Bear Goggles On » Tommie Harris

Bears vs Giants – Keys to the Game

Boomer — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 18:34:15 +0000

So what if they're not playing at Soldier Field, this pic is too good to pass up. BEAR DOWN!!!

The Bears and Giants face off in a Sunday night showdown in the Giants shiny new stadium in front of a national audience. The Bears are coming off a prime-time win on Monday night against a Packers team that seemed to have the edge everywhere except the scoreboard. Jay Cutler hasn’t performed especially well under the lights while the Giants have struggled so far this season. Here are my keys to the game.

Gimme Fewell Gimme Fire

Does the name Perry Fewell ring a bell? He’s a former Bears assistant who turned down the Bears Defensive Coordinator job to take the same position in New York. He is a Cover-2 disciple, so there shouldn’t be anything that he’s doing that Jay Cutler hasn’t seen in practice. Giants would love to get pressure on Cutler with their front four, but injuries have left the line in shambles. Look for lots of blitzes and lots of hot routes by Cutler.

Tommie Can you Hear Me?

Julius Pepper has been a beast, but he’s been going to battle alone along the defensive front for the Bears. Last week, Tommie Harris was a healthy scratch. Will he come out motivated? The coaches have issued the challenge. Does Harris hear them? Will he respond? Now is the time to step it up.

It’s Johnny’s Turn

The Giants Special Teams are brutal. Giants head coach Tom Coughlin has promised that his punter will be kicking away from the resurrected Devin Hester. What does that mean? It means it’s Johnny Knox’s turn to bring one back on a kick return.
That should cover all three phases.

My prediction? Bears 26-23.

BEAR DOWN!!!

Through the month of October, my usual BEAR DOWN signoff will be in pink to raise awareness for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Tommie Harris and Bears Teammates Bowl for Charity

Boomer — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 05:40:39 +0000

Earlier this week, I told you about Tommie Harris’ event to Benefit Prevent Child Abuse America and the Tommie Harris Foundation that took place on Friday night. The event team was kind enough to let me come hang out and check out the scene.

Tommie Harris was joined by teammates Chris Harris, Major Wright, Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, Johnny Knox and Anthony Adams for a star-studded event. Guests were treated to a silent auction, dinner and then bid for a player of their choice to bowl with them. I arrived as the bidding was underway and it was pretty exciting. Bidding reached into the thousands of dollars as the excited and generous supporters raised big bucks for a great cause.

If you think the players are competitive on the field, that’s just the half of it. These dudes were fiercely competitive on the lanes too. I was really impressed with how generous the players were with their time and how loose they were just over a day away from the kickoff of the season. Check out some sights from the great event:

Chris Harris deomonstrates perfect technique. You know, like his tackling.

Johnny Knox takes time to pose with a fan.

Your Tommie Harris Getting Beaten Up Image of the Day

Boomer — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:19:38 +0000

I saw this come across Larry Fitzgerald’s Twitter feed and thought you might enjoy it too:

@Lfitzgerald11 layin' the smackdown on Tommie Harris. (Photo courtesy of @cdrobinson83)

I wonder if Fitz was getting revenge on Tommie for the Deuce Lutui fight from last season.

If you come across a cool picture like this, e-mail me at beargoggles.boomer@gmail.com.

BEAR DOWN!!!

Tommie Harris: The Window of Opportunity is Closing Fast

Boomer — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:46:38 +0000

Tommie Harris took some time to sit down and chat with The Score’s Boers and Bernstein Thursday after practice. I’ve been critical of Tommie in the past and I still think he’s got a screw or two loose, but the dude just cracked me up. It was a great interview while I was stuck in some choke hold traffic that made the drive a little more bearable, no pun intended. Give it a listen:

[podcast]http://fansidedblogs.net/podcasts/bears/tommy-harrisa.mp3[/podcast]

Here's a picture of the truck that got taken away from Tommie.

A few telling things in this piece. First was Tommie’s admission that he recognizes that window of opportunity is closing fast. I think he reflects what a lot of us and his teammates, coaches, etc are feeling – it’s win or go home this season.

He also believes that the Bears have the Super Bowl feel to them. I’ve heard this a few times and I think it’s Lovie’s arrogance or “Bearrogance” as I’ve heard B&B call it, but time will tell.

By the way, I can’t believe that they let him get out of that interview claiming to be a singer and rapper and not drop some lyrics. That was a missed opportunity. (more…)

Tommie Harris Admits He’s Not the Same Player He Used to Be

Boomer — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 05:41:10 +0000

Tommie Harris has come clean. He admits that he’s not the player he used to be. But it’s not what you expect – he claims he’s better! Check out some quotes from Harris after Family Night practice at Soldier Field on Friday night from my new Twitter pal Michael C Wright’s ESPN Chicago Bears blog:

“I definitely feel I’m not the same player I used to be. I’m better; much better,” Harris said. “I’m mentally stronger, everything. The game has slowed down for me to where I can see it at a whole different level. So I’m better. That’s how I definitely feel.”

I’m gonna start calling Tommie Neo, you know, from The Matrix because he’s going to be dodging bullets out there.

Tommie Harris claims everything has slowed down for him. Did he take the red pill or the blue pill?

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Buy Low Bears for Fantasy Football!!!

DeCon — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:33:15 +0000

For those of you who have been with BGO for a while, you know that I am a fantasy football junkie and I provide my insights for you each and every week during the football season. Before I get to a league-wide post, I thought I would write a short piece about some of our very own Chicago Bears who you may be able to “buy low” on for your upcoming fantasy football draft. Let’s face it, injuries aside, fantasy football leagues are won in the rounds 4 and on and you have to take some gambles that other teams aren’t willing to take. For those of you who play in leagues that don’t have a majority of Bears fans in them, you may be able to get a real leg up with some of these players who likely will be overlooked in the early rounds.

If Jay Cutler can cut down on his INT's, he'll be a factor in fantasy leagues.

Jay Cutler – Let’s start at the top, because the fortunes of the Beloved are firmly tied to the right arm of our QB. JC will likely go overlooked in many fantasy drafts primarily due to his proclivity to throw the ball to the wrong team and because he is learning the ultracomplicated Martzian offense behind an offensive line that had a lot of problems keeping him upright last season. Personally, I have high hopes for JC and I think he will end up somewhere in the 30-35 TD pass range and have a chance at 4,000 yds passing. Stats like these would merit a 3rd or 4th round selection in most PPR leagues and maybe even higher, but we know JC will not be considered that high in most leagues, so you have a chance to wait on him if you think I am right. I will not comment on INTs, because frankly if you lose a point or 2 for INTs, that won’t kill you on a week to week basis, provided JC can avoid the 3+ INT games, which is where the risk comes in. I think it is a risk worth taking.

Matt Forte – Following an outstanding rookie campaign, Forte broke many owners’ hearts last season, including mine, with a subpar (I am being nice) sophomore season. Forte’s play last year probably wouldn’t warrant consideration until the 3rd or 4th round, but I believe he will bounce back and give you solid 2nd round production. I think Forte is good for 1,000+ yds rushing and 8-10 TDs. The wildcard with Forte is how he will be utilized in the passing game, which could greatly increase his value.

More after the jump…

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National Football Post’s Matt Bowen Breaks Down Bears Camp

Boomer — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 04:46:40 +0000

National Football Post’s Matt Bowen popped in on Lovie Smith and the Bears in Bourbonnais. You remember Bowen, don’t ya? We’ve relied on his expertise as a former player in Lovie’s Cover-2 scheme to get some great insight on the Bears’ defense last offseason and how to beat it. Let’s see what Bowen thinks about how the Bears look:

On the Bears offense:

Overall, I’d say Bowen likes the look of the Bears receivers. He thinks Hester looks sharp on his routes and Johnny Knox has speed to burn. Most interesting for me was his assessment of Devin Aromashodu:

WR Devin Aromashodu has great top end speed and once he gets past press coverage at the line of scrimmage, he can separate down the field. Stiff in the hips and not the type of receiver who can run multiple breaking routes, but the ideal player for the 9 route (go route) 8 route (deep post) and the 7 route (flag route) in this offense. Should be the vertical player for Cutler.

You got that Fantasy Footballers out there?

Bowen agrees with some early reports out of camp that the TE’s and Greg Olsen in particular will play a major role in Mike Martz’s offense. On the ground, Bowen seems to like Forte a little more running inside while he gives a big thumbs up to Chester Taylor’s lateral quickness and getting to the outside.

Let’s face it, the offense will sink or swim on the arm of Jay Cutler. Here’s what Bowen thinks about Cutler’s progress:

The Bears QB can sling the football. In the 3-step game, the ball comes out quickly and has some heat on it. And, just like last season, he will challenge the defense down the field—because he has the arm to do it. At times, I saw the same QB who will throw into coverage and can get carless with the football. But, there were also situations in practice when Cutler would fit the ball between two defenders and put the throw on the up-field shoulder away from the defender. Martz is going to push the envelope on offense and Cutler is the right QB for this system because he will take chances. Enormous talent, now he just has to learn how to produce and limit the turnovers in this system.

Like I’ve been saying, it’s going to be boom or bust. Some insight on the defense after the jump.

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Bears Minicamp Mania

Boomer — Mon, 24 May 2010 04:45:04 +0000

Oh, you said Minicamp. I thought you said Mini Me.

The Bears wrapped up their minicamp, completing five practices in three days, on Sunday. What have we learned? Let’s see if I can boil it all down for you.

TE Brandon Manumaleuna and WR Earl Bennett both had offseason knee surgeries. Both seem minor, but a couple of points. First off all, can’t we be informed about these minor procedures without finding out when players are in sweatpants on the sidelines? And second, didn’t Manu have to pass a physical before signing for big money? Just sayin’.
Tommie Harris is only practicing once on double session days. I thought he was healthy? If he is, get your ass out there and practice; if you’re not , stop telling everyone you are.
Marcus Harrison missed a few practices with an undisclosed illness. Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal, but when the guy in question showed up to training camp last year out of shape and overweight, you have to worry that’s he’s passed out under a pile of KFC Double Down wrappers somewhere. (more…)