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| 4th January, 2006 - 8:45 pm |  ESPN - Shawne Merriman's relentless style of play made an immediate mark in the NFL, earning him The Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
The San Diego linebacker, known as "Lights Out" for his hard hits and aggressive demeanor, received 28? votes Wednesday from a nationwide panel of sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league. He easily beat Seattle linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who got 16?.
All the players receiving votes played linebacker in some form this season. Behind Merriman and Tatupu were Odell Thurman of Cincinnati with four votes and DaMarcus Ware of Dallas with one.
While all of them were standouts, Merriman showed the most explosiveness and made more spotlight-grabbing plays. As anyone with the nickname "Lights Out" would expect.
After being picked 12th in the draft out of Maryland, Merriman had a shaky start with the Chargers when his agent held him out of offseason workouts until he signed a contract. Despite fears of protracted negotiations, he missed only a week of training camp before signing a deal potentially worth $15.73 million, with $9 million guaranteed. [READ] |
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