It wasn't long ago that Nnamdi Asomugha was mentioned in the same breath as Darrelle Revis as the NFL's best cornerback.
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Two largely disastrous seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles later, and Asomugha is trying to get back on his feet with the San Francisco 49ers.
The idea of career redemption came up during a conference call with Bay Area reporters on Wednesday.
"I don't know that there's been a season where I didn't go in feeling like I had something to prove," Asomugha said, via CSNBayArea.com. "I've had a chip on my shoulder every year that I've played.
"I think, obviously, it's bigger this year because of the adversity I went through in Philadelphia. But it's always been a part of my game, coming in and showing what I can do and now being able to be here and start fresh with that, it's a great opportunity for that."
It will be interesting to see where Asomugha fits into the 49ers' secondary. The 49ers are on track to return all five corners from last season's Super Bowl roster. You'd have to think Asomugha was given assurance that he'd have a defined role, but he said Wednesday that no specifics were discussed.
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The 49ers do have a vacancy at strong safety with the departure of Dashon Goldson. Could Asomugha be in play there?
"No, we haven't talked about safety at all," Asomugha said. "I'm playing corner."
The Niners know they're not getting the 2008 version of Asomugha. The question is whether a motivated 2013 version of Asomugha will be good enough to make an impact.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.
