Berrian introducing Bears to vertical attack

By Paul Eide  |   Tuesday, October 03, 2006  |  Comments( 1 )

Chicago Bears
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Largely a forgotten man during training camp, the Chicago Bears' Bernard Berrian is emerging as a bona fide big-play receiver.

After accumulating 103 receiving yards and a touchdown during Sunday night's 37-6 thrashing of the Seattle Seahawks, Berrian proved that his success this season can no longer be attributed to weak competition.

Berrian had two receptions of over 40 yards, bringing his total on the season to four in as many games, three for touchdowns. Berrian currently ranks third in the NFL with an average of 21.1 yards per reception, but even when he doesn't make a long reception, the threat of him doing so is a weapon that forces the defense to adjust accordingly. Berrian's early-season success has forced opposing defenses to take notice, and the entire Bears offense has thrived as a result:

Muhsin Muhammad - With Berrian asserting himself as a playmaker, it means opposing defenses can no longer double Muhammad in obvious passing situations. Muhammad had his greatest success playing opposite Steve Smith in Carolina, with Smith's speed perfectly complementing Muhammad's physical receiving style. Berrian has done much the same, keeping the defensive focus off of Muhammad. As a result, Muhammad already has two 100-yard receiving games through the first four contests; amazingly, he didn't have any in 2005.

Rex Grossman - Berrian is the first legitimate deep threat Grossman has been able to throw to during his pro career, and the young QB has thrived. On the season, Grossman is averaging 265 passing yards per game, which is 103 more than he averaged in his first three seasons. Grossman's eight touchdowns this year more than double his career total entering 2006.

Desmond Clark - Berrian's speed on the outside has opened things up in the middle of the field, no one benefiting more than tight end Desmond Clark. Clark has already eclipsed his receiving yardage total from a year ago and is primed for a career year.

Thomas Jones - Jones struggled for the first three weeks of the season, averaging only three yards a carry, but his 98-yard, two-touchdown performance against Seattle should be his breakout game. The Bears are still a run- first, ball-control offense that depends on the play-action pass to thrive, so look for coordinator Ron Turner to continue to pound the ball, and Jones' numbers to improve.

Its amazing how one player has opened up this offense so much, but it can all be traced directly to Berrian. Because the Bears now have a legitimate vertical threat, opposing defenses can no longer stack eight men in the box to stop the run. Aside from the three receptions Berrian made against Seattle, he had an additional four pass attempts of over 20 yards thrown to him, further illustrating how the Bears look to utilize the speedster to stretch the field.

The season may only be a quarter of the way complete, but the offensive and defensive dismantling the Bears applied to the Seahawks served notice to the entire NFL that the Bears are for real.

Bernard Berrian has helped make the Bears' offense become a multi-faceted weapon capable of outscoring any team in the league.

Obviously, Chicago is hoping the Buffalo Bills find that out this Sunday.

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