Harris Still Day to Day for Sunday's Game..........

Harris held out of practice

Posted: 9/29/2011 4:04:00 PM

Even though Chris Harris sat out practice Thursday after participating without restrictions Wednesday, the Bears are still hoping that he’ll be able to play Sunday against the Panthers.

With the veteran safety out of the lineup the past two games due to a hamstring injury, the defense has allowed six touchdown passes while permitting 57 points in losses to the Saints and Packers. It’s the first time the Bears have yielded at least three TD passes in back-to-back games since 2006.

“You’re always concerned when a guy misses a Thursday practice,” said coach Lovie Smith. “But we have a little bit of time still. We have other guys to play if he can’t go. But hopefully he’ll be able to.” Harris’ teammates also hope that he’ll be able to start Sunday.

“It’ll be crucial,” said linebacker Lance Briggs. “He’s a guy who helps us go. He’s a general back there. I look at him in the same respect that I looked at Mike Brown when he was here. He’s a playmaker and he’s a guy we need on the field.”

“I don’t know what his prognosis is for the game or anything like that,” said middle linebacker Brian Urlacher. “But any time you get him back there talking and communicating, just his knowledge of the game is going to help our defense. Plus he’s a physical tackler.”

Other Bears who did not practice Thursday were receiver Earl Bennett (chest), right tackle Gabe Carimi (knee), tight end Matt Spaeth (calf) and running back Kahlil Bell (back).

For the Panthers, cornerback Chris Gamble (head) did not practice for the second straight day, while tackle Jeff Otah worked out without limitations after sitting out Wednesday.

Even thought there's a slim chance of it I hope JA is paying attention to the results of our pass defense without Harris playing. The comments I highlighted from Briggs and Urlacher say it all and should be paid attention to.

Chris Harris is the guy who makes it go just as Mike Brown did. Like Brown he's not the fastest guy on the field but he's incredibly instinctive, an opportunist in coverage, a great tackler, and a guy who makes everyone else back there play better. I think one of the reasons that Major Wright seems to be struggling is his lack of confidence and to me that seems less of a problem when he's playing alongside of Harris. It's his leadership we miss as much as anything.

Harris is due a contract extension and coming off a year where he was a second team all-pro. He deserves an extension and we need him playing for a few more years until the younger guys can exhibit the consistency and leadership he brings. Let's just hope JA doesn't play around with this contract extension like he did with Kruetz and is doing with Forte. My guess is that Harris would love to stay on and would probably play for less here than elsewhere but don't low ball the guy and force him out. The fact that we still need him is obvious.

Not anymore. Harris, Bennett and Carimi are all out but Barber will play for the first time this year.

Chris Harris has setback to his hamstring

By Sean Jensen on September 30, 2011 12:35 PM| 2 Comments| No TrackBacks


Bears safety Chris Harris, who has missed the last two games, practiced in full on Wednesday. But Harris suffered a setback to his left hamstring, according to a source, and he's expected to miss at least Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers, although he's officially listed as questionable.

"Yeah, it's disappointing not being able to play," Harris said after practice Friday. "But we've got the guys who can go out there and get the job done, and they will get the job done on Sunday."

The back end has looked anything but sharp without him, as the Bears have fielded several different combinations in his absence.

Second-year safety Major Wright practiced in full Thursday, so he will likely start with Brandon Meriweather.
Chris Conte and veteran Craig Steltz have also received playing time.

An All-Pro last season, after collecting five interceptions, Harris has proven to be one of the team's most dependable veterans.

"He's a guy who helps us go," Bears linebacker Lance Briggs said of Harris. "He's a general back there, and I look at him in the same respect that I looked at Mike Brown when he was here. He's a playmaker. He's a guy that we need on the field."

But, that won't be on Sunday.

2011, 4:21 PM ET
Marion Barber to play vs. Panthers



By Jeff Dickerson
ESPNChicago.com

The Bear Facts

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears running back Marion Barber is set to make his regular-season debut on Sunday after being sidelined with a calf injury since Aug. 27.

Barber hurt the calf in the team's third preseason game against the Tennessee Titans, which resulted in the veteran being inactive for the first three weeks of the regular season. Barber suffered a setback two weeks ago prior to the New Orleans Saints game when the calf did not respond properly following a Wednesday practice, but he was able to have full participation this week in advance of the Bears' game against the Carolina Panthers.

"Just a good running back added to the mix," Bears coach Lovie Smith said Friday. "We're of course trying to get the running game going a little bit better, having a guy like that should help in spot duty. I know he's excited. He hasn't played a game that counts yet for the Chicago Bears. Hopefully we get some production out of him.'

A boost in the running game would be helpful since the Bears are averaging a mere 3.2 yards per carry over the first three weeks. However, much of that can be pinned on offensive coordinator Mike Martz's play-calling or the lack of running lanes being opened up by the offensive line. Tailbacks Matt Forte and Kahlil Bell have carried the ball a combined 46 times so far this season, compared to 114 passing attempts by Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.
Barber, who spent the previous six years as a member of the Dallas Cowboys, ran the ball effectively in training camp and the preseason before he injured the calf in Tennessee.


His return might help the Bears do a better job on third down, where they have converted only 27.5 percent of the time. Much of that, however, can be attributed to the Bears' struggles on first and second down, which put the team in numerous third-and-long situations. A solid running game should help on both accounts.
"He's a different player, we know what his strength will be ... talking about some of the tough yardage inside the tackles," Smith said.


Barber, Bell (back), Major Wright (head/neck) and Patrick Mannelly (hip) are all listed as probable. Jeff Dickerson covers the Bears for ESPNChicago.com and ESPN 1000.

Bummer to lose Harris again having to go up against Newton and Smith this week. Secondary needs to be on their toes. Maybe the running game will get a lift from Barber that it isn't getting from Forte and Bell although Bell has had a couple of nice runs called back.

The bad news on Bennett is that they expect him to miss at least two more weeks. Ouch, that hurts. I want to him healthy so they can bench Williams. I guess the one hidden benefit is that Sanz is getting a lot of reps in his place. That should help in his development at the very least.