Would it be Good for the Jets to Sign Nnamdi Asmougha
There has been a lot of talk about how enticing a Nnadmi Asmougha signing would be for the New York Jets and it’s been met with near universal approval. On NFLnetwork earlier Warren Sapp and Jamie Dukes questioned whether or not an Asmougha signing would actually be positive for the Jets. And Marshall Faulk pointed out an X’s and O’s potential issue with the signing of Nnadmi Asmougha.
Faulk pointed out that Darrelle Revis has the ability to move around and play whatever type of wide receiver he wants to anywhere on the field while Nnadmi Asmougha played one side of the field.
“I believe that Revis and Antonio Cromartie were the perfect fit for what the Jets wanted to do on the field. Whether that’s Nnadmi or not?…”
The main point brought up by the two analysts and something I’ve been wondering and questioning as well, but have yet to put down on “paper” is how does this help the pass rush? The New York Jets do not have a great pass rush and must rely on the blitz to rush the passer. The Signing of Nnadmi Asmougha would almost have to end any chance the Jets have at signing a pass rusher this off-season and perhaps in the near future as well. The Jets have talented young players that are due for new contracts in the near future (D’brick in 2012 for one) and an Asmougha signing could hamper the teams financials for years in the future. The Jets will likely be committing nearly or over 30 million dollars a year to their top two cornerbacks and the Jets biggest position of weakness, Pass Rusher, doesn’t’ come cheap.
That’s the main contention that Sapp and Dukes had with a potential Nnadmi Asmougha signing…That’s great, how much of an upgrade over Cromartie is Asmougha (A fair to good amount), but who’s going to rush the passer? Still no one.
Sapp and Dukes want the Jets to pursue Ray Edwards, which is an interesting call. While Edwards is a nice pass rusher (16.5 sacks over the past two seasons and 29.5 and is career). Edwards has played his entire career with the Minnesota Vikings in their 43 defense, it’s yet to be seen how well he could transition to the 34.
Another intriguing, not discussed option, would be the under appreciated Manny Lawson. Lawson has played his entire career in San Fran in a 34 defense, but only has 14.5 career sacks with the 49ers. But that’s not the whole story. Profootballfocus.com grades out Lawson as one of the better pass rushers in the league because of how successful he is per pass rush attempt at disrupting the pass rusher. Lawson played in San Fran without the kind of coverage the Jets can provide, or the defensive coaching. Lawson could thrive in a place like New York where he can use his natural abilities to rush the passer, and with the Jets plus coverage behind him could find himself a beneficiary of many more coverage sacks.
While I think Sapp and Dukes have an interesting point, if I’m an opponent of the Jets or a fan of a team in the A.F.C. East, a Jets-Asmougha reuninon is scary as bleep to me. Talent is talent and it rarely hurts the team (especially if there are no character issues like Asmougha).