SAN DIEGO -- The lights flickered back on for Shawne Merriman, who returned to the San Diego Chargers from his four-game
steroid suspension on Monday, flashing a funky haircut and eager to
resume pounding on quarterbacks.
Merriman's first game back will be at Buffalo on Sunday, when
the AFC West-leading Chargers (9-2) will try to extend their
winning streak to six.
"I think I'll be a little bit anxious waiting for Sunday to get
here, but Sunday I'll be fine, just getting out there, flying
around, knocking some heads," the star outside linebacker said.
With plenty of time on his hands, Merriman had his nickname,
"Lights Out," carved into his hair. He earned the nickname with
his jarring hits, and he celebrates sacks by pretending to flip a
switch tattooed on his forearm, followed by a spasmodic dance.
Merriman was tied for the NFL lead with eight sacks when his
suspension began on Nov. 1. He's now tied with six other players
for the fifth-highest total.
Merriman has denied he's a steroid cheat, saying the positive
test stemmed from a tainted supplement. He has refused to identify
the supplement because his attorney has threatened a lawsuit
against the manufacturer.
Merriman, the 2005 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and a Pro
Bowl starter, knows some people will remain skeptical.
"You have to understand that the kind of person I've been and
the kind of person I am, there should be no question in nobody's
mind -- even though there will be -- about my ability on the football
field," Merriman said. "This is God-given talent and that's what
I've been showing since I've gotten on a football field. I think
over time everybody will see that and know that."
Merriman called it "a mistake" and "a hard lesson learned."
He spent a great deal of time during his suspension working out. He
said he remains at his playing weight, "but a lot angrier."
Fueled mostly by LaDainian Tomlinson's incredible touchdown
binge, the Chargers and their depleted defense went 4-0 in
Merriman's absence. That streak included consecutive rallies on the
road, when they came back from deficits of 21 points at Cincinnati
and 17 points at Denver.
"I was proud of those guys," Merriman said. "It was no doubt
in my mind that they were going to win the games when I was out. A
lot of people said they thought they'd got 2-2 without me, or 3-1.
I said, 'No, you guys are going to win it all.' I can be nothing
but proud of how they played in my absence."
Merriman's teammates gave him a hard time Monday about being on
vacation, his haircut and the tight shirt he was wearing. It was
surprising he was even wearing a shirt, because Merriman loves to
show off his physique.
"He looks fresh to me," said Tomlinson, who leads the NFL with
24 touchdowns, 21 of them coming in the last seven games. "We'll
see."
Coach Marty Schottenheimer thinks Merriman will be able to step
back in OK.
"I'm sure he's got to harness some of his energy because he's
excited about being back," the coach said. "I know he has been
working out but that's not like being out there on the practice
field all the time. But we're delighted to have him back."
Also Monday, Schottenheimer showed the team video of Vincent Jackson's boneheaded play, when the wide receiver made a diving
catch of a fourth-down pass early in the fourth quarter, rolled to
the ground untouched and then jumped up and spun the ball forward
in celebration. Oakland's Fabian Washington jumped on it, thinking
it was a fumble.
After about 10 minutes of confusion, it was ruled an illegal
forward pass and the Chargers had a first down. Four plays later,
Tomlinson hit tight end Antonio Gates with a tying, 19-yard
touchdown pass. Tomlinson scored the game-winner with 3:39 left.
Schottenheimer also was unhappy that cornerback Drayton Florence
didn't just go down after his interception deep in Chargers
territory with less than two minutes left.
"When you're dealing with young players, this stuff happens,"
Schottenheimer said. "What you have to do is be good enough
overall and perform well enough overall to overcome that stuff.
Young players, they go through certain things and you go, 'Duh!' If
they didn't have that particular thing they had to overcome, then
you wouldn't need coaches."
Schottenheimer said Jackson should have followed the "Seattle
rule" and handed the ball to an official.
The Chargers use two officials during practice, and players must
hand the ball to one of them after a play, or be fined.
"It's something we've done since I was in Kansas City, because
we had a guy who fumbled a ball and lost it in Seattle and cost us
the ballgame," Schottenheimer said. "You take the ball at the end
of every play and you hand it to an official. Well, excitement
overrode good judgment and we're sitting there staring at it."