Nnamdi Asomugha was a given a one-year contract containing no guaranteed money. When he signed with the San Francisco 49ers in the offseason after departing the Philadelphia Eagles, he became the oldest cornerback on the roster. While saying that his age should be of no concern, the 32-year-old is not looking any younger on the field. Despite the shaky start, Asomugha is confident he will produce on the field this year.
There is an opportunity for Asomugha to really step into a major role this year in San Francisco. After the team lost Chris Culliver to a torn ACL, the cornerback is in position for more snaps. Despite his impressive resume and statistics in the past, Asomugha is no lock to make the team and must take advantage of the extra time on the field. However, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said the team has not been overly impressed with the veteran just yet.
"We really didn't now what we were getting when we got Nnamdi," Fangio said, via CSN Bay Area. "He's had some good days out here and some days when we weren't sure if he'd be able to still have it. I think we're kind of in between on him right now. Hopefully, he'll still be able to have some gas left in his tank to go out there and play like he did prior to going to Philadelphia. So I think the jury is still out there."
That is not exactly a vote of confidence. Despite his inconsistency, Asomugha is not concerned with his status on the team. He has been encouraged by the game film he has watched and sees a lot of progress after two weak years in Philadelphia.
"I've been out there making plays and doing a lot of the things that I know I can do," Asomugha said. "So my confidence is in a good place. I'm highly critical of myself - highly, highly critical of myself. So there's not much that someone else might say that makes me feel like I need to be motivated in a different way."
While Asomugha has confidence in himself, the 49ers still do not. The team went out and officially signed Eric Wright to a contract, adding to the cornerback depth on the team. Wright does have some legal issues hanging over his head so it is unclear exactly when he will see the field, but the threat is there.
Asomugha did look strong in his preseason debut in San Francisco. The cornerback saw most of his action come with the second-team defense, but he was a presence on the field tackling wide receivers and diving on running plays. He believes the reviews will continue to get positive as training camp continues.
