Tommie Harris: The Key to Bears Defensive Success

The defensive side of the football for the Chicago Bears can still be considered as good as any in the NFC if they remain healthy.  However, that whole being healthy thing has become a serious issue for the Bears, even in their most successful years of late. 

Starting up front Tommie Harris is the key to making this defense go.  Whether its on a pass play when Harris is amongst the best pass rushers in the game or when the oppostion runs the ball and Harris comes up with a stop for no gain, this man makes the defense go.  We were able to see in 2006 especially how much the Bears missed Harris in the playoffs, as Peyton Manning was able to pick the Bears defense apart in Super Bowl XLI.  Grant it the offense did not exactly carry the Bears, but the defense was far from on top of their game that night.

Harris is perhaps the best defensive tackle in the game when he is healthy.  Since his injury in 2006 it is tough to say whether or not his hamstring is entirely healed.  If it is then that is great news for the Bears, giving them a valuable weapon defensively.  If not, then the rest of the defense suffers, even the great linebacking core the Bears are used to.

The rest of the men up front including Alex Brown, Adawale Ogunleye, Mark Anderson, and Anthony Adams have talent but nothing gets going unless we see production from a healthy Tommie Harris.  Will we see a fully healthy Harris for all of 2008?  Only time will answer that question but it doesn't hurt to hope so.

The linebackers of Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Hunter Hillenmeyer are amongst the best in the NFL.  Briggs was signed to a new deal this offseason as Urlacher first underwent minor neck surgery, and then completed his offseason by renegotiating a contract with the Bears.  Hillenmeyer, possibly the smartest man in the NFL is the weak spot of the three, often being overmatched because of his lack of speed.  If Harris and company are unable to get a pass-rush this season, expect Hillenmeyer to be thrown at while covering a tight end or back like we have seen so often in the past.

Talking about injuries, the secondary of the Bears comes off of a season of disappointment which saw Mike Brown miss nearly the entire season while corner Nate Vasher missed considerable time as well.  When healthy this is a scary bunch to try and pass over with two solid corners in Vasher and Peanut Tillman.  Mike Brown will be accompanied by Brandon McGowan as the other safety, when healthy its a very scary bunch.

What matters most for this defense to play up to its highest potential is the pass rush it receives from up front.  Tommie Harris is the key cog to that strategy as we have seen the Bears struggle several times over to get to the quarterback while he has been out of games.  Harris is as good as it gets up front and with him not being in the lineup the entire Bears defense takes a hit, not only the defensive line.

A hamstring injury is as tough of one as there is to have as a defensive lineman.  You are talking about where the initial speed and strength of a first move is generated from when you talk about a defensive linemans hamstring.  Harris came back last year and played well while healthy.  The question remains, can he stay healthy all of 2008?

As a Bears fan I severely hope so because without #91 being in the lineup, this entire defense would take a hit they are unable to afford.