So all this tells you is that the talking is just that: talking. Merriman could be whatever the talkers wanted him to be - but in the end, you looked at him on the field and he really didn't get it done.
I watched for him in the first preseason game on the sidelines and he seemed to be lacking the energy/intensity he is known for. Just looked like a man who was trying hard but had lost whatever it was that made him before - be it the ankle, the attitude, the passion. I don't know. I thought then maybe he'll be a victim of the cuts.
Given the numbers for him - you have to think this is a purely football move.