Don't be fooled, Nnamdi Asomugha's still a top-tier CB

There's one downside to having a breakout season if you're a cornerback in the NFL. Usually, it means the next season -- and every other season after that -- you won't have another one.That's been the case for Steelers 36 Bettis Jersey
defensive back Nnamdi Asomugha, who just a short year ago registered 50 tackles, eight interceptions and 11 passes defensed. The 26-year-old corner earned a last-second invitation to the Pro Bowl as a result, but he couldn't find a flight in time to make it to the game.Asomugha likely won't receive any type of invitation this year. Not even a late one. Though, that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve one.In his fifth -- and contract -- year with the Raiders, the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder has intercepted just one ball to go along with 32 tackles and seven passes defensed. With only two games remaining in the '07 campaign, it seems Asomugha will see a drop-off in each statistical category from a year ago.What Pro Bowl voters won't see on the ballot, however, is the amount of times No. 21 has been thrown against and how many of those passes were actually caught. If they did, Asomugha would likely be planning a trip to Honolulu.In 13 games this season, the veteran CB has been tested a mere 27 times and has allowed only nine receptions against. On a game-by-game basis, that means opposing quarterbacks attempt to throw on Asomugha just twice each game, and fewer than one is actually caught.In Sunday's seven-point loss to the defending champion Indianapolis Colts, the former first-rounder allowed the NFL's third-leading receiver, Reggie Wayne, to grab just one ball while manned up against him, and it was a debatable 19-yard circus catch that was well-covered. Just a week earlier against the Green Bay Packers -- the NFL's second-ranked passing offense -- Asomugha allowed zero catches against.Still, the fifth-year cornerback likely won't be the center of much buzz outside of the Raiders' locker room this offseason.Champ Bailey, though he too has seen a major drop-off in the INT department, is always considered a front-runner for offseason honors. Additionally, Chargers second-year defender Antonio Cromartie is almost certainly a lock for his first career Pro Bowl, having already authored 10 picks this season. The Patriots' Asante Samuel (six interceptions and 16 passes defensed) will also likely earn an AFC All-Star spot.Though Asomugha hasn't put up the eye-popping numbers that Cromartie and Samuel have recorded, re-signing him in the offseason should be a top priority for the Raiders. Despite an array of young, talented corners in its defensive backfield, Oakland can't afford to lose an intimidating, shutdown defender like Asomugha. Steelers 10 Santonio Holmes jersey
That means 78-year-old owner Al Davis might have to use his beloved franchise tag on Asomugha -- the same tool that kept ex-Raiders first-round pick Charles Woodson in Oakland two years after his contract expired.Woodson finally got away in 2006. But don't expect Davis to make the same mistake twice.