"On the day he became the Bills' general manager, Buddy Nix told us he wasn't the smartest guy in the room. That was surely the case when he re-signed Shawne Merriman.

When the news broke that the Bills had given Merriman a two-year extension last New Year's Day, it came as a shock. Merriman was due to become an unrestricted free agent, free to sell himself to the highest bidder. There was one logical explanation. It was the best offer he could get.

It was no shock when Merriman failed to justify Nix's gamble. He went on injured reserve with a sore Achilles 15 minutes into his first practice. Merriman declared himself fit for the new season, then nursed a variety of injuries until the Achilles landed him on season-ending IR this week."