Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

This just seems like dumb decision to me, is it worth risking your career over?

[url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3556123]ESPN - Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury - NFL[/url]

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

It is a dumb decision. He's risking his entire career AMA. Norv should just put him on IR. Force him to sit.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

Sounds nuts. Plus, can he really play well with this injury, putting aside the career issues?

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

He's an idiot. There are times to think about me-first, and risking season/career-ending injuries is one of those times. The Chargers aren't going to take care of him when he's no longer useful.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

Didnt he play last year with this injury? I thought I read the doctors couldnt believe he had been playing for so long with the injury?

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

wow what an idiot. all doctors tell him to have surgery and he doesn't, will be sad to see him end his career so young if it does happen

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

What a dumb@ss. Maybe he'll just take a bunch or Roids and be okay.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

Dude has a garage full of HGH. He'll be fine.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

[QUOTE=Finslady;468296]It is a dumb decision. He's risking his entire career AMA. Norv should just put him on IR. Force him to sit.[/QUOTE]

I concur. The coach should place him on PUP or IR.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

Can't quite understand this decision

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

He will tweek it after a couple weeks then get the surgery...he won't last the season...being a Terp fan I hope this doesn't end his career

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

What an idiot! Hope he doesn't slip on a banana.

Seriously, why are they Chargers even allowing him to play? Their GM should be fired.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

Might just be a fry or two short of a happy meal! Not a very wise decision.

If he was thinking about his future and prolonging his career in this league, it would only seem logical to have the repair work done now. Instead of taking the chance of further damage.

But, it's his body and everyone has choices to make....carry on!

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

he is going to regret this decision later. impact linebackers with bum knees....not a good combination....i am curious he saw 4 doctors....i guess the last one gave him the green light. Did he keep seeking opinions until he got the one he wanted? Wow....now this is neccessary...what a MORON!

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

Apparently, all 4 doctors told him he needs to have the surgery. I think he will regret this decision, especially if he blows out his knee in the first few games. If I was Merriman, I'd get the surgery and come back bigger, faster, and stronger next year.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

Idiot!

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

You would think his buddy Lavar would tell him how much fun it is to play football when your knees aren't healthy.
S.D is probably thinking they need him to reach the S.B. and they wouldn't be able to resign him after next season any ways. So if he really hurts his knee and can't play again there actually only losing him for the 2009 season. It's pretty obvious to me by letting him play this year that the Chargers don't care about his carrier long term.
Merriman is a fool for letting the Chargers use him like this.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

He's going to blow out his knee doing his ridiculous dance. If you're ignorant enough to ignore the advice of four doctors, including the world renowned Dr. James Andrews -- you deserve whatever comes to you. I won't feel an ounce of pity for him. NFL radio said if he gets (I believe it was) 12.5 sacks, he gets an extra 1.5 million. Play for the 2nd contract.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

[quote=Crash;468320]He will tweek it after a couple weeks then get the surgery...he won't last the season...being a Terp fan I hope this doesn't end his career[/quote]

I follow him and wish the best as a Terp fan too, but my respect goes way down with 1 substance abuse fail. As a Terp I mostly root for Vernon Davis.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

It's the juice talking, telling him to get back on the field. What a DS.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

Can we have a poll?

Shawne Merriman is:
1. A dummy
2. An idiot
3. High
4. All of the above

I vote for #4.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

[QUOTE=Riggo44;468340]You would think his buddy Lavar would tell him how much fun it is to play football when your knees aren't healthy.
S.D is probably thinking they need him to reach the S.B. and they wouldn't be able to resign him after next season any ways. So if he really hurts his knee and can't play again there actually only losing him for the 2009 season. It's pretty obvious to me by letting him play this year that the Chargers don't care about his carrier long term.
Merriman is a fool for letting the Chargers use him like this.[/QUOTE]

The Chargers won't reach the SB if he blows out his knees and ends his career.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

Where is the requisite "The Redskins are idiots for passing on Shawne Merriman" comment?

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

I just can't get over how foolish and shortsighted this decision is. Total meathead. He's still got a lot of mileage left- IF he shuts it down, has the surgery NOW, and rehabs for next year. What poor, ill-advised short term thinking this is. Now he'll play maybe half the season at 75%, then hurt himself to the point he has no choice but to have the surgery. At that point he'll be well behind where he'd be if he just got it done now. And that's best case. Worst case he ends his career, and misses out on tens of millions of dollars and a possible shot at the Hall of Fame. Unreal.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

What doctor would say go play and open them selves up to a huge lawsuit if turns out he ruins his carreer. So to me its hard to really know what the docs said behind close doors to him.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

C l o w n a s s

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

I'm reminded of what TO said after he played in the Superbowl against New England, in which he suggested, had it been Brett Favre playing hurt refusing to sit out instead of TO, he would have been hailed as a warrior.

Well I generally agree in following the advice of one's doctors, I think you guys are being a little hard on a guy who refuses to stay off the field, perhaps at the expense of his career. Usually when someone puts playing above money and anything else we as fans appreciate this. But I guess it depends on the guy.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

[QUOTE=saden1;468321]What an idiot! Hope he doesn't slip on a banana.

Seriously, why are they Chargers even allowing him to play? Their GM should be fired.[/QUOTE]

I agree. If I am AJ Smith (shoot me now by the way in this case) I IR him in a heart beat.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

[quote=djnemo65;468380]I'm reminded of what TO said after he played in the Superbowl against New England, in which he suggested, had it been Brett Favre playing hurt refusing to sit out instead of TO, he would have been hailed as a warrior.

Well I generally agree in following the advice of one's doctors, I think you guys are being a little hard on a guy who refuses to stay off the field, perhaps at the expense of his career. Usually when someone puts playing above money and anything else we as fans appreciate this. But I guess it depends on the guy.[/quote]

I hear ya, to an extent. Hey, if you play through a broken pinky and it needs to be cut off (Ronnie Lott), or play with a broken leg or ankle (Jack Youngblood and Donovan McNabb), then hell yeah, you're a warrior. But if you play with torn knee ligaments that could end your career, what's better for both you and the Chargers? Being balsy and "tough" and playing a few more games until your career ends, or getting your knee taken care of and being great for several more seasons? This is no-brainer IMO.

Also, TO was just doing what was necessary to be effective for one game, and that game just happened to be the biggest of all. I don't think TO was at risk of ending his career with that ankle injury either.

EDIT:
On a side note, I just heard on ESPN that Merriman was advised to have corrective surgery after last season and decided against it. Look where that's left him. :doh:

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

Perhaps he wants his career to end? Maybe he has some kind of insurance policy that nets him serious money if his career ends?

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

[quote=FRPLG;468381]I agree. If I am AJ Smith (shoot me now by the way in this case) I IR him in a heart beat.[/quote]

Perhaps the Commissioner should get involved?

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

The Chargers were most likely to get rid of him when his contract's up anyways, I doubt they could care less what happens to him. You guys are forgetting Merriman and 4 of their other best players' contracts all end in '09, and you can bet they won't be bringing all of them back.

As for Merriman, what a dumb decision. Honestly if he does play and he blows out his knee and it ruins his career I'm probably not gonna feel sorry for him, he knew it could happen.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

Merriman needs to sit. I know it sucks, but long term should be the thought. Maybe I should talk to him. I'd tell him that the Chargers won't win it all reguardless if he played or not. He should have the surgery and find a new team next season. Redskins would take him. He's a beast when healthy. He's gonna be worthless next season if he plays this one.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

[QUOTE=GMScud;468384]I hear ya, to an extent. Hey, if you play through a broken pinky and it needs to be cut off (Ronnie Lott), or play with a broken leg or ankle (Jack Youngblood and Donovan McNabb), then hell yeah, you're a warrior. But if you play with torn knee ligaments that could end your career, what's better for both you and the Chargers? Being balsy and "tough" and playing a few more games until your career ends, or getting your knee taken care of and being great for several more seasons? This is no-brainer IMO.

Also, TO was just doing what was necessary to be effective for one game, and that game just happened to be the biggest of all. I don't think TO was at risk of ending his career with that ankle injury either.

EDIT:
On a side note, I just heard on ESPN that Merriman was advised to have corrective surgery after last season and decided against it. Look where that's left him. :doh:[/QUOTE]

For the record, Merriman has steadfastly denied that further aggravation of the knee without surgery could be career threatening. His position is that his doctors have told him he needs to get knee surgery at some point, but that he could also play this season without it, albeit with an elevated risk of further injury. Anyway, seems pretty gutsy and selfless to me and I don't get calling him an idiot, implying that he doesn't understand what is at stake.

And wouldn't Tiger be a better parallel than the ones you threw out? He was in the same situation as Merriman, essentially, and played in the US Open anyway, costing him the rest of his season and perhaps shortening his career (although I certainly hope not). I thought that was pretty gutsy too, although I guess you could also argue it was idiotic. Think about the money Tiger!

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

He's a big boy and can make his own decisions but IMO its a big mistake. He's only 24 with a lot of his career in front of him. Its nice to talk about these team committments but I doubt the team will do much for him when he's out of football forever because he destroyed his knee. You gotta look out for #1 and Merriman isnt doing it.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

[QUOTE=djnemo65;468403]For the record, Merriman has steadfastly denied that further aggravation of the knee without surgery could be career threatening. His position is that his doctors have told him he needs to get knee surgery at some point, but that he could also play this season without it, albeit with an elevated risk of further injury. Anyway, seems pretty gutsy and selfless to me and I don't get calling him an idiot, implying that he doesn't understand what is at stake.

And wouldn't Tiger be a better parallel than the ones you threw out? He was in the same situation as Merriman, essentially, and played in the US Open anyway, costing him the rest of his season and perhaps shortening his career (although I certainly hope not). I thought that was pretty gutsy too, although I guess you could also argue it was idiotic. Think about the money Tiger![/QUOTE]

I mean John Daly is a big dude, sure. But what are the odds of Tiger getting his leg rolled over under a pile of 300 pound golfers? In this case, you just can't compare golf and football.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

Also, Tiger has made his money. He does, arguably, have his best years in front of him, but he's been out there in a [U]non-contact[/U] sport for 10 years. Merriman's played 3. He's a dummy.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

I just don't see where the risk is worth it. But oh well, it's his career that he could be pissing away. I'm just glad it's not one of our guys doing this.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

[QUOTE=SmootSmack;468440]I mean John Daly is a big dude, sure. But what are the odds of Tiger getting his leg rolled over under a pile of 300 pound golfers? In this case, you just can't compare golf and football.[/QUOTE]

Um, Tiger had to have a second season ending-knee injury which was both predictable and preventable. He played against his doctor's recommendations and the worst case scenario happened. Cute Daly quip but I still see a parallel.

Anyway, I think you guys are kind of missing my point. I am more interested in the way that people are perceived. Both Merriman and Tiger were/are taking calculated risks to try and win a championship, yet Merriman is called an idiot, and even accused of being selfish, whereas Tiger is hailed as a warrior.

For the record, I don't think Merriman is making the right decision but I feel you have to respect his commitment to the team, even it is reckless.

Re: Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury
 

Tiger isn't on a team though. His decision impacts him only. Merriman could possibly wreck his career and that would have a pretty big impact on his team.