Merriman is better then Ware, at this time

[Hiero]

I'd definitely take ware if i had the choice now. much smarter player, better attitude, and better overall game. better speed rusher imo, just doesnt have the big hit ability as much as merriman. i would have loved to get both of them, but ware is more than enough, and spears is starting so cant knock him

 

[Gaede]

I like both players.

 

[SuspectCorner]

i don't think i'd trade our draft class for anybody elses. ware included.

 

[Hiero]

not ware's fault that merriman held out and got injured in camp. not ware's fault hehired real agents instead of the postons. moves like that really make me never feel the same about them. Im gonna have this idea in my head about merriman being greedy and egotistical.
ware statistically and if you watch the games is doing better, merriman reminds me a bit more of lavar arrington, and may end up going the same path of a troubled career

You would think those "plethora of moves" would give Merriman a considerable edge in sacks and tackles. Ware doubles him in both (according to NFL.com). Granted, Ware played in two more games then Merriwoman has but who cares? How many times was Ware one step away from getting a sack? How many times has Ware led to another player, ala Roy Williams, to get a sack due to the attention they give him? Who was responsible for Henry's INT TD return? He had about 7 QB pressures, on top of it all.

He has a better attitude then Merriman and he didn't hold out. No competition here.

BTW- I've seen Ware succesfully use a speed rush to the outside, bull rush his guy, and fake a speed rush out, only to cut back in for the sack. I'm not saying he's got alot of moves, but whoever says he can only do "one thing" is flat out wrong.

 

[RisingStar]

My first post on the zone guys, hey if you ask me, both Ware and Merriman are good players, remember, Merriman would have been problems attitude wise, BP aint gonna take that in any way, shape or form. But I must say i've followed Merriman and watched him in the games he played and Willie Roaf is passed his prim right now the guy is what 90? In the game against the Eagles, Merriman wasn't a factor much because he went against younger quicker talent. BTW, did you see the 250lb Ware push around 300+ pound Leonard Davis all game? If Ware gets to about 270 - 275, With his speed and strength, aw man, this will not even be an issue.

 

[dbair1967]

Dont know if anybody has been watching the last four Charger games but Merriman is absolutly tearing it up. The reason for my statement is, Merriman is so much more ahead physically then Ware. On top of this, he has 3-4 moves compared to Ware's one. Today, he was giving Willie Roaf fits and on one play absolutly bull-dozed Roaf. Roaf is one of the leagues best tackles.

I'm not a Ware detractor, matter in fact he might be my fav Cowboy. But Merriman seems to be a stronger Dwight Freeny. This is not to say that he will always be better. When Ware puts 15 lbs on and learns more moves then he is going to be a freak. Until then, I must give an un-biased opinion on this.Opinions

this just isnt true...have you actually watched him play? he was virtually non existant in most of the games...he has 4.0 sacks on the season, two of them came when he was totally unblocked...he looks lost in pass coverage and hasnt been very good vs the run either

Ware has played probably 90-95% of our defensive snaps...teams already have to counter him with double teams, chip blocks or rollouts away from him...he is active vs the run and hasnt been exposed badly in pass coverage...he is doing all this despite moving from a 4-3 DE to a 3-4 OLB...

Ware is probably going to run away with the defensive rookie of the yr award...Merriman might not even get a vote

David

 

[JackMagist]

I will allow that Merriman is probably physically superior to Ware at this point and may be the better natural player. However, I do not feel that he is enough better than Ware to make up the big drop off in character. Merriman showed his true colors with sneaking the Postons in as his agents after the draft and with his subsequent holdouts.

Given the choice of a guy with slightly better physical ability and a guy with still excellent physical ability and great character I'll take the character guy every time. The character guy will work harder to make up for any deficiencies that he might have and will give his best effort under any circumstances. The other guy might lay down when it gets rough or just not give his best effort if he is not happy. It's the reason that I still agree with the Ellis over Moss decision and I don't think that I will ever regret the Ware over Merriman decision.

 

[dbair1967]

These two guys are two completely different players.

Ware is Lawrence Taylor.

Merriman is Carl Banks.

thats an insult to Carl Banks...Banks was a tremendous OLB

David

 

[ZRO]

Why does everyone feel the need to bash Shawn Merriman just because someone might have the audacity to say he's better than Ware at this point? Merriman is a great player, as is Ware, but let's not act like it's totally out of the realm of possibilty that Merriman is better.

 

[Doomsday101]

Why does everyone feel the need to bash Shawn Merriman just because someone might have the audacity to say he's better than Ware at this point? Merriman is a great player, as is Ware, but let's not act like it's totally out of the realm of possibilty that Merriman is better.

SD got the guy they wanted Dallas got the guy they wanted. I don't see the need to go back to draft day and try to say who got the best. We have some that do this with every single pick. Dallas got the guys they were after that is what matters and our young players are making an impact.

 

[AbeBeta]

Dont know if anybody has been watching the last four Charger games but Merriman is absolutly tearing it up.

Fantasy football strikes again. Ware had a huge game, forcing an INT and several incompletions BUT.... that stuff doesn't get measured in the fantasy league. So he isn't "tearing it up".

I hate the way the fantasy leagues have reduced performance analysis to a few key statistics. It makes some folks think they can analyze a performance without even watching a game.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Zman,seriously have you seen him play yet? He has 4-5 sacks in almost 2 less games then Ware. First game he didnt play, and he rarely played in game 2 due to injuries. Say what you want, im just not being biased. Ware is a blue chip talent too, but he wont be as good as he can be until he goes to 275-280 amd learns a few other moves.

I don't think Ware needs to add any more weight, it will take away from his ability to turn so quick in coverage, weight, and strength are 2 different things, you can weigh 20 lbs. less than a player, yet still be stronger, or as strong, for example, Ware benched more at the Combine than Merriman, all he needs is a couple more years in a NFL strength and conditioning program, same needs to be said for Merriman, and Ware has been pushing people around too, and I bet if you look at sacks, and pressures, Ware leads Merriman in that category, and I'm talking about the past 4 weeks

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I don't know why people are saying Ware is limited to one pass-rush move, did you hear Zimmer praising his array of pass-rush moves in TC? true, haven't seen very many moves in games, but he does have an array of pass-rush moves

 

[Derinyar]

Ware is becoming a standout player at a defensive position he has never played before, and teams are having to take notice of where hes at already. Imagine when he has a year or two at the position and a year or two more maturity on his frame.

Ware could well become a probowler for us next year, I would say this year but know thats unlikely. Ware is probably one of the main reasons our defense has made this huge jump in production, he makes everyone on the defense better by simply being out there. Right now I have to wonder if Merriman is a key to the SD defense or getting stats because it is a pretty good defense.

 

[bbgun]

The only team that should have regrets is Detroit, who could use Merriman or Ware more than Mike Williams.

 

[CowboysFan28]

The only team that should have regrets is Detroit, who could use Merriman or Ware more than Mike Williams.

Excellent point, bbgun.

 

[scottsp]

God forbid both kids turn out to be excellent players. And that looks to be the case.

Would that be so terrible?

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Their scheme asks for Merriman to be almost like a DE instead of a linebacker. Ware has to drop off in coverage or help bump WR's much more than Merriman is doing right now. Merriman looks like a beast and a bigger factor than Ware is right now, but just because they play the same position in a 3-4 doesn't mean that the comparison is going to be dead on.

Rich.......

 

[Paniolo22]

Remember when we were all watching the videos of Merriman and Ware? Merriman could and did blow people up, but too often he was caught out of place and watching. We were all more impressed with Merrimans teammate than him. Ware seemed much faster, and much more consistant, but without the huge hits that Merriman gave every once in a while. I think we've seen the same thing in the NFL from both players. Merriman has shown his ability to blow up people, but Ware has put consistant pressure on opposing QBs. Both are good players, and both teams are happy with their choice.

 

[31smackdown]

To me, Merriman is the kind of player that is great when given a narrow focus, let him run downhill and he will knock the snot out of you, very intense player similar to maybe a Arrington or a Trotter. I think his career will be similar and that his lack of smarts and agility will limit him in schemes, especially in coverage. Very strong, intense player that will get out of position at times, trying to make the big play, instead of being disciplined. I don't think he will ever reach the level of Peppers, Kearse(until recently) or Julianne Peterson in terms of freakish agility, strength and playmaker ability but I guess you never know.

Ware, so far has been very solid and is using his hands well to get off of blocks on run plays as well as applying pressure on passing downs. Very few if any times, do you see him out of position or getting pushed back. His progress seems to be steady each game. He hasn't dominated a game yet, but he shows up on almost every play with a positive outcome... by this I mean, he wins his 1-on-1 90% of the time, whether that means pushing his guy back, drawing a chip, holding his ground on a run play, etc... he appears to be doing his job and it's allowing others to make more plays as a result.

I think most coaches will tell you that they look for consistancy in players and that has been what Ware has been so far. He appears to be fundamentally sound and making very few mental mistakes. The rush moves and nuances will come over time as he gets a little more NFL experience and he is already making an impact in games, so its not like he has been invisible from a big play perspective.

I won't go into team player/attitude/off-field issues because those are often overlooked when it comes to on field production. I think Merriman will be a good player, but I don't think that he is better than Ware or will be better than Ware... he may show up on Sportscenter more times, but I much rather have the complete player that Ware is working towards becoming, on my defense.