Should Merriman be a target for the 49ers?
by 49er4life on Sep 10, 2009 1:58 PM PDT
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A recent article I read on Yahoo sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/rumors/post/Merriman-s-Chargers-status-unclear?urn=nfl,188255) got me thinking about a possible trade for Shawne Merriman and how it may benefit both teams. Recently Merriman was arrested for allegedly choking his girlfriend, in which he claims he was merely restraining her from drinking and driving. Now the article states that San Diego’s GM referred to Merriman's future with the team as "an ongoing debate", possibly meaning he may be on the outs. Combine this with the fact that his contract expires at the end of the year, they drafted a possible replacement in Larry English in the first round of the draft this year, and he's coming off a serious injury(albeit seems fully healed), San Diego may start to shop him around if they aren’t already.
Now, I’m not the kind of person that suggests we go after every troubled star player or every high ticket free agent. I was against pursuing Plaxico, Brandon Marshall, Vick etc., but this seems like it would be a good fit. An OLB pass rush specialist is one of the, if not the biggest need for the 49ers. Sure Haralson had a good season with 8.5 sacks but we need someone to compliment him and time has almost run out for Manny Lawson. Does anyone know how many sacks we had in the preseason? None! Now I know that teams tend to blitz less in the preseason, but not even one sack in four games?
Merriman may be a good fit for the 49ers. He's young and has proven to be dominant at his position. Drafting an OLB for a 3-4 defense is pretty hit and miss because most of the time you are converting a 4-3 DE tweener from college and teaching him to play standing up at a different position. If the Chargers gave Merriman's agent permission to talk to the 49ers and a contract could be worked out prior to the trade, could this be an option worth giving strong consideration? Singletary may just be what Merriman needs as well. A tutoring Hall of Fame linebacker to coach him much the way he did Merriman's Maryland college teammate - Vernon Davis, who has now apparently taken on a leadership role in the dressing room. I'm not sure what the Chargers would be looking for in return, but we do have a slew of draft picks next year and an OLB on our roster that is familiar with the Chargers defense who could step in immediately (Marques Harris) to fill Merriman's roster spot. Something to think about at least!
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors.
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I would say YEs...
but not for a 1-3 round pick… I think he’ll be a free agent soon so I say wait it out. He’s been hurt and looks like his tank is closing in on E faster than one may think. 2 year contract wouldn’t hurt and his experience with Manusky can always help… and i agree with dez… he IS a Beast!!
Joe and Steve were under the same system for years... don't expect Smith to be super so soon.
Merriman is easily worth a first round pick.
Perhaps two, even. A healthy Merriman is arguably one of the top 5 most valuable defensive players in all of football.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Sep 10, 2009 5:43 PM PDT up reply actions
He will probably command about the same cost as a first rounder
with tons more production. He is experienced in the 3-4 and as long as would give us the best MLB and OLD in the NFL.
Go for it!!
parys haralson and merriman to go with willis and takeo…wow..we’d have an elite lb squad and more pressure on qb’s for sure..it’d probably take 3 + years including this one to make it worthwhile…does anyone know his character before this incident? I know Sing. is a standup coach and doesn’t want knuckleheads ruining his team..but if this has been the only incident go for it..
He's definitely worth going after ...
… but it’s hard to know what to give up for him. I doubt we have many players that would interest the chargers. I’d definitely trade one of our next year’s #1s if we can work out a contract in advance and his knee is healthy.
He’s really really good, young, and fits a need. It’s unlikely that we’ll get a player of his caliber with one of our draft picks next year, even if it’s a top 10 pick. A knee injury scares me more than, say, a broken leg would, but that’s an injury a player should be able to recover from.
As long as he's not going to be a douche and get into more legal trouble
"Bar None!" - William Floyd
deal
Proud father of Dallas Mcpherson. If you have any information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for the kidnapping of my son please contact me immediately. Reward if found!
in a HEARTBEAT
Merriman was the most dominant pass rushing LB, if not player, in the league before his ACL injury. A true warrior, he tried to play through the injury… he Chargers would be morons to get rid of him… I’d love the Niners to be the beneficiary if this did go down. PS – it wasn’t his GF it was Tila Tequila, and statements have already been made, by the owner of the restaurant that they were at, that all of his employees working that night contradict her story.
You'd be surprised they may take manny in a deal with a number 1
AKA.............Optimist Prime
Banned in 13 comments from the Gulls and I am proud!!
Anyone thinking Merriman isn't worth a 1 is insane
He is worth a one and 3 or 4. Now the Pats took a 1st rounder 2011 amd gpt Seymour, we should be after Merriman proactively!!
AKA.............Optimist Prime
Banned in 13 comments from the Gulls and I am proud!!
2011 first rounder might be more valuable than 2010 ...
Normally this isn’t the case, but between 2010 and 2011 there’s a probable lockout, and one of the things that the owners are going to go for is a rookie pay scale. The players won’t fight that too much (they have no incentive to, since it won’t affect players already in the league) and so 2011 draft picks are likely to be huge bargains compared to the guys taken in 2010, who’ll all probably get 10-20% raises on what guys this year got.
We have two first round picks next year
One of those would suffice. Merriman on a bad knee is still better than Lawson
AKA.............Optimist Prime
Banned in 13 comments from the Gulls and I am proud!!
Problem
We don’t know how his knee will hold up. Do we wait to see what he can do? Or do we go for him right away? If you ask me its tough. I would definitely rather have him than a certain player on the panthers who will remain unnamed.
Go 49ers
The knee is the question ...
… well, also the free agency status. If you’re prepared to pay him what he’s asking, do you have to give up the #1? Or can you wait until free agency next year and grab him then? The Chargers are making noises like they’re willing to get rid of him, which makes a franchise tag unlikely.
not sure if he is an RFA...
but if he is we’d likely have to give more in compensation than through a trade and if he enters free agency there would be a bidding war and we’d likely overpay in that scenario as well
Anybody know for sure?
If he’s a RFA??
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Sep 11, 2009 12:01 PM PDT up reply actions
RFA
He should be well passed the RFA phase. I think RFA’s are three years or less in the league coming off their original contract. Fooch or someone else may be able to answer for sure.
I thought it was 4 years
Where’s Fooch, so he can clear this up???
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Sep 11, 2009 4:22 PM PDT up reply actions
Swooping in with CBA knowledge!
According to Article I, Section 2 (Definitions):
"Restricted Free Agent" means a Veteran who has three or more Accrued Seasons and who completes performance of his Player Contract, but who is still subject to a Right of First Refusal and/or Draft Choice Compensation in favor of his Prior Club.
by David Fucillo on Sep 11, 2009 4:30 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm still confused
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Sep 11, 2009 9:18 PM PDT up reply actions
More from the CBA
Here’s the section on veteran free agents and RFAs in particular (Article XIX, Section 2), not sure if it’s any better:
Section 2. Restricted Free Agents:
(a) Any Veteran player with three or more Accrued Seasons, but less than five Accrued Seasons (or less than four Accrued Seasons in any Capped Year), shall, at the expiration of his last Player Contract during such period, become a Restricted Free Agent. Any such player shall be completely free to negotiate and sign a Player Contract with any Club, and any Club shall be completely free to negotiate and sign a Player Contract with any such player, subject to the restrictions set forth in this Article.
I’ll try and find some more useful info.
by David Fucillo on Sep 12, 2009 12:13 AM PDT up reply actions
M'kay
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Sep 12, 2009 8:07 AM PDT up reply actions
Franchise tag
I think that Merriman is well worth the price a team would have to pay to pluck him from SD if they franchise him.
They should definitely look into this
But there is absolutely no way that the Chargers will trade him this season.
I believe he will be a RFA and we could offer him a larger contract than the Chargers and pay them compensation.
Hopefully Carolina doesn’t do too good so we can offer our pick (which will most likely be higher) while still retaining good a good draft position.
Everette Brown or Shawne Merriman
Sorry, I just had to bring that up.
Don’t debate it though.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
Why ?
The best players/ group we have are the Linebackers. We need help in other areas ! I wouldn’t give any future picks for someone who we really don’t need. If the Chargers want to trade him, You got to ask yourself Why ?
I personally would save and use my Picks for the future of the Niners than spend it on a guy who’s losing his Value.
We are strong at ILB
But very thin at OLB
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Sep 11, 2009 8:57 AM PDT up reply actions
Very thin...
… doesn’t even begin to describe the situation.
Not that Weak
The Defense is fairly strong against the run. It’s the Pass defense that hurts us in the Passing game due to lack of pass rush. That has to deal more with the DL. Lack of Sacks and Haressing the QB leads the DB to cover the WR longer and resulting in more completed Passes. Our OLB lead the team in QB sacks,Who was it that scored 81/2 sack in a half season. Wasn’t he an OLB ?
No ! No trade for Merriman. No more head cases !
In a 3-4 defense...
your sacks are suppose to come primarily from your OLB’s and not the DL. Look at all of the other teams in the league running the 3-4 and our sacks totals from OLB over the years don’t even compare.
cause we suck
; )
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Sep 11, 2009 12:02 PM PDT up reply actions
Wasn't our best sacker an OLB and who played 8 games full time ?
by LASVEGASNINER on Sep 11, 2009 7:20 PM PDT up reply actions
Haralson?
What if he only plays 8 games this year? Has he ever had 10 sacks? He’s OK, I guess. He’s not the second coming of LT, which he’d have to be to pick up everyone else’s slack. Lawson’s a nonfactor when you need to get pressure. On a team like Pittsburgh, with good 3-4 OLBs, the 49ers’ guys would probably see scant playing time.
Why should we be after Merriman NOW?
That injury is not gonna hinder him to the point that he can’t get to the passer. He played on it and still racked up sacks. He can also be spelled by Lawson occasionally, and will catapult our defense to the point that we’d be a playoff team for CERTAIN. I’d spend a 1st rounder on a player that is proven, we spent a first rounder on Crabtree and he was hurt, we also didn’t bid against New Orleans for BRees because of his injury. Let’s stop being so damned scared and content. I would at least wait two weeks, face two division rivals and if the pass rush is an issue and we get mopped, I’d be after Merriman like a shark in water!!……………………..+1
AKA.............Optimist Prime
Banned in 13 comments from the Gulls and I am proud!!
I'd kind of...
… want to wait and see what happens to him legally. Unless I missed something and he isn’t potentially facing any charges?
Da Dropped the case
AKA.............Optimist Prime
Banned in 13 comments from the Gulls and I am proud!!
They're not going to let him go NOW
Who are they going to start?
An unproven rookie?
They’re not that stupid.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Sep 11, 2009 4:23 PM PDT up reply actions
Deal Manny
You never know who expected the Pats to deal Seymour. They have Gates up for a deal and River’s deal was said to have left room for him and he isn’t a problem player. Chromartie is also up for a deal and the Merriman himself is impressed with Larry English’s passion for getting to the ball(another guy too good for our 2nd pick. Nevertheless I’d be after one of the two they can’t keep them all. Plus the owner said he isn’t thinking about extending him Now!!
Sometimes it just takes an inquiry to get a player thinking of a Deal now versus waiting. The best time to me to go after him is now and pay him and infisize we’re paying you despite the injury, although it didn’t work for Crabs but a new deal can cause a player to THINK.
AKA.............Optimist Prime
Banned in 13 comments from the Gulls and I am proud!!
He could be damaged goods
Let him play a season to see if he can hold up before offering the treasury.
Same inujry as manny
And we decided we didn’t need to draft another OLB
AKA.............Optimist Prime
Banned in 13 comments from the Gulls and I am proud!!
And how effective was Manny?
Then again, now that the knee is all the way healed, he still didn’t look good in preseason. Maybe just not a pass rusher. What I see from McCloughan right now seems to be an inability to let go of his mistakes.
His pass rush moves suck
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Sep 12, 2009 8:08 AM PDT up reply actions
I see what you are saying
But it didn’t cost the team anything to hold onto Manny Lawson. They probably would have drafted someone if there was a player around they liked (keyword being the “they” before like).
Is it the same injury as Manny?
I thought Manny just tore his ACL.
Shawne tore both that and the MCL. I remember hearing how he had a particularly bad knee injury, although at the moment, more specific details elude me.
In any event, every player heals differently.
Merriman looked good yesterday
he was creating havoc for Russell, constantly flushing him out of the pocket, although it did look like he may have lost a step in his closing speed
You think so
He didn’t do very much IMO. Especially vs what had been a poor blocking o-line. Certainly not in line with his usual disruption vs Oakland.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Give him a few weeks
He looked weird and seemed to get tired in the 4th quarter.
I think that by week 5 we should see if he’s ever going to play like he used to.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Sep 16, 2009 2:44 PM PDT up reply actions
Every time a big name player is available for trade
Everyone jumps on the bandwagon. Slow down. bignerd has a point. Wait a year. See what he does and you might get him without losing a #1. Besides, you playing with draft picks now. We lost #2 and #4 for a #1 next year so now you want to give them a #1 for Merriman? That 3 picks for an injuried and aging player ? The math adds up. That’s way to much. It’s crazy ! Just slow down. Thoses picks next year are very important. You might even get an future All Pro at OLB !
We didn't lose any pick except 1st round number 10
We traded the picks when we had plenty of holes to fill
AKA.............Optimist Prime
Banned in 13 comments from the Gulls and I am proud!!
"We lost #2 and #4 for a #1 next year so now you want to give them a #1 for Merriman? That 3 picks for an injuried and aging player ?"
Uh …
That’s two picks, or one pick, however you want to slice it. There’s no way to call it three picks. Basic math people.
Merriman is not an older player, which is a big difference between him and Seymour. If he’s healthy – and I think everyone agrees that’s something we need to know more about – he’s a player who you expect to have a lot of good years ahead of him.
The off-the-field stuff is a minor concern, but his defense actually sounds legitimate (and I hardly ever give the player the benefit of the doubt in these situations.) He’s a ’roider, but I suspect a lot of other guys are, too.
We combined 2 and 4 to a 1st rounder
It’s a trade, so we would basically gvive up that 2nd and fourth for Merriman, I’d take that deal.
AKA.............Optimist Prime
Banned in 13 comments from the Gulls and I am proud!!
Please.....You lose two picks this year
And then you give your #1 pick for older Player, Yea, that pretty much adds up to 3 picks. You can add it up on one hand ! If McC and Sing really wanted a OLB, then they should drafted one or play the Free Agent Market. But they didn’t, which means that they are Okay with who they have.
Can't do math?
2008 2nd rounder + 2008 4th rounder = 2009 first rounder
If we trade the 2009 first rounder we are only giving up last year’s 2 picks.
Unless you are saying that we should give up TWO first round picks…..
BTW:
The reply button is there for a reason
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Sep 11, 2009 9:22 PM PDT up reply actions
We all look at differently
I say giving up the #1 Plus 2 draft pick ? If we did give a #1 for Merriman, to me that 3 Draft picks. I’m in favor of keeping all the picks we can get unless we trade one of the two first rounder for two more.
Yea, I know what the reply is, Have you ever forgotten ?
by LASVEGASNINER on Sep 12, 2009 9:19 AM PDT up reply actions
I'm in favor of improving the pass rush now
He’s 25 years old are you kidding me. It’s not my fault the picks were traded when we needed a pass rusher. You have a poor GM making the decisions, it happens. You have to get around it. The niners need to either get a proven player or a proven GM!
AKA.............Optimist Prime
Banned in 13 comments from the Gulls and I am proud!!
TO say you traded three draft picks for a player -
- implies that you could have kept three draft picks and not traded for him.
That’s simply not the case here.
Wait until March 1, then trade Crabby's rights.
San Diego might go for that, depending on how their passing game goes this year. And that’s only if he’s franchised – otherwise just sign him as a FA. This could also apply to another player we could use – NT V. Wilfork. Franklin’s contract is up next year and the team could use an upgrade. Might as well salvage something from of the Crabtree debacle.
Wilfork would probably take less money from the Patriots
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Sep 12, 2009 11:29 AM PDT up reply actions
What will always kill about Wilfork
Is Donahue passing on drafting him then trading back to pick Rashaun Woods. He would’ve been ours and he would’ve learned from BY.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Too many what ifs and shoulda coulda woulda
This upper management needs a swift kick in the nads. Ther were plenty of people to pick with those picks
AKA.............Optimist Prime
Banned in 13 comments from the Gulls and I am proud!!
But they have screwed up enough
AKA.............Optimist Prime
Banned in 13 comments from the Gulls and I am proud!!
We were not a 3-4 team back then
Back in that draft there were only a few team around that ran that defense and were seeking that kind of personnel. The Pats and Steelers often times were picking on a fully stocked grocery aisle. Now with near half the league running the 3-4 it’s much harder to get players that fit that scheme.
Even is a 4-3
I’d have taken Wolfork. He played at Miami when they were going through their good spell and BY was getting older. A player like him could play in either scheme.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
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