Taking a look at Bernard Berrian's noticeably bigger biceps during a practice break the other day, teammate Ricky Manning Jr. smiled as he squeezed the sleek wide receiver's arm.
"Man, look at the new body," Manning said.
Berrian is a player defined more by finesse than physique, but he devoted the off-season to a regimen likely to add some Midwestern grit to his California cool image.
He followed the same weight-training program Bears linebackers use to increase his bulk without losing his trademark burst.
"I am bigger and I lost some more fat and put on muscle," Berrian said.
He still weighs only 176 pounds, but pound-for-pound, Berrian is one of the better bargains on the Bears.
Berrian's Value Is Climbing