Oakland Raider Nnamdi Asomugha is officially a hot button topic—ESPN tells us so. The lords of sports have a section on their website where they place a topic on under their NFL Hot Button spotlight. This includes debates, video and a poll. The poll question this week: What would be the best landing spot for cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha? The choices are Texans, Lions, Eagles, Buccaneers and other. You guys notice one team surprisingly not on the list?
While I am firmly of the belief that Nnamdi is not coming back I would still include it on a poll as a possibility. Free agents re-signing with their current are always mentioned as an option. The most disturbing part of this omission is their apparent reasoning. The focus is not which team will throw the most money at him, but their belief that Nnamdi wants to play on a winner. Chris Carter, Tim Hasslebeck and Trey Wingo mention it in the below posted video and Pat Yasinskas mentions it in the written form. Check it all out after the jump....
Yasinskas:
And why should Asomugha want to come to Tampa Bay? The Bucs are on the rise, and he could be part of the kind of team he never had in Oakland.
I was kind of under the impression the Raiders were a team on the rise. Something about a young team coming off of a season that featured a three-win improvement sparked by the best draft class in 2010 led me to this conclusion. Well, I must be wrong. I don't work for ESPN.
John Clayton doesn't get into the Raider bashing as he makes his case for the Texans. He does bring up an eye-popping stat though. John Clayton:
Injuries handicapped Asomugha last season, but he had only 13 passes completed on him in 14 starts, none for touchdowns. Kareem Jackson, the Texans' first-round pick last season, had 50 passes completed against him. Asomugha has had only 52 passes completed against him in the past three seasons.
And finally the video:
Wingo be walking the plank after this scurvy bilge rat makes it sound as if Asomugha is anxious to jump ship after being "loyal" to the Raiders has left him desperate to play for a winner. When a player signs a contract that makes you one of the highest paid players in the game, by far the highest paid at your position, and far more than anyone other team was prepared to offer I don't think it is fair to say that player was being loyal.
Also, the Raiders are a team on the rise—especially if Asomugha were to return. This is a fact that many people outside of the ESPN cone of ignorance are cognizant of. Maybe Tim Hasslebeck should ask his brother about this.