Of all the regrets that eventually could define this Bears season, the biggest one popped up Sunday on your TV screen. Don’t adjust your set if it happens again.
Bernard Berrian is right where the Vikings programmed him to be, dominating the NFC playoff picture with big plays.
The guy the Bears didn’t do enough to keep around last winter won’t go away now, and it will be his image more than any other that haunts the Bears this off-season if they miss the playoffs.
There were the 11 Seconds in Atlanta (losing a late lead to the Falcons), the Buccaneer Body Slam (Charles Tillman’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Tampa Bay) and the Olsen Twins (Greg Olsen’s two fumbles against Carolina).
But contrary to popular belief, if the Bears miss the playoffs, they didn’t squander away their season in September or October.
That happened in February.
It stung badly enough for the Bears to have Berrian catch a 99-yard TD pass at the Metrodome on Nov. 30 that changed that game and the arc of both teams’ Decembers. But what happened Sunday in Glendale, Ariz., had to hurt even worse for the Bears to watch.
There was Berrian, the guy who would still be in Chicago if the Bears simply had applied the franchise tag within their power, again making the biggest difference in a big game with playoff implications for the NFC North leaders.
Berrian touched the ball three times and two of the touches were an 82-yard punt return for a score and a 41-yard TD reception. He benefits from having Adrian Peterson at running back, but Peterson also derives benefits from having Berrian keep defensive secondaries honest. It’s an explosive, winning mix.
A remote possibility exists that the Vikings could choke at home and lose their final two games to the Falcons and Giants, but chances are Chicago will be left picking over the pieces of what-could-have-been in ’08 rather than what-might-be.
As much as players or coaches contributed to the games that got away this season, the Bears’ front office bears just as much responsibility for letting Berrian impact the playoff race for a division rival.
General manager Jerry Angelo merely had to designate Berrian the Bears’ franchise player, which would have kept him in Chicago for the 2008 season at a price around $7.6 million. There was need and cap space, yet Angelo opted against it for reasons that remain as unclear as they do illogical.
Berrian didn’t like the idea of having the tag applied — no player anticipating a massive signing bonus does — and might have been a distraction by holding out for training camp or making waves at various times this season. But the Bears with a prima donna at wide receiver would have been a more viable playoff contender than a team without a respected deep passing game.
Please don’t point out the strides Devin Hester has made and how his pass-interference penalties changed Thursday’s win over the Saints. They did and Hester has improved — to the point he looks like a legit No. 2 or No. 3 wide receiver. But the threat of a wide receiver coaxing a yellow flag doesn’t scare defensive coordinators the way legitimate deep threats such as Berrian do. Just ask Bears defensive coordinator Bob Babich.
In as soon as two weeks, thanks in part to Berrian, the Bears already could begin planning for the 2009 season. They found their franchise running back (Matt Forte), a quarterback they can win with affordably (Kyle Orton) but lack the third component every playoff offense needs: the big-play wide receiver.
Besides finding a double-digit sack guy that may or may not be on the roster, the Bears need to be as aggressive as they are creative in finding that wide receiver. It will be costly, and that’s why the decision on Berrian made no sense then or now. The Bears had the capability of keeping the type of player they will spend the off-season pursuing.
It’s not second-guessing if the strong opinion at the time from many observers, including this one, was that the Bears could serve their present and protect the future by contractually locking up Berrian.
Spending the 2008 season in Chicago would have given Berrian and the Bears ample time to hammer out a longer-term deal for a player who didn’t really want to leave.
Some say the Vikings overpaid by signing Berrian to a six-year, $42 million contract that dwarfed the Bears’ fair opening offer. It’s a fair opinion. But it’s not overpaying if the budget is based on need.
A thirsty man would pay $25 for a bottle of water in the desert out of desperation. The Vikings were desperate for a big-play wide receiver.
If Berrian continues to be a difference-maker for a team on its way to the playoffs, it was money well spent.
Money the Bears never should have let the Vikings reach deep into their pockets to get.
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Moving the chains
The last time the Bears didn’t have a representative in the Pro Bowl was the 1999 game, and that was the fifth straight year the team failed to send anybody to Honolulu.
Will a new streak start Tuesday when the NFL announces Pro Bowl rosters?
That’s doubtful, but for the first time in years no Bears player can be considered a lock to be selected.
That’s not a criticism of repeat Pro Bowlers such as linebacker Brian Urlacher or center Olin Kreutz as much as a realization of where they are in their respective careers compared to others in the NFC who play those positions.
Outside linebacker Lance Briggs should make it. Briggs has been the most outstanding and consistent player all season on a defense prone to inconsistency. The only thing working against him could be the emergence of lesser-known players such as Chad Greenway of the Vikings and Karlos Dansby of the Cardinals — two guys on teams likely headed to the playoffs.
Punter Brad Maynard once again has numbers that make a strong case, none stronger perhaps than the fact that in 12 NFL seasons the dependable veteran never has been named the starter.
Maynard, a second alternate in 2007, is ranked fifth overall in the NFL but leads the league in punts inside the 20 with 34. Donnie Jones of the Rams averages an eye-popping 50.2 yards per punt, but there should be an asterisk next to punters whose home field is a dome.
Beyond Briggs and Maynard, no other Bear figures to have a suspenseful Tuesday. …
Spurred by Vikings center Matt Birk, Sunday will mark the second annual Gridiron Guardian Sunday in which NFL players are being urged to donate their game checks to help needy retired players. Last season, the effort on behalf of Mike Ditka’s
Gridiron Greats raised about $300,000 and the goal is to exceed that total this year. … The bad news about the suspension of Arena Football League operations Monday, coupled with last year’s end to NFL Europe, is it leaves NFL fringe players without an off-season alternative to develop their skills. … Any surprise over backup running back Kevin Jones’ contributions to special teams in the Saints game overlooks how much emphasis Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer placed on them while Jones was in college. Beamer is considered a special-teams guru in the coaching profession. … Matt Toeaina should wear a
“Do Not Open Till (Around) Christmas,” label to training camp next August. Toeaina didn’t play until Dec. 17 of the 2007 season and recorded two tackles for loss in his debut. This season, seeing his first action Thursday, Toeaina batted down a Drew Brees pass. Toeaina is the Bears’ sixth defensive tackle, testament of how deep the team is at an important position.
— David Haugh
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dhaugh@tribune.com
Miracle on ice for Bears: We asked if you believe in miracles — if the Bears have a chance to make the playoffs — and you weren’t buying it. In a chicagotribune.com poll, 59.7% said no, 40.3 percent yes (1,715 total responses).
