| 29 July 2011
Nnamdi was the hot girl. The Jets were the guy with the great personality (Rex) that offered to treat her really well (winning and endorsements and cool friends like Darrelle). The Cowboys were the guy with the devilishly handsome looks (uniform, stadium). And the Eagles were the sneaky, ugly guy who lives in a miserable f***ing city with miserable f***ing neighbors...BUT, he had a lot of money.
So Nnamdi chose him.
It's hard to believe in the age of Twitter and texting and e-mailing that a sports story could absolutely SHOCK you, but when the Philadelphia Eagles announced at approximately 6:11 p.m. they had signed Nnamdi Asomugha, that emotion was certainly elicited.
In previous big-name hunts the Jets were the aggressor, stunning the competition with their clandestine negotiation sessions and ballsy contract offers. This time, however, the Jets were powerless as other teams undermined their efforts to sign the biggest name on the free agent market. Nnamdi flirted with the Jets, convinced them he was interested, maybe even told him he was going to sign, but at the last minute, he pantsed them with everyone in sight to see.
With all that said, I did not/do not feel signing Nnamdi would have locked up a Super Bowl for the Jets. Yes, it would have been a significant upgrade for an already elite defense, but the Jets lost the AFC Championship Game because they couldn't stop Rashard Mendenhall and moreover, they could not sack Ben Roethlisberger. Hines Ward and Mike Wallace combined for three catches for 20 yards in that game. Cromartie was not the problem. You could argue Nnamdi's impact in the regular season could have led to more wins and home playoff games, but I still feel the Jets need a legitimate pass rusher to conquer the Steelers, Patriots (again), and Colts (again). Can draft picks Wilkerson and Ellis be difference makers? Who knows.
Where do the Jets go now?
Well, Drew Coleman is a Jaguar. Brad Smith is a Bill. Antonio Cromartie's feelings are hurt. And Braylon Edwards is lonely. I think Cromartie's psyche can be repaired with a healthy contract offer, but you get the feeling that the Jets don't consider him a long-term solution. I wouldn't be surprised to see them make a move for Asante Samuel now that the Eagles have two top-notch corners. At wide receiver I'd like to see them re-sign Braylon, but the possibility of picking up James Jones from the Packers is intriguing. And yeah, they need another pass rusher. Cullen Jenkins, anyone?
On the bright side they have plenty of cap room now. They re-worked the contracts of LT, Moore, Pace and Bart Scott in order to free up cash for Nnamdi. Now that he's not coming here, those four must be wondering why they gave up money. The Jets better spend that dough wisely and fully.
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