The San Diego Chargers announced last week that they are officially out of the Shawne Merriman business. They placed him on IR, and will release him when he is healthy.
Merriman will not be a free agent though. He will be exposed to waivers, meaning all teams will have a shot to place a claim. Merriman has not been the same player since he was suspended for banned substance. Since he has battled injuries, inconsistent play and has feuded with the Chargers front office.
All that being said, when he was healthy, he was one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. His contract is up after this season and should cost somewhere in the neighborhood of two million dollars for the rest of the season. He probably doesn't fit the prototypical mold of a Mangini OLB, but could possibly add some teeth to a pass rush that has been non-existent for most of the season. Take him for a one season rental and decide if he is worth a better contract?
So what do you think, should the Browns place a waiver claim on Shawn Merriman when he is placed on waivers?
0 recs | 61 comments
Dude was only good on roids. Mostly due to the fact that they gave him the ability to stay healthy, allowed him to heal quicker and obviously gave him the performance boost.
Dude isn’t anything without the juice, just another cancer we don’t need to waste time on.
SpecialBrownie - October 19, 2010
I agree. Not an impact player sans performance enhancing drugs, just like james Harrison.
jaws. - October 19, 2010
How do you know he’s on roids? Or Harrison, for that matter…?
shep615 - October 19, 2010
How do you know they aren’t?
And I’m pretty sure Merriman was proven to be on roids so I don’t understand what you’re talking about.
SpecialBrownie - October 19, 2010
yeah, the short answer is b/c he tested positive for roids.
i’m with you. stay far away from this clown.
DontCallMeJoey - October 19, 2010
I don’t see where it will hurt to bring him in and give him a shot.It’s not like he will deter our run to the super bowl this year if he does not pan out.
rob525 - October 19, 2010
If we can get him real cheap why the hell not. I have no doubt some team will overpay for him, though. Probably the bengals.
johnnyphoenix - October 19, 2010
So you mean try to sign him after he clears waivers? Yeah, it’s possible that he’d go cheap then, but seems like a non-contender like the Browns would have to outspend the contenders.
dgcambridge - October 19, 2010
I’d rather let another team take a flier on him, and if he plays well, we can chase him in free agency.
notthatnoise - October 19, 2010
He definitely doesn’t seem to meet the character traits that Mangini generally looks for, but it seems roster control is shifting much more towards H&H.
That said, I’m not at all interested, and I actually like Mangini’s thing about finding players with good character.
I also don’t expect Shawne Merriman to be exceptional by any means, will likely be paid much more than his play will be worth.
Simmsinns - October 19, 2010
No.
emily522 - October 19, 2010
There’s a better chance I’ll be playing LB for the Browns than Merriman.
Boomhauer - October 19, 2010
Ummmm.........NOT.
A. He won’t sign here unless we offered him enough to make him the highest paid player in the league.
B. Without the roids he’s less of a player than what we already have on our roster. Even with the roids again no guarentee he’ll play like his first few seasons again.
C. He’s too much of a liability,off field issues & personality wise.
D. Injury issues alone should say back away quickly.
C. It would be nice if he were healthy,both mentally & physically. However his days of being dominate are over, if it were a younger Seau I’d say yes but Merriman hell no.
Groza - October 19, 2010
I forgot to mention he’ll want a multi-year contract, not worth for the long haul.
Groza - October 19, 2010
We are talking about a waiver claim, so all questions about whether or not he would sign here are irrelevant.
The real question (during this season) is whether or not we’d rather have him or Titus Brown.
Bumblyjack - October 19, 2010
Right but if you think Haynesworth is a prob,let him get claimed by a team he wants no part of.
So we could get him possibly for what 9 games at most,then watch him play half @ss & whine about being hurt but needing a real contract.
He’ll be on the bench more than the field so waiver or not,he’ll want signed so the waiver claim is just about worthless.
Groza - October 19, 2010
I have a feeling going into the off season he’ll just roid up again, then say “Look everybody, I’m awesome again, somebody pay me 1 billion a year”.
Groza - October 19, 2010
i doubt that
Why would he complain when this is the perfect opportunity to prove to everyone that he can still play? Haynesworth already got his contract. Merriman has nothing and has to prove himself. Its just for the rest of this season anyways. Say another team does get him and he plays like his old self. We’re NOT going to be able to get him in free agency b/c then the teams WILL no doubt over pay and he will have the chance to actually CHOOSE what team he wants to play for. I say we take the chance. We’ve got nothing to lose.
siejecy - October 19, 2010
This is the right answer. IF he still wants to play in the NFL, he has to shine for his next team. I think the psychology is with the team that signs him. I’m always amazed by how much better NFL players seem to play when they are playing for their next contract. So then the questions become: A) Does he want to play? B) Can he still play?
It is difficult to know either but I think it is worth a chance. He is certainly better than some of what we have and there is no doubt we could use a better pass rush. I say give it a shot.
Brownsyup - October 19, 2010
Right, it’s him or Titus Brown and $2 M. I voted yes, but I’m just desparate for more talent on this team. Probably a bad idea all around.
dgcambridge - October 19, 2010
Personally, I don’t want him. He doesn’t come close to fitting Mangini’s “core characteristics” either.
So I guess I’m saying I’d rather have Titus Brown than Shawne Merriman.
Somehow that doesn’t sound as insane (to me) as I expected it to sound.
Bumblyjack - October 19, 2010
So we can have our own roided up problem child? No thanks. We’re not the Steelers.
woodsmeister - October 19, 2010
A WR or two would be a better waiver claim should some pop up, however unlikely that is. LOL
Groza - October 19, 2010
hahahahha.
where are they 20 people that said yes?
Seriously, let’s see some Stats. When was the last time Merriman was effective? Maybe, 3 years ago?
i heard San Fran might put a claim in.
discoinferno083 - October 19, 2010
I was wondering this too. The feedback seems overwhelmingly negative towards claiming him (and rightly so), yet the 60/40 poll doesn’t seem to reflect that.
Simmsinns - October 19, 2010
i heard merriman reads this, and has the ability to vote as much as he wants…
the_fox_and_the_browns - October 19, 2010
I voted yes, because putting out a waiver claim does not automatically mean we would get him.
bross09 - October 19, 2010
I voted yes
Yes he hasn’t been productive and has had injury issues in the past. I don’t think he will give any problems b/c first off he wants to get paid and hasn’t proven anything in i don’t know how long. This will only be for the remainder of the season anyways and we really don’t have much to lose. I doubt he’ll have a cancerous attitude b/c then NOBODY will want him and he knows that. This is an opportunity for him and say he does good the remainder of the year and enjoy’s his stay in Cleveland (hahaha) then we have a better chance of getting him back.
siejecy - October 19, 2010
No
Don’t we have enough players that get into trouble? I want a disciplined team.
Heavysoviet - October 19, 2010
I’m not 100% sure, but I’d like to say the picture was taken during one of his ’roid rages and Tila is on the other side of the cropped photo…
SpecialBrownie - October 19, 2010
I voted yes. He has a chance at being better than Titus Brown. We can afford the less than $1.5 M in net cost.
Ryan Kelsey - October 19, 2010
I would pass on Merriman. While he could possibly help our pass rush, I would rather see Roth or Bernard, or whoever we have playing outside linebacker get the reps.
He has character and injury issues, and obviously S.D. doesn’t think that highly of him if they are going to cut him. If he still had any value I would assume they would try to trade him.
da36chamberz - October 19, 2010
I voted no because it seems that he is beyond his prime. The bottom line for me is that I don’t think he would improve the defensive unit overall or even our linebackers in particular. Like cahmberz said above, I would rather keep Roth and Benard.
JustBob - October 19, 2010
I voted ‘yes’ on a ‘what the hell’ basis, but on reflection, I’d like to change that to a definite ‘no’ vote.
Assume for the sake of discussion that Merriman would be more than 70% of his old self because he needs to show he can play to get another contract. Even assume that he totally behaves himself for the same reason.
Even if that were to happen, our Browns do not need a rental player so that they can win one or two more games this year. They need to develop the players they have into a team, and draft or acquire better ones in the off-season. It isn’t like Merriman is a left handed starter or a lively bat we get for our stretch drive.
JamesPowell - October 19, 2010
I am surprised at how many people seem to be against the move.
We are talking about a possible impact pass rusher for practically nothing. If he shows up and acts like a tool, the Browns just simply cut him. What is the downside?
Bernie19Kosar - October 19, 2010
I agree.
The only semi-convincing argument for not signing him is letting Roth and Benard get more reps. But that’s not enough for me.
Ryan Kelsey - October 20, 2010
This.
who cares about character concerns, its one year. who cares if we are ‘renting’ him (i see it as a lease with an option to buy anyways), he will likely be taking Titus brown’s spot and what has he done?
bross09 - October 20, 2010
With a team based so heavily on character as we are I think there’s always space for a maverick like merriman. Unlike the bengals where the lunatics really do run the asylum.
Question is, would merriman be worth it?
I think for the risk involved why not.
But I can’t see our FO going for it, and if they do I actually wouldn’t expect him to get past the season- before heading on to a new “problem team”.
LondonBrown - October 20, 2010
that’s a good point and makes me lean more towards signing him, I guess I’m undecided now lol
da36chamberz - October 20, 2010
My question is, who would you cut to make room for him? Don’t get me wrong. I think there are plenty of guys on the roster who could go the way of the dodo to make room for superstar Merriman, but there’s no guarantee that is who you would get. It just doesn’t seem to me that he’s likely to really plus up the defense.
JustBob - October 20, 2010
he’s got to be better than Titus Brown.
notthatnoise - October 21, 2010
I guess I just figure that If I can’t be ‘fairly hog certain’ that he is better than the starter that we would want him to replace, then there’s no point.
JustBob - October 21, 2010
who said he is replacing a starter? he is better than Titus Brown like NTN said. Even with Brown’s upside, I would take Merriman. If he lets say replaces roth and can outplay him, thats great. but its not like he would be automatically brought in to start.
bross09 - October 22, 2010
but titus brown make $8.27/hour. how much would merriman cost?
DontCallMeJoey - October 22, 2010
One thing to note also on this guy is that A. J. Smith is starting to get a rep of being a real joker when it comes to dealing with his established players. You can tell that with Vincent Jackson as he hasn’t even met with the guy. I’ll grant that VJ hasn’t been the model citizen but I’m sure Dungy would have at least met with him to see if he could help turn things around. Same with Merriman. I think Smith is more of a tough guy that practically forces players out.
Brownsyup - October 20, 2010
I have said it for years now. AJ Smith is an ass. He has cost that team more victories than he has earned lately. He seems to have a vendetta against some of his players (Remember him having Gates miss a game even though he showed up to camp on time?).
I wouldn’t want the guy anywhere near my team. We are talking about a guy who let Drew Brees and Micheal Turner walk away for nothing.
Bernie19Kosar - October 20, 2010
I said yes. What do we have to lose, a waiver claim, $2million of Lerner’s money, and a bottom of the roster player?
Why not?
If he is awful or a cancer, we can just cut him.
rufio - October 20, 2010
I don’t understand why not? It’s not like we’re going to miss out on the playoffs or something because we picked him up.
The only results from picking up Merriman are
A) He plays up to his full potential because he wants a contract. We now have a potent defensive player, maybe we win a few games we wouldn’t have before. This is good.
B) He messes up and whatever, we maybe lose a few games we probably would have lost anyways. This is not good but it’s also not worse than what we’re already doing.
King Tony - October 20, 2010
yeah, but he’s not fully healthy and he’s a douche.
plus, if he does perform we’re not making the playoffs this year and we’re not going to resign him at an inflated price next year…i just don’t see the upside.
DontCallMeJoey - October 20, 2010
oh, and his sack dance is unbearably douche-tastic
DontCallMeJoey - October 20, 2010
quick question.. how do waivers work exactly? what team gets priority? just gonna bring up some points not mentioned. Merriman working in rob ryan’s defense sounds “lights out” also if you do claim him and he fuks up, isnt there trade value? it seems like it could work either way. with some smarts lol. to be real tho, im 100% sure he will not be a cleveland brown
browns8 - October 20, 2010
Waivers means that every team has a window (I believe it is 2 days) to place a claim on any waived player.
The priority starts from the bottom up. The team with the worst record gets the first crack, and so on. If the player clears waivers (no one places a claim on him, and more importantly his contract) then the player becomes a free agent.
Since Merriman will be released after the trading deadline, he will be subject to the waiver process. This means that if it happened today, only the Panthers and Bills would be ahead of the Browns.
Bernie19Kosar - October 20, 2010
Does SoS come in to play?
North Coast Flea - October 20, 2010
Not totally sure what the tie breaker is.
Wish I had a better answer for ya.
Bernie19Kosar - October 21, 2010
We don’t need this guy,without his (superpowers) he’s not very good anymore…lets spend our money on players we need,like a corner or two that that can cover somebody,wide receivers that can get open and catch the ball,.
We don’t need cheaters, on this team.
dawginhouston - October 20, 2010
Name some corners and wideouts available right now that would make a bigger impact please.
siejecy - October 20, 2010
We don’t really have much better on the roster.
BuenosAires_Dawg - October 20, 2010
I voted no but I think I’ve changed my mind.
a)He isn’t going to cost us much.
b) Our pass rush needs help.
c) If he is a total asshat while he’s here we can cut him
d) It’s not like we’re signing him long term.
North Coast Flea - October 20, 2010
I’m sure he will be. the question is whether or not it’ll have a negative impact on the team.
Dawg Nuts - October 23, 2010
If he’s on IR, I think that means he’s out for the season. No waiver claim possible then. Could be wrong of course.
TheDriveStillHurts - October 20, 2010
It is a funky rule. Merriman was placed on IR, but under the “minor-injury designation”.
What that means is that a player is going to be injured for less than the full season (3-5 weeks for example) but the team doesn’t want to keep the player on the active roster. This can be for a bunch of different reasons (a role player for which the team can’t eat a roster spot on, etc.)
What a team can do is place the player on IR, with a minor-injury designation. This means a few things. First of all, the player cannot return to play for the team that placed him on IR in that season. Secondly, a NFL team cannot cut a player when they are injured.
So when the player is deemed healthy, the player and team reach an injury settlement. This allows the player to be released from their contract and able to sign with the 31 other NFL teams.
So Merriman is on IR, but he can be released. It is a funky rule that you only see a few times every season. Hope this helps.
Bernie19Kosar - October 20, 2010
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