ERIC BERRY WOULD PLAY FOR POTATO CHIPS AND GLORY
Tennessee is slogging through a miserable, sad bog of a season, and yes oh my isn’t that a shame. For those of us who take joy in watching the denizens of Helm’s Deep on the Tennessee River weep, there is but one regret, and that is watching bastard-killing, kerosene-swilling, heart-thrilling Eric Berry labor away with more wattage by himself than the entire offensive eleven combined.
Berry inspires men and weakens women’s wills. He pleases the eyes of children and the noses of dogs. He is awesome, and you should tip your hat as he passes, even if it means stealing someone’s hat to do it–even if it is a policeman’s hat. He’ll understand what you’re doing once you explain it to him. Trust us.
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1
Bobby Decatur says:
Not to mention he went into school with plans for pre-med, which leaves the potential that throughout his pro career he’ll actually be able to self-generate his own patient base. Orthopedic surgery highly suggested.
October 27th, 2008 at 9:57 am
2
Mr.Pelican Pants says:
Eric Berry is a bright beacon of light in a darkness of suck that is UT…..He is, by many standards, a starting NFL CB playing, or toying around, at the college level.
And by toying I mean laying the wood…..at 100dB levels….after seeing some of those hits, my ears start ringing and I get pinched nerves in my neck…….Trust me, I been on both sides of those type hits, they dont hurt as much when your the one delivering them……not so much fun to get them and you wake up 3 mins later, and you think its only been 3 secs, and you dont know where you are, who you are, where you live, or why you are wearing this uniform….kinda like being at the WLOCP
October 27th, 2008 at 10:04 am
3
The Tusk says:
MPP @ 2 – or when you wake up after a pre-game tailgating bender and wind up as the kicker for Texas Tech.
October 27th, 2008 at 10:08 am
4
haybeav says:
Berry was the one thing that impressed me about Tennessee’s team Saturday night. I had heard people talk about him all season, but hadn’t gotten to see him play. He’ is the real deal.
Having said that, I’m glad Bama was able to throw away from him most of the night. He is a scary MOFO.
October 27th, 2008 at 10:09 am
5
kobbyberr says:
Best DB in the SEC since Champ Bailey was shutting it down. He might be better.
October 27th, 2008 at 10:14 am
6
Bobby Decatur says:
He hits harder than Champ did. My ears are still ringing from the helmet to helmet he laid on Knowshon in garbage time a couple of weeks ago.
October 27th, 2008 at 10:19 am
7
beast in 'bama says:
What a great kid. Heard a radio interview with him last week and came away very impressed. You could do much worse than have Eric Berry’s future ahead of you.
But that video only shows one (albeit his most impressive) hit – there were several YouTube worthy hits that he dispensed in that game.
The game reminded me of the first few minutes of No Country for Old Men, where Anton Chigurh slowly strangles the life out of the deputy sheriff with the handcuffs while staring impassively at the ceiling with black, cold, lifeless eyes.
October 27th, 2008 at 10:26 am
8
gerry dorsey says:
so fast and yet so powerful…unreal.
while heaping all of this praise on this man amongst boys, let us not forget he is only a sophmore
October 27th, 2008 at 10:27 am
9
NativeSon says:
@6
I’m guessing Knowshon’s ears are probably still ringing, as well. It’ll die down just before Major Wright lights him up again this weekend.
October 27th, 2008 at 10:31 am
10
yoyofutbawl says:
I had to suffer through this the week before. Amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5UwgsTIBU8
October 27th, 2008 at 10:32 am
11
skinnyphatman says:
Eric Berry = Something Smells Good in Stinkville.
Fulmer: Shut up! and bring me the cats ass!
October 27th, 2008 at 10:35 am
12
Football Fanatics says:
What an amazing hit. I don’t know how the receiver got up after that one.
October 27th, 2008 at 10:36 am
13
Vol says:
Surprising that there hasn’t been much heisman talk. He truly is one of the best football players in the country . If he’s not at least a candidate, it’s a huge oversight. I’d say he’s better as a sophomore than Desmond Howard ever was as a senior.
October 27th, 2008 at 10:38 am
14
Sundawg says:
Major Wright = another impediment for for Knowshon to hurdle on his way to the end zone.
October 27th, 2008 at 10:41 am
15
Patrick says:
He got up because he wasn’t hit as hard as it looks like he was. His momentum caused him to spin like that… still a pretty play though
October 27th, 2008 at 10:44 am
16
BurritoBrosShits says:
Man that is a pretty hit.
October 27th, 2008 at 10:49 am
17
CapstoneAlum says:
#15 Patrick
I’m glad that you mentioned that. I hate that the youtube clip didn’t show Maze popping right back up. I was proud of #4 (The pride of Tarrant, AL) for how he took that hit.
Addendum for UT fans: my comments are not meant in anyway to take away from how badass Berry is.
October 27th, 2008 at 10:58 am
18
Mr.Pelican Pants says:
He nearly killed the Wisky QB on this hit…the man is a shark with a taste for human blood that only comes out via the ears:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvro9N3LKfI
October 27th, 2008 at 10:58 am
19
Ltrain says:
#5, depends on the skill set you seek…Champ was great shut down, as was Lito Sheppard, but neither hit nearly as hard as Berry or RfN.
October 27th, 2008 at 11:06 am
20
Biggus Rickus says:
Heisman? That only goes to defensive players at Michigan after ESPN hypes them for six weeks. Also, playing on a shitty team doesn’t help Berry any. I’d feel bad for him being wasted at UT if he wasn’t going to make more in his first two NFL seasons than I will in my life.
October 27th, 2008 at 11:08 am
21
Vol says:
He’s every bit as much of a shut down DB as he is a hitter. He has 10 picks in 22 career games with a 39.5 yard return average. When Woodson won the Heisman, he had 8 picks on the season with a grand total of SEVEN return yards. Berry already has 5 this year. And yes, he’s a sophomore. At 13 i said Desmond Howard because it’s Monday and I’m an idiot. Obviously I meant Charles Woodson.
October 27th, 2008 at 11:12 am
22
sb says:
I’m not sure I have ever before witnessed the fabled “horizontal triple axel” as performed on a football field…
October 27th, 2008 at 11:15 am
23
WarCardinals says:
He sent him 540! That looked like something out of Street Fighter.
October 27th, 2008 at 11:17 am
24
Just another Michigan Man says:
Charles Woodson, causing stabbing rage in UT fans since 1997.
Saying Woodson was over-hyped compared to Saint Peyton is like saying Mangino is obviously more dangerously overweight than Fridgen or Weiss, might be true, but the other guys is a heartbleedsplosion ready to happen in his own right.
October 27th, 2008 at 11:21 am
25
Bobby Decatur says:
Major Wright, sir, is no Eric Berry.
October 27th, 2008 at 11:23 am
26
Vol says:
Well I do believe Manning was the better choice, but I may be a little tiny bit biased . That wasn’t my point. I was just saying compared to Woodson, arguably the best college DB in recent history, Berry still looks like a badass.
October 27th, 2008 at 11:24 am
27
Tommy's Co-Pilot says:
Meanwhile, 1000 miles southwest of Knoxville:
After feeling the shockwave from Eric Berry’s hit rattle the windows in his Austin office, Coach Will Muschamp added Berry’s name to the exclusive list to receive a patended “Boom Motherfucker” Christmas card. He then looked down the list to review it and realized #14 was already on it multiple times.
October 27th, 2008 at 11:27 am
28
Vol says:
Can you really identify any NCAA football player in the country with a greater mastery of his position this year? Berry plays mistake-free football, lays vicious hits, sucks in pics like a vacuum followed by returns which are absolute works of art, and is just plain fun to watch.
October 27th, 2008 at 11:28 am
29
Bobby Decatur says:
#28: Colt McCoy, actually….in terms of position mastery.
That said, Berry is the best player in the country. Burn his orange and he’d be a Heisman Top 3.
October 27th, 2008 at 11:35 am
30
Just another Michigan Man says:
I grant you a hearty “Tru Dat”
October 27th, 2008 at 11:35 am
31
Slammer says:
Got to give him kudo’s on that hit and several more, his big mistake was signing with Tennessee, He could have been playing for championships had he went to Bama, Georgia, or Florida. I know his dad played there but you got to use your head.
October 27th, 2008 at 11:41 am
32
Der Schatten says:
EB > Colt McCoy, a rich man’s Ty Detmer
October 27th, 2008 at 11:42 am
33
Vol says:
Yeah I have to disagree with the McCoy comparison.
October 27th, 2008 at 11:52 am
34
Vol says:
31, he routinely uses his head. As a battering ram.
October 27th, 2008 at 11:54 am
35
skinnyphatman says:
Comparing interception stats can be misleading. As a for instance, since I live in Denver, Champ Bailey has but one interception this year. I was watching the fourth or fifth game and the announcer mentioned that opposing teams had only thrown to his receiver something like five or six times, all season. Hard to ague that Champ is not one of if not the best at his trade in the league. Also, typically a CB gets interceptions while moving with the WR, i.e. away from the LOS, while the safety gets many of theirs jumping routes heading towards the LOS. Could go a long way to explain the difference in return yardage.
EB is no doubt a manchild, but don’t discount others simply based on stats.
October 27th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
36
Crabapple Buck says:
Eric is great. If he played for a winning team, he would be considered for the HT.
I witnessed Charles Woodson (from Fremont Ohio, one that got away) wreak havoc on tOSU and the Big Ten. He is the one player that I believe cost us more than any other. He would have won 3 MNC’s at tOSU in 1995, ‘96 & ‘97, but instead visited the dark side and made John Cooper pay the consequences. CW also returned punts, KO’s and played offense. He was the best player I have ever seen play for Michigan, maybe the best in the last 25 years. Vols fans need to remember this, Peyton never beat his main rival, Florida. Charles Woodson never lost to his.
Fuck, that hurt to write.
October 27th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
37
Der Schatten says:
Ah Crabapple Buck, thou art indicted by the prefatory remark, “I witnessed Charles Woodson…wreak havoc on tOSU and the Big Ten.” The late 90’s Big Ten didn’t exactly resemble a 2008 Big XII or 1984 WAC.
October 27th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
38
Der Schatten says:
Passing Stats from 1997 in the Big 10…Yes, it was as bad as you think.
The leader is pass efficiency was Joe Germaine? WTF?
Yards? Bill Dicken’s 2800? WTF?
TD’s? Bill Dicken’s 19? WTF?
Only four QBs passed for 2000 yards, whereas 6 teams had a 1000 yard rusher. Truth is, Woodson got hyped into the Heisman taking candy from babies posing as QB’s.
QED
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/college/stats/1997/BIG10confstats.html
October 27th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
39
Crabapple Buck says:
DS –
The Big Ten in the 1990’s was tough. The SEC and Big 12 were great too. You know there is some good football elsewhere when you care to observe. But you can stay in your little fantasy world and ignore the greatness of the game as a whole. Along with the Buckeyes, I am a CFB fan and have no problem giving others their due.
October 27th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
40
MSR says:
Crabapple Buck,
When your team gets the shit kicked out of them every time they play a decent OOC team, I guess you have to “give others their due.”
Regardless, your response failed to address the point being made–i.e., that Charles Woodson played against a bunch of teams who were inept at throwing the football. That’s a seemingly undeniable reality.
October 27th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
41
ExpatVol says:
The only beacon of hope in shit storm that is UT right now… keep the highlights coming EB… you are the man!!!
October 27th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
42
Holly says:
Please refer to him in all further communication as Eric “Jesus Football Christ” Berry.
October 27th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
43
chg says:
I hate clips that just show the same play over and over. And Peyton wuz robbed.
October 27th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
44
JD says:
#4 looks like an unluck number at Bama… Wasn’t that Prothro’s Number too?
October 27th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
45
COB says:
Re: 37. Yes, I have enjoyed EB’s play in the 2008 Big12 as well as his early work in the 1984 WAC. Great point. Maybe, just maybe, if UT was somewhat relevant, he might get a nod in some obscure EPSN insiders article. Maybe.
October 27th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
46
JohnInHuntsville says:
We have two players sporting #4 this year. Marquis Maze wears it, as well as Mark Barron, a true freshman manchild.
I’ll give Berry his props for being a great player, but the helmet to helmet hit on the Whisky QB is Fulmer cheapshot bullshit.
It sucks to be a badass on a bad team.
October 28th, 2008 at 8:30 am