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Coach Marty Schottenheimer said yesterday that LB Shawne Merriman (knee) would miss ''a minimum of two weeks.''
On the other hand, Merriman said he will be ready to play Week 1 against the Cowboys. ''It would take two armies and two naval bases to keep me from playing Dallas,'' Merriman said. Aug. 29 - 11:22 am et
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
What football players and football coaches say about an injury is often at odds.
Shawne Merriman
For a player, it seems, acknowledging the extent of an injury can sometimes be as painful as the injury itself. Coaches take a more pragmatic approach, moving on and concerning themselves with who is available to play.
Consider yesterday's scene at Chargers headquarters:
Coach Marty Schottenheimer said Shawne Merriman, the club's first pick in this year's draft, will miss "a minimum of two weeks" with a sprain of the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Merriman scoffed at the suggestion.
The important thing is that on the fringe of that two-week window is the Sept. 11 season opener against Dallas.
"It would take two armies and two naval bases to keep me from playing Dallas," said Merriman, eager to show what he can do for the Chargers and against the team that passed on him in April's draft.
Merriman injured the knee covering the opening kickoff in Friday's exhibition game at Minnesota. He never got to play linebacker against the Vikings and his experience at that position is limited to 19 plays against St. Louis eight days ago.
Merriman was walking yesterday without any difficulty or significant discomfort. After participating in a walk-through practice in the afternoon, he did not run with his teammates and instead worked in the training room. He said he is running fine.
Merriman said he could probably play in Thursday's final exhibition game against San Francisco but that he knew that was not going to happen.
"I'll be back for Dallas," he said. "I know my body. I'm going to get out there. I feel the only thing that can hold me back from the field is myself."
This can be said for Merriman: He wants to play. It should be noted when considering his diagnostic abilities, that Merriman asked to go back into Friday's game.
"I'm not a doctor, but he's not a doctor either," Schottenheimer said. "My expectation – what I've been told by the medical people – is that we're looking at a couple of weeks. Before he goes out and plays we're going to make sure he can't reinjure himself."
Merriman was not going to start anyway, and there are 15 games after Dallas in his first NFL season.
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The 12th pick overall, he has been sidelined more than he has practiced with the Chargers.
Again yesterday, the subject of Merriman's conditioning came up. Merriman has acknowledged that missing the team's offseason workouts contributed to his pulling a hamstring muscle shortly after signing a week into training camp.
Yesterday, he blamed the hamstring mostly on the fact that he dropped 9 pounds in two weeks before arriving at camp.
"He needs to make sure he stays positive and has a work ethic," veteran linebacker Steve Foley said. " . . . He's going to have to work to be the guy he wants to be. He wants to be that star. He's going to have to realize that's something he's going to have to work for."
Merriman is trying to stay positive. But this is not the start he or the Chargers envisioned.
"It's frustrating, because I can't get out there and do what I want," he said. "I know what I can do when I'm out there. The point is staying out there."
On the other hand, Merriman said he will be ready to play Week 1 against the Cowboys. ''It would take two armies and two naval bases to keep me from playing Dallas,'' Merriman said. Aug. 29 - 11:22 am et
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
What football players and football coaches say about an injury is often at odds.
Shawne Merriman
For a player, it seems, acknowledging the extent of an injury can sometimes be as painful as the injury itself. Coaches take a more pragmatic approach, moving on and concerning themselves with who is available to play.
Consider yesterday's scene at Chargers headquarters:
Coach Marty Schottenheimer said Shawne Merriman, the club's first pick in this year's draft, will miss "a minimum of two weeks" with a sprain of the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Merriman scoffed at the suggestion.
The important thing is that on the fringe of that two-week window is the Sept. 11 season opener against Dallas.
"It would take two armies and two naval bases to keep me from playing Dallas," said Merriman, eager to show what he can do for the Chargers and against the team that passed on him in April's draft.
Merriman injured the knee covering the opening kickoff in Friday's exhibition game at Minnesota. He never got to play linebacker against the Vikings and his experience at that position is limited to 19 plays against St. Louis eight days ago.
Merriman was walking yesterday without any difficulty or significant discomfort. After participating in a walk-through practice in the afternoon, he did not run with his teammates and instead worked in the training room. He said he is running fine.
Merriman said he could probably play in Thursday's final exhibition game against San Francisco but that he knew that was not going to happen.
"I'll be back for Dallas," he said. "I know my body. I'm going to get out there. I feel the only thing that can hold me back from the field is myself."
This can be said for Merriman: He wants to play. It should be noted when considering his diagnostic abilities, that Merriman asked to go back into Friday's game.
"I'm not a doctor, but he's not a doctor either," Schottenheimer said. "My expectation – what I've been told by the medical people – is that we're looking at a couple of weeks. Before he goes out and plays we're going to make sure he can't reinjure himself."
Merriman was not going to start anyway, and there are 15 games after Dallas in his first NFL season.
Advertisement
The 12th pick overall, he has been sidelined more than he has practiced with the Chargers.
Again yesterday, the subject of Merriman's conditioning came up. Merriman has acknowledged that missing the team's offseason workouts contributed to his pulling a hamstring muscle shortly after signing a week into training camp.
Yesterday, he blamed the hamstring mostly on the fact that he dropped 9 pounds in two weeks before arriving at camp.
"He needs to make sure he stays positive and has a work ethic," veteran linebacker Steve Foley said. " . . . He's going to have to work to be the guy he wants to be. He wants to be that star. He's going to have to realize that's something he's going to have to work for."
Merriman is trying to stay positive. But this is not the start he or the Chargers envisioned.
"It's frustrating, because I can't get out there and do what I want," he said. "I know what I can do when I'm out there. The point is staying out there."
