Shawne Merriman: We Know Exactly What We’re Facing Coming Up This Week and We’re Going to Bring our “A” Game
October 15, 2009 – 10:00 am by Jimmy Shapiro
Shawne Merriman burst onto the scene in his rookie season for the Chargers and many people thought he was going to be a cornerstone piece to the Chargers defense for years to come and help bring some toughness to San Diego. For a couple of years, he was not only the best player on the Chargers team, but he was one of the most destructive defensive forces in the NFL. Unfortunately for “Lights Out” and for the Chargers, Merriman has dealt with injuries the last couple of years and hasn’t looked anything like the three-time Pro Bowler and NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate that he once was. It’s been about a year and a half since Merriman last recorded a sack in the NFL and because of his struggles, the Chargers defense has suffered mightily. If San Diego wants to return to the playoffs and turn some things around defensively, Merriman is going to have to start playing like one of the best defensive players in the NFL again or at least play like the best player on his own defense.
The Chargers are coming off a bye and after a slow start to the season; they need to make a statement against the undefeated Broncos on Monday night. The Chargers play five of their next seven games against divisional opponents and if they want to live up to the preseason hype, they need to turn their season around with a win against the Broncos.
Shawne Merriman joined The Drive on XTRA Sports in San Diego to talk about how he is feeling health-wise, the game on Monday night against Denver and the team bouncing back from another slow start.
On the injury that he’s dealing with right now:
“It’s groin. It’s groin. It’s kinda one of those where you over-compensate for a long time. My knee has been feeling great for the last couple of months. Just for all the months of overcompensating, it just happens. If you’ve talked to anybody that has had a major kind of deal done, it’s always something that you have to overcompensate with it so long. You’ve got to get used to walking a certain way, running a certain way and you know it’s just coming back.”
On whether the knee is fully back after reconstructive knee surgery:
“Oh absolutely. That’s one of those things where you cant defend yourself until you start winning and until you start getting after some quarterbacks. No matter what I say, I won’t defend that part. I have to go out and I have to get those things done.”
On whether or not he’s surprised by Denver’s great start:
“I cant say that I am. I think they’ve had tools over there for years. They’re a good football team. The last few years we got a chance to play them. (They’ve) probably had games that they should’ve won in the past against other people that they haven’t won. I think they’re just having a fast start. We know exactly what we’re facing coming up this week and we’re going to bring our A game. Period.”
On the way the fans should feel about the 2-2 start to the season:
“I think everybody should stay positive. We definitely are. We’re not panicking. We know that we have to play better as a team, but you know let’s face it, we’ve played the Baltimore Ravens, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami who was also a playoff team as well. It’s not like we had the easiest schedule in the world. We don’t see to be negative right now at all. Especially myself as I’m talking to you guys and talking to everybody else, I don’t see us in a negative light right now. I say ‘look, we’ve got to come out and be three and two, period.’ That solves a lot of problems.”
On whether the players are down in the locker room after the 2-2 start:
“No, absolutely not and we can’t wait for Monday. That’s kind of our way of fixing any kind of problem that’s going on. You got out and win. Winning cures a lot of things. In an NFL locker room, if you’re sitting around and you’re 5-0 or you’re 4-1, things are looking great, everybody is happy, patting each other on the back and it’s all smiles and it’s great. We’ve been there. We’ve been there where we’re sitting around and we have a great record and things are just great and that’s the best way to have it, but unfortunately it’s not that way all the time. When things are not going the way you want it to go, that’s when you have to really come together as a team and say ‘look, this is what we have to do, we’re 2- 2 right now and the only way we’re going to be 3-2 if we go out and we play better.”
(This post was written by Chris Fedor)
Listen to Shawne Merriman on XTRA Sports San Diego with the Drive
Tags: AFC West, Denver Broncos, Denver Broncos vs. San Diego Chargers, no sacks for Shawne Merriman, San Diego Chargers, Shawne Merriman
