[CBFF] ST - Harris has no complaints

[Jim Ferolie]

A very interesting camp battle indeed. Praise Rusty Jones. 
Harris has no complaints 

August 4, 2006 

BY BRAD BIGGS Staff Reporter 





BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- The eye-opener Chris Harris got when the Bears drafted Danieal Manning in April does not even compare to the one he received a month ago. 

At this time last summer, Harris was the rookie safety who was turning heads in camp, a sixth-round draft pick with whom the coaching staff quickly became enamored. As fellow safety Mike Brown described it, Harris just ''got it.'' He picked up the scheme and the calls quickly and was shouting things out even in minicamp. 

So when veteran Mike Green was pushed aside at halftime of the season opener and Harris became the starter at free safety, no one was stunned, not even Green. But with ample depth elsewhere and a desire to get quicker in the secondary, the Bears chose Manning with their first pick in the second round. 

To Harris, it was a signal that nothing can be taken for granted, not even after he joined Brown to become only the second rookie starter at safety for the Bears in the last decade. 

And he found out he really couldn't take things for granted when he took a 12-day trip to Afghanistan as part of a Gridiron Greats Tour, spending the Fourth of July with the troops. 

''It was a very humbling experience,'' Harris said. ''It's nuts over there. Going over and coming back, it makes you appreciate a lot of things that you might not have thought about before.'' 

Harris was joined by Washington Redskins linebacker Robert McCune, Baltimore Ravens tight end Daniel Wilcox and two New Orleans Saints cheerleaders. 

He stayed primarily at Bagram Air Base, but the group traveled to five other places in the country, using Blackhawk helicopters to get around. He fired a bevy of weapons, including .50-caliber machine guns, from the Blackhawk. 

''[The soldiers] smiled from ear to ear from the time we got there to the time we left,'' Harris said. ''I met some real good people and a lot of folks from Chicago. 

''I've got a lot of respect for them. Those guys are wearing full army fatigues, it's 120 degrees and they're carrying a gun everywhere they go. People are trying to shoot at them, too.'' 

But the memory that will stay with him more than anything else was seeing children in the base hospital in Bagram. The Afghani kids will scour the devastated area for scrap metal, something to bring just a little bit of money. Too often what they try to pick up turns out to be a land mine. 

''That was what was eye-opening,'' Harris said. ''Believe me, I don't complain as much after going over there.'' 

So moving to strong safety while Manning gets time at his position whenever Brown sits out doesn't faze Harris. He says competition only will make him better. Ideally, the Louisiana-Monroe product might be best suited to play strong safety because he is such a rugged run defender. But as long as Brown is healthy, that won't happen. 

Whether Manning can overtake Harris in the preseason remains to be seen. Coach Lovie Smith has a proven track record for trusting young players, as he did with Harris last season. Manning can cover more ground and has better coverage skills, something the Bears need when they frequently walk Brown into the box as an eighth defender. 

''We're pleased with how Chris played last year,'' Smith said. ''I'd like to think he is getting better. He did what we asked him to do.'' 

He improved along the way, too. He led the secondary with eight tackles and had a 49-yard fumble return in a homecoming of sorts against the Saints in Baton Rouge, La. He picked off Brett Favre twice in the Christmas Day victory at Lambeau Field, and he led the team in tackles in the playoff loss to Carolina. 

During the offseason, Harris dropped about 10 pounds to 200 and said he feels quicker on his feet. He was in position to make three interceptions at practice Thursday afternoon, just where Smith wants him. He also feels he's consistently staying lower in his backpedal and transition to be in position to provide help over the top. 

''I'm coming out of my breaks a lot better than I did last year,'' he said. 

Ultimately, his ability to defend the pass probably will dictate his standing on the depth chart. But he smiles when saying he's putting his best effort forward, and he remains confident that the starting free safety position is his. 

''I'm just going to come out here and play ball,'' Harris said. ''Every day someone is gunning for your job, whether it's Manning or Todd Johnson, it doesn't matter. They're going to get the best players in here to do the job, kind of like last year.'' 

When the best man won the job.