Buddy Nix speaks at MMQB

[Jauronimo]

For what it's worth, Merriman is apparently putting the spikes on and hitting the field again. That's pretty exciting to hear.

 

Look at the bright side. Merriman has already exceeded last years on-field production by several minutes. That's encouraging.

[Matt in KC]

I keep thinking Merriman is going to follow the same path as Sam Cowart did. From stud to dud because of the knees, and never the same player again. Out of the league in a few years.

 

Im shocked that Nix has so much faith in this dude, but if he ends up coming back to pro bowl form then Buddy is a genius in my book. Even if he comes back as an average starter and is a good locker room guy, it's still a great move.

 

Does anyone know anything about Merriman's character? I've never seen an interview with the guy........

 

Both Sam Cowart and Takeo Spikes (who someone else mentioned) went on to be solid players after getting hurt on the Bills, it just took a couple years to fully heal. These are both horrible arguments for why Merriman isn't likely to bounce back.

 

 

Sam Cowart

Did you know he recorded 127 tackles for the Jets the year after leaving the Bills (two years after getting hurt) and 140 tackles the next year? I know tackles are not official stats, but it's clear he was playing at a high level.

[Max997]

I keep thinking Merriman is going to follow the same path as Sam Cowart did. From stud to dud because of the knees, and never the same player again. Out of the league in a few years.

 

Im shocked that Nix has so much faith in this dude, but if he ends up coming back to pro bowl form then Buddy is a genius in my book. Even if he comes back as an average starter and is a good locker room guy, it's still a great move.

 

Does anyone know anything about Merriman's character? I've never seen an interview with the guy........

 

Cowart was on his way to becoming a star before that cheap shot in Tampa

[Rubes]

Both Sam Cowart and Takeo Spikes (who someone else mentioned) went on to be solid players after getting hurt on the Bills, it just took a couple years to fully heal. These are both horrible arguments for why Merriman isn't likely to bounce back.

 

This is true. You could also argue that they went from being 'spectacular' players to, at best, 'solid' players, which is a big drop. But right now, I would take a 'solid' OLB. And, for the record, I think Merriman will bounce back better than either of those two.

Edited May 11, 2011 by Rubes

[K-9]

Steroids wage war on your body. Your immune system. Joints. Tendons. Emotions. Cognitive process. It's the credit card of substances. You'll pay later, for what you get up front, and Merriman did with the years of injuries. The longer you use, the more you pay. You use heavy or for a long time, you end up either like Lyle Alzado or Chris Benoit.

 

If Merriman been clean for a while, with the steroids long gone from his system, it's *possible* his mind and body have recovered. Certainly, I believe either the Bills or Merriman himself have invested a lot of time and money into getting his body detoxed from the steroids. It's just as fans, we would never hear or read about it.

 

In my opinion Nix's confidence in Merriman stems from how well he has detoxed and repaired his body from the steroid use.

 

I don't necessarily disagree with your premise but how long does it take for a human body to purge itself of steroids? I ask because in 2007 Merriman had a fantastic year. He had been off roids for a year going into that season and he played better as the season progressed.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[Rockinon]

Maybe Gailey would find a use for a TE if he had one that were worth a warm bucket of spit.

 

It might do our OTs good to have a big body helping them with a chip block or two, and make the DEs/LBs have to think about not letting the TE get past them into the seam, and to give Fitz another safety valve.

 

There looks to be several prime TEs available in UFA whenever a new CBA comes out. I just hate it when a staff almost completely writes off an entire position. For example, Donahoe did this with kickers --- a position where a guy with a good leg can actually put points on the board, especially in late-season weather games --- until Lindell settled in. It wasn't until Graham and another dude actually lost us games that they decided to get serious. Why do the Bills always have to wait until after they get burned to do things other teams do routinely?

 

By the by, it's nice to hear that the uni event will be "soon" so we can just get that over with.

 

I really don't see the logic there WRT rookie jersey sales. The Bills Store can't be moving m/any of those, can they? This is one of the prime times of the year and people won't buy when they know it's going to change.

It could be that the FA outlook on TEs was better than the Draft outlook on TEs. I am thinking we will pick one up.

[Rockinon]

putting a lot of faith in a guy being healthy that hasnt been for a few years

 

you can never have enough pass rushers...still think they should have drafted one in the second round

They(Nix, Gailey etc.) have high expectations for Merriman.

They have reasonably high expectations for Moats and Batton(who will move back to OLB)

They also have a very high draft pick in Maybin that they figure at least has a snowballs chance in hell of finally producing.

 

It's not all bad, and maybe they know a thing or two that we don't. We'll see soon enough.

[offsides#76FredSmerlas]

Thanks for posting

 

 

I gotta wonder if Nix is taking into consideration.. did Merriman need the juice get all those sacks, If I recall once he tested positive for steroids and stopped using he wasn't quite the same player.

 

05 AP DRotY-pro bowl

06 suspended 4 games for steroids -pro bowl

07 pro bowl

08 IR on Sept 9th injured knee PCL & LCL

09 knees bothering him ,plus a foot injury-4 sacks

10 injured calf went on IR and released- picked up by Buffalo injured Achilles -IR again

 

Hey, i hope he regains his "lights out" form that got him to the pro bowl, but I also hope Nix has a back up plan.

I have been thinking the same thing. Can he play at a high level without steroids? I don't think he can ever be as good but can he play at a high level, nobody knows that answer yet but he's anything but a sure thing.

[Matt in KC]

Cowart was on his way to becoming a star before that cheap shot in Tampa

Yes he was. His injury crushed me. He was my favorite Bill by far at the time.

 

I have no idea if his injury with the Bills was a factor in ending his career prematurely (though obviously it didn't help).

 

This is true. You could also argue that they went from being 'spectacular' players to, at best, 'solid' players, which is a big drop. But right now, I would take a 'solid' OLB. And, for the record, I think Merriman will bounce back better than either of those two.

Point taken, though it's hard to argue with Cowart's stats in 2002 and 2003 after he left the Bills. Over 90 solo tackles each year is better than solid. He seemed to be back to his old form.

 

Spikes never got back to his old form, though he had a great year last year.

 

I think you have to conclude that players need to be judged on a case-by-case basis to see if the risk is worth the potential reward.

[thewildrabbit]

Sorry if I come across like a douche, but do you think before posting? No, I'm sure Buddy hasn't given it a moment's thought as to whether Merriman needs steroids to perform at a high level.

 

Hey you are what you are....lots of my posts are in a negative light because I'm still very skeptical of this staff.

 

They bring in a FA-RT that can't play, they draft a RB in the first round that can't play, they don't have one freaking player from last years draft that became a starter on a very bad 4-12 team. The running game got worse, the defense got worse, the special teams got worse.

 

And no, looking at Merriman's recent history of injuries, his drop off in his performance once he stopped using .. I don't think Nix is very smart or thought about anything. He even stated in his first presser that he "" wasn't the smartest guy in the room""this player looks like a huge gamble, hence my comment. There was a reason as to why the Chargers simply waived him.

 

Don't forget this is the same GM that stated he was ""going to get some sleep"" when free agency opened last year, the result was a RT that was paid 3 million and couldn't play for ****

[K-9]

I have been thinking the same thing. Can he play at a high level without steroids? I don't think he can ever be as good but can he play at a high level, nobody knows that answer yet but he's anything but a sure thing.

 

If his 2007 season doesn't illustrate playing at a high level without steroids, then what does?

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

Hey you are what you are....lots of my posts are in a negative light because I'm still very skeptical of this staff.

 

They bring in a FA-RT that can't play, they draft a RB in the first round that can't play, they don't have one freaking player from last years draft that became a starter on a very bad 4-12 team. The running game got worse, the defense got worse, the special teams got worse.

 

And no, looking at Merriman's recent history of injuries, his drop off in his performance once he stopped using .. I don't think Nix is very smart or thought about anything. He even stated in his first presser that he "" wasn't the smartest guy in the room""this player looks like a huge gamble, hence my comment. There was a reason as to why the Chargers simply waived him.

 

Don't forget this is the same GM that stated he was ""going to get some sleep"" when free agency opened last year, the result was a RT that was paid 3 million and couldn't play for ****

 

So you're just assuming the Chargers released him because he just couldn't play anymore? There was a helluva lot more to it than that. You may want to look into his relationship with AJ Smith for starters.

 

GO BILLS!!!

Edited May 11, 2011 by K-9

[Mark Long Beach]

They bring in a FA-RT that can't play,

Agreed, but they got the best FA tackles out there. The best piece of junk is still a piece of junk.

 

they draft a RB in the first round that can't play

Definitely a disappointment, but his career is hardly over. He certainly has talent.

 

they don't have one freaking player from last years draft that became a starter on a very bad 4-12 team.

Well according to most reports that I hear of, you hope to get 4 good players out of a draft with the average being less than 3. It was clear from the draft that they were not expecting a quick results from their first draft class. It's tough to make the transition from college to pros and even harder for small school guys to do it. They drafted a lot of small school guys. Clearly indicating that they were looking for long term value rather than a short term fix.

As for being a bad team, their record was bad for sure, but what I saw was a team that struggled mightily to make the transition to the 3-4, but got better the second half of the season (finishing 4-4).

 

The running game got worse,

Yep, RT was a disaster and we wasted several games highlighting Marshawn Lynch so that we could trade him. (The correct decision IMO)

 

the defense got worse,

Rough transition to 3-4. Some people can never make the transition, others like Kyle Williams excel no matter what. Besides years of poor drafting had left our cupboard bare. We were already getting worse before last year.

 

the special teams got worse.

Totally agree. DeHaven is not as good as Bobby April. But April was as good as gone since we didn't pick him for interim coach. I have NO idea if he'd be a good head coach, but he's a damn fine ST coach. He's the only recent coach that I miss.

 

"" wasn't the smartest guy in the room""

It's called humility or self-deprecation and most people consider it a virtue.

[eball]

Hey you are what you are....lots of my posts are in a negative light because I'm still very skeptical of this staff.

 

They bring in a FA-RT that can't play, they draft a RB in the first round that can't play, they don't have one freaking player from last years draft that became a starter on a very bad 4-12 team. The running game got worse, the defense got worse, the special teams got worse.

 

And no, looking at Merriman's recent history of injuries, his drop off in his performance once he stopped using .. I don't think Nix is very smart or thought about anything. He even stated in his first presser that he "" wasn't the smartest guy in the room""this player looks like a huge gamble, hence my comment. There was a reason as to why the Chargers simply waived him.

 

Don't forget this is the same GM that stated he was ""going to get some sleep"" when free agency opened last year, the result was a RT that was paid 3 million and couldn't play for ****

Ok, I take back my prior apology. Skeptical? Your analysis is shortsighted at best. Take a look at Nix's track record as a talent evaluator in the NFL. Nobody's saying Merriman isn't a risk, but to presume the Bills offered a two-year contract without considering the likelihood of his full recovery is just moronic.

[Beerball]

my biggest hope for this season is for Merriman to return to his All-Pro form. As Buddy pointed out, he is only 26, so it is not completely unrealistic to think it could happen. His return to being a menacing pass rusher would give the defense an identity and it would give the team an exciting, elite level player we have not had since the Superbowl years.

Apparently you've forgotten about Brandon Spoon.

[DanInUticaTampa]

I keep thinking Merriman is going to follow the same path as Sam Cowart did. From stud to dud because of the knees, and never the same player again. Out of the league in a few years.

 

Im shocked that Nix has so much faith in this dude, but if he ends up coming back to pro bowl form then Buddy is a genius in my book. Even if he comes back as an average starter and is a good locker room guy, it's still a great move.

 

Does anyone know anything about Merriman's character? I've never seen an interview with the guy........

 

Pretty much my feelings. I can't believe they are putting that much faith in the guy with all his health issues.... but even if he is just an average starter or a stop gap player, it is a wonderful move.

[Bangarang]

I keep thinking Merriman is going to follow the same path as Sam Cowart did. From stud to dud because of the knees, and never the same player again. Out of the league in a few years.

 

Im shocked that Nix has so much faith in this dude, but if he ends up coming back to pro bowl form then Buddy is a genius in my book. Even if he comes back as an average starter and is a good locker room guy, it's still a great move.

 

Does anyone know anything about Merriman's character? I've never seen an interview with the guy........

 

Seems to be a good character guy. That is until you put a feisty bi-sexual Singaporean girl in his face.

[DrDawkinstein]

Thanks for posting

 

 

I gotta wonder if Nix is taking into consideration.. did Merriman need the juice get all those sacks, If I recall once he tested positive for steroids and stopped using he wasn't quite the same player.

 

05 AP DRotY-pro bowl

06 suspended 4 games for steroids -pro bowl

07 pro bowl

08 IR on Sept 9th injured knee PCL & LCL

09 knees bothering him ,plus a foot injury-4 sacks

10 injured calf went on IR and released- picked up by Buffalo injured Achilles -IR again

 

Hey, i hope he regains his "lights out" form that got him to the pro bowl, but I also hope Nix has a back up plan.

 

Nope, here is how it went down...

 

Many assume that Merriman hasn't been the same since serving a four-game suspension in 2006 for violating the steroids policy. But that's not accurate. He had 8.5 sacks in five games after returning from suspension. In 2007, he racked up 12.5 sacks in 15 games.

 

The problem came in 2008, when Merriman played in only one game with a damaged PCL. Last year (2009), as he fought to come back from the lost season, he had no sacks in 14 games, and a total of four sacks in two of them.

 

So that's 8.5 sacks in 5 games, and 12.5 in 15 games, since going off the sauce.

 

Since then, its all been injury.

 

Keep your fingers crossed that he recovers!

[Stealth]

Was Spikes ever the same after the injury ? Is anyone the same after it ? I think Nix is betting on a horse set for the glue factory, so let's get a back-up based on sheer lack of Merriman's recent health.

 

 

Or instead of looking at Spikes Sam Cowart, look at Julian Peterson a more similiar type of rush backer to Merriman. Peterson 2 years after tearing his achillies was back to being an elite pass rusher.

 

Peterson from 05-07 the 3 years following his injury posted the following statistics.

 

3 sacks the year following the injury in 05. 10 sacks in 06 and 9.5 in 07. Also 5 sacks in 08, 4.5 in 09 and 1 this past year. Also from 05-10 has 16 forced fumbles and 3 ints to go along with his 33 sacks. Not all spells doom and gloom

[Webster Guy]

Both Sam Cowart and Takeo Spikes (who someone else mentioned) went on to be solid players after getting hurt on the Bills, it just took a couple years to fully heal. These are both horrible arguments for why Merriman isn't likely to bounce back.

 

 

Sam Cowart

Did you know he recorded 127 tackles for the Jets the year after leaving the Bills (two years after getting hurt) and 140 tackles the next year? I know tackles are not official stats, but it's clear he was playing at a high level.

 

Yeah and Poz had 151 tackles last year so does that make him an all star? LB stats are virtually meaningless (which I think you tried to imply after you quoted them). If you think Cowart returned to Pro Bowl form then you weren't watching him like I was. He lost a 1/2 step and was clearly never better than average. One of Donahoe's better moves letting him go and he was my favorite Bill by far.

[robertpaul49]

I think everybody is forgetting Antonio Coleman. OLB is set.

 

I also think that there was an additional element to the Merriman signing. He is very close to Maybin, and I believe that they signed him to be a mentor. If Merriman can't physically hold up, he might be able to make the investment in Maybin pan out.

 

I think they are thinking about getting as many irons in the fire as possible. Sure, it would be nice if they had enough high draft picks to get impact players, but there are a lot of holes, and this is not a one year turn-around.

 

It is not really fair to complain about the right tackle position since Brad Butler suddenly retired. Plus, I really don't think that Nix was trying to win this year. It was a rebuilding year, and I really believe they didn't play Spiller that much because they didn't want him to have a serious injury in a year that didn't really matter.