Sidney Rice Returns to the Minnesota Vikings: Will Bernard Berrian Disappear?

Minnesota Vikings receiver Sidney Rice is set to make his 2010 debut against the Chicago Bears today.

Will the return of the Vikings' leading receiver in in 2009 wreak havoc on the fragile psyche of the Minnesota receiving corps?

Rice's return comes on the heels of Brett Favre's career high 446 passing yards, where he connected with eight different receivers.

Percy Harvin caught nine passes, contributing 126 yards to Favre's record-breaking day.

This coming off a week where Harvin suffered an ankle sprain and a confrontation with head coach Brad Childress.

Also, in that one game, Bernard Berrian doubled his total receptions on the season, catching nine passes for 89 yards. Berrian gave fans the breakout game they had been waiting for while wearing new yellow shoes.

It is no coincidence that the Vikings' biggest passing day of the season came one game after the release of Randy Moss. The Vikings' wideouts appeared to get the message that for this team to succeed they need to step up and make some plays. 

Rice, who had 83 receptions for 1,312 yards in 2009, is a welcome return to the Vikings. There's no doubt that he will be more effective over the next four weeks than Moss was the last four he played with Minnesota.

But what can we expect from Berrian?

Before the Arizona game, Berrian was averaging only 1.3 catches per game for a measly 9.7 yards per catch.

With Rice out of the lineup this was the perfect opportunity for him to step up and be the down-field receiver the Vikings signed away from Chicago.

Instead he disappointed on the field.

He struggled handling punt return duty to start the season, netting only two yards and two muffs on three returns before being replaced by Greg Camarillo.

Even with the return of Rice, the Vikings are going to need another game like last week from Berrian, as a do-or-die situation continues for Minnesota's playoff aspirations.

This could also be a do-or-die situation for Berrian's career. If, in limited duty, Rice outshines Berrian today, Berrian's time in Minnesota could be limited.

Hopefully the equipment manager packed Berrian's yellow shoes.