"The Buffalo Bills rolled the dice when they signed Shawne Merriman to a two-year contract in the offseason, betting the oft-injured linebacker could recapture his past glory.

The gamble has been a bust.

The Bills placed Merriman on injured reserve Tuesday because of a problematic Achilles tendon that's plagued him over the last two years.

"Shawne has worked extremely hard, but, unfortunately, his Achilles flared back up, and it doesn't appear that he will be able to return to the field anytime soon," Bills General Manager Buddy Nix said in a statement released by the team. "So we felt it was in the best interest of our team and for Shawne to put him on IR.""