Don't worry, trust Tommie
Tommie Harris lets his critics know he's listening
So says Tommie Harris.
The three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle came under criticism by a pair of newspaper beat writers on a radio talk show last month. They said that the nagging knee injuries which have hampered Harris the past three seasons may be enough for the Bears to consider replacing him with 2009 top draft pick Jarron Gilbert.
"What upset me on the radio wasn't that they were bringing in Gilbert or all that other stuff," Harris said. "I heard them asking should the Bears re-sign my roster bonus. So, I'm thinking about, if I put in all the time for the Bears and Tommie Harris earned his contract [a record 4-year, $40 million deal], what are we talking about do I deserve something because of just one [down year] -- and I still had five sacks?"
All told, Harris missed two of last season's 16 games, yet managed to start all but one of the 14 games in which he played. In addition to the five sacks, he also had 33 solo tackles, which turned out to be a single-season high for him during his five years in the NFL.
Harris' ongoing knee problem limited his playing time, not to mention he took most Wednesday practices off during the season to rest. When the Bears drafted Gilbert with their first pick, the speculation about Harris' remaining tenure with the team suddenly began.
"That's what I really didn't understand," Harris said. "I wasn't angry about it; I was more sad, like dang. But you have to learn as a player how to separate the fans from the media, and that's the biggest thing.
"And all media are not jerks, and that's what we all have to understand. There's some guys out there who just talk and they never show up or say they never said something or it was off-the-record type stuff."
Harris has been taking it easy during the offseason, gingerly using his left knee in workouts.
"This is as good as I've felt," he said.
But at the same time, he isn't trying to do too much and aggravate the knee like he did during last year's preseason.
"I'm on cruise control right now," Harris said. "I'm taking time and taking advantage of the offseason and getting ready for training camp, and hopefully I'll get to smash some guys when the season comes."
Harris -- a 6-3, 295-pound top draft pick of the Bears in 2004 -- assured all the media that would listen to him Wednesday that his progress is coming along just as planned.
"I know by training camp I'll be ready to go," he said. "I'm not worried at all. I'm just taking my time. The biggest part is when you feel like you want to go out and practice every day, [coaches] tell you to slow down a little bit. The past couple years, I rushed myself back, but I'm just taking advantage of this time that I have now."
Gilbert, a 6-5, 288-pounder out of San Jose State, was the fourth pick of the third round, the Bears' top pick because of both the Jay Cutler trade and a draft day trade. Even though Gilbert remains unproven in the NFL, the two print reporters that questioned Harris' long-term ability also suggested Gilbert might be able to step right into Harris' shoes. But Harris made it quite clear Wednesday that the only person stepping into his shoes for the immediate future will be himself.
"I'm just coming back and really proving to Tommie Harris that I can still do it," he said. "Everything is cleared up. All I have to do is play well and everything else is silenced. So, back-and-forth talk is not going to help anything."
Even with his limitations, Harris told reporters during Wednesday's voluntary workout at Halas Hall that he's particularly looking forward to working in the coming weeks with former NFL great Warren Sapp.
"I have to wait until OTAs are over with, then we're going to get some work in," Harris said.
Rod Marinelli, the Bears' new defensive line coach, has made Harris somewhat of a personal project, wanting to bring him back to a Pro Bowl level.
"He's like a coach that really cares on and off the field," Harris said of Marinelli. "And he brings the game to more of a lifestyle, not just something we do 12 hours out of a day, but you're thinking about it constantly.
"You live it. Anything you live, you don't have to think about it. It just happens. He's making it something where you're just constantly doing it on an everyday basis. He makes you want to do it, he makes you want to come through these doors and be the best at what you do."
Harris tries to take the critical talk from reporters with a grain of salt, often reacting with tongue-in-cheek comebacks, like when he was asked if he's concerned about the current state of his health.
"What's so concerning about it?" Harris said. "Is anybody losing sleep over me? The fans or the media? All the fans I see, they're all, 'Are you alright? You good? Everything okay?' It's not 'take his roster bonus' or 'Tommie's mad because Gilbert is coming in and starting' and all this other hoopla that [the media is] talking about. I just have to get back to my form, go out there and perform like Tommie Harris does.
"I pretty much talk like my body feels. I'm just getting back and regrouping. And when I'm ready, you guys will notice."
Jerry Bonkowski is a columnist for ESPNChicago.com.
