Merriman thinking present, Va. Tech thinking future
Who doesn’t care about two torn knee ligaments? Shawne Merriman, that’s who.
Instead of having surgery on his troublesome left knee, San Diego’s star pass rusher is ignoring the pain - and doctor’s opinions - and playing this season.
Where’s Mike Gundy when you need him? He’s a man! He’s 40 24!
Okay, on one very, very, very, very, very tiny, microscopic hand, an admirable decision by Merriman. And shoot, if he can rack up double-digit sacks for the fourth straight season on a busted knee, then you may as well engrave his name on the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award right now.
Merriman is taking a big, big risk by playing this season. He’s been told that he could risk a career-ending injury by playing this season instead of having surgery, and while I can understand the motivation, logic needs to take over sometimes.
There’s a chance that he could make it through the season without doing irreparable damage to the knee, but what happens that one time he gets caught in a pile, gets taken out on a block or a tackle, or lands/steps/plants awkwardly? That won’t take long either.
Helping your team win a Super Bowl is priceless. But seriously man, chill from the sidelines, get better, and give quarterbacks a break from having nightmares for a season, because this isn’t the only time you’ll have a chance to win a championship.
While Merriman is thinking of the present, Virginia Tech is thinking of the present and the future with their decision to name senior Sean Glennon the starting quarterback and redshirt sophomore Tyrod Taylor.
Instead of going with a two-quarterback system, mixing up the pocket passer and the athletic playmaker, Glennon has been given the reins, with senior Cory Holt slotting in as his backup.
It’s a good plan in theory, because instead of Taylor being a part-timer again, he gets to sit, fine tune his game, and take over in 2009 with three seasons to play. And Beamer is going with an experienced starter and a guy who has had success in his career.
But, will Beamer regret this decision if Glennon starts to struggle mightily? Well, it seems they want to stick to this plan provided Glennon doesn’t get hurt, and that means that it’s not only a show of faith in Glennon, but also in Holt, who doesn’t have much in the way of game experience, but is a fifth-year senior who knows the ropes and should at least be able to manage the game well if he’s called on.
It won’t take too long to see if this plan lasts for the long term, since the Hokies open the season against a solid East Carolina squad, then face Georgia Tech, North Carolina (road), and Nebraska (road) before September’s out.
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