Chargers' Merriman will forgo surgery, play with knee injury

[GTripp0012]

I really don't think we have enough medical information on this case to really know if Merriman is a dead man walking out there.

The doctors are recommending him to shut it down, or at least that's what's been reported. But maybe they aren't recommending him to do so because they think his career is in danger. Maybe they just think that he might compromise his effectiveness for this season if he does play. That's possible I think.

If that's the reason, why not give it a try? If the alternative to having surgery is to play, and possibly risk a midseason injury and then...he has to have surgery, the only thing that changes is the timetable for his return...which is essentially offset by the time he's putting in now.

I think Merriman is doing the right thing. If the team feels his effectiveness is compromised, the ball is in their court to get him on IR so that they can get a more effective, healthier player in there.