This is one of those statements that depending on your definition of “Playmaker” you will either agree or disagree with Cromartie.
Here is what he had to say.
Antonio Cromartie’s return to the Jets this summer came as a result of their failure to convince Nnamdi Asomugha to sign with them as a free agent.
That isn’t stopping Cromartie from saying that he’s a better cornerback in some respects than the man who wound up with the Eagles. He told Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com just where he sees himself as being a superior player.
“My style of play and his style of play are totally different,” Cromartie said. “I feel I’m more of a playmaker than he is.”
In one sense Cromartie is correct he can do more things on the football field than Asomugha. On the other hand Cromartie’s main job is to play cornerback and to be a playmaker at that position means that plays aren’t being made against you. In that regard the consensus is that Asomugha is the better cover corner.
In the end Cromartie is correct that they are two totally different players. For the Jets specifically they need Cromartie to first and foremost locked down the opposite side of Darrelle Revis and anything else is a bonus.
Personally I think Cromartie is better suited for the Jets style of defense than Asomugha. He is a high risk, high reward type of cornerback and that is the exactly the type of defense he is in.
Asomugha felt it was best to go to the Eagles and because of that Cromartie now has the long term commitment to be the “playmaker” the Jets are going to need him to be if they ever plan on getting over the hump and reaching the Super Bowl.