Nnamdi Asomugha: Are The Giants Doomed? I Don't Think So

When I posted Friday night regarding Nnamdi Asomugha's stunning decision to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles there was a lot of gnashing of teeth around these parts. The doomsday chatter far outweighed the commentary from those who, more or less, shrugged and moved on.

Some examples:

This really really sucks
Reese can't panic, but he also can't say the team has right now is good enough, because it isn't.
-- by Syler

I'm in pain
the eagles can now trade samuel for a top-flight d-lineman. they're D is going to be fearsome.
-- by TheGifford

I'm not gonna do what everybody thinks I'm gonna do
And FLIP OUT!
seriously, the Eagles are the biggest hurdle between us and the SB (or just the playoffs for that matter).
I think it's completely fair for us to be freaking out. Good catch for the Eagles.
-- by pataroons

I hate the Eagles
Every time they do something it makes me cringe! I'm not panicking or anything but this just stinks. I could have lived with him going to the Cowboys or even the hated Jets but this just kills me.
-- by Kirt Morose

This next one is the ultimate 'jump off the cliff, we have no chance, all is lost' comment.

Falling Behind
The thing that strikes me is that as the Eagles are getting better we are getting worse. Eagles picked up 2 All Pro CBs and an All Pro DL. We cut 3 OL (2 starters), haven't re-signed Bradshaw, Boss or Smith. We've replaced 1 OL. Reese hasn't even made time to speak with Osi. Seriously what is he so busy doing? Doesn't take very much time to cut players and then sign no one. At best it looks like our team will have lost veterans and not replaced most of them. And we wasted draft picks too. How many WRs do we need in camp? Jernigan was a huge waste of a pick. At best he's our 4th or 5th WR. So we'll just cut another WR who would have been just fine riding the pine. Eagles are running a well organized plan and it looks like Reese is lost right now. We are just cutting players and then adding no one.
-- by Manningologist

You know what I say to all of this? Calm down. Take a deep breath. Let everything play out. The season is a month-and-half-away, and a lot can happen.

The reality is, the Eagles were good Friday morning. Friday night they got better. Good for them, that's what NFL teams are supposed to do. Philadelphia has beaten the Giants six straight times, and Friday night they raised the bar even more. It is sort of like Red Sox-Yankees -- each team continues to try and get better to outdo the other. What the Eagles did Friday is throw the latest salvo. So what?

I was a little surprised this morning that good friend Ernie Palladino, a veteran writer who I thought would not fall prey to cliff-jumping (it's not good for you at Ernie's age), called the Eagles "a twice-a-year nightmare" for the Giants. Ernie also wrote:

Now the Giants have a big problem. The Eagles, by far their main competition for the NFC East title, just improved themselves by a lot defensively. They were, at one point, susceptible to the big play, as their 31 passing touchdowns allowed indicated. But Asomugha takes that away now.

Given the firepower of the Eagles' offense, a defensive addition like Asomugha makes that point-scoring potential with Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Jason Avant all the scarier.

Star-Ledger columnist Steve Politi took a more level approach to the Asomugha signing, saying that both the Giants and New York Jets -- the other serious bidder for Asomugha -- will survive. Here is part of what Politi wrote:

Both teams will survive this.

The Giants must accept that the team that has beaten them six straight times just got a lot better.

But it hasn’t been the Eagles defense that has dominated them. Their offense has scored an average of 37.5 points in the last four meetings with the Giants, which is enough to win no matter who’s lined up at cornerback.

I am on Politi's side in this argument. Of course, I have always believed that you worry about what you can control, now what you can't. For the Giants, that is the Giants. GM Jerry Reese and the Giants organization can only do everything in their power to field the best team possible, and if you don't think they are trying to do that I'm not sure what I can tell you to convince you otherwise.

Before Friday, the Eagles were the biggest obstacle in their path. Right now, that hasn't changed.

Sure, I know how good Asomugha is. But, he can only cover one guy. Do Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Asante Samuel actually scare you that much.

The Giants are a very good football team. The biggest issue for Tom Coughlin's team has nothing to do with Asomugha, the Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Jets or any other team. The biggest issue is the Giants have to stop beating themselves.

Five turnovers in last season's first loss to Philly. Blowing a 28-point lead in the second loss. Leading the league with 42 turnovers a season ago. Giving up bushels of big plays on defense and on special teams.

Those things are about the Giants. Yes, the Eagles got better. Take care of those issues, though, and the Giants will also be much better.

That is what the Giants need to worry about. Not who is playing cornerback for the Eagles.