Shawne Merriman has struggled to stay healthy for the Buffalo Bills since he was picked up off waivers from the Chargers in 2010. Merriman has battled an Achilles problem since 2009 and saw his first full season with Buffalo in 2011 barely get off the ground. He showed flashes of his game in the preseason, but his Achilles issues re-surfaced not long after the regular season began. Those problems eventually forced him to prematurely shut it down for another year after just five games. “Obviously I was disappointed because I didn’t finish the season and I wasn’t out there helping the guys on the field,†Merriman told Chris Brown of Buffalobills.com. “To sit back and watch them and not being there was disheartening for me. At the same time I was kind of relieved too because this is something that had been going on for three years where it had been undecided on what to do and the best route to take. “The Achilles is such a unique injury. It’s not one of those things where you look at it and say, ‘Let’s go fix it right now.’ But we reached a point where it was time to get it done. I was very pleased as far as how things went with the surgery. I feel great now. Obviously I’m still in a bit of rehab process with slight limitations. For the most part though, I feel great.†“Now I get a chance to have a full offseason. I had all kinds of restrictions and limitations with things I couldn’t do last year because of my Achilles,†said Merriman in reference to his very curtailed workload in training camp last summer. “Now it’s a different scenario. Now by the time May comes around and runs into June I’ll be at full stride and be able to do everything and work out with my teammates. Starting today and going all the way up to the season it’s a completely different story than I’ve had the past three years.†Source: Author, Source
He looked good early last year, but then got injured again. If he can stay healthy, he can have his best year in along time with all the talent the Bills have on the d-line.
