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David Merritt

David Merritt is in his sixth season on the Giants' coaching staff and his fourth as the team's secondary coach/safeties.

Merritt has demonstrated a knack for developing players who were not highly-touted entering the NFL. Last year's starting safeties were Michael Johnson, a seventh-round draft choice, and James Butler, who originally joined the team as an undrafted free agent. Johnson and Butler tied for second on the 2008 Giants with 76 tackles apiece. They also combined for five interceptions. Kenny Phillips, the team's first-round draft choice in 2008, assumed a larger role as the season progressed. He played in every game, starting three, and is expected to contribute for many years to come.

In the Giants' 2007 Super Bowl season, one of the team's most productive defensive players was free safety Gibril Wilson, who arrived as a fifth-round draft choice. Wilson led the club with 33 postseason tackles, was second with 96 regular season tackles and was one of the top free agent safeties in 2008.

Merritt assumed his current position prior to the 2006 season. In 2005, he was the Giants' defensive assistant coach. The previous year, he had the additional title of quality control coach. Merritt was hired by Tom Coughlin on Jan. 26, 2004 after spending three seasons with the Jets as a defensive assistant/linebackers coach.

Before joining the Jets, Merritt coached at the collegiate level for four seasons. In 1997, he was the outside linebackers coach at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. The following year, Merritt moved to the Virginia Military Institute, where he coached the defensive ends and outside linebackers for one season and the defensive line for two.

A linebacker, Merritt was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1993. He played for the Arizona Cardinals from 1993-96 and for the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe in 1997. Merritt was an All-ACC linebacker at North Carolina State in 1992. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from N.C. State.

Merritt and his wife Yolonda have three sons, David Jr., Devin and Dawson and a daughter, Drayah. He also has an older daughter, Kiki, who lives in North Carolina.

                                                MERRITT AT A GLANCE

1997...................University of Tennessee-Chattanooga..........outside linebackers coach
1998...................Virginia Military Institute...........def. ends and outside linebackers coach
1999-2000............Virginia Military Institute...............................defensive line coach
2001-03................New York Jets................................defensive assistant/linebackers
2004.......................New York Giants..........................defensive assistant/quality control
2005.....................New York Giants......................................defensive assistant
2006-09.................New York Giants...............................secondary coach/safeties