.
Ought to be interesting.
January 11, 2011 at 01:39 pm
Man, if they go after Asomugha and he wants to come here, here is what I think happens. Williams and Asomugha start at the CB spots. Shields stays as the nickel back. Woodson moves to SS where he joins FS Collins. Bush, Lee and Underwood stay as backup's at CB and Burnett and Peprah stay as backups's at SS and FS. That would be one hell of a secondary group. I know a lot of people are Bush haters, and I know he has struggled from scrimmage, but he is essential on ST. He is on the verge of being a ST Pro Bowl player.
January 11, 2011 at 07:16 pm
it would be a fairy tale story but it's not gonna happen. sam shields is already playing great for an undrafted free agent and has very good chemistry with tramon. also, the packers didn't draft morgan burnett in the 3rd round to be a backup safety. bush, lee, and underwood are horrible cornerbacks. even as backups they suck (with bush being the best of the 3). i have a feeling that bush and lee are kept to play ST and i think underwood may be on his way out. i can see the packers drafting a CB in the 4th or 5th round.
January 11, 2011 at 08:08 pm
While I like Burnett and would be fine with him as the starting SS, he will be coming off a serious knee injury. If you can get Asomugha, you move Woodson to SS. At least in my opinion.
January 11, 2011 at 01:44 pm
Sign him !! ...... Trade him straight-up to Cleveland for Joe Thomas ..... Insert Thomas at LT ..... Bulaga at LG & Lang at RT ...... Trade Pro-Bowler Chad Clifton along with Ryan Grant + cash to Arizona for Larry Fitzgerald ...... Trade James Jones straight-up to the Rams for Stephen Jackson .... Jackson would provide great back-up to JS ....... Make it happen, TT .....
It would be a glorious 2011 season !!!
Wait a second ...... There's no 2011 season ..... Nevermind.
January 11, 2011 at 03:17 pm
That one made me laugh, from start to the excellent finish! Thanks WoodyG!
January 11, 2011 at 07:17 pm
haha!!! killer shit right here!!!
January 11, 2011 at 02:00 pm
The door to TTs office will only be open based on what Nnamdi and his agent have in their hands upon arrival.A HAT or a BUCKET.
January 11, 2011 at 04:27 pm
This is about as likely to happen as the Packers signing Reggie White.
January 11, 2011 at 04:42 pm
Last week, I saw Jarrett Bush in on the defense for one play. He got burned in the zone for a touchdown. You can never have too many CB's, because you can have up to 5 on the field at any one time.
We can trade/cut Barnett and restructure Hawk's deal to fit Asomugha in. If a guy wants to specifically go to one of two places, he's not expecting a huge salary. He's just going to expect what he deserves. If it's between NYJ and GNB, the fit makes a lot more sense in GNB. Revis (25) and Cromartie (26) are a lot younger than Woodson (34) and Williams (27).
Sure, we love ourselves a little Sam Shields, but the guy has a long way to go to be a shutdown corner. I would love to be able to blitz Woodson and Matthews with Jenkins, Raji, and Neal on the DL and still be able to have Williams, Asomugha, and Shields in coverage. You can still fit Collins and Burnett on the field with another LB like Chillar. That's a brutal 11 to pass against.
PackerAaron
January 11, 2011 at 04:44 pm
Bush was in for quite a bit more than one play on defense. But I hear what you're saying.
January 11, 2011 at 04:53 pm
Nmandi is 30 I think? C Wood is 33 or 34? I just don't see this happening. If he is at a rock bottom price maybe. The only way I see us getting a FA corner of his caliber would be to replace Woodson.
January 11, 2011 at 05:02 pm
I don't see it happening, but it would be awesome. Just put Woodson at LB to take the spot of Chillar or Hawk who are both bad in coverage. We play nickle most of the time anyway and Woodson is just as physical as Hawk or Chillar.
But with Burnett returning to the secondary and Peprah still here, I think it would be better to focus on getting a fast, stud receiver for the offense.
Also, we will have to find a monster DL to replace Cullen, because I doubt he comes back and we will need someone to rotate with Neal.
How about snagging that Fairely guy from Auburn. Holy cow is he a beast! Course he'll be gone by the time we draft.
January 11, 2011 at 11:17 pm
Ha Ha, I root for Oregon so...No Fairley! actually, yes, but Oregon O-line was very overated making Fairley look like Suh which he isn't.
January 11, 2011 at 06:10 pm
Agree with all you that say don't. Tramon is a very gifted cover corner. He'll be an elite corner for a while, and he's a Packer. Shields has done wonders in his rookie season, and with his speed and how quickly he's learning the ropes, I'm very excited about our top 3 corners. Burnett will come back at safety, we'll be solid. Don't need him. Don't waste the money, because there'll be other guys to pay so they stick around.
January 11, 2011 at 06:21 pm
"The question now becomes, who is the featured back next season?"
Riiiiiight. And there was a QB controversy in Seattle after Whitehurst had a decent game against the Rams. How about seeing how Starks looks in the rest of the playoffs and how the two compare in this summer's camp before we go here? The urgency people have to jump on a single game as proof that Starks has "arrived" is ridiculous. The Eagles have an undersized line and were playing their 3rd game in what, 12 days?
I hope he's the real deal too. Give him time.
Brian Carriveau
January 11, 2011 at 06:25 pm
I really think it's a legitimate question after a 120-plus yard performance in the playoffs. You don't have a talent like that languish on the bench.
January 11, 2011 at 06:47 pm
Also, despite whatever hype ESPN/NFLNet and the various newspapers and blogs are throwing around, having a 123 yard game "in the playoffs" doesn't inherently mean anything more than having a 123 yard game somewhere in the regular season. Being in a playoff game does not automatically mean that a team is going to execute well, be hard to run on or etc -- take a look at Seachicken/Saint game in general and the Lynch run in particular if you don't believe me.
January 11, 2011 at 06:32 pm
Man I got really mixed up for a second there. For some reason I was thinking the Asomugha and Starks/Grant stuff was in two different threads. Anyway.
So you really, honestly think the question of whether Starks should start over Grant is legit after *one* good game against a tiny D-line on short rest? Starks had 23 carries for 123 yards. Before that, 29 carries spanning 3 different games got him 101 yards, or half a yard below an average ypc figure. Starks was mediocre against the Bears & 49ers and atrocious against the Lions; he was good-to-great against the Eagles.
Why in your mind does 1 good game outweight not only 3 bad ones two and a half seasons from Grant? The list of eventual busts who've been able to put together one good game is pretty extensive. I'm not saying Starks is a bust, but I am saying I have no idea why people are so sure that one good game means he isn't.
January 11, 2011 at 06:49 pm
Not to mention, btw, that we need to see how Starks does when a team spends a week knowing they need to plan for him.
January 11, 2011 at 07:20 pm
nah, grant is still the man. we will have an awesome 1-2 punch with grant and starks in the backfield (and bjax as a 3rd down back)
January 11, 2011 at 07:25 pm
I'll give you a few reasons why it's legitimate to ask if Starks will take Grant's job or not:
1) A lot of us Packer fans were high on Starks before seeing him, and what he showed last week was good enough to break a record from the 1960's and it was a big step towards proving us right. He ran with good pad level, great vision, great burst, and lacked big mistakes. Plus, we know he can do a lot more than grant catching the ball.
2) RB's last about 4 years before they start falling off. Grant is 29, and will be heading into his 5th year. Sure, he didn't play this year, but he has 3 full years of being the only RB to get much of a load. Coming off this injury, will he be the same? He was never that great to begin with, and he can't afford to lose much.
3) Starks didn't look bad in the other games. 18 carries for 73 yards isn't horrible against SFO, and against DET and CHI he really didn't get enough carries to get in rhythem to show what he could do. I'll admit that 6 carries for 8 yards is pretty bad, but 5 carries for 20 yards isn't that bad.
4) Starks will only be getting better. Grant will only be getting worse. Starks is a lot cheaper than Grant. I think what you will find is that Grant and Starks will share time with Jackson being the 3rd down back.
January 11, 2011 at 06:44 pm
Re: Asomugha, GB has 3 good corners *as of this moment* but Woodson's man coverage skills are fading fast. Wouldn't be too surprising to see them fall off a cliff next season, as he'll be 35 by October. Asomugha is so good that most teams simply refuse to throw at his side (which they can get away with because the Raiders generally don't move their CBs around) and if he's willing to sign for a reasonable amount TT would be foolish not to snap him up. Forget who said it but you can't have enough good QBs, strong pass rushers or corners who can cover... and Woodson's going to be able to cover for 1 more season tops.
Not that I buy some "trust me!" tweet from a random beat writer. Every year people try to read these tea leaves: oh, free agent x is definitely signing with team y because of his past association with player or coach z! And almost every time the guy ends up signing somewhere else entirely.
January 11, 2011 at 08:11 pm
Ahhh Nnamdi... I would LOVE to see it. I just don't see it.
GBP 4 LIFE
January 14, 2011 at 01:36 am
ok heres what we do to get Nnamdi Asomugha. We move Woodson to SS. Asomugha will have to take a paycut which i think he'll be ok with because he'll win a superbowl with us and maybe 2 and he'll be playing with his best friend Charles Woodson. Nnamdi is all about buissness like Charles. He dosent talk mess. he also will not mess up any chemistry because he will get along with everyone and Woodson can teach him everything. i know he'll be perfect. Burnett can take over SS when Woodson retires from SS in a year or 2 or 3. Nnamdi wants to come to Green Bay because he wants a Superbowl ring and he'll get it with us. GO OUT AND GET NNAMDI GREEN BAY! GREEN BAY PACKERSS!!!
January 24, 2011 at 02:21 pm
go for it i think it will happen rember last time raiders had a db wat tt did