Merriman to IR (Again)

Shawne Merriman said the bye week would be more than enough time to get his inflamed Achilles calmed down and ready for Buffalo’s Week 8 matchup against Washington. The linebacker’s Achilles has apparently not only refused to cooperate this week, but will not be healthy enough to allow Merriman to play the rest of the 2011 season.

The Bills placed Merriman on injured reserve Tuesday a little more than two weeks after missing his first game of the season at New York in Week 6.

“Shawne has worked extremely hard, but unfortunately, his Achilles flared back up and it doesn’t appear that he will be able to return to the field anytime soon,” said Bills GM Buddy Nix. “So we felt it was in the best interest of our team and for Shawne to put him on I-R.” (Bills.com)

Mind of Joe: So much for the Bills X-factor for this season. Yet, another reason why preseason football doesn’t mean anything. Merriman looked like the real deal in the 2-3 series he played during the preseason, but it could never carry over to the regular season. I feel bad for anyone who was dumb enough to purchase the #56 jersey. It’s not like we didn’t see this coming. I mean, the over/under on games being played was like 7.

I still felt it was a decent gamble by the Bills to claim Merriman off waivers, because it was a low risk/high reward signing. The Bills had nothing to lose in signing Merriman.

I know some (Cough: Jerry Sullivan) will make this a huge deal against Buddy Nix, but I don’t really see the case. Yes, the money aspect will always come up, as Merriman will be pocketing 8-million bucks for playing just 5 games, which is awful when you consider that the Bills are very careful with distributing money. Hell, that money could have went to Tyson Clabo or someone else. So, I can get if some fans/media are upset about it. To be honest, now that I reflect on the contract, I’m getting to that point.

However, even after reflecting, I just can’t get that worked up against the Bills. I just think there are more important fish to fry for Buddy’s dealings (See: 2010 draft class). I just didn’t think of the signing as being franchise altering. Also, and I’m not stupid, I think the Bills hot start to the season has made me kind of go, “Eh, oh well.” If they stunk right now, I’m sure I’d probably be more livid. 

Like I said, the Bills picked him up, it didn’t cost the Bills anything except a contract. If it worked, the Bills would look like geniuses. If it didn’t, it was a stupid waiver claim. In the end, Merriman was nothing more than a bridge gap to the next guy (Whoever the hell that is). Hey, at least he was on Entourage and on a funny NFL Lockout commercial (Sigh). 

At least Merriman helped recruit Nick Barnett. Sadly, that is probably his best accomplishment while playing here. I do feel bad for Merriman, as he use to be a top 5 NFL defensive player. However, injuries derailed his career and he’ll be lucky to join a team next year (I can only assume the Bills will cut him in the offseason). Yes, I was very excited when the Bills signed him because he was a named player, who was coming to a team that didn’t have a win yet. Plus, our OLBs were and still aren’t that good. Alas, it didn’t work out.

BTW, I’m still not sold on Arthur Moats or Danny Batten. I know fans love these two fellas because they are likable, but I still need to see a lot more from them and I just don’t foresee late round picks like them to pick up the slack. As I’ve written before, you need your OLBs to be superb in a 3-4 defense (See: Steelers). At this point, I’d rather the Bills run more 4-3 than a 3-4. Plus, I still think offensive coaches were more worried about #56 than the alternative. OK, it’s not like they were losing sleep. Maybe they put in an extra 5 minutes of film study or checked out TMZ. Alright, I’m babbling.

Yes, Merriman didn’t do much, but I just don’t think the alternative is very good, hence the reason why they re-signed him. Bottom line, you can chalk up OLB as being 1st on the Bills must do list for next year.

<a href=”http://www.sodahead.com/entertainment/do-you-fault-buddy-nix-for-signing-shawne-merriman/question-2244819/” title=”Do you fault Buddy Nix for signing Shawne Merriman?”>Do you fault Buddy Nix for signing Shawne Merriman?</a> Public OpinionView Results