Shawne Merriman Talks 2006 AFC Divisional Round vs. Patriots – Zolak & Bertrand

Shawne Merriman joined Zolak & Bertrand live from Super Bowl Radio Row to discuss old Chargers vs. Patriots memories.

Now 2006 all right let me just go ahead jump right let goe jump right it settle in bring it in now I heard now I don’t know if this true or not I heard they slipped a picture under all the like the players doors of me doing a lights out

Dance so that’s where when we lost where the whole team was doing the lights the lights out dance so I think that’s you know Rosevelt Coleman and and Vincent War which by the way I’m good with everybody now Richard seore all those are my guys but at the time big Vegas

Guy now though yeah yeah look at the time I I I don’t think I’ve never been so pissed off before in my life right because it was it was you know it was for me it was it was coordinated it was it was like it was like one or two guy I

Looked over at half the sidelines of doing I’m like God everybody was doing it but Tom I think do that he doesn’t do it but um you know it was crazy man I when you get away from the game you you start to appreciate those times a lot

More and the further further way you get you remember the locker room then you remember the battles even the ones that you lost we got you know we got kicked out the playoffs twice right by by the Patriots but at the time you like a I

Pissed off man you like hold on man I had a couple sacks against Tom Brady in you know CH Championship Games I’ve you know had big games and and AFC championship games and so forth so you just you you reflect in those times you appreciate them more that year that good

They get the dance right were they doing it right like you look over they did it pretty good best was Philip Rivers you’re sorry ass Corner sorest Corner in the league well you know what happened with that I didn’t see because my head was down you

Know we just lost I’m I’m crushed right and I look over to the middle of field and Philip Rivers and LT is in the middle about to throw down about to get into a real fight and that’s when I got up and realized oh if something went

Down I didn’t know that they did it fully until after the game when local news that’s when I really found out how many of them did it and they were yelling in the hallway I remember that they were screaming lights out outside their I remember like Rosell Coleman and

All these guys like life I said oh man screaming he was one of those guys I I still think it’s a sensitive topic with leanian Tomlin in a little bit you mentioned that that he was out there ready to throw down I don’t I don’t think he likes talking about that I

Remember a few years ago seeing him at the Super Bowl he’s like we’re not going there like okay we’re not the jet like then Rex got him going on the Patriot hatred too with the Jets yeah I mean you guys are 14 and two

Did you ever look at it and say you know before that game especially we’re 14 into we’re at home look at these guys were wag uh you know there’s no way they’re going to beat it did you look at it and just say not that you disrespected him but just we’re we’re a

Better team we’re more talent I think I think that we felt like we were a more dominant team at that at that time and this is why you know when people ask me about the Super Bowl that’s coming up why I feel like KC is in that in that

Situation where they just know how to win we were better right we’re twise we’re a better team but you get to a point man where teams just know how to win right no stupid penalties no personal fouls no taunting all they just know how to win they’re just going to

Capitalize off your mistakes and I look back on the now like those are the teams to win so at the time you’re like man how did this happen you look at the game and M McCree who had the interception towards the end and got stripped and and

They got it back whatnot and you look at like man we were the better team but teams that know how to win in these situations just do and that’s what I think we have in this game this week I think you look at San Francisco’s roster they are a more talented team they’ve

Got a lot of star players on that team Kansas city has the quarterback they’ve got that guy and the thing they’ve got on their side is the experience of being here and having done it and so if Kansas City wins I think we’re going to look

Back at that and say they had a guy who’s done it before that’s how that’s how they beat a better team right they didn’t sort of have those mistakes in the most critical moments I don’t think Kansas City should be here you know not not disrespecting wise I’m just saying

Baltimore if they took Baltimore was a better team you know there’s a couple teams that were better than them like we go back to just know how to win talent wise it was other teams better than them and they found themselves back in the same same situation that reminds you 06

Though the way Baltimore didn’t feel like ready going offense kind of got caught up in that game then Mahomes took that first drive down yeah it was it was it was very much so I mean I came out the gate I remember I had a big hit on

Tom early on in the game I hit him you know behind and so they kind of started to Temple off so I feel like the momentum was swinging our way and then one mistake two mistakes I think we had a a personal foul one of the guys head

But another guy extended you know 15 yards and they capitalized scored in that drive I believe so it it was just it was so similar when I’m watching that game and I’m like man BTSD how much would you be finding in the league now with all the new roles

That protects quarterbacks oh man I’ll be playing for free it’s sad it’s really it you know I’m former quarterback and I I think it’s BS I think it’s BS the way they protect them I I I understand them trying to take care of guys right the helmet helmet I mean I remember when

Like guys like Hans Ward will come and try to break your draw on the on a crack block right they took they took that away so I the um the head to helmet stuff and crack back the main parts of getting a guy hurt I think that they’re getting over protective where they

Taking the passion the love away from the game because let’s let’s be honest man that’s this is why the country love football man the violence the physicality of it you start taking away these emotions and stuff you’re taking away also from the fans and that that

Part I do worry about a little bit you mentioned the love of football and and uh as Beetle said we talked with Michelle Beetle earlier and she said we were talking about the Chargers the LA Chargers he said well then two people I know who care about the LA Chargers say

This I think of you I think San Diego Chargers is it strange for you to think Chargers Los Angeles and is there a a connection do you sense any connection between that community and the Chargers I um Let me let me tell you the people that just don’t know and understand so

San Diego fans and people of San Diego just don’t like La people that’s where the whole thing started at from this jump it wasn’t even they could could have went to Orange County they could have went to Irvine they could have went to anywhere else they could have went to

Vegas and have got less hate than they did moving to LA because the San Diego just did not want people want the fans to migrate up to LA right and so there was a problem I remember when in the smaller stadium that soccer stadium they had it was 50/50 and it’s only 40,000

People there it was 20,000 other people’s fans now when they drive to Justin Herbert and they started gain that regain that fan base back you saw people migrating up there again and then also building a new fan base so I’ll tell you the the hardest thing so I

Announced a 2017 draft in Tennessee right and that’s when they just had went to the LA charges what was it in Tennessee right 2017 yeah so I walked out mind you the draft is already nerve-wracking in the first place right there’s 100 plus thousand people out

There and I don’t care big I don’t care I don’t care who you are you’re ner it’s nerve-wracking so I walked out and I was like don’t give me a hard name and say la Chargers cuz I’m I’m going to mess this up I know it right so I had n

Adalie right I was like okay that’s not terrible and then I had to remember walking out to 100,000 plus people to say Los Angeles Chargers and not San Diego because I think that we’re all used to saying I still do it today still do it San Diego charges so I was like I

Got that down I think it took about for me personally about a good two years of okay the team is in the LA now this is the LA Chargers and this is what it’s going to be and they’re not going back what was better the San Diego superchargers fight song or the Trick

Daddy tiet to the house on touchdown I like the Trick Daddy the house oh man but LT was scoring all them what he have 21 at that year yeah Jesus I I like I don’t know I like that that San Diego yeah yeah we’ve got an edit we’ve got an

Edit that I hope uh T-Bone back in Boston could pull for us that we made when the Chargers moved because we needed to edit the song so that we could continue to keep playing greatest anthem of an NFL team of that era ever um but I

Was going to ask you as a player oh hey here we go wait for it wait for it Here we Goes y’ y’all didn’t tell me y had a remix yeah yeah well we had to do it someone had to do it else is going to do it we had D nice I just need to know who did that who who did that voice over when that

That’s what that be our friend Hardy who took care of Hey Hardy good he’s not with us anymore he left our show he went to mornings but uh I was going to ask you someone who played against competed against Bill bich as head coach yeah what did you make of him

Uh we think it was a firing he’s pushed out but what did you make of him no longer being the Patriots head coach I think it was it was time right um they gave him an ample amount of time when Tom left to see what he got what he can

Do on his own what he can work with and it just didn’t go well for him right he didn’t win a lot of games after Tom left he wasn’t as good anymore so I think the um that Patriots way kind of died out with with Tom leaving because he was a

Big part of it culture um the culture that what he establish in that building the the levels that everybody else had to raise there just walking around like I can imagine being late to practice or being late to the a film session or meeting and Tom Brady sitting there you

Just you can’t do it and so cuz he’s always on time he’s and he’s much bigger name so I think that the when it left they had had to make a decision and I and I got a really good relationship with uh you know Mr craft with Robert

Craft you we we talk um quite often a couple times a year we’ll get together um posts and stuff we’ll meet up and just talk and uh I I I don’t think they wanted to do it I I think they had to that they established you know the new

Regime there with with uh with mayo what’s he talk talking about Mr craft so like picking former players and I know he does us a lot with guys and you know artists and tries to tries to get everybody’s opinion on what do he talking about that’s what he did so he

He asks me really um of how close we were wor with with uh Dean Spanos and the ownership and um he was telling me and this was this was U one of the this why I love him to death man to be honest um he said that he the reason why he

Love owning the team one of the biggest reasons is because he get a chance to be around the guys and uh when his wife had had passed away that guys were going to seal woler all these guys were going to sleep at his house sleeping as home

Because uh you know he he just said he wouldn’t have made it if the guys and so he said that was the best part about him owning a team and I and I that that speaks that’s why they you know got Rings right because you can tell how he

Is with his with his team and his players and how much he cares man and I I just you know appreciate the time that I get to spin around them when we when we do when you you look at uh some of the coaches now in the game former

Players you know demo Ryans you know had a great uh great season with Houston Gerard Mayo is taking over in New New England we’ll see what happens here but some of the former players are getting you know Buy in from guys is that the trend we’re heading in and and if so

What do you think players current players are looking for from coaches I it’s definitely a trend and um somebody had to break the m and I always said this that if a former player with as much knowledge of of game knowledge and actually you know watching film

Knowledge can fill figure out a way to be a coach and then manage the team cuz that’s the biggest thing it’s not how much you know about the game it’s it’s you’re you’re a manager of personalities you’re a manager of coaching staff you’re a manager of front office and you

Kind of got of you know run traffic with everyone and I was just saying the other day about Antonio pz like that’s going to be his his biggest hurdle right he’s he’s smart as hell as far as knowledge of the game he played it the players are

Played for him now he has to learn how to manage a team that’s that’s what so that’s why they brought in Marvin lewi and kind of built him a a little I guess what do you call like a staff of people around him who can help him and direct

You need the guidance yeah cuz it it is somewhat new yeah it is and and that’s that’s the biggest part like the Crosby went to bat for him and said you know I’m get me out of here if he’s not the coach he and by the way Crosby was the

Only vocal one there was about 10 guys Devonte Adams there was like a lot of there were about 10 guys who didn’t get mention who I know personally in the media that went up to went up to uh uh Davis Miss Davis and said look we’re out

If you guys make another bad decision like we did we just we going to ask for a trade it was multiple guys and so uh I think that you needed someone to break de Mo Deo Ryan all these guys did Mayo if they start having success you’re

Going to see more more former players that go through the coaching rankings right assistant linebacker coach linebacker coach assistant DC DC and then get that head coach in position because they’re winning all right we got one more thing to mention we’re letting him go we’re letting him go we’ve we’ve

Got tweets people have tweeted us Tbone just let me know people on TV back in Boston across New England have noticed the tattoo on your neck which reads so what’s it say finish strongish strong we have a thing on this show called finish strong Friday it’s a finish strong

Tuesday this week this Shawn marman that’s one of our things around here finish strong buddy you got to have you got to have a promo hey it’s Sean marman for finish strong Fridays on zolak and BR we’ll bring you back Friday to start the show might have to might have to do

Great Sean marman great to have you here