Nnamdi not looking at next season just yet

This year hasnt gone quite the way Nnamdi Asomugha hoped. Hasnt gone quite the way anybody hoped.

Since signing a five-year, 60 million deal, Asomugha has become a symbol of the Eagles disastrous 2011 season.

Just 12 games into his Eagles career, hes already being classified by some as a free-agent bust, by others as a high-priced disappointment. But Asomugha said in an interview Friday at his locker that hes not discouraged and promised that better days are ahead.

It doesnt feel like, Whats next, unless whats next is something positive, Asomugha said. I think were just at a point right now where theres a lot of excitement for these last four weeks. Its not just me and not just the players, its with the coaches, too.

I dont know what can happen or what will happen. I know what can happen and what we want to happen.

The Eagles, 4-8 and losers of four of their last five, face the Dolphins, 4-8 and winners of four of their last five, at 1 p.m. Sunday in Miami. They havent beaten a non-division opponent since opening day in St. Louis.

Asomugha said these last four gamesthe Dolphins, Jets, Cowboys and Redskinsare huge for the Eagles, who havent been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention yet but are on the brink.

It will take four wins for the Eagles to avoid only their second losing season in the last 11 years.

It would erase the tough times that weve had during the season, trying to jell and trying to work with each other, he said. I think at this point in the year if we can get it right, it would feel really good.

Obviously, next year were going to be much better than we were this year. Theres going to be a lot more time to put the pieces together and know exactly what it is were doing at all times.

Finishing strong would definitely set the tone for next year, but I dont want to think about next year obviously right now with this game coming up and the chance we have.

Finishing strong is important for Asomugha, too.

He said hes fairly healthy after a couple late-season scareshe sprained his MCL at practice on Nov. 24, an injury he feared when it happened was a torn ACL. And then he suffered a concussion and shoulder injury in the Eagles last game, at Seattle a week ago Thursday.

Im feeling all right, physically, he said. The head and neck stuff, that was fine, you know, immediately after. Its just been the MCL, thats been the main thing Ive been dealing with. Im feeling much better this week than last week. It only happened a couple of weeks ago but I feel good.

But its been a difficult few months for Asomugha, who was supposed to come in and be Superman.

Looking back, considering everything, that was too much to ask. Not only was he changing teams, systems and coaches, he didnt have an off-season and had only five weeks of preseason to adjust to the complex hybrid position new defensive coordinator Juan Castillo designed for him.

Castillo eventually acknowledged he had thrown too much too fast at Asomugha. By then, the damage was done.

Theres an adjustment with every single thing since Ive come here, he said. From media, from a new place, a new town, being in a different place for all my life, being in one state and then adjusting to that with living and trying to acclimate, theres been a whole lot.

Then, adjusting to new schemes, and there are so many things around it. Its not like me adjusting as far as football is concerned, its not like adjusting to a scheme or defense that had been in place for years, to where you can pull other guys and ask them, So what is this and what is this? ... Everyone is in that position.

How much will an actual off-season help?

Oh, 100 percent, 100 percent, he said. Going through what weve gone through this year, its going to be much more helpful.

Asomugha said he doesnt mind the extreme expectations placed on the Eagles this year.

But looking back? Yeah, maybe it was unrealistic.

We werent cocky about it, he said, then pausing, looks across the locker room at Vince Youngs locker and smiles.

He was just excited, you know? Asomugha said.

But when Young coined the Dream Team tag, nobody really minded. Fans, players, coaches bought in. Almost everybody bought in.

We were supposed to be undefeated, Asomugha said. Sometimes, expectations come from excitement, and I think the town and a lot of people were excited for the possibilities of what we had.

When you look at I guess the quick off-season and the people we were able to bring in and what we were able to do and that type of energy, it was an exciting period, you know? But you dont look at the entire picture and how is it all going to be put together. How quickly will it be put together. You just see it on the surface and you get excited.

Obviously, there was the other group of people: Lets throw these expectations on them, and then when that doesnt happen, we can try to beat them down.

It kind of works both ways. With the Philly fans and the people over here, there was a lot of excitement. Elsewhere, there was a lot of, I hope this doesnt work out, sort of thing.

Asomugha, who leads the Eagles with three interceptions, was asked a lot about next year, but he stopped himself each time.

As long as there are games to play in 2011, there are positives that can come out of them.

Weve been tried a lot this year, he said. But I think with these next four games, a lot can happen.

E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com.