Berlin Bärin (4-6)
Just a mediocre team all around. It’s just not clear that either Sid Luckman or Walter Payton can be the focus of a winning team, but it’s also hard to separate their performance from the offensive line and the defense’s inability to control game state.
#Bottom Line
Draft Needs. OL/G-T, CB, WR, RB.
Week Four Draftee Update: Gino Marchetti. Has yet to see the field, which needs to change.
#QB
What to do with Sid Luckman? He’s 5th in the league in QBR, but the team cannot establish themselves offensively with any regularity. Part of this is Luckman’s own inconsistency: 4 games with a QBR over 115, 3 games under 70.
Matt Ryan and the injured Michael Vick have been fine when Luckman has been injured, which continues to be a concern.
#RB
Walter Payton has struggled in Year II, gaining barely over 500 yards and averaging less than 3.5 yards per carry. While Pierre Thomas has been even worse, George Gulyanics has emerged as a strong secondary option in the backfield.
Still. If Sweetness doesn’t get right, it’s hard to see Berlin going anywhere.
#WR & TE
One of the possible reasons for Berlin’s struggles is that they have a very deep pool of good receivers, but no superstars. Brandon Marshall–essentially out for the rest of the season–leads them in receptions with 31; Alfred Jenkins and Alshon Jeffery each have over 400 yards receiving. Jeffery is the most likely to be a true #1: he’s amassed that yardage despite missing 4 games, and is due back next week.
Roddy White and Santonio Holmes have both been quite good as well.
Mike Ditka continues to be an excellent option at TE, with 26 catches and 4 TD’s.
#OL
This group just hasn’t performed. Jeff Van Note at C has been quite good and Joe Stydahar–one of the best in the league in Year I–has been merely decent. But Justin Blalock has been bad, Andy Levitre and Jordan Mills mediocre, and Kyle Long injured.
A clear area of need.
#DL
It feels like the DL isn’t the issue on this side of the ball: Dan Hampton and Osi Umenyiora have been quite good, with 4 sacks, 8 hurries, and over 30 tackles each . Jonathan Babineaux has outperformed Jay Ratliff at DT, and deserves more time.
The reserves have been no more than adequate, opening a door for Marchetti for sure.
#LB
Brian Urlacher has become a tackling machine at LB, with 70 tackles to go along with 10 stuffs. Lance Briggs and Joplo Bartu have been quite solid as well, but the Bärin really need more from Dick Butkus (now injured) and Mike Singletary.
No LB has a sack, and only Briggs has an interception for Berlin, which may point to part of the problem.
#DB
Both Rolland Lawrence and Desmond Trufant have been decent at CB, but Berlin does lack a true shutdown corner. Charles Tillman and Christopher Owens have been lackluster as reserves.
Ray Brown continues to be one of the best pass-defending S’s in the league, preventing over half of the passes thrown his way and coming up with 3 interceptions to lead the team. William Moore has been poor opposite him, but neither Chris Conte nor Mike Mitchell have shown much, either, although Mitchell is likely to slide ahead of Moore for the rest of the season.
#P & K
Kevin Butler is injured, and out for over another month. His first replacement, Neil Rackers, has since been discarded, turning the job over to Jeff Wilkins, who has been adequate.
Billy Lothridge has been quite good at P.
#Returns
Last year’s late-season surprise, Eric Weems, continues to do a good job on returns, averaging 24 yards on kickoffs and nearly 12 yards on punt returns.
#Awards
Teams of the Week: Babineaux (1), Hampton (1), Luckman (3), Rackers (1), Urlacher (2).