Is Asante worth it?

[E Belichick Unum]

Let me start by saying I really like Asante. I have actually gotten to know him a little off field and he is a very nice kid with a very nice family. He is polite and personable and a pleasure to be around. It is his ability on the field that I have to question.

Asante had a nice half season last year. His 12 interceptions were a revelation and made the left side of the field almost no mans land. But if you look back on the season, Asante had a horrible start to the season. He didn't get his first interception until game 5, when he had 2 against Maimi and teams didn't stop throwing at him until after the bye week. He was particularly bad against the Jets if I remember correctly. He also had Ellis Hobbs on the other side. Ellis is a nice player but will never be mistaken for Sean Springs.

Asante wants to make a score. He had a contract year season and wants to turn it into a boat load of cash. I have no problem with that, what the hell you have to get it while you can, but is he worth say $18 million in bonus and a 6 years at say $38 million? I say that it a gamble that the Patsies are, rightly so, not willing to take. If Assante had last year the year before, he would have gotten his money and none of this would have happened.

 

[MrTibbs]

The thing is where was this guy before last season? It makes you wonder if he was dogging it all those other seasons? I remember when he was constantly burned and looked like a practice squad player. That was under Mangini so I don't know if it was the coaching or what but who's to say the Patriots decide to pay him big money and he goes back to dogging it?

 

[TheSeymonsta]

HE is worth keeping for decent money.....

Not 8 years 80 million.

 

[E Belichick Unum]

The thing is where was this guy before last season? It makes you wonder if he was dogging it all those other seasons? I remember when he was constantly burned and looked like a practice squad player. That was under Mangini so I don't know if it was the coaching or what but who's to say the Patriots decide to pay him big money and he goes back to dogging it?

I don't think he was dogging it, be the last half of last year is the only time he has played better than his rookie season. He has had some moments, and he is a ball hawk, but last year the stars aligned for Asante. He was put in a situation that allowed him to show off his ball hawking skills without having to worry about his coverage skills as much.

I hope he signs, but not at $40 million, $80 million is a pipe dream.

 

[Pats726]

HE is worth keeping for decent money.....

Not 8 years 80 million.

I think that says it..decent money..NOT the pipe dream break the bank money he is demanding. I guess if money is your god and you wish to take full advantage of ever little thing..yes..it IS the time..but I have to wonder if he's trying to make career money over a flash in the pan....what does that say about what he believes about his own playing. not much faith in it then..which to me means that for whatever reason he was not playing up to that..he doesn't believe himself that he will be playing like those 11 games..(last half season and 3 playoff games..) which is WHY he wants the dough based upon the small sample. Pay him ONLY a decent amount..but do NOT expect him to play like the last half of last year. he doesn't..and there is NO reason to belive he will. Buyer beware..

 

[Fogbuster]

Question for me is: how good of a cover guy is he?? After all, that's what you're paying for. The picks are frosting on the cake as far as I'm concerned. If a guy gets ten picks and burned five or six times in a season, his pick value is way down, in my book. I'm asking because I don't get to see many games, unfortunately. What I saw of him last year was that he seemed good but certainly not in the class of Champ Bailey (how much does he make, btw? Lots, I guess.)

So, what's Asante worth? He wants more than $8 million per for how many years?? I'd say we could give him 9 per for two years ($18 million total, guaranteed), then re-evaluate, but I don't think he (or his agent) will take it.


//

 

[Dagg]

I think that sums it, up he is not consistent enough to command huge $'s. He is no Champ Bailey IMO.

 

[dryheat44]

Asante is the most maddeningly inconsistent player on the team, with the possible exception of Matt Light. At times he's looked like a top 15 NFL cornerback, and at others looks like he's a good nickel back. If Belichick is reasonably comfortable that someone else on the roster or available can do the job, I'm all for trading him. I think we could probably get a trade value similar to the Tebucky Jones deal.

If so, this might be a good time for Belichick to play the supplemental draft game and get his highly-regarded rookie cornerback a season early.

 

[wdkantro2]

It all depends on what "it" is. I'd pay him a good amount of money, but nowhere near Champ Bailey money. Asante is a gambler, and last year his gambles paid off more than in the past. He still can't defend the double move, or a receiver with a few inches on him.

 

[BadMoFo]

I could have sworn I read these same arguments in about 10 other threads. Look, obviously worth quite a bit of dough, otherwise he wouldn't be looking at making almost $8 million this year.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I don't think he was dogging it, be the last half of last year is the only time he has played better than his rookie season. He has had some moments, and he is a ball hawk, but last year the stars aligned for Asante. He was put in a situation that allowed him to show off his ball hawking skills without having to worry about his coverage skills as much.

I hope he signs, but not at $40 million, $80 million is a pipe dream.

The compensation and talent questions have been discussed to death of late. The dogging it comments are silly - he's a 4th rounder who got thrown into the fire on an exceptional defense that won back to back superbowls in his first two seasons here. Unless you are a total bust, that was eminently doable. In his third year he played on a defense in shambles due to veteran injuries and some less than adequate play by some veteran hole pluggers who were not up to the task. Hard to excell in that situation UNLESS you are "special". Asante isn't. Hobbs actually showed he might just be.

Then comes season 4 when Asante spent the off season on his own but working on catching nerf balls. Intent apparently on maximizing his natural ballhawking capacity that hadn't yet translated into picks due to insufficient hands. He didn't have a great camp or pre season and Hobbs jumped him on the depth chart for the starting LCB slot. Until he got hurt. Then Asante got his old job back by default, and started feasting on some pretty horrible QB's. Remember, the bulk of his picks in the regular season came courtesy of Culpepper and Grossman. But he did come on more consistently late in the season and into the playoffs. As he did somewhat the year before. Even picked Manning ala Ty Law in the AFCC. Belichick gives him all the credit for his hard work, but notes that excellent coaching and scheme he took advantage of clearly played a role.

To me that makes Asante a hard working, reasonably talented and highly coachable young corner who excels in this system when it's working on all 8 cylinders. When it's not, he isn't a guy who can step up and help it overcome deficiencies. Therefore to overcompensate him for his talents would hurt both the player and the team in the long run, since he is pretty dependent on a top flight supporting cast who could be hurt going forward by his overpayment.

Last I heard he wants Clements money (which is essentially Champ Bailey current contract money) which is $9M per for 6-7 years with reportedly more guaranteed (upwards of $30M including signing bonus). He's insane, as would be anyone who paid him that. NE's last offer was $6M per with no indication what the bonus or guaranteed money was. Last fall they offered him $7.5M in signing bonus on what was likely a $4.5-$5M per deal. So it's likely the bonus money NE offered in now into double digits, but probably just barely. They are miles apart and unlikely to bridge that gap if Asante is serious about what he reportedly says he wants.

 

[spacecrime]

I say that it a gamble that the Patsies are, rightly so, not willing to take.

Don't worry about it. We "Patsies" will be fine.

 

[rabthepat]

It all depends on what "it" is. I'd pay him a good amount of money, but nowhere near Champ Bailey money. Asante is a gambler, and last year his gambles paid off more than in the past. He still can't defend the double move, or a receiver with a few inches on him.

So true...If he were paid $80M then I would would want $80M worth of confidence that he would properly defend a play. Champ Bailey would give me that confidence not Asante.

 

[E Belichick Unum]

Don't worry about it. We "Patsies" will be fine.

Don't know how old you are, but theyhave been the Patsies since they played at Fenway Park. It is a term of endearment, not an accusation.

 

[Krugman]

Good post,MLR.You make some interesting points.On a slightly different tack,do you thing Goodell may take some action on players such as Samuel or Briggs who are undermining the Franchise tag policy of the NFL?Or are they using legitimate ploys for better compensation in the eyes of the league?

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Good post,MLR.You make some interesting points.On a slightly different tack,do you thing Goodell may take some action on players such as Samuel or Briggs who are undermining the Franchise tag policy of the NFL?Or are they using legitimate ploys for better compensation in the eyes of the league?

They are well within their rights, nothing for Goodell to bother himself about. He has his hands full with thugs and hoodlums, anyway.

And truth be told, it's team that are to an extent undermining the spirit under which the tags were created. They were intended to give small market teams a shot at retaining their premier talent under a difficult to manage (unless you had boatloads of bonus cash) emerging cap system. They have become something else, and with all the new TV money floating around that is what is upsetting the players. Chicago has been pretty up front about not really wanting to sign Briggs long term, and they don't seem all that intersted in trading him to someone who will either.

They've added more penalties under the new CBA for abusing the system, like guaranteeing all tenders (franchise and transition) on signing and the QB tag penalty if teams persist to the third tagging of a player to try to discourage overuse. But with so many teams flush at the moment and some crazy FA deals getting signed, it isn't really making any difference. I'm sure Chicago is doing it because they feel Briggs is a bargain at the one year LB tag price compared to the bonus money in a deal it would take to sign him or replace him. And apparently in Asante's case he's either a 1 year bargain compared to what he is demanding in bonus and guarantees long term or it was worth it to tag him to underscore his inflated value to trading partners.

 

[stinkypete]

Let me start by saying I really like Asante. I have actually gotten to know him a little off field and he is a very nice kid with a very nice family. He is polite and personable and a pleasure to be around. It is his ability on the field that I have to question.

Asante had a nice half season last year. His 12 interceptions were a revelation and made the left side of the field almost no mans land. But if you look back on the season, Asante had a horrible start to the season. He didn't get his first interception until game 5, when he had 2 against Maimi and teams didn't stop throwing at him until after the bye week. He was particularly bad against the Jets if I remember correctly. He also had Ellis Hobbs on the other side. Ellis is a nice player but will never be mistaken for Sean Springs.

Asante wants to make a score. He had a contract year season and wants to turn it into a boat load of cash. I have no problem with that, what the hell you have to get it while you can, but is he worth say $18 million in bonus and a 6 years at say $38 million? I say that it a gamble that the Patsies are, rightly so, not willing to take. If Assante had last year the year before, he would have gotten his money and none of this would have happened.

Asante knows he's not worth that much, so he is trying to play off a big statistical year.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Asante knows he's not worth that much, so he is trying to play off a big statistical year.

Asante likely believes he is worth what his INT driven press clippings and the awestruck musings of the late season talking heads who seldom actually saw him play would lead one to believe. I was just listening to the Globe Sports Report on NESN and heard the ever bumbling Nick Carafdo refer to him reverently as a shut down corner...

If it's all about getting paid with Asante, he would really have to be brain dead not to try to cash in on that kind of half season based career assessment.

 

[mgcolby]

Asante likely believes he is worth what his INT driven press clippings and the awestruck musings of the late season talking heads who seldom actually saw him play would lead one to believe. I was just listening to the Globe Sports Report on NESN and heard the ever bumbling Nick Carafdo refer to him reverently as a shut down corner...

If it's all about getting paid with Asante, he would really have to be brain dead not to try to cash in on that kind of half season based career assessment.

SHHH...be very quiet or the people who think INT's are what makes great CB play, will come and tell you that you have no credibility with them! :scared:

 

[Pats726]

Asante likely believes he is worth what his INT driven press clippings and the awestruck musings of the late season talking heads who seldom actually saw him play would lead one to believe. I was just listening to the Globe Sports Report on NESN and heard the ever bumbling Nick Carafdo refer to him reverently as a shut down corner...

If it's all about getting paid with Asante, he would really have to be brain dead not to try to cash in on that kind of half season based career assessment.

I don't agree he would have to be "brain dead".. it shows GREED in CAPITOL letters. He was once "honored" for that tag..but now is "unappreciated"...what a total clown..