I was asked, smart guy! :P
Printable View
Not really. Without a formidable front 7 playing in front of him, Berry is no different from any of the other DB's that struggled last year with lack of a pass-rush over the 2nd part of the season when it came to pass defense. Berry had his struggles with Colts TE Fleener in the playoff. Sorry, but he's not the be-all, end-all of the Chiefs defensive players & I know I could take Greg Wesley in his prime & replace Berry with Wesley and there would be no drop-off. Wesley snagged 24 picks in his 5 seasons under Dick Vermeil, including 3 off of Tom Brady in one game in 2005. Justin Houston and Dontari Poe are more valuable & if Berry wants top-dollar after his rookie contract expires, then he can look elsewhere outside of KC.
Any DB will struggle without a pass rush when rules forbid them from even breathing on a WR. That doesn't make Berry less valuable. Greg Wesley? Are you serious? Wesley couldn't do half of the things Berry can. They've chosen to play Berry in the box so he will never have lots of INT.
Years Tackles Sacks Pdef Int Wesley 7 497 6 25 29 71.0 0.9 3.6 4.1 Polamalu 11 709 12 99 32 64.5 1.1 9.0 2.9 Berry 3 252 5.5 29 8 84.0 1.8 9.7 2.7
Berry compares favorably to Troy Polamalu with better sack and tackle production. Wesley isn't even close in anything, except he had more INT. You can have Wesley. He can't carry Berry's jock.
LOL, you've just exposed yourself as being hero-worshiping fool. Wesley could do everything that Berry can do & you didn't name one single thing that Berry could do that Wesley couldn't. And where are you getting your 'passes defended' reference from regarding Wesley and how is it possible for him to have more interceptions than passes defended? I looked pro football reference and didn't see any stats regarding pass defenses, and I don't believe the ones at NFL.com are accurate. And contrary to your belief, Wesley could hold Berry's jock and then some. And my analysis still stands, that Wesley in his prime could replace Berry with no noticeable dropoff.
Berry has been kept in the box primarily because he struggles in pass coverage & struggled just all the other DB's did in the 2nd half of the season. He's not irreplaceable & not as important as guys like Alex Smith, Dontari Poe, and Justin Houston and like it or not, those three guys are higher priority to get long-term deals done with.
Yup. It's a simple fact of "salary cap football" that you can't keep every good player you have. GMs are constantly being forced to play the game of "eenie, meenie, miney, mo". Ultimately, there are very few players we can't afford to let walk if they are looking for a blockbuster retirement contract. I hate it, but it is what it is.
In answer of the thread question. Yes we will be a better team. Will we win more games, time will tell the story to come.
Why do you have to resort to insulting someone who dares question your opinion? It weakens your credibility and your argument. It's a shame. Your posts are intelligent otherwise, but engaging you in debate ends up not being worth the aggravation.
If I want aggravation, I'll talk to my wife. This is supposed to be fun.
Hold up a sec, Mongo. Berry HAS been over hyped. Outside of his rookie season, can't remember a game where Berry's play was a game changer. Berry's far from bad, but if he wants to live up to press & FF rankings he's got to come through on a clutch INT in a game that matters. What Brd is pointing out, is that while Wesley wasn't the "popular kid in school" he was basically getting the same job accomplished. If Berry wants to win over everyone in the room, he's going to have to earn it.