[CBFF] Who'll be hangin' with Moose?

Thu Aug 3 05:16:29 MDT 2006

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Who'll be hangin' with Moose? 

August 3, 2006

BY BRAD BIGGS Staff Reporter 

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- If there is a topic that grates at Rex Grossman almost
as much as talk about his durability, it is questions about who will line up
opposite Muhsin Muhammad.

The Bears' No. 1 wide receiver is a given, and big things are expected again
from last offseason's prized pickup. Who plays across from him -- and more
importantly, how productive that receiver is -- remains one of the biggest
question marks a week into training camp.

Mark Bradley sat out practice Wednesday for the second consecutive day with
soreness in his right knee, which underwent ACL reconstruction last season.
With his availability a question, and with the extra time Bernard Berrian
got working with Grossman in the offseason, it's Berrian's job to lose at
this point.

The coaching staff points to Berrian's strong finish last season as reason
to believe the former third-round pick can fill the role. He made a couple
of tough catches at Green Bay, and he and Grossman seem to possess a
connection like the quarterback has with Muhammad.

That's an area where Bradley needs more work. With Grossman's ankle injury
last preseason and Bradley's knee, the two haven't been on the field
together a whole lot.

''Bernard and I have good timing,'' Grossman said. ''And I have a good feel
for him out there with what he does well and how fast he is. I'm expecting
him to have a great season.''

Wide receivers coach Darryl Drake said he does not want a No. 2 receiver by
committee. He wants to choose one and stick with him, primarily for the sake
of chemistry. It doesn't mean the other player, as well as contributors such
as Justin Gage and Rashied Davis, will not get their time. Certain packages
and routes are tailored to certain players.

''They all have a different strength,'' Grossman said. ''There's not really
a No. 2. I'm kind of annoyed by [the subject].''

Drake understands the questions because the five receivers behind Muhammad
-- Berrian, Bradley, Gage, Davis and Airese Currie -- have 106 career
receptions between them. It's not like the Bears are trying to run Mike
Martz's offense, either. The focus will remain on running the ball.

But to improve on its scoring rank of 26th in 2005, the offense has to
improve on the 125.1 passing yards it averaged a year ago. Even 50 to 70
more yards per game will mean a handful more first downs and translate to
points.

Lacking a solid No. 2 receiver is not a new phenomenon for the Bears. Since
2000, the team's No. 2 receiver has topped 50 receptions only twice: Eddie
Kennison with 55 in 2000 and Dez White with 51 in 2002. To make Muhammad
better, and to keep defenses from keying on him as they did at times last
season, the second threat needs to step forward.

''I saw that a little bit with Moose,'' Grossman said. ''Certain coverages
can roll a safety over the top with him. That's fine with me. That's an
easier way to play. Your back side is in man-to-man, and Bernard is going to
beat every single corner in this league man-to-man. He's too fast and too
good right now.''

But Berrian also has a rap for being injury-prone; dislocated fingers in his
right hand, followed by surgery, kept him out of five games last season. Two
scouts from other teams questioned his toughness. But he has added seven
pounds of muscle to get up to 181 and has plans to get a little bigger.

''People always are going to question you, no matter what, until you have
proven it time after time after time,'' he said. ''Until then, it is always
going to be questioned. I don't care. I don't listen to anybody else
anyway.''

Drake said he's not counting on Bradley to be 100 percent until the season
begins in a little less than six weeks, but that could be ambitious
planning. He talked about Berrian's body maturing and getting used to the
rigors of the NFL. If those two don't pan out, it could be back to Gage, who
made 11 starts last season but had only 31 receptions.

''Nobody believes in us, and I can understand that,'' Drake said. ''At the
same time, everybody wants us to have this great passing game, but everybody
who wants that really doesn't understand what our offense is about. If we
get out there and we are throwing all the time, we're going to lose a whole
lot of ballgames.''

Ultimately, Bradley is the player the Bears are projecting big things for.
Entering the 2005 draft, they graded him ahead of Detroit's Mike Williams
and Minnesota's Troy Williamson, both taken in the first round.

In the meantime, Berrian probably is on the money when he says it's his job
to lose.

''Ultimately, they are only going to be as good as [the quarterback] is,''
Drake said. ''That's just the way it is.''

And that problem has been even more acute recently than the receiver
situation.

bbiggs at suntimes.com

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