Is this the end of Berrian?

If it is, he has no one to blame but himself.

October 11, 2010 at 11:56PM

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- We're at New Meadowlands Stadium, which will fill to the rim with water if it keeps raining as hard as it has been the past 5-10 minutes.

We'll have to see if the artificial turf is affected by the amount of rain that's coming down. If it is, I sense a long Randy Moss touchdown and a re-injured Darrelle Revis hamstring coming up. Given the way fields are maintained today, the guess is the footing won't be affected too much. But stay tuned cuz it's still coming down ... and now there's lightning.

Meanwhile ...

FIRST DOWN:

We got the announcement a little big ago that Moss has replaced Bernard Berrian in the starting lineup. If Berrian keep complaining about his reduced playing time, I may puke. Through all the adversity that the receiving corps faced in training camp and during the preseason, Berrian is the one guy who had every opportunity handed to him to prove he's a No. 1 receiver. Yet he consistently failed to get open and dropped too many catchable balls. It's funny to hear people talk about a potential Berrian trade now that he complained last week. I ask you, what would you get in return for him right now?

SECOND DOWN:

I like the fact Ryan Cook is starting in place of John Sullivan. Sullivan's calf is still bothering him. I like John, and he's a smart player and all. But doesn't he seem undersized inside? Cook was drafted five friggin years ago as a center. Tonight is his first start at the position. Let's see what he can do. I liked how he reacted to being thrown into the fire in the Lions game two weeks ago.

THIRD DOWN:

Packers coach Mike McCarthy seems to be catching heat for not kicking a field goal while leading 7-0 and having the ball fourth-and-goal at the Redskins' 1. A few weeks ago, I thought Brad Childress should have taken about a 42-yard field goal rather than go for it on fourth down early against the Dolphins. I also think McCarthy needs to take the points. Especially when the Packers have zero running game.

FOURTH DOWN:

Can the Packers overcome all of these injuries? I don't see how it's possible, but we'll see. Losing Ryan Grant was bad enough. Going into the Redskins game missing six key players, including four starters, was tough.

But the injuries just continue to hit the Packers in waves. Sometimes that just happens. TE Jermichael Finley will miss three to six weeks after having surgery for a torn meniscus this week. LB Nick Barnett will have his wrist surgery, knocking him out for at least eight weeks and possibly the season. TE Donald Lee is out with a chest strain. DT Ryan Pickett has an ankle injury. RT Mark Tauscher has a shoulder injury. And, of course, now it's looking like QB Aaron Rodgers will miss the Dolphins game on Sunday because of a concussion.

Hopefully, this game tonight starts on time. Still lightning. It's 7:55 local time and they just cleared the field because of lightning.

about the writer

about the writer

Mark Craig

Sports reporter

Mark Craig has covered the NFL nearly every year since Brett Favre was a rookie back in 1991. A sports writer since 1987, he is covering his 30th NFL season out of 37 years with the Canton (Ohio) Repository (1987-99) and the Star Tribune (1999-present).

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