On Tuesday, Chargers G.M. A.J. Smith called out his team, publicly describing the players as at times “soft and bewildered,” and expressing embarrassment regarding their overall performance.
At least one player on the team wasn’t pleased. And he said so.
Need three guesses as to who it is? (Hopefully not, given that his surname is in the headline.)
Said linebacker Shawne Merriman, “I don’t know too much of that. That’s an opinion of a person, and it’s not needed. We know that we have to play better. We met for an extra hour and a half as a defense as a whole to discuss what we need to do and things we need to do to get better. And we’re going to make adjustments in this locker room as far as players and our attitudes and getting after people a little more. But all that extra [stuff] is not needed at all.”
Merriman seemed to be particularly miffed that the criticism came from someone other than a member of the team, even though the criticism came from the guy who built the team.
“The only opinions that matter to me are the ones in this locker room. Anything else, it doesn’t matter,” he said.
Here’s the reality -- Merriman is only going to be in that locker room for another 12 regular-season games, plus any playoff teams that the Chargers are able to muster.
If that long.
