I have some thoughts to share on this “report.”
I really have no beef with Jason La Canfora for this article. He’s just doing what he does. It’s the ridiculous things that result from “reports” like this that I have a problem with.
Look at exactly what La Canfora says:
The Texans indeed are prepared to be aggressive in free agency, according to league sources, and will be among the teams pursuing All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.
The fact that the Texans are “prepared” to be aggressive in free agency is the notable takeaway here. That’s what the league sources are telling La Canfora. The sources that are telling La Canfora that the Texans will pursue Asomugha, however, are these super-secret sources called… eyeballs and a functioning brain.
OF COURSE the Texans will “pursue” Asomugha. Probably in the same way that the Astros pursued Carlos Beltran. Be prepared to hear “we made a competitive offer” in reference to the Texans’ interest in Nnamdi Asomugha (and that’s NOT a shot at the Texans).
The thing that irritates me, though, is that people read this and instead of seeing what La Canfora says, they treat it as if it’s a new news item.
So, from the top down, here will be the teams (in a general sense) who will “pursue” Nnamdi Asomugha:
Start with all 32 teams, because in one way or another, EVERY NFL TEAM is interested in Asomugha.
Eliminate those who are very deep at cornerback (not very many).
Eliminate teams who don’t have the cap room and aren’t willing to make it for him.
Eliminate teams who don’t have the spending power to make it happen.
You’re still left with roughly half the NFL, or more.
The Texans are certainly in that group. They have the need, they can make the cap room work, and they certainly have the spending power. As an aside – “Bob McNair is cheap” is one of the most ridiculous Texans myths. Maybe we’ll tackle that one down the road sometime.
So what happens as a result of this article? Well, Mike “Human Overreacting Robot” Florio gets a great SEO OPTIMIZATION!!!! article out of it (and claims Dunta Robinson was a high-end cornerback – WTF), and the rest of the sports news and blog world goes bananas.
This should come as no surprise, but one of the Houston sports radio stations (I think it was 610) actually took the above quote from La Canfora and turned it into the following, and used it as a promo for their morning show:
“A report says the Texans will aggressively pursue Nnamdi Asomugha.”
Uh, no. That’s not what the report said, in ANY shape, form, or fashion. The words were there, but that’s not what the article said. For the love of GOD, is it too much to ask that people actually, you know, read something, comprehend it, and react to it instead of lighting their faces on fire and running around in a crazed circle of lockout-induced cocaine-binge madness?
My thoughts on Asomugha to the Texans are the same as they were the second the Raiders set him free. Yes, they will have interest. Yes, they will make an offer. The Texans have one thing, and one thing only they can offer Nnamdi Asomugha. Money. That’s it.
At the same time, there will be not only “teams,” but MANY TEAMS who can and will offer Asomugha BOTH top-end money AND the REAL CHANCE to contend for a Super Bowl. If your answer to that is for the Texans to simply offer even MORE money, then you’ve lost me. Nnamdi Asomugha is no question the best cornerback in the league. He’s done it longer than Darrelle Revis. He’s the man. But he’s 30, and while he may be the best – he’s not 20 million dollars better than say, a guy like Johnathan Joseph who is also very good, but three or four years younger.
What happens if the Texans get into a long, protracted bidding war over Asomugha, and lose out on Plan B? Plus, I don’t think it takes a football genius to make this clear, but Nnamdi Asomugha alone isn’t going to turn this defense around. You still need (at least one) real safety, and you still need some semblance of a pass rush.
Sure, Champ Bailey has had an excellent career post-30, but how many other guys at his position can you say that about? Not a lot, but there are a few elite ones you can say that about. Is Nnamdi destined to be one of those guys? He might be. Do you want to sign him and NOBODY ELSE OF SIGNIFICANCE to find out, with this historically brutal defense coming back? Just based on faith in Wade Phillips?
I would be positively GIDDY if the Texans signed Nnamdi Asomugha, even if they had to seriously overpay to do so (which they would have to do). I just don’t think people need to be grabbing torches and pitchforks and marching on Reliant if it turns out the Texans back out of the bidding once the price gets too high. This defensive backfield absolutely can turn around with a GOOD free agent corner and a solid-to-good safety addition… especially if Wade can get this team to get after the quarterback.
Jul 5, 2011 at 22:18:49
Like Always Chris, Good atrticle!
Jul 6, 2011 at 10:48:39
NA at 70 mil for 6 years with 35 gtd
or
JJ at 50 mil for 5 years with 25 gtd
Ill take jon joseph
Great read, and the breaking bad marathon is about to be in full swing
Jul 6, 2011 at 11:58:21
First off: “For the love of GOD, is it too much to ask that people actually, you know, read something, comprehend it, and react to it instead of lighting their faces on fire and running around in a crazed circle of lockout-induced cocaine-binge madness?”
Yes, it is too much to ask. Have you seen the education rankings for this country?
Second, I don’t think any legitimate cornerback will sign until Nnamdi does. If you think about it, if you’re Ike Taylor or Johnathan Joseph, you would much rather wait until Nnamdi is signed because the losers from that bidding war who are still desperate for a corner (like the Texans) will see their chances slipping away and overbid. That way they make more money. It would be stupid to throw away that leverage in negotiations of Nnamdi being off the market. So, I don’t think pursuing Nnamdi means you’ll miss out on plan B.
Jul 7, 2011 at 14:17:42
I’m w/ AllenOU; for the cost, I think I’d rather have Joseph. I love Nnamdi, don’t get me wrong, but he’s on the wrong side of 30 and will cost the GDP of a third-world country.
Jul 8, 2011 at 12:14:01
Watch out for the next wave with the Texans and now Plaxico Burress.
New ESPN article says Plax “imagines” playing for Jets and Texans. He says he likes both teams. Im sure he likes Cookies and Cream ice cream too, but I doubt he’s going to go work for Blue Bell. Even a lost-stepped Plax alongside AJ would make me happy, but these writers are spinning everything so ridiculous now.
Jul 10, 2011 at 00:43:33
If I hear “Bob McNair is cheap” one mo’ time I’m going to stab my nice little old lady neighbor across the street with a pair of scissors.
Take issue with Bob McNair’s decisions. He’s way too loyal, he’s not competitive enough, he doesn’t understand foot
Jul 10, 2011 at 00:46:03
If I hear “Bob McNair is cheap” one mo’ time I’m going to stab my nice little old lady neighbor across the street with a pair of scissors.
I take take issue with a lot of Bob McNair’s decisions. He’s way too loyal, he’s not competitive enough, he doesn’t understand football.
But no way do I think the man is cheap. I just don’t see it. I’ve said it before, if Kubiak wanted each player to have their own, gold-plated private jet to fly to and from games every week, Bob McNair would write a check so fast his head would spin. I’m serious
I’m not a McNair apologist, by ANY means In fact, he OWES us. Big Time. But let’s stop with the claims that he’s cheap. It’s lazy, one-dimensional thinking and it’s simply not true.
Jul 13, 2011 at 11:24:25
I dont understand why everyone thinks this secondary will turn around with ONE good corner. If you think KJax can be a solid number two corner, even with better safety help over the top, I think you are sadly mistaken. If you are planning on one of the guys we drafted this year to step in front of KJax and be the #2, I think you are sadly mistaken again.
I think we have already proven that rookie corner back take their lumps in their first year of the NFL, expecially if we end up having an abbreviated preseason.
The only thing that might make this work is if we turn on an incredible pass rush this year, which I do beleive is a possibility with the front 7 we have now, but I wouldnt bet on it until they prove it to me.
I think the texans need to be targeting TWO FA cornerbacks that we could get for the price of ONE Nnamdi, PLUS a veteran safety, to get this defense to where they can compete against the better offenses in the league.
Jul 15, 2011 at 13:01:49
@TexanKurt: I have to go the other way on this one. I think it would be better for someone like Joseph and Taylor to sign right away. You know they are eager to get in camp as soon as possible and it’s better for Nnamdi too. Since FA is gonna be a scramble and CB are in high demand Joseph and Taylor are gonna clean house. Then after all is said and done Nnamdi gets to sit back and say: See what those guys got? PAY ME MORE!!!
Jul 18, 2011 at 12:59:13
Oh, Bob McNair isnt cheap….He’s just dumb with his money. Doesnt matter. We can agree he hasnt spent it the best on this football team.