06-02-2009, 02:58 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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FBF Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: New York
Posts: 9,304
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Merriman's future in San Diego in doubt
Quote:
Ed Thompson of Scout.com reports with the 16th pick overall in the 2009 NFL Draft, San Diego selected 6-foot-2, 274-pound defensive end Larry English, who will play outside linebacker in the NFL.
Did the Chargers front office folks lose their minds? After all, they already had Merriman — a player who had earned the nickname "Lights Out" for his devastating hits — and the highly talented Shaun Phillips anchoring the outside linebacker spots. Mock drafts across the internet had been projecting that San Diego would use that pick on a true defensive end or an offensive tackle. What in the world were the Chargers thinking?
Well, what you have to figure into the equation is that Merriman is in the last year of his contract. And while the knee-jerk reaction would be to assume that the club would simply slap the franchise tag on him, you'd be overlooking a very important angle that could prevent the Chargers from doing that.
Quarterback Philip Rivers is also entering the final year of his contract.
If the team can't reach a new deal with either player prior to the start of free agency, which one do you think they'd use the tag on? Sorry, but unless Rivers contracts Ryan Leaf disease during the 2009 season, that's a no-brainer.
Besides, I think the Chargers already cast their vote when they picked English.
You also have to figure that the team was hedging their bets in case Merriman didn't make a successful return from the knee surgery that forced him to miss nearly the entire 2008 season. From all that I've heard, and as long as he doesn't re-injure the knee, the emotional and tenacious defender will likely captivate NFL fans with a double-digit sack performance for a fourth season. But San Diego now has a safety net with English should Merriman falter.
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http://blog.theredzone.org/ViewItem.asp?Entry=1607
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Merriman's future in San Diego in doubt
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