Injured Harris Could Be Costly

Reports out of Chicago are questioning if All-Pro defensive tackle Tommie Harris will be ready for Sunday night’s opener against the Colts in Indy. For Bears’ fans, this is unwelcome news. It is tough enough to beat the Colts at home with a healthy defense, but without Harris anchoring the Bears’ defensive line it could well be a long night for the Monsters of the Midway. Check out this breaking story by Vaughn McClure of The Chicago Tribune. According to McClure, Harris has been on the sidelines since August 21st, but this revelation is news to all of us. I give the Bears credit for keeping it under wraps, but with the mandatory league injury reports due out today, if he can’t go, it will be broadcast to the rest of the league, the Colts included. 

In my first installment of Scheme Session last Sunday, I broke down the Tampa 2 defense– the backbone of the Bears’ defense. Well folks, that defense is predicated on dominant defensive tackles, like Harris. There is a reason Brian Urlacher roams from sideline to sideline, and also a reason why the Bears can rush only four on passing downs and sit back in coverage, locking down defenders with the Tampa 2 scheme– Harris. It is no different than the impact Warren Sapp had with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the early 2000s. These defensive tackles require a double-team most of the time on run downs, taking up two offensive linemen and allowing the Mike backer (Urlacher) to run free to the ball. On passing downs, instead of applying pressure with an extra defender (usually a safety or nickel back), the Bears can sit back in that Tampa 2 shell, keeping everything in front of them while they watch their defensive line go to work. Tampa 2 teams call it “Green 2,” which means the four defensive linemen are free to rush the passer with no regard to the running game or their gaps. It is an all out rush for those guys.

When you have the correct pieces it is a beautiful thing to watch, but when you don’t (as is the case here without Harris), that Tampa 2 scheme is extremely vulnerable. Routes have longer to develop and defenders have more time to make a mistake. If the ball doesn’t come out quick in this league, you become a sitting duck at defender, especially if Reggie Wayne is running routes and Peyton Manning is throwing the football.

What gets lost in the shuffle in the wake of this injury news about Harris is the fact that Manning and the Colts practice against this defense every day in training camp, mini-camp, and OTAs. It is Tony Dungy’s defense as much as it is Lovie Smith’s. If you don’t think Manning knows every single way to beat this defense to death then you are kidding yourself. Manning knows what routes to run and exactly where to put the football. Another component is the play of Joseph Addai. Look for him to have a big day on the ground if Harris is out of the lineup. Sure, Urlacher will collect his usual 15+ tackles, but they will be seven yards beyond the line of scrimmage without his boy Harris taking up two, or splitting two to make a tackle in the backfield. 

This happens every year around this time when the first injury report is on the horizon. Suddenly, guys who were held out of preseason games and training camp are exposed. Sure, we all know Tom Brady of the Patriots is going to be on it (like every other week), but for a guy like Harris, or even Mike Brown (who was held out of last week’s game for unknown reasons), the truth will come out. When it comes to injury reports, I’ve seen it all in my time, because teams know sooner or later they have to compile that list of players who might not make it out of the tunnel come Sunday. 

And again, we don’t know how badly injured Harris’ knee really is. But, from my experience, if a veteran isn’t practicing for more than a week in camp– there is something going on. We all expect “Vet Days” when a player is given a day off as a gift from coaches, but after two weeks, Harris’ teammates have to be wondering if he is going to show up and play come Sunday night.