Merriman may end holdout soon
Sources close to the San Diego Chargers have indicated that linebacker Shawne Merriman is expected to report to training camp soon and end his holdout. Reports have suggested Merriman misses his teammates too much and feels he has to get to work in order to have a good season.
Merriman had not reported to training camp because he felt he deserved some job security, and he had not signed his restricted free agent tender. Despite the reports, Merriman stated on his Twitter account: "All reports of me reporting to camp this weekend would come from the team 'San Diego Chargers' not 'sources.'"
If Merriman were to report to camp, that would leave the team with only two remaining holdouts; left tackle Marcus McNeill and wide receiver Vincent Jackson. McNeill and Jackson do not plan to report to the team until they are given long-term contracts. That doesn’t appear like it will happen and the two are expected to sit out at least a significant portion of the season.
Merriman’s career got off to a great start, but it has tailed off the last couple of seasons, due to injuries and inconsistent play. He was one of the league’s best pass rushers in his first three seasons, totalling 39.5 sacks. He then missed the entire 2008 season after undergoing knee surgery and only had four sacks in 14 games last season.
The team even drafted Larry English in hopes that he could fill the void left by Merriman and with a threat to his starting job Merriman began his holdout until he was ensured that he’d be the man for the job. It looks as if Merriman will have to prove he’s the starter by his play on the field and that nothing will be handed to him.
This season, Merriman has to prove that he can still be an elite player like he was a few years ago. If he doesn’t show it this year, he may not have a long future in San Diego. First though, he needs to come to camp.
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