Merriman decides knee surgery can wait

The surgeon's knife can wait. Shawne Merriman is going to play football, two torn knee ligaments and all.

A day after visiting a fourth doctor, the San Diego Chargers' All-Pro outside linebacker decided yesterday to play this season rather than have his damaged left knee repaired now.

"To be as simple as possible, I just want to play football," Merriman said. "That's what it comes down to. I know what's on the table, I know what's on the line. I put a lot of work in this and I want to play."

Merriman said late last week that he has tears in both the posterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments in his left knee, which he injured in a game at Tennessee last December. He spent several days seeking outside opinions. He returned Tuesday after seeing a doctor in Miami.

Merriman said all four doctors told him he needed surgery, but there "just wasn't a time frame on that. My knee still looks pretty good. The decision was left up to me to play. If you give a football player a decision to play, you know, I'm going to play."

When he does have surgery, he'll be looking at a rehab of 6-7 months.

"I'll have the surgery at any point," he said. "Nobody knows. I kind of left it on the table when to have it. Not even doctors can tell me that."

Coach Norv Turner expects Merriman to play in the opener against Carolina at home Sept. 7.

"It is something he has put an awful lot of time into and we are going to manage it and hope he can manage it and be ready to play," Turner said. "We are not going to put him on the field if he's not able to go out and perform and he is not going to want to be out there if he doesn't feel like he can perform."

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