Asomugha one of NFL's least-known stars

BY STEVE DeSHAZO

The only thing harder than pronouncing Nnamdi Asomugha's name may be noticing him on the football field.

The Oakland Raiders cornerback may be the NFL's least-known elite player, for two reasons. First, he plays for the Raiders, who've been mismanaged for years and irrelevant since losing the Super Bowl after the 2002 season.

Second, because he's so strong in man-to-man coverage, he almost never gets challenged. Since Asomugha intercepted eight passes in 2006, teams rarely throw to his side of the field. He's had only one interception in each of the past three seasons.

Don't expect the Washington Redskins to challenge him this Sunday. Not since Deion Sanders was in his prime has a shutdown cornerback engendered such respect around the NFL.

The Raiders certainly understand Asomugha's value. In February, they gave him a three-year contract that guarantees him $28.5 million and could be worth nearly $20 million in 2011.

Off the field, he's a philanthropist who funds scholarships for promising low-income youth in Oakland. He also joined former President Clinton at the 2009 Meeting of Clinton Global Initiative University hosted by The University of Texas.

Asomugha may be the new Archie Manning--the NFL's poster boy for anonymous excellence in the midst of mediocrity. But there are plenty of other stars that even die-hard fantasy league players may not have noticed because their teams are so poor:

Pity Rams tailback Steven Jackson. Playing for the NFL's lowest-scoring team, he has still managed to run for 1,232 yards (second-highest in the league), but only four touchdowns on 266 carries.

After a heart-to-heart talk with coach Mike Singletary last season, 49ers tight end Vernon Davis has become a force. The former Maryland star caught his 10th touchdown pass of the season against Seattle on Sunday, setting a club single-season record. On the other side of the ball, 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis again leads the NFL in tackles with 123.

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3. Vikings (10-2) Henderson's injury ghastly

4. Chargers (9-3) Schedule gets tougher 5. Bengals (9-3) Vikings, Chargers up next 6. Cardinals (8-4) Run defense is strong 7. Packers (8-4) Pass blocking fuels surge 8. Eagles (8-4) 28-11 last nine Decembers 9. Cowboys (8-4) Trying not to panic 10. Giants (7-5) Jacobs makes a difference 11. Broncos (8-4) Don't bury them just yet 12. Patriots (7-5) First 1-3 skid since 2002 13. Jaguars (7-5) Newcomers contributing 14. Ravens (6-6) Injured defense vulnerable 15. Dolphins (6-6) Turning into passing team 16. Steelers (6-6) Struggles mean changes 17. Titans (5-7) Still have a shot at playoffs 18. Jets (6-6) Sanchez's knee is key 19. Falcons (6-6) Limping into Saints game 20. Seahawks (5-7) Holmgren back as GM? 21. Texans (5-7) Kubiak's seat is sizzling 22. 49ers (5-7) Playoff hopes vanishing 23. Panthers (5-7) Overcame injuries to win 24. Raiders (4-8) Gradkowski to the rescue 25. Bears (5-7) Rams were cure for ills 26. Redskins (3-9) Close still doesn't count 27. Bills (4-8) Late collapses getting old 28. Chiefs (3-9) Cassel benched in loss 29. Lions (2-10) Stafford may be shut down 30. Buccaneers (1-11) QB Freeman still struggling 31. Browns (1-11) Quinn had his best game 32. Rams (1-11) Boller has lost last 10 starts

Date published: 12/9/2009

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