hondo in seattle Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 The Merriman signing, although it did not have many statistical results, was the key piece to changing the culture in Buffalo. Merriman gave the Bills a little swagger coming into the season and helped in signing a few free agents. His attitude and intensity towards the fans, players, franchise and community pulled everyone back together and helped us re-realize that the fanchise and fans have pride towards the Bills. In this day and age in the NFL his contract was not over the top. If he is able to recover, even being a situational pass rusher, I would love to see #56 give it one more try next year. Thank you Shawn for not shunning the Bills and Buffalo. Thank you for embracing the culture, the team and the fans. I wish you a speedy recovery and hope that you get one more shot next year. I guarantee if you make it back you will have 73,000 screaming maniacs there to greet you your first game back! http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/jerry-sullivan/article608966.ece Nicely said! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuntheDamnBall Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 I don't know...the Merriman signing looked bad from day one. Not faulting Nix, hard not to want to take a chance on a guy with that reputation. But, he didn't come for "next to nothing", and aside from a spectacular pre-season game against the Bears this past summer, he really didn't ever show anything. I wouldn't be thanking him for accepting the Bills, he should be thanking the Bills for paying him for contributing very little, and getting paid pretty nicely to do so. I think people are overstating his positive influence on the franchise and fan base. I think the positive vibe rests squarely with Chan Gailey (who I was not a big fan of when he was hired), Ryan Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson, and Steve Johnson. They were all here before Merriman, and all performed well, in anonymity, before Merriman got here. So, what did Merriman do? He convinced Kirk Morrison to sign in Buffalo? Wow...I thought our low-bar days were fading... Anyways, yes, screw Jerry Sullivan for being negative (but honestly, who didn't see this coming), and shame on the Bills for trying to take the short-cut on a major need. But, they aren't that far off...still feeling good about this team, even if Merriman never steps foot in a Bills locker room again. They got where they are now, with no help from him... I disagree with this, in that the positive feelings are not just the sum of those listed players and personnel, but a growing force within the team. Getting outsiders with a record of success to believe in the team is in fact a big deal. Convincing Morrison and possibly Barnett to come here should not go unappreciated. In the meantime, looking at this as an "on-the-cheap" upgrade is silly. They have young players; they needed veteran depth, and in the best-case scenario, a good vet for someone young to challenge. That didn't happen here but it's happening with Shep / Andra Davis, and I think it's a good way to go. We knew going in that this was going to be a long-term building project, and it remains to be seen if Buddy has hit or missed on some of these defensive picks (Troup, Carrington -though I see flashes of good play from him-, the new DBs). These guys, including George Edwards, are all learning, and I do prefer to see this thing built as opposed to being the product of wholesale changes and quick-fix schemes. You might argue that bringing in Merriman would qualify as the latter, but Nix knew a player who is still very young in this league, with a level of past play that was pretty dominating. In NFL terms the money spent there was not major. You can only fault the team for spending that cash on Merriman IF they don't pony up for the other players; at this point, I don't fault them for not finishing all the extensions yet when there is still so much work to be done during the season. It will look good on them WHEN they re-sign Fitz, Stevie, and Freddie. Additionally, what amounts to a Poz-for-Barnett swap at half the salary is a MAJOR, MAJOR coup. What was that? A gamble on a talented player with injury history? Sound familiar? It worked out and has helped the defense, even though they are still working toward better results. Sullivan is just giving voice to the reactionary fan, once again, and not seeing the forest for the trees. The shame here is that I think he knows this and is just trying to get hits and sell papers, rather than provide insight. Nix is damned for what doesn't work out, and little-praised for what does, among these folks. That's fine, and I don't think he much cares. Now, the reactionary fan has some justification - we are, after all, in year - what, eleven? - of not making the playoffs. But the book is not closed on this season despite the injuries. We all were talking about how bad this team was 7 short weeks ago. This is year two of Nix/Gailey and we're seeing some results, if not success across-the-board. I'm on board with the plan, for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTW2012 Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 who's Shawn? Nelson? jw A joke so hilarious he had to post it twice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r00tabaga Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 (edited) Apparently we have to put the E after Shawn as to not confuse other posters who otherwise have no idea which Shawn or Shawne we are referring to. Even if it's obvious. Thank you for your patience. Edited October 27, 2011 by r00tabaga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills44 Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 A joke so hilarious he had to post it twice. or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van_phelaN1 Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 who's Shawn? Nelson? jw Names are sometimes not spelled correctly on message boards John. Thanks for being here to rag on people for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOBILLS78 Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Names are sometimes not spelled correctly on message boards John. Thanks for being here to rag on people for it. I would have gone with "Jon" for the hell of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Jerry is being his typical whinger self. I also think that he likes to take shots at Buddy when he can because Buddy sees through his BS. I will side with Buddy every day of the week over Jerry "who pissed in my daisies" Sullivan. Jerry is wasting his time writing for the News. He should work for an NFL front office since he's such an astute judge of players. He obviously knew Merriman would flame out but graciously waited until now to let people know he knew it all along. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 (edited) I am "ex-media" as you put it, though not in the news biz. But I'm around news types enough to know when a guy is mailing it in. If the Bills don't sign Merriman: Ralph is cheap. Bills are cowards. No risk, no reward. If the Bills sign Merriman and he fails: Bills are dumb for wasting money on broken players. GM is incompetent. If the Bills sign Merriman and he succeeds: Find something else to complain about. PTR I can't imagine a single rational fan saying this. If the Bills didn't persue Merriman, no one would have noticed or cared. Be honest, you would have had a good laugh if BB or Ryan had brought in a desperate Merriman and had it blow up on them like this. One angle that people aren't focusing on is that it was also a marketing/PR move too (management's view: give the fans some hope and show we're not cheap and willing to take a chance, and if it works out, we were geniuses, and if it doesn't, can you really fault the team for giving it a shot (and spending some $$)? Bizarre "PR" move. Bringing a chronically injured steroid abuser with a reputation as a minor a-hole who just came off another team's IR. That doesn't really spell hope--as many posters here pointed out at the time. Edited October 27, 2011 by Mr. WEO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The AntiFin Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 (edited) who's Shawn? Nelson? jw John, Just curious: Do you think your time is better spent correcting posters on this board, or copy editors who make that same error on Web pages on which your byline appears? http://sports.nationalpost.com/tag/shawne-merriman/ (second photo caption) Yeah... That's what I thought, too. Edited October 27, 2011 by The AntiFin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 I can't imagine a single rational fan saying this. If the Bills didn't persue Merriman, no one would have noticed or cared. Be honest, you would have had a good laugh if BB or Ryan had brought in a desperate Merriman and had it blow up on them like this. You're joking, right? Do I have to bring up every thread about every name player who retires, gets cut, put on waivers, etc saying we need to bring them in? And when we don't it's because Ralph is cheap, etc? PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van_phelaN1 Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 I would have gone with "Jon" for the hell of it. Aww crud, I thought I did actually lol. Oh well. Ruined my own joke... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills44 Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 John, Just curious: Do you think your time is better spent correcting posters on this board, or copy editors who make that same error on Web pages on which your byline appears? http://sports.nationalpost.com/tag/shawne-merriman/ (second photo caption) Yeah... That's what I thought, too. ouch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 I disagree with this, in that the positive feelings are not just the sum of those listed players and personnel, but a growing force within the team. Getting outsiders with a record of success to believe in the team is in fact a big deal. Convincing Morrison and possibly Barnett to come here should not go unappreciated. In the meantime, looking at this as an "on-the-cheap" upgrade is silly. They have young players; they needed veteran depth, and in the best-case scenario, a good vet for someone young to challenge. That didn't happen here but it's happening with Shep / Andra Davis, and I think it's a good way to go. We knew going in that this was going to be a long-term building project, and it remains to be seen if Buddy has hit or missed on some of these defensive picks (Troup, Carrington -though I see flashes of good play from him-, the new DBs). These guys, including George Edwards, are all learning, and I do prefer to see this thing built as opposed to being the product of wholesale changes and quick-fix schemes. You might argue that bringing in Merriman would qualify as the latter, but Nix knew a player who is still very young in this league, with a level of past play that was pretty dominating. In NFL terms the money spent there was not major. You can only fault the team for spending that cash on Merriman IF they don't pony up for the other players; at this point, I don't fault them for not finishing all the extensions yet when there is still so much work to be done during the season. It will look good on them WHEN they re-sign Fitz, Stevie, and Freddie. Additionally, what amounts to a Poz-for-Barnett swap at half the salary is a MAJOR, MAJOR coup. What was that? A gamble on a talented player with injury history? Sound familiar? It worked out and has helped the defense, even though they are still working toward better results. Sullivan is just giving voice to the reactionary fan, once again, and not seeing the forest for the trees. The shame here is that I think he knows this and is just trying to get hits and sell papers, rather than provide insight. Nix is damned for what doesn't work out, and little-praised for what does, among these folks. That's fine, and I don't think he much cares. Now, the reactionary fan has some justification - we are, after all, in year - what, eleven? - of not making the playoffs. But the book is not closed on this season despite the injuries. We all were talking about how bad this team was 7 short weeks ago. This is year two of Nix/Gailey and we're seeing some results, if not success across-the-board. I'm on board with the plan, for now. I agree, mostly. But I still don't know if Barnett signed becuase of Merriman, only Kirk Morrison. Let's be honest, Kirk Morrison is a journeymen at this point...he will play where he is paid. I sat behind the Bills bench at the Giant game, and was astounded by how little Morrison played, and he was healthy. Honestly, he is just a body at this point, with a little experience. Barnett looks to be the best FA signing in a while, but he was already proven, and was physically able to perform when the Bills signed him. He was injured last year, but, if I recall, was lamenting the fact that he was recovered enough, to play in the Super Bowl, but had been IR'd, so couldn't. I get taking a chance on players coming back from major injuries (although I will contend it pans out far less than it doesn't pan out), but the Merriman thing is a little different. He had already failed a come-back (or two) with the Chargers, and one with the Bills. I am not sure why he was re-signed at that point. Other than Buddy had real confidence in him. To me, that is what kind of short circuted Tom Donohoe when he was here, as far as on the field stuff goes. He made some great moves, but put too much stock in reclamation projects, and other teams scrapped projects, at important positions. You say Merriman wasn't paid all that much in NFL terms, but in Bills terms, those are major bucks. Just ask the aforementioned Fitzpatrick, Jackson and Johnson. Re-signing Merriman was just throwing good money after bad. Maybe, not living in WNY anymore, I am not seeing the huge positive influence he had on the team...to me, he is almost just a footnote...I even forget he is/was on the team from time to time. Now, I don't mean this as a condemnation of Buddy Nix. I am not completely sold on him, but I am seeing more good things than bad. I think the Bills owe most of their light years improvement on offense to Chan Gailey (getting more out of, essentially the same cast that was here), lets just hope Buddy and Chan can put the pieces together on defense soon. I realize, this is a re-build. This is not meant as a slam on Buddy, or Ralph Wilson, but lets face it, with the financial constraints the team operates under, a good GM in Buffalo has to be able to find value at every position. The Shawne Merriman of 4 or 5 years ago would be a steal for what the Bills were paying him...but he hasn't been the Shawne Merriman of 4 or 5 years ago, for 4 or 5 years. It seems the guy he had the most positive influence on, in Buffalo, is now playing for the Jets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 You're joking, right? Do I have to bring up every thread about every name player who retires, gets cut, put on waivers, etc saying we need to bring them in? And when we don't it's because Ralph is cheap, etc? PTR No, not jolking--discussing Merriman inparticular here--stay with me. There was no popular sentiment to go after Merriman. You might remember otherwise, I'm supposing--otherwise you wouldn't have posted what you did. And you didn't answer my question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 (edited) No, not jolking--discussing Merriman inparticular here--stay with me. There was no popular sentiment to go after Merriman. You might remember otherwise, I'm supposing--otherwise you wouldn't have posted what you did. And you didn't answer my question. If the Bills pass (on Merriman), WE ARE FREAKIN CRAZY The Stadium Wall Archive search function is a wonderful thing. As for the question you asked about BB or Rexy, would I have laughed? Maybe. But everyone else here would be committing suicide over Buddy Nix "napping" while other AFC East teams steal talent. PTR Edited October 27, 2011 by PromoTheRobot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
todd Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Skin him! He spelled a name wrong! who's Shawn? Nelson? jw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo 66 Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 You guys need to get a life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrags Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Why wouldn't it happen? Who's going to sign Shawn for big money after this? PTR my guess would be a team that is on the brink of a Super Bowl that is in need of a pass rusher and has money and defensive gameplans to employ a situational pass rusher to play on 3rd and long situations. Similar to how the Jets are using Maybin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biglukes Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 (edited) Please, everyone knows that if it was Belichick or Ryan who signed Merriman, Sulilvan would be praising them for being gutsy, unafraid of taking, risks, and not being cheap. He would say that if it failed they could just cut him and be done with it with only a cap hit. A cap hit that means little because there is so much cap space available. same thing all the "experts" said about new England signing Ocho and Haynesworth who both have had little impact. But since the Bills did it, Buddy is terrible and anyone who thinks taking a chance on Merriman was a good idea regardless of how it ends is an apologist and not objective. Yeah Sully, all the other GM's in the NFL are laughing at us. Whatever. He goes on to say how we pretended Merriman was the fix and ignored the need completely. Well Jerry, since you're such an astute personnel man, you know with your GLEAMING record on players, please enlighten us as to which premier pass rusher we passed on to "settle" for Merriman? Sullivan is a worthless piece of cow dung. Edited October 27, 2011 by biglukes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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