Tommie Harris limping again

[Chewie]

If you needed anymore indication this year is going to blow, Tommie Harris is limping again on that bad knee.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-080902-tommie-harris-chicago-bears,0,7132303.story

Bears' defense short key piece if Harris can't go
Sore knee has kept him sidelined since Aug. 21
By Vaughn McClure | Tribune reporter
11:15 PM CDT, September 2, 2008

While the Bears made a trade Tuesday to shore up depth on their injury-depleted offensive line, they hope there isn't a bigger health concern they will have to address on the other side of the ball.

Defensive tackle Tommie Harris hasn't practiced since after the third exhibition game Aug. 21, according to a team source. Harris was held out of the exhibition finale against Cleveland, along with safety Mike Brown, for what coach Lovie Smith cited as precautionary reasons.

The Bears haven't mentioned Harris' absence from practice. Their first injury report of the season is due Wednesday, according to league rules.

A source said the Bears' medical staff has expressed concern Harris' knee injury might be more serious than the team first thought, but team officials rejected that idea Tuesday night. It was pointed out that similar concerns were raised last season about Harris' health after he sprained his left knee against Dallas, but he was in action for the next game Sept. 30 at Detroit.

If Harris is limited or doesn't play against the Colts, he likely would be replaced in the lineup by a group including Anthony Adams, Dusty Dvoracek and promising rookie Marcus Harrison.

Matt Toeaina, who might have been kept on the roster because of the team's knowledge of Harris' condition, also could work into the rotation.

Israel Idonije, dominant at times in exhibitions, gives the Bears flexibility and would move inside under any scenario that includes Harris going to the sideline. Idonije started in place of Harris against the Browns.

Injured or not, Harris has been known as a fast healer and has played through pain before, so it wouldn't be a surprised if he suited up against the Colts regardless.

Seriously? The decision to keep 9 DL on the 53 man roster is making sense now. So, we've got Tillman who's missed practice galore due to his daughter's health issues, Harris is dinged again, there's D Manning who's shown nothing thus far learning a new role as nickel-back, Urlacher hasn't looked like himself after getting paid, and we've got a huge question mark at safety in Payne soooo we're looking dandy on defense. Lord knows the 'D' was actually trying against the Browns on that 3rd preseason game and they looked just dreadful. You know the game - the one where the Browns were missing their starting QB, RB, and top WR.

And don't get me started on the offense. In summary, check your expectations big time for this year. My earlier 6 - 10 prediction sounds generous now.

[Chewie]

Comforting :


http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-05-haugh-tommie-harris-bearssep05,0,3830160.column

Finding Tommie Harris' fountain of youth
Prolong career with rest in practice — and games
David Haugh | On the Bears
September 5, 2008

Tommie Harris had the body of a 35-year-old.
That was the professional opinion of one NFL doctor for a team considering whether to draft Harris in the first round of the 2004 draft.

According to an executive with that team who recalled those words this week amid the fuss over Harris' knee, the team doctor recommended taking Harris off the draft board completely given his medical history. During a meeting with the team's football personnel, the doctor detailed problems with Harris' groin, shoulder and knee.

"We had a veteran tackle who was going to be [33] at the time and I remember the doctor saying, after 10 years in the league, that player's body was in better medical condition than Harris', " the executive said.


That was four years and 61 NFL games ago for Harris, 25.

Only he and a select few others at Halas Hall know for sure what toll the wear and tear already has taken on his body, and good luck getting a straight answer out of the Bears when it comes to Harris' health.

The point in illustrating how fragile some medical professionals considered Harris is not to bury the Bears for drafting him or disparage the new face of the franchise.

Harris easily is the best player general manager Jerry Angelo has drafted, one of the NFL's best at his position after just four seasons. His new four-year, $40 million contract is loaded with nearly $10 million in performance-based incentives Harris never will meet unless healthy, and the guaranteed money is the going rate for three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackles.

To criticize the Bears for taking Harris or branding him damaged goods now would be foolish.

No, the point in revisiting some of the strong opinions on Harris' health from 2004 is to help put in perspective the Bears' decision recently to limit his practice time and their plan how to preserve him this season.

It was news Harris had not been participating fully in practice the last two weeks partly because coach Lovie Smith never mentioned him when going through his daily list of injured or healing players. But from this point forward, for the next 17 weeks, it will be assumed Harris has something wrong with his left knee or another body part that could limit his activity on any given Sunday.

No matter what the Bears say publicly about Harris and his health, that will be true.

Harris at 75 percent still gets off blocks quicker and upfield faster than most healthy defensive tackles. He might have the body of a 35-year-old, as that team doctor said, but it's of a 35-year-old who knows his way into a backfield. There is no player whose continued presence on the field means any more to the Bears' defense, and that includes Brian Urlacher and Mike Brown.

The Bears' challenge, given Harris' health realities, will be to get the most out of his good snaps this season. One idea is to put Harris on a play count the way baseball teams put their aces on a pitch count.

Make the goal between 35 and 45 plays, which could require some adjustments from the Bears' coaching staff. But wouldn't you rather have Harris contribute in a reduced role for 16 games rather than have him play every snap for six or eight before breaking down?

To ignore the toll his body has taken and succumb to the macho idea that Harris is tough enough to take every snap with the No. 1 defense could be tempting fate and endangering Harris' career as well as the Bears' season.

The Bears' defense averaged 65 plays per game last season—14 of those were third downs. As good as Harris can be rushing the passer, the Bears might need to consider taking him off the field on third downs and certain nickel packages.

Israel Idonije has developed enough as an inside presence at defensive tackle to allow it. Rookie Marcus Harrison, who can look like Tommie Harris in training at times, also could be a factor in pass-rush situations to help spell Harris.

Of the 50 or so other first- and second-down plays remaining, Harris should be on the field 75 percent of the time. That's still a lot of time to wreak havoc.

If the Bears do the smart thing, they would be following the model Bob Stoops used with Harris at Oklahoma. Harris was part of a rotation and oddly almost a part-time player given the number of snaps he was asked to play. He still dominated enough to win college's Lombardi Award.

If the Bears ever hope to challenge seriously for the Lombardi Trophy again before their Super Bowl window slams shut—if it hasn't already—they will need Harris on the field.

But to maximize Harris' impact over the course of a season, the Bears might have to minimize his snaps throughout the course of each game.