You want more proof that Bernard Berrian isn't very good? Here's what Bill Barnwell of...

You want more proof that Bernard Berrian isn't very good? Here's what Bill Barnwell of Grantland.com had to say about him (h/t to raiden2332 for posting this earlier):

We nominated Nolan Carroll as the worst player in the league through two weeks. At the quarter-pole, it's time to give Berrian the nod. This season, Berrian's been thrown 16 passes. He's caught two of them. Two. That's an unreal catch rate of 12.5 percent, and it actually rose on Sunday, because he went 1-for-6 on targets. The average starting wideout is right around 58 percent over the past few years. The poor guy even had a 13-yard catch called back by an offensive hold this week. Put it this way. Through Week 4's action, Donovan McNabb has completed 59 percent of his passes and averaged 6.1 yards per attempt. If you cut out the passes to Berrian, McNabb's completing 66 percent of his passes and averaging 6.7 yards per attempt. Maybe the Vikings need to cut out the passes to Berrian.

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7052185/upon-initial-review-week-4

8 months ago Eric J. Thompson 21 comments 0 recs |

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Yeah, but...

I would venture to guess half of those passes Berrian didn’t catch were not catchable balls in the first place.

Sure, he could have caught some more of those, if he ran 10 yards out of bounds and leaped for them.

by SippyCup on Oct 3, 2011 3:09 PM CDT reply actions

I agree with this, but the numbers would suggest that this is not the case because if it was then McNabb's overall percentage should be closer to Berrians catch percentage.

"I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist
and that there are as few as there are any other great artists.
Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts
since the medium is the human mind and spirit."

by Edgecrusher71 on Oct 3, 2011 4:43 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

Statitical facts vs. venturing a guess

facts will always win

by dsludo on Oct 4, 2011 11:40 PM CDT up reply actions

If you go back and watch video...

10 of those 16 passes were totally uncatchable. They either hit the ground before they got to Berrian or they were yards over his head.
Of the other 6, he caught 2, should have caught 2 more, and the other 2 were difficult catches that probably could have been made.
This isn’t all on Berrian. I know Berrian isn’t good. But Barnwell says worst player in the league??? He isn’t even the worst player on our team. Donovan is doing an absolute terrible job.

by mak07 on Oct 3, 2011 3:11 PM CDT reply actions

Tough to argue with there

I think the obvious solution is to make McNeverShouldPlayAgain and Berrian co-winners of the dubious award.

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by Eric J. Thompson on Oct 3, 2011 3:12 PM CDT up reply actions

Completely agree

It’s almost like McNabb’s trying to throw the ball away ALL THE TIME.

Skol!

by DM_Purp on Oct 3, 2011 4:01 PM CDT up reply actions

BB's primary purpose....

… is to be a deep threat. The jury is still out as to whether or not that he is still a deep threat because the deep ball seems to be the pass McNabb is least capable of delivering because of his accuracy and a lack of time behind a shaky O line.

by Vrooman on Oct 3, 2011 3:14 PM CDT reply actions

And Favre?

He couldn’t throw the deep ball either?

Also, McNabb had lots of time on several plays this week where he didn’t get a throw off.

by amiller92 on Oct 3, 2011 4:50 PM CDT up reply actions

Favre...

…. had a superior target in Sidney Rice. If Rice were still on this team, I doubt Berrian gets thrown sixteen passes. I won’t argue that BB under-delivered the past couple of years and had a couple of bad drops this year, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s among the worst in the league.

by Vrooman on Oct 3, 2011 5:53 PM CDT up reply actions

maybe worst starting WR though?

by amiller92 on Oct 4, 2011 10:44 AM CDT up reply actions

He's not "among" the worst in the league

He is the worst in the league

by dsludo on Oct 4, 2011 11:42 PM CDT up reply actions

Ah

Grantland writes some good stuff, but man, are they enamored with themselves. A lot of writers love data, but don’t take a lot of time to engage in the rigor of stats. Is Bernard Berrian bad? Yes. Should he go? Absolutely, give Aromashadu a shot. Worst in the league? Please. Leave that statistic up to experts willing to spend time grading players play by play (Football Outsiders? ProFootballFocus?). I think McNabb isn’t very accurate on the deep ball. When Berrian cut in for the 4th and 18 play, both performed well. But at least 7 of his 16 attempts were wildly uncatchable. 5 or so have dropped from his hands. That’s pretty bad, but it isn’t Troy Williamson.

Give him some credit. Cut him, but don’t abuse him.

by Arif Hasan on Oct 3, 2011 3:16 PM CDT reply actions

I'll be honest

I don’t even think 5 or so dropped from his hands. I can only think of a couple right now.

Skol!

by DM_Purp on Oct 3, 2011 4:02 PM CDT up reply actions

If he dropped....

…. five out of sixteen passes that’d be over the top bad. Even Williamson wasn’t that bad.

by Vrooman on Oct 3, 2011 5:50 PM CDT up reply actions

I think they call it "hyperbole"

And I don’t think they mean it literally.

by amiller92 on Oct 3, 2011 4:51 PM CDT up reply actions

Catchable or not

There is still massive disappointment that an NFL receiver, an NFL quarterback, and a buncha NFL coaches can’t figure out how to run pass plays that actually work the majority of the time. It’s on all their heads.

McNabb has no excuse for missing receivers this badly, Berrian has no excuse for making a lackadaisical effort at best, and the coaches have no excuse for running a quarterback who is now sitting at number 30 in yards in a passing-oriented league and expecting to somehow beat the big boys… let alone those at the bottom…

by liveforadrenaline on Oct 3, 2011 3:27 PM CDT reply actions

They need to rerun their numbers...

And check how many of those passes were even catchable…
Im not saying BB isnt to blame for some of them…but he cant catch a ball over his head 5 feet or 4 yrds out of bound…
PLEASE give us a new QB!!!

0-3....We look to be on track to suck for Luck in LA!

by LeeleeX on Oct 3, 2011 3:29 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

Ding!

Skol!

by DM_Purp on Oct 3, 2011 4:03 PM CDT up reply actions

Well definitely BB sucks...

… but how much of this is McNabb’s fault? I saw McNabb miss a couple of throws when BB was open.

BB isn’t a starting WR in this league, but I somewhat doubt he is suddenly this terrible without other factors. I think he is just so one dimensional, that if you have a QB with an accurate arm and time to throw, BB can be decent. But without both of those, BB has been useless for quite some time now.

by HammeroftheGods on Oct 3, 2011 4:44 PM CDT reply actions

It sounds like people are looking for a scape goat for Minnesota's woes

and it looks like it falls to Berrian who actually was able to make this catch…

As fun as it is, I can only wish Berrian was even the worst of our issues right now.

I'm like the Dali Lama of kicking ass

by Grime on Oct 3, 2011 5:48 PM CDT reply actions

When...

Favre was the qb he had a connection with every receiver except Berrian. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that maybe in fact they didn’t gel. But now the same or worse with McNabb, it’s just obvious that Berrian needs to go.

Every ball that is thrown his way is hurting this team.

by dsludo on Oct 4, 2011 11:46 PM CDT reply actions