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Merriman to play despite 2 torn ligaments
Jay Glazer
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FOXSports.com
99 days ago
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It appears the Chargers will have their main defensive lightning bolt after all.
Pro Bowl defensive end Shawne Merriman has informed the team that he will play this season despite having two torn knee ligaments, Merriman told FOXSports.com. "I know what's at stake," Merriman said Wednesday. "But I had a goal with the team before the season started, and I'm sticking to it." When asked how sure he was about playing, Merriman replied, "100 percent." Merriman has a torn PCL and LCL in his left knee, but has postponed the surgery necessary to deal with those issues. He sought the opinion of several noted specialists in the last week. While all of them recommended surgery, the decision was ultimately left to the player. "I'm putting the surgery off until I need it," he said. Last weekend, as Merriman pondered his upcoming decision, he acknowledged the inherent risks in playing this season.
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"It could be career-threatening if I did (play)," Merriman told The Associated Press. "It's a possibility. That possibility is still open. "To be as simple as possible, I just want to play football. That's what it comes down to. I know what's on the table, I know what's on the line. I put a lot of work in this and I want to play." Merriman, who will cohost FSN's Pro Football Preview, recently told FOXSports.com that he was looking for any glimmer of hope to be able to suit up this year for the Chargers. Merriman has made the Pro Bowl in all three seasons he's been in the league, and was twice named to the All-Pro team. The 2005 Defensive Rookie of the Year has 40 career sacks, including 17 in his sophomore campaign in 2006. Star running back LaDainian Tomlinson, knocked out of last season's AFC championship game after aggravating a knee injury, was happy to hear of Merriman's decision. "How do you tell a warrior to sit down? That's what he is, a warrior. he's trained for this. It's hard to tell a guy to sit down," Tomlinson told The Associated Press. "Obviously it was a big relief for a lot of us. We all know what Shawne brings to this team, especially the defense. He's an impact player, a difference-maker. You just kept your fingers crossed that he was going to be able to play. But I think in the back of all our minds, knowing Shawne, we know what was in his heart and that he really wanted to play, and that any cost possible he was going to find a way to get out there on that field." As he was seeking medical advice, Merriman said he was also talking with teammates, family members and friends, as well as coaches with the Chargers and from high school and college. "But they all know me," he said. "It's not a decision of anything else but me wanting to play football, and whether that's a good decision or not, I'm going to go out and try first to see what I want to do." Coach Norv Turner expects Merriman to play in the opener against Carolina at home on Sept. 7. "It is something he has put an awful lot of time into and we are going to manage it and hope he can manage it and be ready to play," Turner said. "We are not going to put him on the field if he's not able to go out and perform and he is not going to want to be out there if he doesn't feel like he can perform." Merriman said he will continue to wear a brace on the knee, as he did last season after hurting it. He worked out on a side field on Wednesday while his teammates went through a regular practice. Merriman had offseason arthroscopic surgery to repair torn cartilage in the knee. He said it didn't become a problem until he started doing more and more work during training camp. "The days he practiced out here, was going 100 percent, he looked like Shawne Merriman to me," Turner said. "It is going to be something he has to manage. I see him going out and playing. Playing on first and second downs and playing on third downs and rushing the passer. If managing it means reducing his snaps at different times or picking specific situations where he doesn't need to be on the field, that is what we will do." Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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