Tommie Harris Takes on Any Role to Win
Veteran DT welcomes competition for starting role.
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Harris welcomes competition from Jarron Gilbert.
Tommie Harris didn't become a three-time Pro Bowler by not being a team player. He knows that he has to play his best for his team, or he will lose his starting spot. He is OK with that.
"Jarron Gilbert's a great athlete, and every guy that comes in, I want them to take my job if they're better than me. ... And I will still help teach him."
That attitude is exactly what makes Harris a perfect Bear, and the type of player youngsters like Gilbert -- a rookie who is gunning for Harris' job -- should emulate. They should do whatever they need to do, take on any role that is required of them to make the Bears win. That's what Harris is doing this offseason. He is limited in what he can do out of season due to his knee problems, so he is taking on the role of teacher.
Though Harris is just 26, he is entering his sixth season in the NFL. All six were with the Bears, so Harris has been near the pinnacle of success, as when the team went to the Super Bowl, as well as the lowest of the lows and the worst of the middling, as when the team barely missed the playoffs. This is a man who is hungry, and if he has to be a teacher to win that Super Bowl ring, he'll do it.
What more could we want from a player?
Copyright NBC Owned Television Stations
Posted Tuesday, Jul 14, 2009 - 4:17 PM CST
