'Healthy' Tommie Harris out for Bengals game
BEARS | Knee pain means Harrison slides in for underachieving DT
Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said Thursday morning on WSCR-AM (670) that defensive tackle Tommie Harris ''is healthy.'' A statement on Harris' health hasn't been that inaccurate since coach Lovie Smith announced at the start of training camp that Harris was ''100 percent healthy.''
Since Angelo's radio appearance, Harris has missed his second and third practices of the week, and he will be held out of the game Sunday at Cincinnati.
(Tom Cruze/Sun-Times)
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A source said Harris has undergone extra treatments on his left knee after experiencing persistent pain since last week's game on the artificial surface in Atlanta. Marcus Harrison, who made his first career start against the Falcons, will move from nose tackle to under tackle and start against the Bengals.
Harris, who had arthroscopic surgery on the knee in March -- about a month after he was paid a $6.67 million roster bonus -- seems to be at a career crossroads. His knee can't get better if he continues to play on it, but he can't improve under the tutelage of line guru Rod Marinelli if he can't practice. It's still early in the season, but there's a distinct possibility the Bears will have to consider his future with the team after the season.
Harris is scheduled to receive a $2.5 million roster bonus for next season, but he can't earn it until June, giving the Bears a chance to consider alternatives in free agency and the draft. Harris isn't performing commensurate to the four-year, $40 million contract extension he received before the 2008 season.
''Tommie hasn't dominated yet, but eventually, someday, he will,'' Smith said after practice Friday. ''Right now he has some soreness; he hasn't practiced. There's nothing else really for me to go into about Tommie.''
For his part, the 26-year-old Harris was silent.
''I'll see you on Sunday,'' he said as he walked out of the Walter Payton Center in Lake Forest.
Harris plays the signature position in the Tampa-2 scheme, and the hope was that Marinelli would spark a revival for Harris, who feuded with former line coach Don Johnson and didn't respond to Brick Haley the last two seasons.
Harrison, who worked at nose tackle this summer, is coming off a solid game against the Falcons, but Smith has said he needs to take the next step. Now is an ideal time.
''The three-technique is pretty much the motor,'' Harrison said of the position for which he was drafted. ''I'm just ready to play. It's time to step up and get out there and play.''
Harris hasn't often been the player he once was. A torn hamstring at the end of the 2006 season was followed by a knee injury at the start of the 2007 season, when Dallas Cowboys right tackle Marc Colombo leg-whipped him. He gutted it out for a Bears team going nowhere down the stretch in '07, knowing he would need offseason knee surgery. The Bears were aware of his condition when they negotiated a new contract, but his injury problems have been worsened at times by his unwillingness to work with the training staff.
That's fine for a player performing at his best, but superstar rules don't apply when the player isn't meeting the standards. Thus, Harris was suspended for a game last season. He filed a grievance against the Bears for a separate situation over the summer, according to a league source. The Bears routinely have fined Harris for being late.
Pressed about the grievance, Harris said, ''That was awhile ago. I don't have anything to do with it. [Agent] Drew [Rosenhaus] takes care of that. He handles that.''
Rosenhaus didn't return a message seeking comment.
But the matter has been resolved, according to a league source, and a Bears source said Harris has been on track with the team. He has nine tackles through five games with three stops for loss, no quarterback hits and no sacks. He played well at Seattle, forcing some plays and being disruptive.
''We've seen the flashes during the games,'' Angelo said. ''So I feel good he has the physical traits to continue to be a top rusher, and really that is what we're looking for Tommie to do. On Sunday, we haven't seen the consistency. I think he would say the same thing. Parts are there, but again, the tape is the tape. We'll continue to coach him and monitor him.''
NOTE: Running back Adrian Peterson (right knee) will miss the game Sunday.