San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman was arrested this morning and accused of choking his girlfriend (a reality TV “star” on some MTV show) Tila Nguyen (aka Tila Tequila), as she tried to leave his suburban home. Tila signed a citizen’s arrest warrant charging Shawne with battery and false imprisonment. Shawne, on the other hand, was taken into custody and booked and then later released. It was not known whether he posted bail or was released on his own recognizance. Police determined that Tila had been drinking and it’s likely Shawne will say he was trying to prevent her from …read more

San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman has fully healed from the knee surgery that caused him to miss most of last season. And with three full seasons behind him, he’s back with a vengeance and eager to show people how he’s living in the present:
“People haven’t seen the best of me, not at all. In the past, I would tell someone, ‘I’m about to go out and just kill it this year.’ Now, I want people to just watch. I had enough doubters around before, and some people felt like I was just talking (trash) or just …read more

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
On the heels of a 37-32 loss to the New Orleans Saints at London’s Wembley Stadium this past weekend (NFL International Series), the San Diego Chargers fired defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell and promoted linebackers coach Ron Rivera to take his place effective immediately. Chargers head coach Norv Turner made the announcement at an afternoon presser today:
“There are a lot of things that went into the decision. There are areas that we just have to play better and we have to improve. Over the next 10 days those are the areas that we are going to …read more

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
Shawne Merriman has come to his senses. Rather than attempt to play the remainder of the 2008 NFL season with two torn ligaments in his left knee, he decided to heed doctors orders (lots of doctors) and have season-ending knee surgery. Chargers GM A.J. Smith issued the following statement today:
“Shawne informed me he did not feel right (on the field) and thought it best to shut it down. The road to winning the AFC West just got more difficult, but not impossible. Nothing is impossible. Shawne is a great player and an inspirational leader. He …read more

Getty Images
National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
San Diego Chargers All-Pro linebacker Shawne Merriman has decided to ignore the advice of expert orthopedists to have surgery to repair two torn ligaments in his left knee and play this 2008 season. I received a press release from the Chargers today and I couldn’t believe what I was reading. And in a text message with the San Diego Tribune Shawne said:
“I’m going to play. I’ll deal with it when it’s time to get surgery.”
If you ask anyone who has a clue, the time to get surgery is now because Shawne’s been advised if …read more

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
San Diego Chargers Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman made it public that he has two torn ligaments (PCL and LCL) in his left knee and has been told by doctors that he could suffer a possible career-ending injury if he attempts to play without having surgery. But apparently Shawne’s been playing on the bum knee since last season so he’s actually considering continuing to play on it:
“It could be career-threatening if I did (play). It’s a possibility. That possibility is still open. They’ve all said the same things about the injury. (They’re) kind of surprised …read more

NikeFootball.com
Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL
Check out the new Nike Football “Proving Ground” ads featuring Larry Fitzgerald, LaDainian Tomlinson, Shawne Merriman and Champ Bailey. Everything Nike Football can be found at NikeFootball.com.

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
The New England Patriots and San Diego Chargers lead the AFC’s 2008 Pro Bowl squad with a conference-high eight players each. New England’s eight All-Stars equals a franchise high set by the 1985 Pats. The AFC roster includes 18 first-time All-Stars, including Cincinnati WR T.J. Houshmanzadeh, who leads the NFL with 101 receptions.

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
A couple weeks ago, I predicted San Diego Chargers LB Shawne Merriman would win your votes to become the cover athlete for the EA Sports BIG video game NFL Tour. Well, it’s official. Shawne did win, the cover is done and the game will be out in January.
And as long as I’m on the subject of video games, I found a great source of coverage at GamesRadar.com. Not only does the site look cool at first visit, but it’s loaded with good writing and tons of cheats (Xbox cheats, Playstation 2 cheats), downloads, …read more

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
The cover athlete for NFL Tour, a new NFL licensed arcade football video game from my friends at EA Sports, will be determined through an open online voting process. Voters will be able to choose between Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney, or San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman. At the end of the voting process, the NFL player who receives the most votes will be announced as the official cover athlete for NFL Tour. To get in on the action, check out voteNFLtour.com.
NFL Tour will offer …read more