Asomugha is a “press” corner, meaning he lines up right on top of receivers like a basketball player on defense and dares them to get past him, a technique that used to be called bump and run when a corner was permitted to be far more physical with a receiver until the ball was thrown….

Passing offenses are based on impeccable timing. Asomugha’s primary ability is to force quarterbacks to improvise. He disrupts routes through strength and technique. Asomugha engages in hand-to-hand combat in the 5-yard zone where such tangling is legal. The receiver is aiming for a clean release to get into his pattern immediately. Asomugha aims to redirect him, without grabbing a fistful of jersey or getting too blatant with his grappling.

– Robert Weintraub, N.Y. Times.

Click through and read all of Weintraub’s very technical feature on Nnamdi Asomugha. It makes me miss the hell out of playing football.