Asante Samuel: 5 Reasons the Philadelphia Eagles Should Keep Him in 2011

Since the Philadelphia Eagles signed Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Nnamdi Asomugha, all the talk has been about trading Asante Samuel away from Lincoln Financial Field.

But is the Eagles' proven playmaker really that expendable? There seem to be a plethora of reasons why the Eagles should deal Samuel: They need the cap room to re-sign DeSean Jackson, he plays a different style to Nnamdi and DRC and (perhaps) doesn't fit into new defensive coordinator Juan Castillo's scheme. Plus, can one team really afford to keep three Pro Bowl cornerbacks? I don't know, but here are five reasons why the Eagles should consider keeping Asante Samuel.

1: Asante Samuel May Still Be Philadelphia's No. 1 Cornerback

Did I really say that? Yes. Asante Samuel may still be the Philadelphia Eagles best cornerback.

Domique Rodgers-Cromartie is a very good corner, and Nnamdi Asomugha is a very very good corner, but where does that leave Asante Samuel?

It has been common "knowledge" for a couple of seasons that Nnamdi Asomugha and Darrel Revis are the best two corners in the NFL. With Asomugha being the biggest name available in Free Agency this year, this assumption has continued. I'm not so sure that Asante doesn't deserve his name thrown in the mix; let's look at the statistics from 2010.

In the 11 games, Samuel played in 2010, he racked up seven interceptions, finishing joint-second in the NFL, and joint-first among cornerbacks (Devin McCourtney, New England also had seven, Ed Reed had eight).

By comparison, Rodgers-Cromartie had three interceptions in 16 games (with two TDs) and Asomugha had zero in 14 games.

It's well-known that nobody threw the ball in Nnamdi's direction in Oakland, so interceptions may not be the fairest comparison; besides, isn't being a "shutdown corner" more important than turnovers? Good question. I turned to footballoutsiders.com for a more detailed statistical analysis. Asomugha and Samuel's lines are compared side by side, as both were just shy of the number of "targets" required to be ranked. They read as follows:

Player	Charted Targets	Yards / Pass	Success Rate	Avg. Pass Distance	YAC
Nnamdi Asomugha	31	5.9	61%	15.4	3.7
Asante Samuel	36	3.2	78%	15.0	1.9

In every meaningful area of "shutdown" criteria, Samuel comes out on top, with seven interceptions in 11 games to boot.

Would you trade that away?

2: You're Only as Indestructable as Your Worst Corner

As if being potentially the Eagles' best cornerback isn't enough of a reason, here's another: a team's pass defense is only as good as their worst cornerback.

If you don't believe me on this one, ask Nnamdi—there's a reason the ball was never thrown his way in Oakland; he was the strongest pass defender. You'll always throw on the other guy.

Keeping Samuel, in my mind, makes Rodgers-Cromartie a heck of a No. 3 to try and "pick" on. If Philadelphia trade Samuel, the nickel package becomes Asomugha, Rodgers-Cromartie and Joselio Hanson.

Joselio is a good young player, but who would you rather pass to?

3: The Lombardi Trophy

NFL.com reported that the Eagles have "become an attractive destination" of late with all of their big name signings. With a number of one year deals (Brown, Young) and some key players (Jackson, Vick) entering the last year of a deal, Philly have made their intentions clear; they are serious about winning the Super Bowl this year. In fact, both Asomugha and Vince Young cited the chance to win a Super Bowl as a major factor in signing.

If that's truly the case, and the Eagles are in "win now" mode, then surely keeping Asante Samuel around increases the chances of that happening.

He still has two seasons left on his contract after this season, and will still be tradeable after the 2011 season when Philly really make a run at the trophy. 

4: The Eagles Already Have 11 Draft Picks in 2012

It's important that good teams build for the future as well as the present. That's certainly something the Eagles have tried to do under Andy Reid.

So what if Samuel's stock is really high? If a team offers a first or second round pick, do they have to trade him for the sake of the future of the franchise?

Hardly. The Eagles have a good young nucleus of players and have already accumulated 11 picks for the 2012 draft. These include Arizona's second round pick (acquired in the trade for Kevin Kolb), Tampa Bay's fourth round pick, Cleveland's fifth round pick and Denver and New England's sixth round picks.

If Cleveland finish in the bottom twelve, the Eagles are set to pick seven times in the first 140 slots.

Future draft picks isn't an area of concern in Philadelphia, and certainly isn't a reason to lose a playmaker like Asante Samuel.

5: Super Bowl Experience

Getting to the post-season is not unfamiliar to the Philadelphia Eagles, who played January ball in all but two seasons in the last decade. In that time, the Eagles have attended five conference championship games and one Super Bowl.

Only three players on the current Eagles roster have a Super Bowl ring: Marlin Jackson (Super Bowl XLI, Indianapolis), Donald Lee (XLV, Green Bay) and Asante Samuel (XXXVIII, XXXIX, New England).

Neither Lee or Jackson have yet to play a game in an Eagles uniform, and Jackson may have lost his spot in the roster to Jarrad Page. Samuel's experience could be a big factor for the Eagles come playoff time if they really are to get over the hump.

Let's not forget that Asomugha has yet to even play a game in the playoffs, though Rodgers-Cromartie has some experience with the Cardinals.

If it's me (and in this article, it is) I'm choosing to have Asante Samuel around come late-January / early-February, with his Super Bowl rings and all.