The Detroit Lions have become a media darling of sorts with their recent rise from the ashes after finally ridding themselves of the Matt Millen mess.
Amid this newly found Honolulu Blue love, there has been a myriad of speculation concerning shutdown corner Nnamdi Asomugha potentially landing in Detroit.
Forget that I don’t believe the Lions can compete with the likes of the Cowboys and Eagles for his services, or that the franchise has very rarely made the kind of financial investment in a free agent they would need to in order to land Asomugha.
Ignore, at least for the moment, the other glaring needs on the roster and ask yourself these questions: at this juncture is Asomugha not only worth what undoubtedly will be a massive contract, and will his production on the field be enough to push the Lions over the edge and into championship contention?
A signing of this nature should provide that sort of belief, but the Lions are too far away to invest this much money when the need at nearly every position on that side of the ball, other than defensive line, is dire.
Although I like what he brings to the table and he provides a quick fix to what is likely the Lions' most glaring need, he may not be worth the risk at age 30. Especially since his success depends on a physical style of play, and his three interceptions over the last four years do not exactly leave people waiting with bated breath.
Now you could argue, as many do for Darrelle Revis, that his presence on the field deters quarterbacks from even looking his way, and his lack of production is a result of less opportunity rather than inefficient ball skills.
That may be the truth but Revis, who is arguably the most feared corner in the game, has had 14 interceptions over his first four years in the league, compared to Asomugha’s 11 interceptions in eight years. Eight of those interceptions came in 2006 and in his first three years he didn’t record a single interception.
A lot of that could be accredited to the fear he has created across the league and his tendency to bat away balls rather than go for the interception, but other “shutdown corners” have been far more productive in forcing turnovers.
When investing in a player that commands the kind of money Asomugha will, Martin Mayhew must consider all of these factors, and despite being a top-five corner and a free agent signing that Lions fans would be giddy over, Detroit should pass on Asomugha.
