Alphadawg7 Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Did we know this? My friends things I'm stupid, but I'm optimistic about him this year. But, I was thinking of him as a linebacker. I'm not sure where he fits in at defensive end now: http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bills-nfl/article826510.ece I have explained this in another thread. There are some here that seem to think he will only play DE because of some comments made here and there. Here is the reality though. If, and that really is a big if, Merriman does come in 100% for the first time in a long time this year like he says (and man I hope he does), this guy is still young and a pro bowl talent. You do not make a pro bowl player a 20 snap rotational guy. Defensive coordinators find a way to get your talent on the field. This isnt the NBA with a 6th man, in the NFL you play your best players the majority of the plays unless they are a specialist only. Merriman has the skill set (again, assuming he is and stays healthy) to handle a 4-3 OLB...he is agile, great pass rusher, a good run stopper, a smart player, and a leader out on that field. He can be effective rushing the passer and in stopping the run. Mario Wililams and Anderson were brought in to start at DE. They already said Anderson was not brought in to just be a situational pass rusher, he was brought in to start as they believe him to be an every down player. Sure, I can see Merriman easily filling in on plays at DE, but to get all 3 on the field, Merriman will be the one that drops back into an OLB spot in our 4-3 and by years end he will easily split time with DE rotation and OLB. People wanting to make all these declarations right now on where he is going to play are very premature as no one will truly know until we finish our draft and get to camp. Mark my words though, if Merriman is healthy he will be too good to give just 20 snaps too and Wanny will create ways to have all 3 on the field at the same time which means one of them (Merriman) will be seeing a decent number of snaps at OLB. Comments being made by Wanny are mostly because they do not know where Merriman is at yet until they get him on the field. Also keep in mind, Wanny has had very little experience with Merriman, so he needs a full camp of running the D and moving guys around to truly see what he can create with this roster. All I know, is that we can have a very scary front 7. And there is no one that will convince me that a healthy Merriman would not be a better choice at OLB than the other guys on our roster. Healthy he is easily without question currently the best OLB on our roster with Mario, Dareus, Kyle, and Mark laying the pain up front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Situational Pass Rusher... On 3rd down we take Keuchly out and bring in Merriman. If they draft Keuchly it will be with the expectation that he never comes off the field. It's an advantage to a defense to guys like that. GO BILLS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted April 26, 2012 Author Share Posted April 26, 2012 I have explained this in another thread. There are some here that seem to think he will only play DE because of some comments made here and there. Here is the reality though. If, and that really is a big if, Merriman does come in 100% for the first time in a long time this year like he says (and man I hope he does), this guy is still young and a pro bowl talent. You do not make a pro bowl player a 20 snap rotational guy. Defensive coordinators find a way to get your talent on the field. This isnt the NBA with a 6th man, in the NFL you play your best players the majority of the plays unless they are a specialist only. Merriman has the skill set (again, assuming he is and stays healthy) to handle a 4-3 OLB...he is agile, great pass rusher, a good run stopper, a smart player, and a leader out on that field. He can be effective rushing the passer and in stopping the run. Mario Wililams and Anderson were brought in to start at DE. They already said Anderson was not brought in to just be a situational pass rusher, he was brought in to start as they believe him to be an every down player. Sure, I can see Merriman easily filling in on plays at DE, but to get all 3 on the field, Merriman will be the one that drops back into an OLB spot in our 4-3 and by years end he will easily split time with DE rotation and OLB. People wanting to make all these declarations right now on where he is going to play are very premature as no one will truly know until we finish our draft and get to camp. Mark my words though, if Merriman is healthy he will be too good to give just 20 snaps too and Wanny will create ways to have all 3 on the field at the same time which means one of them (Merriman) will be seeing a decent number of snaps at OLB. Comments being made by Wanny are mostly because they do not know where Merriman is at yet until they get him on the field. Also keep in mind, Wanny has had very little experience with Merriman, so he needs a full camp of running the D and moving guys around to truly see what he can create with this roster. All I know, is that we can have a very scary front 7. And there is no one that will convince me that a healthy Merriman would not be a better choice at OLB than the other guys on our roster. Healthy he is easily without question currently the best OLB on our roster with Mario, Dareus, Kyle, and Mark laying the pain up front. This is what I want. All 5 of those guys (I'd also like to see Moats in there) getting after the passer at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickedface Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 i'm sure there is a plan in place. i could see a setup like the giants have. i am pretty sure there will be blitzes where the front 4 and merriman are playing party at the qb's house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 This really isnt complicated..... Merriman backs up Anderson.....by platooning them you keep them both fresh Kelsay backs up Super Mario......and you dont expect to see Mario off the field much....but there will be enough of a rotation to keep them fresh And yes...in a 4-3 Merriman is a DE.....provided that his injury issues are behind him. In a 3-4 your linebackers are bigger and your down linemen HUGE....in a 4-3 the size is in your tackles and your DE's are smaller and pass rush guys....Super Mario has freak size so he is a exception at 280 pounds....hence the 100 million dollar contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphadawg7 Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 (edited) This really isnt complicated..... Merriman backs up Anderson.....by platooning them you keep them both fresh Kelsay backs up Super Mario......and you dont expect to see Mario off the field much....but there will be enough of a rotation to keep them fresh And yes...in a 4-3 Merriman is a DE.....provided that his injury issues are behind him. In a 3-4 your linebackers are bigger and your down linemen HUGE....in a 4-3 the size is in your tackles and your DE's are smaller and pass rush guys....Super Mario has freak size so he is a exception at 280 pounds....hence the 100 million dollar contract. So let me see if I understand your take. You are saying if Merriman is healthy, and lets not forget he is still young and when healthy a pro bowl player, he will be nothing more than a backup DE on our team? Pardon me if I disagree that we take a healthy pro bowler and demote him to a part time player backing up Mark Anderson. I seriously doubt that if Merriman shows he is healthy in camp that we are going to sparringly use one of our most athletic, talented, and tenacious defensive players. Wanny's job is to get the best players on the field, and Merriman is by FAR our best OLB in a 4-3 if he is fully healthy and regains his form to being a major impact player. Yes, he will play on the line too, but all these people saying thats all he will do, back up Mark and Mario, are very premature and a bit silly if you are operating under the assumption of fully recovered and healthy Merriman. That being said, him being 100% and regaining his form is something that needs to be shown on the field before we can really dial in his role. If he can't get back to his tenacious style or stay healthy, then I see him being used more in a rotation to help save his health. But if he is balls to the wall healthy, this guy is more valuable on the field than off. Edited April 26, 2012 by Alphadawg7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haplo848 Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 So let me see if I understand your take. You are saying if Merriman is healthy, and lets not forget he is still young and when healthy a pro bowl player, he will be nothing more than a backup DE on our team? Pardon me if I disagree that we take a healthy pro bowler and demote him to a part time player backing up Mark Anderson. I seriously doubt that if Merriman shows he is healthy in camp that we are going to sparringly use one of our most athletic, talented, and tenacious defensive players. Wanny's job is to get the best players on the field, and Merriman is by FAR our best OLB in a 4-3 if he is fully healthy and regains his form to being a major impact player. Yes, he will play on the line too, but all these people saying thats all he will do, back up Mark and Mario, are very premature and a bit silly if you are operating under the assumption of fully recovered and healthy Merriman. That being said, him being 100% and regaining his form is something that needs to be shown on the field before we can really dial in his role. If he can't get back to his tenacious style or stay healthy, then I see him being used more in a rotation to help save his health. But if he is balls to the wall healthy, this guy is more valuable on the field than off. Pardon me if I disagree with you COMPLETELY when you say that Merriman is a 4-3 OLB. He is in NO WAY a 4-3 OLB. 90% of the time in a 3-4 he was attacking the QB. He WILL NOT drop into coverage 90% of the time like 4-3 OLBs do, as that would be retarded and even more of a waste of his talents then making him a rotational player. You can never have too many good DEs, and rotating them in and out constantly keeps them fresh and playing at a high level all game. If Merriman shows that he is healthy and back to pro bowl form, I'd expect to see Anderson backing HIM up, with that constant rotation in there. To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't rule out a hybrid 4-3 where they rush five men, drop two, so that Williams, Williams, Dareus, Merriman, and Anderson are all doing what they do best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Cubed Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Pardon me if I disagree with you COMPLETELY when you say that Merriman is a 4-3 OLB. He is in NO WAY a 4-3 OLB. 90% of the time in a 3-4 he was attacking the QB. He WILL NOT drop into coverage 90% of the time like 4-3 OLBs do, as that would be retarded and even more of a waste of his talents then making him a rotational player. You can never have too many good DEs, and rotating them in and out constantly keeps them fresh and playing at a high level all game. If Merriman shows that he is healthy and back to pro bowl form, I'd expect to see Anderson backing HIM up, with that constant rotation in there. To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't rule out a hybrid 4-3 where they rush five men, drop two, so that Williams, Williams, Dareus, Merriman, and Anderson are all doing what they do best. THIS! The Giants ran a Hybrid line occasionally... JPP would kick inside and line up over the guard with Tuck playing outside him. I could see this happening with the Bills. I would think since Mario has the size he kicks inside and Merriman or Kelsay or Anderson line up on the outside of him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rstencel Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 (edited) Situational Pass Rusher... On 3rd down we take Keuchly out and bring in Merriman. 3rd down keuchly stays in, why would you replace a coverage position with a passrusher. Would take out a DE or move a DE inside and put him there, unless planning on playing old bears 46 defense or a 5-2 defense on passing downs. I have explained this in another thread. There are some here that seem to think he will only play DE because of some comments made here and there. Here is the reality though. If, and that really is a big if, Merriman does come in 100% for the first time in a long time this year like he says (and man I hope he does), this guy is still young and a pro bowl talent. You do not make a pro bowl player a 20 snap rotational guy. Defensive coordinators find a way to get your talent on the field. This isnt the NBA with a 6th man, in the NFL you play your best players the majority of the plays unless they are a specialist only. Merriman has the skill set (again, assuming he is and stays healthy) to handle a 4-3 OLB...he is agile, great pass rusher, a good run stopper, a smart player, and a leader out on that field. He can be effective rushing the passer and in stopping the run. Mario Wililams and Anderson were brought in to start at DE. They already said Anderson was not brought in to just be a situational pass rusher, he was brought in to start as they believe him to be an every down player. Sure, I can see Merriman easily filling in on plays at DE, but to get all 3 on the field, Merriman will be the one that drops back into an OLB spot in our 4-3 and by years end he will easily split time with DE rotation and OLB. People wanting to make all these declarations right now on where he is going to play are very premature as no one will truly know until we finish our draft and get to camp. Mark my words though, if Merriman is healthy he will be too good to give just 20 snaps too and Wanny will create ways to have all 3 on the field at the same time which means one of them (Merriman) will be seeing a decent number of snaps at OLB. Comments being made by Wanny are mostly because they do not know where Merriman is at yet until they get him on the field. Also keep in mind, Wanny has had very little experience with Merriman, so he needs a full camp of running the D and moving guys around to truly see what he can create with this roster. All I know, is that we can have a very scary front 7. And there is no one that will convince me that a healthy Merriman would not be a better choice at OLB than the other guys on our roster. Healthy he is easily without question currently the best OLB on our roster with Mario, Dareus, Kyle, and Mark laying the pain up front. Dont disagree with the logic of your argument excecpt for the fact he has been injured so much last several years. Is something to be said for limiting his snaps so hes still there at end of year. Edited April 26, 2012 by rstencel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 THIS! The Giants ran a Hybrid line occasionally... JPP would kick inside and line up over the guard with Tuck playing outside him. I could see this happening with the Bills. I would think since Mario has the size he kicks inside and Merriman or Kelsay or Anderson line up on the outside of him. Everything in this post is true. But I want Dareus and KW bringing push up the middle, deepening QB drops, and any combination of MW, Merriman, Anderson, Kelsey, etc. meeting at the QB. GO BILLS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 So let me see if I understand your take. You are saying if Merriman is healthy, and lets not forget he is still young and when healthy a pro bowl player, he will be nothing more than a backup DE on our team? Pardon me if I disagree that we take a healthy pro bowler and demote him to a part time player backing up Mark Anderson. I seriously doubt that if Merriman shows he is healthy in camp that we are going to sparringly use one of our most athletic, talented, and tenacious defensive players. Wanny's job is to get the best players on the field, and Merriman is by FAR our best OLB in a 4-3 if he is fully healthy and regains his form to being a major impact player. Yes, he will play on the line too, but all these people saying thats all he will do, back up Mark and Mario, are very premature and a bit silly if you are operating under the assumption of fully recovered and healthy Merriman. That being said, him being 100% and regaining his form is something that needs to be shown on the field before we can really dial in his role. If he can't get back to his tenacious style or stay healthy, then I see him being used more in a rotation to help save his health. But if he is balls to the wall healthy, this guy is more valuable on the field than off. Merriman's pro bowl days are a distant memory.....lets keep in mind it has been 3 years where Shawn has even been healthy enough to last a season.......hence you use him specifically as a relief player and in pass rush situations. I am not knocking Shawn Merriman....I am saying I want to see him play in a game in week 16. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Hansen Forever Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 My friends things I'm stupid, but I'm optimistic about him this year. If they THINGS you stupid, perhaps you are! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted April 26, 2012 Author Share Posted April 26, 2012 If they THINGS you stupid, perhaps you are! Yeah, I think I is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdand12 Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 (edited) how many pro bowlers can we have voted in? Because we have the potential for 4 before we put our Shawne on the field, at DE. Nick has potential too (heck with guys who bring up injury problems he was fearless last year). Merriman is the gravy. I have said we are in a position to be feared and respected if just a couple stars align. Yep we are going to move guys around because we have the smarts and player flexibilty. And if the second year rookies show up in the new scheme and one or two or three will, well start getting autographs. we are going to win one on ones all day. and if that one doesnt get there. we have 2 others that will. Lotsa koolaid tonight kids! bbb, you are about half smart(thats good!) and your friends will realize it soon enough because you are right Edited April 26, 2012 by 3rdand12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 how many pro bowlers can we have voted in? Because we have the potential for 4 before we put our Shawne on the field, at DE. Nick has potential too (heck with guys who bring up injury problems he was fearless last year). Merriman is the gravy. I have said we are in a position to be feared and respected if just a couple stars align. Yep we are going to move guys around because we have the smarts and player flexibilty. And if the second year rookies show up in the new scheme and one or two or three will, well start getting autographs. we are going to win one on ones all day. and if that one doesnt get there. we have 2 others that will. Lotsa koolaid tonight kids! bbb, you are about half smart(thats good!) and your friends will realize it soon enough because you are right Well, seeing as how the Pro Bowl has been suspended, I would say the answer to that question is now 0. GO BILLS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphadawg7 Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 3rd down keuchly stays in, why would you replace a coverage position with a passrusher. Would take out a DE or move a DE inside and put him there, unless planning on playing old bears 46 defense or a 5-2 defense on passing downs. Dont disagree with the logic of your argument excecpt for the fact he has been injured so much last several years. Is something to be said for limiting his snaps so hes still there at end of year. I totally agree with you which is why this is a mute point discussion until we know what we have in him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted April 27, 2012 Author Share Posted April 27, 2012 Well, seeing as how the Pro Bowl has been suspended, I would say the answer to that question is now 0. GO BILLS!!! They're still going to have the voting, though. Which I think is perfect. I want guys to be recognized as Pro Bowlers (obviously a step down from All Pro), but I hate the game, and all I ever care about is that no Bills get hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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