Shawne Merriman

Manning had made it clear he was not interested in playing for the Chargers, in a similar fashion to John Elway in 1983 when selected by the Baltimore Colts.

Shawne DeAndre Merriman (born May 25, 1984), nicknamed "Lights Out", is an American former professional football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL).

During his freshman campaign in 2002, Merriman appeared in 13 games and finished third on the team with 5 sacks.

He battled injuries for the bulk of his sophomore season, but never missed a game.

He broke onto the national scene his junior year, in which he was named to the ACC All-Conference team and earned the Iron Terp award for the "strongest pound for pound player" on the Maryland football roster.

His 41.5" vertical jump in 2003 was the best ever by a Maryland defensive lineman to that point.

He was selected using a pick acquired from the New York Giants as part of the Rivers-Manning trade during the 2004 NFL Draft.

The Giants traded Philip Rivers (selected 4th overall in the 2004 Draft), and their 1st round selection for the following year (amongst others) for the rights to sign Eli Manning, who had been selected by the San Diego Chargers with the 1st overall pick that year.

He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins and was selected 12th overall by the San Diego Chargers in the 2005 NFL Draft.

He earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in his first season and recorded quarterback sacks in his first three seasons, also making three Pro Bowls as well as two All-Pro selections.

Merriman was drafted in the first round (12th overall) in the 2005 NFL Draft out of the University of Maryland by the San Diego Chargers.

The Giants draft pick ended up being the 12th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.

The Chargers used that selection to take Merriman.

On August 1, after a long holdout period, Merriman signed a 5-year, $11.5 million contract that included $9 million in guarantees and $4 million in incentives.

Merriman started off his 2005 rookie year on the inactive list and completed a 10-day hold out from training camp.

He did not break the starting lineup until week 7, but recorded 6 sacks in his first 4 starts.

He was voted into the Pro Bowl as an OLB after playing the position for the San Diego Chargers in their 3–4 defensive scheme which is the same position he played at the University of Maryland.

Merriman's best game of the year came in week 15 when the Chargers handed the Indianapolis Colts their first loss of the season.

Merriman recorded 2 sacks and 2 tackles for a loss, one of which stopped Peyton Manning for a 6-yard loss on 4th and goal.

It was during this game that Shawne Merriman garnered much national media coverage and in the following week made the Pro Bowl.

The Chargers would go 9–7 in 2005, taking down both the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and the 14–0 Indianapolis Colts

On January 4, 2006, Merriman was awarded with The Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

He received 281⁄2 votes of a panel of 50 NFL sportswriters and broadcasters.

He beat Seattle Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who received 161⁄2 votes, Cincinnati linebacker Odell Thurman, with 4, and Dallas linebacker DeMarcus Ware, with one.

On February 12, 2006, Merriman participated in the 2006 NFL Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Although in a losing effort, Merriman made 3 tackles and forced one fumble.

"I enjoyed myself the whole entire week", said Merriman.

"I topped it off today by playing the entire game with all the guys I grew up watching. It's going to be my first of many if I just keep working hard."

On October 22, 2006, reports were made public by CNN that Merriman would face a 4-game suspension for violating the NFL's steroid policy.

He was hampered by injuries his next three seasons, and the Chargers waived Merriman midseason in 2010.

He was picked up through waivers by the Buffalo Bills that season, but he only played minimally with the Bills due to continued injuries.

He was released by the Bills before the 2012 season however, they re-signed him midseason.

He retired at the end of the 2012 season.

Merriman grew up in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

He earned his nickname "Lights Out" at Frederick Douglass High School, where he rendered four opposing players unconscious in one game, three in the first half and one in the second half.

Merriman started three years on both the varsity football and basketball teams.

On the hardwood, Merriman was named one of the top five basketball defenders in the D.C. area by The Washington Post.

For his football performance during his senior year, he was selected to the first team all-state and named Maryland Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press.

He also played some tight end in high school.

Despite being heavily recruited, Merriman stayed in-state for college and attended the University of Maryland, where he played for the Maryland Terrapins football team.