Tim Anderson's Lunch Pail Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 It is easy to get swept up in all the great stuff going on today, but think about his: In Buddy Nix's first year as GM, he decided to put a waiver claim in for a chronically injured Pro Bowler, who may or may not have wanted to come to Buffalo. He re-signs him and people suggest he may have overpaid for a guy who won't play. But who was instrumental in bringing Nick Barnett to Buffalo? Who was a big advocate for Mario Williams to sign here? We may never get to enjoy all of Merriman's talents on the field, but when Nix claimed him, he may have set the coordinates for the Bills for years to come, whether he knew it or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago_Mike Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cocktosten Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Probably had more to do with 50 million guaranteed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankReichComeback Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Probably had more to do with 50 million guaranteed. Sorry I don't buy this.... I think Merriman stayed with Buffalo because they gave an injured player on the downside of his career a pretty sweet deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo1983 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Shawne is a big reason the Bills are were they are right now. If it wasn't for him Nick wouldn't be here nor would kirk. He has put a postivie punch into the Bills organization. Sorry I don't buy this.... I think Merriman stayed with Buffalo because they gave an injured player on the downside of his career a pretty sweet deal. I believe when he says, their are a good core of players here and likes what he sees and wants to be apart of the team. I believe when he saids he wasnt happy to come here at first but after being here for a while he liked what he saw and wants to be here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cocktosten Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 (edited) Sorry I don't buy this.... I think Merriman stayed with Buffalo because they gave an injured player on the downside of his career a pretty sweet deal. I'm not saying that some current players had nothing to do with it. I'm saying that 50 mil was the closer. This smile isn't because they honored Merriman's contract. http://ow.ly/i/vL7N Edited March 15, 2012 by John Cocktosten Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Is this "The six degrees of Shawn Merriman"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malazan Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 It started with Nix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
....lybob Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Shawne Merriman was the start of bringing elite athletes to buffalo- we won't know for a while how many will be great football players- Merriman, Dareus, Jarron Gilbert, Fendi Onobun, Michael Jasper and now Mario Williams are all physical freaks- I give Buddy a lot of credit for finding guys on practice squads and such that have upside, most probably won't pan out but you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Shawne is a big reason the Bills are were they are right now. If it wasn't for him Nick wouldn't be here nor would kirk. He has put a postivie punch into the Bills organization. I believe when he says, their are a good core of players here and likes what he sees and wants to be apart of the team. I believe when he saids he wasnt happy to come here at first but after being here for a while he liked what he saw and wants to be here. Holy JEezus!! I know it's great news we landed Williams and there is a general euphoria today--but this is what Greenspan would have termed "irrational exuberance". Merriman has little to do with the Bills as they are right now. He had nothing to do with Mario (did they even meet?). Sure he, talked to Barnett when he was visiting, but Barnett's choices were Buff and Detroit. When Barnett was visiting, he learned that Detroit signed Tulloch and he promptly cancelled his plane trip to Detroit and signed with the Bills. Mario was offered the most money of any defensive player and I don't know of any other serious suitor for him. He took the money because it's a fantastic offer and the best one he was going to be offered--without doubt. Sounds like Kyle Williams is the guy who won Mario over (after the 50 mil). Merriman has hardly been around the place in his 2 years. He's a twitter presence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Holy JEezus!! I know it's great news we landed Williams and there is a general euphoria today--but this is what Greenspan would have termed "irrational exuberance". Merriman has little to do with the Bills as they are right now. He had nothing to do with Mario (did they even meet?). Sure he, talked to Barnett when he was visiting, but Barnett's choices were Buff and Detroit. When Barnett was visiting, he learned that Detroit signed Tulloch and he promptly cancelled his plane trip to Detroit and signed with the Bills. Mario was offered the most money of any defensive player and I don't know of any other serious suitor for him. He took the money because it's a fantastic offer and the best one he was going to be offered--without doubt. Sounds like Kyle Williams is the guy who won Mario over (after the 50 mil). Merriman has hardly been around the place in his 2 years. He's a twitter presence. ^^^ This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGUN34 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Succesful teams in any sport begin with the character types in the locker room and behind the scenes.Merriman has huge respect within the game and this translates in many areas not only on the field,Would love to see him back to somewhere near his best though!!Great addition Buddy!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kemp Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Merriman has been an unmitigated disaster but now some view him as a positive because some other good players are accepting millions to be here. This is the opposite of sound reasoning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T master Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 (edited) It is easy to get swept up in all the great stuff going on today, but think about his: In Buddy Nix's first year as GM, he decided to put a waiver claim in for a chronically injured Pro Bowler, who may or may not have wanted to come to Buffalo. He re-signs him and people suggest he may have overpaid for a guy who won't play. But who was instrumental in bringing Nick Barnett to Buffalo? Who was a big advocate for Mario Williams to sign here? We may never get to enjoy all of Merriman's talents on the field, but when Nix claimed him, he may have set the coordinates for the Bills for years to come, whether he knew it or not. I think that & the T.O thing might have helped before the Chix era started .. T.O was a good team mate while here .. I for one am not ready as other Bills fans are to give up & say that Merriman is a bust .. If now that Merriman has had the surgery to hopefully fix one more of the problems or the main problem that has kept him from being his old self or even half of his old self I can't wait to see what he brings this year .. B/C last year he had a effect on our D weather some fans want to admit it or not , when he went out that's when things started going south !! If Merriman can be half of what he was when he made the "Lights Out" name for him self this front four could be even more devastating than we could imagine . Even if Merriman & Kelsay play fill in for each other to keep them fresh .. Then there is the thought of if we go with who a lot of the mocks have us taking at 10 in Coples ???? The possibilities for the future could be enormous ?? Add a good LB like a Hightower , or R Lewis man this would be a D that could do for us what the Ravens D did for them when they went to the SB !! Edited March 15, 2012 by T master Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Anderson's Lunch Pail Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 Merriman has been an unmitigated disaster but now some view him as a positive because some other good players are accepting millions to be here. This is the opposite of sound reasoning. Um, wow. Those are strong words. An unmitigated disaster? I would feel more comfortable calling Aaron Maybin an unmitigated disaster. He cost us the 11th overall pick in the draft, and he got us zero sacks. Shawne Merriman was free, and decided to extend his contract, and he has had trouble staying healthy. I think it would be much more to call Merriman a low-risk gamble that hasn't paid off on the field, but his impact off the field is debatable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonborn10 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Shawne Merriman was the start of bringing elite athletes to buffalo- we won't know for a while how many will be great football players- Merriman, Dareus, Jarron Gilbert, Fendi Onobun, Michael Jasper and now Mario Williams are all physical freaks- I give Buddy a lot of credit for finding guys on practice squads and such that have upside, most probably won't pan out but you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. Oh no you didn't just put Michael Jasper and Mario Williams in the same sentence.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Money talks. But when high profile guys like TO, Merriman, and now Williams, talk about how they heard bad stuff about Buffalo but changed their tunes when they came here, it helps send a message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7boogiewoogie Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 There are many variables as to why this team has turned a corner but i think it starts before Shawne Merriman and it started with the hiring of Buddy Nix and Chan Gailey. They brought in a new attitude and a new culture into the Bills organization and I feel that most people have it wrong, Ralph is not cheap he just had the wrong people calling the shots in his front office and they made horrible personnel decisions. They spent money in the wrong places and didn't manage the talent and cap money to keep a nucleus of talent that could make a difference over the long haul. Ralph was getting older and he let more than the usual amount of control go to these people and when he brought in Buddy/Chan he chose a different type of front office an office that met with players and there families on a more personal level and brought a level of experience and resumes to back it up. It wasn't the sexiest of choices but you can't deny the upward trajectory and the better/smarter choices for this club and that's to be commended. I don't think it's appropriate to leave out Russ Brandon and the rest of pro player personnel they have done an outstanding job of turning this team around as well! This team has notoriously let it's nucleus dissolve and this FO took whatever was left from Jauron's team and through small steps in free agency (up until today) and through the draft, a nucleus that we could grow from. It's my opinion and I don't think anyone in Bills country would disagree with me that attitude plays so much into the success of a team. It seemed for many years from the top down that this team had no identity and no attitude, it was lethargic and I count Stevie Johnson as being a major factor in bringing attitude to this team. Even know there was negative attention being garnered to him he backed it up with some of the best production we've seen from a wideout wearing a Bills uniform and I firmly Billieve he will mature as signs are already showing during interviews that I've seen conducted with him. Of coarse we'll see but I'm not worried. I do also Billieve that Shawne Merriman, although his play has been limited (and by the way I don't think his career is over) I, like many others believe he has been a major factor in bringing in a legitimacy and attitude to this organization. If nothing else he should be considered an asset based on his ability to get players to look at this organization as a viable spot to play football. This team is growing ORGANICALLY!!! I remember watching the Bill's under Buddy's and Chan's 1st season when we went 4-12 and although the record didn't show it, I hadn't felt better about our direction going as far back as when Wade was coaching the team. There was an attitude change! My friend James plays middle linebacker for the Ram's and he plays the 49ers twice a year and he told me when they were going over film this year they really couldn't identify with what they were doing different other than injecting a new, powerful attitude in Jim Harbaugh. Attitude isn't everything obviously, of course you need talent and coaching, but it certainly starts with attitude. I firmly Billieve that if this team stays healthy we absolutely have a shot at wreaking havoc on the NFL. Can't wait to see what we do in the draft. Today is a Great Day to be a Bills fan. GO BILLS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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