Pacifist Viking - What Should The Vikings Expect From Bernard Berrian?

Joe Fischer is a split personality: a mild-mannered English teacher that turns into a raving, obsessive lunatic when the subject turns to the Minnesota Vikings. He blogs at Pacifist Viking, and will share his thoughts on the Beloved Purple here at 10,000 Takes.

What Should The Vikings Expect From Bernard Berrian?

The Vikings’ biggest weakness in 2007 was, in my opinion, the wide receiver position. One reason the quarterbacks struggled was because they had no wide receivers they could consistently rely on to make plays. Their best wide receiver was Bobby Wade, who can only reasonably be described as a competent number three receiver. Whatever struggles Tarvaris Jackson may have had, we should remember that he was throwing to receivers who either failed to get separation from defenders, or dropped passes.

The Vikings have attempted to fill this desperate need by signing Bernard Berrian.

Since Berrian has played his entire career in Chicago, it’s hard to know how good he really is. Chicago’s quarterbacks have been, well, inconsistent, during his entire career, and Chicago is not a place that traditionally allows a good passing game throughout the season. Berrian did have 71 catches for 951 yards receiving last season, and was actually on pace for 80-1,090 before Kyle Orton took over for the last three games of the season. And in his eight games away from Soldier Field, Berrian had 40 catches for 562 yards.

Now Berrian is moving to play most of his games in a dome, on a team with a slightly better quarterback situation (The Vikes as a team averaged 6.8 yards per pass attempt last season, bettering the Bears’ 6.5), and a spectacular running game that should allow Berrian to get some good coverages and get downfield.

Berrian definitely has the ability to be a 1,000 yard receiver, and I would expect that sometime in his career, he will be. In 2008, I’m not sure what his numbers will be, but I expect his presence to make a big difference. Last season, the Vikings often had one receiver run a deep route, while a receiver from the opposite side of the field ran a cross to fill the open space. I’m envisioning this scenario working out really well: Berrian lines up on the right, Bobby Wade lines up on the left (perhaps in the slot on the left). The Vikings fake a handoff to Adrian Peterson, and Tarvaris Jackson rolls right (he’s mobile, and can throw pretty well on the run). Berrian runs a deep route, and Jackson’s rollout gives Berrian time to get downfield and gives Jackson a clear view. And if Berrian is covered, Bobby Wade comes from the other side of the field to give Jackson an easy completion opportunity.

That’s just one of the ways Berrian can impact this team. If he can show early on that he’s a legitimate deep threat, teams have to account for him, allowing Wade some space (and while Wade doesn’t get downfield to make plays, he can work the shorter patterns fairly well). Berrian may also prevent teams from clogging up near the line of scrimmage to stop Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor (in a December game last season, the Bears came out with a nine man front, showing absolutely no fear of the Vikings’ passing game).

Those are possibilities. And there’s also the possibility that fear of the Vikings’ running game still means an eight-man front, and Berrian has some space to work with, and Jackson will have a reliable playmaker to connect with on some deep passes. That’s the hope, anyway.

(all statistical data gathered from http://www.pro-football-reference.com)