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The next great thing

Matthew Hill, Special to the News

Published October 9, 2006 at midnight

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Editor's note: These would-be columnists were whittled down from 146 hopefuls in our Last Columnist Typing contest. One columnist is eliminated per week — a la Survivor — until one is left at the NFL season's end. The winner will cover an event alongside the pros.

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Watch any NFL game, regardless of who is playing, and at some point, you will hear an announcer declare the greatness of a player. Ridiculous. There are good players on most teams and some teams are fortunate enough to have one or more very good players, but great is something completely different.

Great players possess traits that separate them from everyone else. A great player can will a team to victory and make his teammates better. A great player combines his superior physical ability with mental toughness and a superior work ethic. A great player makes good players look ordinary.

There are only two great players currently playing in the NFL — Ray Lewis and Brett Favre. For years, both Favre and Lewis have been their team's vocal leaders. Without either one, their teams would not have enjoyed success. Take the six-time Pro Bowl linebacker Al Wilson off the Broncos, and they would be fine. Take Lewis off the Ravens, and they would be finished. As Favre's skills diminish with age, so do the Packers' victories.

With both Lewis and Favre playing in the twilight of their careers, where then do we look to find the next great player? The answer lies under the sunny skies of San Diego.

Shawne Merriman made his mark in his first season in the NFL by earning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, a trip to the Pro Bowl and collecting 10 sacks. Opposing teams had no answer for the physical freak know as "Lights Out." He proved his nickname accurate with his savage hits, one of which ended the career of Priest Holmes.

Merriman possesses every quality essential for NFL greatness. There's not a linebacker in history that can boast of having his combination of size (6-foot-4, 272 pounds) and speed (4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash). Throw in Jerry Rice-like work ethic, and you have the making of a player that will dominate for years to come.

This is not the first time the Chargers have had a Pro Bowl linebacker. Junior Seau terrorized opposing running backs for 13 seasons in San Diego. Seau might have been the best linebacker in football for much of the '90s. He was very good. He never became great. With Seau leading them, the Chargers always had a solid, but not spectacular defense. He didn't make those around him better. He lacked the ability to will his team to victories in the same fashion of a Ray Lewis or Lawrence Taylor. This will not be the case with Merriman.

In only his second season, Merriman has turned the Charger defense into one of the most feared in football. Through the first four games of the season, the Chargers have given up a total of 36 points. Merriman deserves much of the credit. His ability to rush the quarterback, drop into coverage or inflict pain on opposing running backs make him a true game changer.

He is only getting better. He will soon be called great.