Reaction to the Jets game and Shawne Merriman

Yes, I’m a little late to the party for Merriman resigning and the Jets game, but when you are staying with your parents in Pendelton, NY for a couple of weeks, finding the Internet can be a bitch.

Look, as I said last week, I didn’t really care if the Bills lost this game against New York. To me, this was going to be a preseason game because Rex Ryan was going to rest his starters. Not only did he rest his starters, but his starting QB didn’t even throw a pass. On the other hand, I kind of think the Bills had the same idea by resting Ryan Fitzpatrick, when he more than likely probably could have played if needed.

Frankly, it was a smart move on all ends of the spectrum.The Bills would have gained nothing if they won this game. Sorry, but beating Mark Brunell and some dude named McKnight wouldn’t have mattered a hill of beans to me. Plus, the Bills were a disaster on offense coming into this game. Not only did they have Brian Brohm (Hi, remember when people wanted me to start?) playing, but they had offensive lineman starting who were named after fruit (Some dude named Pears) and an actor from Fast Times from Ridgemont High school (I think his name was Reinholt or something?). Oh, and they had 3 healthy wide receivers playing in this game.

As for the Bills run defense, which seems to be getting the blunt of the criticism today, please tell me something I didn’t know. This is exactly what I’ve been saying since last year. They suck against the run and need at least 2-3 new starters on the front seven. 

Maybe I’m going too soft on the Bills for yesterday’s performance, as it was only two weeks ago that I wanted the Bills to run the table against the Pats and Jets, but as I wrote earlier, beating the Jets back-ups isn’t anything to write home about. Last week, I wrote that the Bills were light years away from beating the Patriots and that still would have held true whether they beat the Jets or not.

Frankly, I checked out of the Bills season once it was announced that this would be a preseason game.

I have to say, I do find it funny when some talking heads were all over the Bills in wanting them to throw this game, and when it seemed like they were kind of doing it by starting Brohm, the talking heads continued to bash the team’s performance. I mean, isn’t this what you all wanted!? Didn’t The Bulldog, Mike Schopp and Jerry Sullivan preach losing out? Well, they got their wish and frankly, I feel bad for the fans who wanted this because for me, it was way better to cheer for the team to win all their games, only to have the third pick, than it was to cheer for the Bills to lose all their games for the first pick.  

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Now to Shawne Merriman. Look, I don’t get what the hell the fuss is about hating the signing. If the guy stinks in training camp, guess what they do? They cut him. To me, nothing really should have changed since the Bills claimed him off waivers. Yes, he got injured 15 minutes into practice, but it’s still a low risk, high reward. The Bills are desperate for outside pass rushers and if Merriman is what he was in 2006, we win. If not, cut his ass.  

As for the negatives as to why he decided to stay here instead of testing the market, it’s pretty simple: He wasn’t going to get this contract in the open market because he had absolutely no leverage. None. You can’t get 5-million per when you haven’t played in years. Now, did the Bills overpay? Your damn right they did, and they’ll probably have to do that for the next 2-3 years for all their players. Fans need to realize that this destination isn’t a hot one.

So, for every player that signs with the Bills via free agency, he is going to get overpaid. Period. That’s just how it is. When you suck for 11 years, that’s the price you are going to pay. However, it’s fricken 2.5 million guaranteed. Is it really that big of a risk? And please, don’t tell me this is like the Tim Connolly signing, which Jerry Sullivan and others seem to reference. For one, Merriman was way better of a player in his prime than Tiny Tim was. Secondly, the Bills aren’t on the hook for his 10-million dollar deal, unlike how the Sabres are with Connolly.

As for other side notes on the signing, I know some pundits have pointed out that this is all on Buddy Nix trying to tell AJ Smith to shove it. I know they had a falling out, but I’d like to believe that Nix is the guy who scouted Merriman and he still thinks he can play. Now, I think it would behove the Bills to try and find insurance behind Merriman via the draft, trade or free agency. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Merriman should just be a small piece to the overhaulment of the Bills front seven.

As for how this effects the Bills roster, I think we can say goodbye to Aaron Maybin. When Coach Gailey says his time is tenuous on the roster, the writing is pretty much on the wall.