Berrian

Vikes Geek is quickly becoming one of my favorite Vikings blogs on the internet.  The writer over there doesn’t provide constant updates, but when he decides to delve into a topic he does so with unabated fervor. 

Last week, he wrote an article on Bernard Berrian that really weighed on my mind for most of the week.

Vikes Geek makes the case that Berrian should be far more productive than he has been, despite the hammy issues and the lack of preseason practice with the new quarterback.  He points to Percy Harvin, who is two spots behind Berrian on the depth chart and has been struggling with injuries of his own, as an example of how a player should respond to adversity.  He even goes so far as to suggest that Berrian is disinterested and doesn’t have his heart in it.

Combine those facts with how much Berrian is being paid, the sudden depth at wide out, the very enticing crop of free agents due to hit the market this offseason, and Berrian about to exit the prime years for a speed receiver and you might begin to think that his tenure as a Viking could end prematurely. 

There are a few ways one could defend Berrian here, and so honestly think that Vikes Geek perhaps shrugs these excuses off a little too quickly. 

First, the lack of production might surprise some people but it does not surprise me.  In fact, I predicted before the Favre signing that if Favre did indeed join the Vikings that Berrian would be a fantasy bust (it was fantasy segment).  My reasoning was looking at how Laverneous Coles and Jericho Cotchery had huge dips in their production with Favre at quarterback.  Like Berrian, these two had little time to get on the same page as Favre and the numbers showed it.

Second, Favre’s ability to spread the ball around takes targets away from Berrian and dishes them out to guys like Tahi, Dugan, Lewis, and so on.  I’m not saying Berrian isn’t targeted enough times to be productive (Sidney Rice is coping pretty well), but it does have an impact.

Third, Berrian’s hammy injuries are the same that have hobbled many of even the greatest wide outs (see: Randy Moss) throughout history.  If someone wants to question Berrian’s toughness, then perhaps they should talk to Brett Favre who lauded Berrian for playing well against the Packers when he should not have even been on the field.

Then came the Lions game.  Berrian had four drops by my unofficial count.  Sure, some of these catches are tough ones, but receivers that get paid what he does need to make at least one out four tough catches against lesser opponents.  His route running was awful, and he, in my opinion, partially confirmed the thoughts of Vikes Geek.

To Berrian’s credit, he has thrown some very nice blocks this year, which is a sign that he has improved in at least one aspect of his game.  Though, in the end, Berrian really needs to step up for the remainder of this season and post season in an effort to not fulfill Vikes Geek’s prophecy.

Vikes Geek took it a step further this week by questioning the decision to target and acquire Bernard Berrian instead of Randy Moss.  If you recall, the Vikings acquisition of Berrian was one season after the Patriots acquired Randy Moss for a fourth rounder (Vikes Geek says second rounder, but I’m pretty sure I’m right on this one).

As usual, Vikes Geek is very detailed and articulated in his argument that the Vikings should have acquired Moss back from the Raiders and never have the need to overpay a guy like Bernard Berrian.  He wonders at the thought of having Favre, Moss, Peterson, Rice, and Harvin all on the same offense.

Don’t get me wrong, Moss is one of my favorite Vikings ever and would love to think what our offense would be like with him on it, but the day dream is flawed in an existential way.  If the Vikings trade for Moss, then can they swing a trade for Jared Allen?  Does the team end up succeeding more (or failing more) to change their draft status?  Do they even get their mitts on Percy Harvin… or Sidney Rice for that matter.  Not to mention, Moss held all the cards in that trade.  If you recall, he screwed over the Packers by offering to restructure his expensive contract for the Patriots and only the Patriots.  So if the Vikings had traded for him, do they have the cap space to snag Favre… or extend Winfield… or trade for Allen?  You can see where this leads.  When exploring the past, you need to understand how it affects the present.  In 2007, if the Vikings trade a third or fourth rounder for Moss, do they then have the guts to draft Adrian Peterson who plays a position in no immediate need of upgrade, given that their chances of filling other positions later on have now become even more limited?  I, for one, hate to think about that no matter how much I love Randy Moss.

So, in the end I think one has to refrain from exploring the past beyond learning from mistakes, but rather keep your eyes moving forward.  And that is where the real trouble comes for Berrian.

Moving forward, with the eyes set on future success, is Berrian the guy we want to supplant Percy Harvin on two receiver sets? 

Only Berrian can answer that question… with how he plays over the next six to ten weeks.