Joyner Says Asomugha’s Confidence Is ‘Shot’

Former Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner doesn’t like what he’s seeing out of Nnamdi Asomugha.

“He seems to me like he’s lost his confidence,” said Joyner on 97.5 The Fanatic. “And I think one thing that happens when you lose confidence is you begin to break down from a technical standpoint.”

Joyner believes one of the Eagles biggest mistakes was trying to fit Asomugha — a clear press man corner — into a zone scheme last season.

“I think he got put in a situation he wasn’t prepared for, on top of trying to learn a new defense, and his confidence is just gone, shot,” said Joyner. “He’s gone from a guy that was a shutdown corner to in my opinion, as I watch him play, he’s a below-average cornerback right now.”

Asomugha’s play has been a popular topic in Philadelphia this week. Some believe that he is not earning his healthy paycheck. As we talked about earlier in the week, he is not completely at fault for some of the big plays that have been made in his direction. Safeties Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman have been victimized at times by the play-action, leaving the former Raider alone when he is anticipating help. The counter-argument is that he should make the play anyway as an elite corner.

The veteran defensive back talked about his game on Friday.

“I’ve never proclaimed perfection on the field or anything like that. My whole motto has been playing hard, being focused on every snap, and if the guy gets one, he earned it,” said Asomugha via the Daily News.

“From the outside [looking] in, if you have a reputation for being perfect, and you have a slipup, all of a sudden, ‘what’s going on?’ But on the inside, you know it’s not going to be perfect. You’re going to be a competitor, you brush that stuff off.”

The numbers certainly do not suggest that Asomugha, or this secondary, is struggling. The Eagles’ defense is third overall in yards per attempt (6.2) and second in opponent quarterback rating (65.6).

Asomugha has been targeted 15 times. He has yielded six receptions for 134 yards and one touchdown through four games.