FanPost

Eric Berry can't play centerfield.


As member of Arrowhead pride I do a lot of lurking, but mainly keep my opinions to one or two line comments. The subject of Eric Berry's ability to play centerfield as written recently in an article posted by Terez Paylor struck a nerve with me. There are many items within the article that plain and simply bother me. First off, I'll admit that I'm a Mike Mayock fan, but to say that Berry doesn't have the range of Thomas is like saying someone doesn't work as hard as Jerry Rice. That , in my opinion, doesn't mean that he can't play the position. I like to think I'm a big fan of everything NFL, so not knowing Louis Riddick, the other quote from Paylor's article embarrasses me a little. I find most of Riddick's quotes completely off base. Who doesn't come into the NFL and muscle up?

I was a bit surprised by citadelchief's write up about addressing the FS position this offseason without giving Berry at least a mention, but can understand as he's "the only SS on our roster". This brings me to my next point. If there is any inkling that Berry would be better utilized in the FS capacity, why not? The popular sentiment is that a pro bowl FS is more valuable than a pro bowl SS, or at least is easier to find(is it?). I watched Berry quite a bit in college and was ecstatic when we drafted him, thinking he was our Ed Reed. The Pioli regime then drafted Kendrick Lewis, which seemed like a good idea it first, then, well, enough said.

It had been a good long while since Berry had played FS. Maybe this Riddick guy's assessment that since Berry tore his ACL, and his core is too tight(really), hips aren't flexible(how does he know that?), and doesn't have explosive short area quickness(HA!), he wouldn't cut the mustard. Maybe we need a 5' 10" 195 lb. speedster to roam centerfield. Or do we? You know I was watching the pro bowl last night to watch half of our starters play football one last time and guess what I saw. Eric Berry was out there playing centerfield. Now, he wasn't doing it exclusively, but when he was doing it, he was doing it well against the best players in the world.

This brings me to the most ponderous portion of my post. Mayock compares Berry(6'0" 211) to Cam Chancellor(6'3" 232). I still think Berry, if given a chance, has the instincts to be more Ed Reed(5'11" 205). There's a question to ask, though. If an opportunity presents itself, would you prefer the Chiefs find a pure FS, a hybrid player to intermingle with Berry, or a pure SS?

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.