Ramius Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 You are correct that free agency never got started and thus no other team could make an official offer. On the other hand, Merriman and his agent were quick to pounce on the Bills offer and called it an excellent offer. So maybe Shawne and his agent actually have no understanding of the market and were just talking through their hats like many posters on this board then. So the Bills suck when they don't re-sign their free agents and let them go, but when we do re-sign our free agents, the free agent must suck or else they'd wait for free agency? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDaDdy Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 So the Bills suck when they don't re-sign their free agents and let them go, but when we do re-sign our free agents, the free agent must suck or else they'd wait for free agency? Nope. Merriman just sucks whether we signed him or not. Three plus years of crap performance and injuries since the knee and getting off the juice would seem to be consistent with that statement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Nope. Merriman just sucks whether we signed him or not. Three plus years of crap performance and injuries since the knee and getting off the juice would seem to be consistent with that statement. That's right, PDaDdy. The Bills have sucked for 10+ years. No need to lay that on Shawne Merriman. Shawne Merriman has shown to be an empty shell of his former Pro Bowl self. He hasn't been able to stay healthy and the little he has played, he has been ineffective. The sole evaluation criteria of a good GM is not simply re-signing his own free agents. A far better measure is building an organization that wins and can persist without his direct involvement. Indeed, the best GMs know when a player is a washed up has-been and have already planned ahead and are ready to move in another direction. No, I'm not standing in line to blow Buddy Nix for a job well done on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 That's right, PDaDdy. The Bills have sucked for 10+ years. No need to lay that on Shawne Merriman. Shawne Merriman has shown to be an empty shell of his former Pro Bowl self. He hasn't been able to stay healthy and the little he has played, he has been ineffective. The sole evaluation criteria of a good GM is not simply re-signing his own free agents. A far better measure is building an organization that wins and can persist without his direct involvement. Indeed, the best GMs know when a player is a washed up has-been and have already planned ahead and are ready to move in another direction. No, I'm not standing in line to blow Buddy Nix for a job well done on this one. As stated before, numerous "good" teams have taken these types of risks and been lauded for them before the player even plays a down. For the pittance being paid to Merriman, it was well worth the chance that he becomes good again. No one here is saying that he'll be great. We're just saying it was worth the risk to re-ink him at a low cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphean Bills Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 As stated before, numerous "good" teams have taken these types of risks and been lauded for them before the player even plays a down. For the pittance being paid to Merriman, it was well worth the chance that he becomes good again. No one here is saying that he'll be great. We're just saying it was worth the risk to re-ink him at a low cost. Actually, I don't disagree with the point of taking a chance. I never said that taking a chance is a bad thing. On the other hand, this is a straw-man to my comments. I was discussing the point of his contract, which can certainly be viewed as either "gambling a pittance" or "a waste of money on damaged goods" as has been done throughout this thread. I happen to think Merriman in the specific is a long shot of a gamble. Not only has he been in trouble off the field, but he has had a number of injuries that have prevented him from playing at all. It is questionable if this gamble is based on the conclusions deduced from shrewd, objective analytical thinking or more on a personal familiarity. Finally, there is a certain degree of trying to have your cake and eat it too when one argues that $2.5M is "nothing" and turns around and tries to shave a few $100K off other numbers to make them look more appealing. (Not implying that you personally did, Ram.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfreak Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 So the Bills suck when they don't re-sign their free agents and let them go, but when we do re-sign our free agents, the free agent must suck or else they'd wait for free agency? The Bills often do suck when they don't resign their productive free agents, that actually can get on the field and perform and are more than a shadow of what they once were. They might as well have given the money they gave to Merriman last year to charity, it would have been money much more well spent that what they got for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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