Solving Our Problems: Bernard Berrian

[Solving Our Problems is an ongoing series here at the Ragnarok where I evaluate the Vikings' options going into the offseason. I started by looking at the quarterback options, examining Derek Anderson, Donovan McNabb and possible backups for Tarvaris Jackson. Now it's time to figure out who the QB is going to throw to, starting with free agent Bernard Berrian.]

As we all know, Brad Childress isn't a big fan of taking a wide receiver in the first round. I have no problems with that, especially after considering how the difference in performance between Sidney Rice and Troy Williamson. That means, however, that if the Vikings want to get an impact wide receiver to pair with Bobby Wade and Rice next year, they're going to have to sign them in free agency. Luckily for the Vikings, there are quite a few talented receivers who are unrestricted free agents this year (and that's not even counting Randy Moss, who is sadly just a pipe dream).

After Moss, the next best receiver on the market seems to be Bernard Berrian, formerly of the Chicago Bears. Berrian was drafted out of Fresno State in 2004 and is entering his fifth year in the NFL. And he’s made an impact for da Bears, despite having to catch passes from the likes of Rex Grossman, Brian Griese and Kyle Orton (a big plus in my book, considering he’d likely be catching passes from Tarvaris Jackson if he signed with the Purple).

And there’s a reason for all of the excitement surrounding Berrian. He’s increased his receptions and yards every year, and, while his touchdowns fell last year (from 6 to 5), that probably had as much to do with da Bears’ offense becoming worse. He’s 6’1 and is a good leaper—with an accurate quarterback (which he might not have in Purple), he’d be perfect for the fade pass, giving the Vikings another big receiver to throw to in the Red Zone. His hands are pretty good as well, as he caught 55% of the passes thrown his way, despite having inaccurate quarterbacks, and aside from his rookie year, he’s never caught fewer than 50% of the passes thrown to him.

He’d also provide the Vikings with an experienced deep threat that could take the pressure off of Sidney Rice. He has 11 catches for over 20 yards in each of the past two years, and has averaged a little under 4 catches over 40 yards per year in his career. He’s also had at least one reception over 50 yards in each of the last three years, and had two catches for 49 yards in his rookie year.

Berrian is fast, tall and experienced. He fell only 52 yards short of 1000 yards receiving last year, despite catching passes from Kyle Orton, Rex Grossman and Brian Griese. He has good hands. So what’s the problem? Well…

The first problem is that he wants to remain with da Bears, and da Bears want to resign him. That doesn’t guarantee anything, however, mainly because of the second problem, which is that Berrian is represented by Drew Rosenhaus. That’s right—the guy who represented Terrell Owens is the agent for the top free agent wide receiver on the market. That’s a good sign, in that it means that Berrian could end up anywhere. It’s also a bad sign, because it means that he’s chosen a guy like Rosenhaus, who’s perfectly willing to make things insanely difficult if it means getting his client what he wants. That probably bodes well for the Purple, as it makes it less likely that da Bears will slap the Franchise Tag on Berrian, an option that they still have, as Rosenhaus (and Berrian) will fight it.

Is Berrian the Vikings best receiver the Purple could add this year? Yes. Are they going to be able to sign him? Probably not. He’s much more likely to stay in Chicago than go anywhere else, especially because da Bears can franchise him. Is he worth dreaming about? Of course—it’s the off season. Might as well think happy thoughts..

Udeze Diagnosed with Leukemia

If you haven't heard yet, Kenechi Udeze has been diagnosed with Leukemia. He's receiving care at Fairview Medical Hospital, and he's undergone tests at the Mayo Clinic, so he is receiving the best care possible. Hopefully, they caught it early enough to treat it properly.

According to WebMD, "Leukemia is cancer of the blood cells", and "there are several different types of leukemia. In general, leukemia is grouped by how fast it gets worse and what kind of white blood cell it affects."

• It may be acute or chronic. Acute leukemia gets worse very fast and may make you feel sick right away. Chronic leukemia gets worse slowly and may not cause symptoms for years.
• It may be lymphocytic or myelogenous. Lymphocytic (or lymphoblastic) leukemia affects white blood cells called lymphocytes. Myelogenous leukemia affects white blood cells called myelocytes.

Udeze's doctors are still trying to determine what type of Leukemia he has. My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family.

Ladies and Gentleman...

Your 2008 NFL Pro Bowl M-V-P....

ADRIAN "PURPLE JESUS" PETERSON!!!!!!!

Ok, I'll be honest--I didn't watch the Pro Bowl last night. I don't know anyone who did. Personally, I was watching Washington upset UCLA. That being said, it's good to see Peterson look like his dominant self again. I know, I know, it was the Pro Bowl, and that most of the recaps referenced flag football in their descriptions, but still. Watch the highlights. Tell me you don't see the Adrian Peterson that dominated San Diego and Chicago.

The best part? The second rookie to win Pro Bowl MVP (Marshall Faulk was the first) is going to get better. Coach Childress has pinpointed the two areas that Peterson needs to improve in, and if Peterson can do so, well folks, he's going to be even better than he is now. And both Peterson's pass protection and how deals with 8 and 9 man fronts are areas he can improve on. The former kept our biggest threat off the field in passing plays, and Peterson's issues with the latter are why he averaged only 2.7 yards per carry in his last four games. It looked as if he was trying to break every run for a touchdown rather than hitting the hole quickly and trying to pick up as much yardage as possible and that hurt the Vikings, considering how important it was to to the offense to pick up 3-4 yards on first down.

I fully expect Peterson to improve in those two areas and become a complete back. Considering how well he played as a rookie, there's no reason not to.

Thoughts on the Super Bowl

Did anyone actually expect that to happen? I know I didn't. After Moss caught the go ahead touchdown, I figured it was over. I guess I underestimated Eli Manning. A few more thoughts one the Super Bowl, and two links that capture my feelings on Chris Carter's snub by the Hall of Fame.

• Which was more ridiculous: Eli's escape from four Patriots, or the catch David Tyree made? Both were jawdropping.
  

• The Giants rush was the defining factor in this game. The fact that they could get pressure on Brady without blitzing not only allowed them to have more success in coverage, but also made their blitz more effective. The Patriots didn't know if the Giants were blitzing, and so they couldn't adjust easily. The Giants were also doing a great job of disguising their blitzes. Kawika Mitchell ran a delayed blitz perfectly in the third quarter, turning almost completely around before pinning his ears back and shooting through the gap untouched and causing an incompletion by hitting Brady as he threw. Troy Aikmen did a great job of pointing it out as well.

• Did anyone else have a flashback when Bill Belicheck successfully threw the challenge flag to get a "12 men on the field penalty"?

• I was exceedingly happy to see Randy Moss have an impact on this game, after the Patriots were unable to get him the ball in the first half. He had the go ahead touchdown catch, and end up with 62 yards, and most of his receptions went for first down. The Patriots (and Brady's) inability to involve Moss in the game (Brady overthrew Moss multiple times) was a major reason that the Patriots were unable to get their offense going. I think it was likely a game plan issue, as its too easy to use Moss as a decoy and forget that he's the best wide receiver in the game.
  

• I enjoy watching Brandon Jacobs run the ball, especially since it usually involves him running over a defender.
  

• The fact that Art Monk was chosen ahead of Chris Carter is just another piece of evidence that Hall of Famers in all sports are chosen because of writers biases and ulterior motives, not because of their performance during their careers. Pacifist Viking captures the rational reasons why this was a bad choice by the voters, while Big Daddy Drew nails the emotional response.

[Coming up tomorrow--Thoughts on Chris Simms (ask and ye shall receive) and more Super Bowl fallout]

3 Reasons to Root for the Patriots

After finally starting to think about the upcoming game, I've spent the last two days trying to decide who I'm planning on rooting for. And quite honestly, I haven't been successful. I've been able to come up with reasons to pull for both teams, but neither set of reasons has convinced me. Here are the three best reasons to pull for the Patriots that I've come up with. If you have better ones, I'd love to hear them. (My reasons to pull for the Giants are below).

• Randy Moss. In seven years in Purple, Randy Moss caught 574 passes for 9142 yards and 90 touchdowns, an average of 1306 yards, 82 receptions, and 12.9 touchdowns a year. He also returned a punt for a touchdown. In those seven years, he made five Pro Bowls and was named an All Pro four times. He starred on the second best offense of all time and helped to turn the franchise around. Moss also was the genius behind A.F.R.O.S. (America's Finest Receivers on Sunday) and mooned the Lambeau crowd, an event that made Joe Buck apoplectic and led to Moss saying "Straight Cash Homey". The Moss Era can only be surpassed by the Bud Grant era as the best time to be a Vikings fan, which is why I've been a huge Randy Moss fan since he tipped that touchdown pass to himself in his first game and why I will always be a Randy Moss fan.
  

• Laurence Maroney. Maroney might be from St. Louis, but he was a Gopher, and he was a good one. He rushed for over a 1000 yards in each of his three seasons in the Maroon and Gold, a much more impressive feat in the shorter college season. And he wasn't racking up those yards on a lot of carries either. In those three seasons, he averaged 6.9 YPC, 6.2 YPC and 5.2 YPC, his last year the first that he did not have to share carries with Marion Barber III, and he never had fewer than 10 touchdowns in a season. There's a very good chance he was the best running back to ever put on the Maroon and Gold and now, he has a chance to get a Super Bowl ring. And yes, I understand that there will be quite a few people who see Maroney as a reason to root for the Giants because of how badly he burned them in Fantasy Football, and I sympathize with those folks.

• 41-0. The Patriots, as a franchise, have never really done anything that bad to the Vikings. Sure, they picked them apart on Monday Night Football last year, creating a blueprint for how to beat the Purple, but lots of teams have done that. We all know what the Giants did to the Vikings in 2001, and I'm not sure if I can forgive them enough to root for them, just like I'll probably never be able to pull for the Falcons (except, of course, against the Packers).
  

3 Reasons to Root for the Giants

After finally starting to think about the upcoming game, I've spent the last two days trying to decide who I'm planning on rooting for. And quite honestly, I haven't been successful. I've been able to come up with reasons to pull for both teams, but neither set of reasons has convinced me. Here are the three best reasons to pull for the Giants that I've come up with. If you have better ones, I'd love to hear them.

• Eli Manning. Lots of people hate Eli. Personally, I love him. And so should all Vikings fans. I mean, how can you not love a guy who, in his two starts against the Purple, has thrown 8 interceptions and completed only 45% of his 97 passes? The man has single handedly given the Vikings two victories against the Giants in his career, and for that reason, I hope he does well today.

• The Vikings beat them. I think everyone can agree that this season was as close to a success as it could be without actually being one. That being said, one of the best moments was the Vikings' unexpected victory over the Giants at the Meadowlands, a victory that launched them into playoff contention and made up for the embarrassing loss to the Packers two weeks before. And if the Giants can win today, it will make that victory even better, because it will have come against the Super Bowl Champion.

• Bill Simmons' post Super Bowl column. I'm a big fan of Schadenfreude, and a Giants win would launch a 1000 angry, bitter, complaining Patriots columns and blog posts. It would be awesome. The one I'm looking forward to the most? Bill Simmons--he's become the personification of the obnoxious Boston area fan, and seeing him have to deal with the Patriots blowing their perfect season would be unbelievably enjoyable.
  

Missing the Hype

You know, its weird-since Brett Farve pulled his annual playoff chokejob, I haven't really given any thought to the Super Bowl matchup. I haven't even decide who I'm going to root for. In fact, I've spent more time wishing that Tarvaris got to throw to Plaxico Burress then I have reading about the game on Sunday.

A lot of that has to do with the fact that its a lot easier to avoid the "annoying" media in this day and age. If I want to read about football, I don't have to read the paper, or even go to ESPN.com or SI.com. I'm sure that if I did, I'd be annoyed, and would probably have decided that I hate the Patriots and their fans (because of Bill Simmons, a writer I like reading occassionally, but try to avoid when he goes into Bahstain fan mode). Instead, I can go to Kissing Suzy Kolber, read the analysis of Cold, Hard Football Facts, and Football Outsiders, or dive into the numerous Vikings blogs that I've linked to on the sidebar. I don't have to go through the mainstream media for my news and analysis (though I still need them to actually report the news first). It's the reversal of a trend that started with radio and went into overdrive with the spread of television-we are starting to regain the ability to narrowcast, something that was lost in the 1960s, and which last played a role in the Presidential election of 1960, which I studied in college.

In that race, the last to be won by a Democrat that was not from the South, JFK was able to make a connection with the African American community in a way that Richard Nixon could not, despite Nixon's leadership on Civil Rights issues throughout his career through narrowcasting. When Martin Luther King, Jr. was jailed, Nixon did nothing because he was worried that it would alienate White Southerners. JFK, however, trusted that a small gesture would not break into the national conversation, but would break into the conversation of the African American community, thus avoiding any backlash by White Southerners. He was right, and thus won enough support amongst African Americans to win the election.

Now, I'm not saying that we'll be returning to the days without a national media. However, I think its clear that we are bringing back narrowcasting. I don't spend enough time studying or thinking about the future of the media, so I won't speculate on what it means, except to say thatthe change has allowed me to avoid the relentless, soul crushing hype of the two weeks prior to the Super Bowl, and thus I'm excited about the game. And there's a lot to be excited about: Plaxico v. Asante Samuels, Randy Moss, Brandon Jacobs running over the Patriots linebackers, etc. And, no matter the outcome, I'll be able to view it through the narrow lense of my choice and avoid the Patriots, Giants and National Media's takes on it, unless I choose to take a peek (What? You don't think I'll be reading Simmons' column if the Patriots lose? That sucker will be PRICELESS. Unless of course, he doesn't write one, which will be almost as amusing.)