vikings/nfl
Dan Wiederer began covering the Vikings in 2011, enthusiastically delivering insight on the team across the Star Tribune's print and digital products. Prior to joining the Access Vikings team, he spent seven seasons covering ACC basketball at The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer. He also covered the Chicago Bears in 2003 and 2004. Follow him on Twitter @StribDW.
Mark Craig has covered football and the NFL the past 20 years, including the Browns from 1991-95 and the Vikings and the NFL since 2003. Since 2008, Craig has served as one of the 44 Pro Football Hall of Fame selectors. He can be followed on Twitter at @markcraignfl.
Is Bernard Berrian in his final week with the Vikings?
Posted by: Dan Wiederer under Vikings, Leslie Frazier, Bernard Berrian, Leslie Frazier Updated: October 23, 2011 - 9:34 PM
It's not quite clear how Vikings receiver Bernard Berrian enjoyed his Sunday. For the second time in three weeks, Berrian's name was a surprise addition to the pre-game inactive list. In Week 5, when the Vikings played Arizona, Berrian was declared inactive for disciplinary reasons, with reports surfacing that he had missed multiple team meetings the day before the game.
Sunday? Vikings coach Leslie Frazier didn't indicate that Berrian's latest benching was for disciplinary purposes.
Said Frazier: "Just a decision that I made that we'll probably get into later in the week, one of the decisions I made."
Asked again whether the decision was disciplinary, Frazier said: "No. It was just a decision I made about whether or not he was going to be active or not active."
As for Berrian's future with the team?
"It's something we'll talk about this week."
Berrian seemed to bounce back OK from being punished in Week 5. Last week, he had five catches for 54 yards in a loss at Chicago, far and away his most productive outing of an incredibly disappointing 2011 campaign. But on Sunday, Frazier seemed to make it clear that Berrian won't figure into his plans going forward. Not just beyond 2011. But perhaps not ever again.
If Berrian has indeed come to the end of the road here in Minnesota, the team's dogged pursuit of him in free agency a few years back will be remembered as one of the more regrettable personnel moves in recent memory. After a seemingly promising start to his Vikings career in 2007, Berrian has provided very little return on investment.
Now, Frazier may view his presence on the team as a sunk cost, perhaps ready to part ways.
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