Skip navigation
Site powered by
Latest news:
msnbc.com: Top msnbc.com headlines: Violence widens ahead of Greek austerity vote

Here's to more Favre, and less of the Cowboys

As NFL season begins, here are some things I'd like to see, and not see

And right now, the odds are decidedly against Merriman and his gimpy knee. Now he’s being praised right now by the Chargers as a gutsy team-first soldier. They believe this is the ultimate selfless act of a true team player, and there’s no doubt that they’re right.

That’s true football mentality. You gotta play hurt.

But what happens if Merriman wrecks his knee? Remember, this is the same cold-blooded business that dickers with lawyers over injury settlements and treats its retired veterans with such utter disdain. It’s also the same business that regularly and callously discards players like so many interchangeable parts.

So will the same Chargers executives and coaches who now are praising Merriman today, still praise him again next season when his four-year deal is coming to an end and he wants a raise? Or will they frown a bit and tell him “Well we can’t pay you that kind of money. Look how much your stats went down last year when you played hurt?”

But we already know the answer to that question don’t we?

Bryan Burwell writes regularly for NBCSports.com and is a columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.


< Prev | 1 | 2

advertisement
More news
Image: Gerald Sensabaugh, Terence Newman, Mike Jenkins, DeSean Jackson
AP
Offseason needs for NFC teams

Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.

Image: Wild Card Playoffs - Pittsburgh Steelers v Denver Broncos
Getty Images
Wesseling: Offseason priorities for AFC teams

Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.