[CBFF] CT - 'Tommie' set to turn play up a notch

[Steve Behrens]

Whah?  What was *that* all about?

Gimme a break....

-Behr





On 8/16/06, Jim Ferolie <ferolie at charter.net> wrote:
>
> Oops, the one before was Sun-Times, not Trib.
>
> This one... well, it is kind of tough to wade through the BS, but it's
> kind of interesting. Tommie is a fun player to watch, but he is full of
> hyperbole.
>
> 'Tommie' set to turn play up a notch
> Bears defensive lineman, recently feeling he lost his drive, wants to
> start writing his legacy
> By John Mullin
> Tribune staff reporter
>
> August 16, 2006, 12:32 AM CDT
>
> BOURBONNAIS -- Late last season, Tommie Harris looked at the jersey
> hanging in his locker and said, "When I'm here, I'm [number] '91.' But the
> rest of the time, I'm 'Tommie.'"
>
> Early this month "Tommie" says he was ready to walk away from his NFL Pro
> Bowl career.
>
> Tommie had passion; 91 did not.
>
> "Two weeks ago I was thinking about quitting," Harris said. "I was
> wondering what was wrong with me, why I didn't have the drive anymore. I
> talked to my Mom and said, 'I don't know if I want to do this. The love of
> the game is not there.'"
>
> It is easy for football enthusiasm to wane in training camp. But Harris'
> unhappiness appeared to run considerably deeper and his talks with his
> mother and others close to him may have done more than save his career.
>
> Surprisingly, the honors and recognition heaped on Harris last
> season-voted to the Pro Bowl in his second season and acclaimed as one of
> the best young defensive linemen in the game-didn't seem satisfying.
>
> For all of his success, he believes he was holding back, reluctant to face
> the risk of a total commitment to the game.
>
> "It's almost like I'm afraid to be great," Harris said. "Because if I show
> you greatness, then I'm going to have to be that on a consistent basis. I
> look at Brian Urlacher. Everybody knows he's great, so if he doesn't show up
> on one game, everybody sees that. The levels are high as far as what people
> expect.
>
> "But now I feel there's no turning back. I've made up my mind-and this is
> just recently-to go for broke. I've never really opened myself up to
> something like this before. My fear is failure. Now I'm going to see how
> good I can do for the first time in my life.
>
> "I know how good I am but being a man means being good consistently. This
> is the first time in my life I've told myself I want to see if I can be the
> best. I finally want to see how good Tommie Harris can be, if that means
> every day in practice going hard, just everything."
>
> Harris is not defined solely by football. Indeed, his biggest challenge is
> the conflict inherent in being "91" and "Tommie."
>
> He is a devout Christian, whose duet with Carolina Panthers tight end
> Michael Gaines at the 2006 Super Bowl Gospel Fest in Detroit drew a standing
> ovation on a program that included gospel legends Patti LaBelle and the
> Winans family. He traveled to Liberia in May and spent a couple of weeks
> with Oklahoma and NFL players Lee Roy and Dewey Selmon doing construction
> work on an orphanage for "Mama Feeta," whose heroism saved the lives of
> dozens of children amid the civil war there in the late 1990s.
>
> And he is intent on doing his own work with children. Among his efforts is
> a planned book "The Scenic Route," detailing parts of his life and how he
> overcame doubters. Those included some of his pre-teen teachers, one of whom
> sent him to the school psychologist. It was a visit that changed his life.
>
> "I used to act crazy because I just wanted attention," Harris recalled.
> "The teachers gave up on me learning and they would put me in a corner. I
> would talk crazy to myself. When I was sent to see the [psychologist], I sat
> perfectly straight and answered 'yes, ma'am, no ma'am.'
>
> "But she knew what I was doing, the games kids like me play. And she told
> me to keep believing in myself, and she wrote to my mom. 'This kid is more
> than normal.' She saw things in me.
>
> "All it would have taken was for her to have said I was crazy and I was
> finished. So I knew I had to be perfect. I went through that book of all
> those shapes and where people say they see demons or whatever. I was seeing
> bunny rabbits, flowers. And I was serious."
>
> Those experiences are behind him. It is the ones in front of him that have
> his interest as never before, certainly the ones involving football.
>
> "Now I feel it's time for me to start my greatness, my legacy, like
> Urlacher," Harris said. "Now I'm building to show everybody - and myself -
> Tommie Harris can be a great football player. I want to make my game
> perfect, to perfect my craft, and that's on and off the field."
>
> He hesitated, then added, "I want to be the most elite person I can be.
> Put my all into all of this."
>
> jmullin at tribune.com
> _______________________________________________
> Check out the CBFF Blog:
> blog.chicagobearsfanforum.com
> CBFF Homepage:
> www.chicagobearsfanforum.com
>