Merriman confident in decision to play
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Thursday, Aug 28, 2008
By Casey Pearce, Chargers.com
As Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman met with specialists the last week regarded the status of his sore left knee, he always made sure to start the conversation the same way
“I want to play,” Merriman said was his opening line. “Now what do I need to do? As long as you start the conversation like that, you know what’s on the table and you know what’s at risk. You make your decision from there and that’s the reason why I’m playing.”
Merriman’s ultimate desire throughout the process was to be on the field for the 2008 season, and while he acknowledges that he’ll eventually need an operation to repair the knee, he announced Wednesday that he will play through the pain.
“I just want to play football,” Merriman said. “That’s what it comes down to. I know what’s on the table. I know what’s on the line. I’ve put in a lot of work and I want to play.
“All of (the doctors) did say I needed surgery, there just wasn’t a time frame on that. My knee still looked pretty good and the decision was left up to me to play. If you give a football player a decision to play, I’m going to play.”
The Chargers have prepared all along to have the three-time Pro Bowler on the field when they kick off their regular season against the Carolina Panthers next Sunday. The team is pleased Merriman will be available.
“You couldn’t be more thorough in terms of exhausting every situation in his mind what he needed to do, what he needed to find out,” Head Coach Norv Turner said. “He came back and expressed to me that’s what he wanted to do. It’s something he’s obviously put an awful lot of time into. We’re going to manage it and I hope he can manage it and be able to play.”
Turner said it’s premature to speculate how much he’ll have to monitor Merriman’s practice time, but Merriman expects to practice regularly and believes he’ll still be able to make an impact.
“If I wasn’t able to go out there and play at a high level and continue to do the things that I needed to do, I wouldn’t make this decision to play,” Merriman said. “For me it’s about going out there, knowing what I’m capable of doing and going out and getting things done.”
Turner echoed Merriman’s feelings and again pointed to the high level of play Merriman showed when he practiced and played during training camp.
“We’re not going to put him out on the field if he’s not going to be able to go out and perform, and he’s not going to want to be if he doesn’t feel like he can perform,” Turner said. “As I said repeatedly as we went through this process, the days he practiced out here and was going 100 percent, he looked like Shawne Merriman to me.”
Merriman initially suffered the injury last December when he was hit from behind on a play in Tennessee. He missed the next week but was back on the field for the final two weeks of the regular season and all three playoff games. He also participated in the Pro Bowl in his current condition.
“I thought that I’d put myself in the best position to play,” Merriman said. “I felt good working out this offseason and it really didn’t become a problem until I started to do more things on it.”
When the soreness arose, he decided to have the knee checked out again. The latest medical information and advice he received is the same as he received from the Chargers’ medical staff. It revealed tears in both his posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL).
“Lots of guys play with the PCL,” Merriman said. “It’s the combination (of the PCL and LCL) that makes it tough.”
Merriman is preparing to be on the field for the opener. He will continue to wear a brace on his left knee but he doesn’t have concerns about causing further damage to the knee and he believes he’ll be able to tolerate the pain.
“I don’t think anybody that’s been in the league for a certain amount of years plays the game at 100 percent,” Merriman said. “It’s about what you’re able to deal with. When there’s adrenaline running, you don’t feel anything. You might get a little restricted from the brace or something, but for the most part, and any player will tell you, you feel that pain the next day when you wake up.”
Merriman’s contract with the team is scheduled to expire after the 2009 season. When asked how that figures into his decision, Merriman said he’s not thinking about it at this point. He even said that his agent Tom Condon was supportive.
“Do what’s best for you,” Merriman said of Condon’s advice. “Do what makes you feel good. As long as I get that advice and people are going to roll with me regardless of what my decision is, that’s what I appreciate.”
While Merriman has heard skepticism from the media regarding his decision to play, his teammates are supportive and appreciate Merriman’s commitment.
“The guy has a lot of heart,” running back LaDainian Tomlinson said. “How do you tell a warrior to sit down? That’s what he is, he’s a warrior. He’s trained for this.”
Those words are enough to fuel Merriman.
“The support I got and the love that I got from the guys in that locker room is all that I needed,” Merriman said. “All the fans and people around who have supported me just made me feel comfortable in my decision.”
Donald Miralle, Getty Images North America
Shawne Merriman is ready to play.
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Wednesday: Shawne MerrimanLB Shawne Merriman tells the media Wednesday that "I want to play." Merriman will continue to prepare for the September 7th home opener against Carolina. |
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Wednesday: Norv TurnerHead Coach Norv Turner comments on LB Shawne Merriman decision to play the season. |
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Wednesday: LaDainian TomlinsonRB LaDainian Tomlinson calls LB Shawne Merriman "A Warrior" for opting to play the season. |
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