San Diego Chargers 2011: Shawne Merriman Would Have Been Elite If He Stayed

February 4, 2011   ·   Heneli Iongi   ·   Jump to comments

Before many of you readers start bashing me on this, let me take some time to explain myself. Shawne Merriman was a victim of a really serious injury. That's unquestionable. What was in question is the scheme that Merriman would have came into if he was healthy.
Merriman isn't a guy that fits Ron Rivera's defense. Rivera's defense is a zone base scheme. Merriman ain't the zone type of guy. Many of the Chargers' sacks this season that help them ranked second in the league in sacks were "coverage" sacks. This means that the QB usually can't throw the ball due to the secondary and linebackers often blanketing the field with disguised zone coverage, giving the rushers a longer time to get to the QB.  
By no means is Merriman that type of player. Shaun Phillips is a very well-rounded OLB. He's not great like Merriman in pressuring opposing QBs but he's good enough to be able to pressure and play zone coverage also.  
Let's be honest here, Merriman's health and lack ...

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