Berrian hoping to get best of Bailey, Bly
Bernard Berrian is far and away the Bears' leading receiver this season.
And his role becomes even bigger when Rex Grossman is the quarterback.
In the four games Grossman has started, Berrian has 25 catches for 323 yards. Assuming they kept up that pace over an entire season, it means Grossman would hit Berrian 100 times for 1,292 yards.
The success of the Grossman-Berrian connection could have a huge affect on the outcome of today's 3:15 p.m. contest with the Broncos (Channel 2; WBBM 780-AM).
The quarterback and his favorite receiver face a dangerous duo in Denver's cornerbacks, nine-year veterans Champ Bailey and Dre Bly.
The two have combined for 78 career interceptions, and Bailey, who finished second to Jason Taylor in voting for defensive player of the year in 2006, has 18 picks in the previous two seasons.
Bailey and Bly are second and third, respectively, in the NFL in picks since 1999, but they didn't build such lofty numbers without gambling a little bit.
"They've got two good corners, but they give us some things, too," Berrian said. "That's the perfect thing about it. You've just got to make sure you're good technique wise and make sure you're coming back to the ball because they get in and out of their breaks really quickly.
"They're always trying to get picks, so you've got to make sure you get your hands on the ball first."
Berrian has 20 more catches and 303 more receiving yards than any other Bear this season and is in a great bargaining position as he approaches free agency in the off-season.
He's already matched last season's career high in receptions and needs 67 more yards to establish another career best. A productive performance against the Broncos' corners would be another big step in his steady progression to a No. 1 receiver, but he's not making too big a deal about it.
"I don't try to think like that," he said. "I go out and play on a week-to-week basis. It doesn't matter if Deion Sanders is out there. It's just whoever we're facing; it's time to study them then."
What they'll see in the Broncos is a team that has struggled all season to stop opponents from running all over them. To compensate, they've been playing with eight defenders in the box, leaving their corners without much help from the safeties.
"They can leave them out on an island," Berrian said, "because they make a lot of plays. It's definitely going to be a battle."
With eight in the box and the corners occupied, it should open things up for the Bears' tight end tandem of veteran Desmond Clark and rookie Greg Olsen, who have combined for 59 catches, 651 yards and 4 touchdowns.
"It could," Clark said. "We just have to see how the game goes. I didn't see a whole lot of tight ends making a great deal of catches against them."
Actually, tight ends have caught 7 passes of 20 yards or longer against the Broncos this season, including 5 in the past six games. And Clark and Olsen have already have 9 receptions of 20 yards or longer between them, 5 by Clark, 3 of which went for more than 30 yards.