Im Confused about the Shawn Merriman signing

[mikey98277]

I know I am not the most edimucated person on here, but isn't this waste of money half of what we spend on our #1 receiver that catches 2 balls for 10 yards a game, just thought I would start a whole new bunch of crap to argue about.

[spartacus]

That is what he said, yes. It's probably true. What we don't know, and no one knows, is whether this will make any difference at all, and whether he can return to any kind of form that makes him a valuable player to have on the Bills defense.

 

One thing I do know, however, is that training staffs can make a difference. I follow the Phoenix Suns pretty closely, and their training staff is highly regarded. Steve Nash swears by them, and he is playing like a young kid still. Grant Hill swears by them and he is guarding the top players every night at 38 years old. Shaq played there a year or two and credited them with all kinds of rejuvenation in his movement and overall health. So they can and do make a difference. We don't know for sure how good the Bills guys are, or whether what they found will help Merriman.

 

"We don't know for sure how good the Bills guys are,"

 

 

the past history of immense injuries gives us a pretty good indication of how "good" the Bils trainers are.

 

However, there is hope that the power lifting background of our new guys will help Merriman with a new, undetectable performance enhancing program

 

Buddy must be thinking the same thing -

 

 

 

 

 

[todd]

Sorry, I still don't understand the Bills decision. It makes no sense. Shawn Merriman is done people.. I can't believe none of you realize this.

 

Given that Buffalo has a huge need at LB, are vastly under the cap, and the potential reward from this risky signing is huge, I don't see why even the most negative people have an issue with it.

 

The only argument I could see is that the money could be spent elsewhere, but that argument is incredibly stupid given the $$ buffalo is under the cap by any measurement. This won't restrict buffalo from making any FA move they need to.

 

So your post is destroyed, and exposed as bitching for the sake of bitching.

[Doc]

Is claiming different than signing?

Definitely. When a player is waived, there is a 24-hour period for teams to submit a claim, after which a player becomes a FA. Teams literally don't have an opportunity to put a player through a physical at all, much less a rigorous one. They assume the player and his contract. Again it's caveat emptor. OTOH, when a player is signed to a new contract or extension, a team has time to visit with him and give him a more thorough physical as well as a new contract. I'm sure the Bills did that before giving Merriman the extension.

[8-8 Forever?]

At last time I heard the Bills were about 25 million under the old cap total. 2.5 million dollars is a drop in the bucket for someone who COULD give us a respectable pass rush with some more added parts. If we were talking 10 years ago, maybe we all go crazy at 2.5 million, but this is seriously like a buck fifty by the current scale. If he lights it up it's a bargain, if not it matters very little.

 

Let's try and think half full around here for once...

The fact that a guy of that stature actually signed with arguably the least desirable franchise in the league is a huge positive and could lead to other FA signings. It could be a bellwether of better times ahead.

[The Buffalo Irishman]

The fact that a guy of that stature actually signed with arguably the least desirable franchise in the league is a huge positive and could lead to other FA signings. It could be a bellwether of better times ahead.

I agree with you.

[Mr. WEO]

Definitely. When a player is waived, there is a 24-hour period for teams to submit a claim, after which a player becomes a FA. Teams literally don't have an opportunity to put a player through a physical at all, much less a rigorous one. They assume the player and his contract. Again it's caveat emptor. OTOH, when a player is signed to a new contract or extension, a team has time to visit with him and give him a more thorough physical as well as a new contract. I'm sure the Bills did that before giving Merriman the extension.

He was picked up on Nov. 3rd and injured one week later, ending his season. No one examined him after they picked him up that week-before his first practice? That's hard to believe. Couldn't they have released him if an exam found he was not fit?

 

The fact that a guy of that stature actually signed with arguably the least desirable franchise in the league is a huge positive and could lead to other FA signings. It could be a bellwether of better times ahead.

You mean umemployed? Or coming from another team's IR list? A guy a couple of seasons removed from his last productive year? A young (former) star dumped by the team that drafted him? That's a situation that other FA's can relate to and will bring them here?

[billsfreak]

The fact that a guy of that stature actually signed with arguably the least desirable franchise in the league is a huge positive and could lead to other FA signings. It could be a bellwether of better times ahead.

A guy of what stature? A "former Pro Bowler" who hasn't produced in 3 or 4 years, hasn't stayed healthy in 3 or 4 years, and is one strike away from being suspended for a year? That was the reason so many people on here justified trading Lynch, was the fact that he was one screwup away from beins suspended for a year, but so is Merriman, so how is that any different? At least Lynch could make it onto the field every week.

[Sisyphean Bills]

You mean umemployed? Or coming from another team's IR list? A guy a couple of seasons removed from his last productive year? A young (former) star dumped by the team that drafted him? That's a situation that other FA's can relate to and will bring them here?

Well, he did play in 2009. Maybe he meant a lot of guys can relate to a 1.8 tackles per game level of production.

 

Here's something interesting. Merriman has never made it through a full season.

[RuntheDamnBall]

Well, he did play in 2009. Maybe he meant a lot of guys can relate to a 1.8 tackles per game level of production.

 

Here's something interesting. Merriman has never made it through a full season.

Yet even with a few terrible years, he has had more production per season than any LB on the Bills roster. Go figure.

 

I really can't believe that people are arguing that this is a bad gamble. It's almost as though no one remembers how much money they just gave Chris Kelsay, who is depth on a decent NFL roster at best. They are giving Merriman relative peanuts in hope of recapturing his past form. They are not on the hook for much and the potential reward is huge.

 

And let's put it this way: more valuable to the Bills - 60% of past Merriman, or Keith Ellison? Discuss.

[Tcali]

Why did the Bills spend 2.5 millon per year on a guy that probably will get hurt in pre-season?

 

What has he done in the last 3 years except prove that he can't stay healthy. I don't understand the Bills direction on that decision.

 

 

just my opinion. Im sure that 2.5 million could have been better utilized somewhere else.

2 key words..

1.masking

2.agents

[NoSaint]

Interesting comment from Gregg - was rumoured he wanted merriman and this reference leads mento believe he does like him as a player

 

http://mobile.nola.com/advnola/pm_33255/contentdetail.htm;jsessionid=5FE95626BC054A552FFB6C7ACCCB7940?contentguid=mW9XAk8V

[Hapless Bills Fan]

"We don't know for sure how good the Bills guys are,"

the past history of immense injuries gives us a pretty good indication of how "good" the Bils trainers are.

 

I guess I'm not following you here.

 

How does a history of immense injuries indicate our trainers are bad?

Wouldn't it be more an indication that our guys are too small and too weak or under-trained?

 

S&C changed last year, let's see

 

Trainers: both Wood and Bell came back from what might have been career-ending injuries and both were kept going through the season.

That might mean the trainers and medical staff are ok, even good?

[Doc]

He was picked up on Nov. 3rd and injured one week later, ending his season. No one examined him after they picked him up that week-before his first practice? That's hard to believe. Couldn't they have released him if an exam found he was not fit?

You don't get to claim a guy off waivers, put him through a rigorous exam/physical/workout, watch him get injured, and then claim "he was damaged goods when we got him." Again he was healthy enough to be placed on waivers. And considering the team was 0-7 and already out of the playoff hunt, the move was more about 2011 than 2010. So they weren't going to release him, and they didn't release him. Not only did they not release him, they signed him to a decent-sized extension. I doubt they did it to save face for claiming him off waivers last year.

 

So as I said originally, we can come back to this thread in a year and see who was right.

[Charles Romes]

I know I am not the most edimucated person on here, but isn't this waste of money half of what we spend on our #1 receiver that catches 2 balls for 10 yards a game, just thought I would start a whole new bunch of crap to argue about.

 

Merriman has a certain superstar je ne sais quois. His signing will encourage other big names to choose Buffalo.

[mikey98277]

Merriman has a certain superstar je ne sais quois. His signing will encourage other big names to choose Buffalo.

 

 

If he even gets 1 good FA to sign his 2.5 million will be well spent, although we will probably never know if it was him or not

[Mr. WEO]

You don't get to claim a guy off waivers, put him through a rigorous exam/physical/workout, watch him get injured, and then claim "he was damaged goods when we got him." Again he was healthy enough to be placed on waivers. And considering the team was 0-7 and already out of the playoff hunt, the move was more about 2011 than 2010. So they weren't going to release him, and they didn't release him. Not only did they not release him, they signed him to a decent-sized extension. I doubt they did it to save face for claiming him off waivers last year.

 

So as I said originally, we can come back to this thread in a year and see who was right.

He was deemed "healthy enough to be put on waivers" by the team that put him on waivers.

 

The point of putting him thorugh more than a cursory exam would not have been to "get to claim" they were ripped off. It would have been to see if he was actually healthy. Obvuiously he wasn't, as it turns out. Now if your argument is that had he done some simple backpedaling for the docs in that week before practice, injured his achilles...and the Bills STILL would have signed him---and extended him, then I understand what you're saying.

 

But do you really believe they would have kept him if they uncovered such an injury before signing him, or would they have not signed him?

 

But I agree, we will know how this worked out on opening day (if not sooner).

Edited January 30, 2011 by Mr. WEO

[Doc]

He was deemed "healthy enough to be put on waivers" by the team that put him on waivers.

 

The point of putting him thorugh more than a cursory exam would not have been to "get to claim" they were ripped off. It would have been to see if he was actually healthy. Obvuiously he wasn't, as it turns out. Now if your argument is that had he done some simple backpedaling for the docs in that week before practice, injured his achilles...and the Bills STILL would have signed him---and extended him, then I understand what you're saying.

 

But do you really believe they would have kept him if they uncovered such an injury before signing him, or would they have not signed him?

 

But I agree, we will know how this worked out on opening day (if not sooner).

Again, the team was 0-7 and out of the playoff picture at the time, so Merriman was a future asset for them. Given Merriman's high level of performance his first few years and the fact that he is just 26, I still think they'd have taken him off waivers even if they had they been able to perform a more thorough exam, uncovered the injury, but discovered a correctable problem, as they seem to feel they've done. The only thing I think they would have done differently is not have him practice and put him on IR immediately.

[Mr. WEO]

Again, the team was 0-7 and out of the playoff picture at the time, so Merriman was a future asset for them. Given Merriman's high level of performance his first few years and the fact that he is just 26, I still think they'd have taken him off waivers even if they had they been able to perform a more thorough exam, uncovered the injury, but discovered a correctable problem, as they seem to feel they've done. The only thing I think they would have done differently is not have him practice and put him on IR immediately.

How did they correct the problem?

[Doc]

How did they correct the problem?

I don't know if they've corrected it yet (I said "correctable), but Merriman said that the teams doctors "figured out what the problem was." Hence the reason they gave him the extension. I guess we'll see.