The Bears are 2-2 and one of the early-season surprise stories. They beat the Eagles last week without one of their best players, defensive tackle Tommie Harris, who has been rehabbing a knee injury. And according to the team's web site, the Bears will again be Harris-less when they face the newly Millen-less Lions this Sunday.
Not because Harris' knee is less than 100 percent (which it is), but because head coach Lovie Smith has suspended him for, as NFL.com's Adam Schefter writes, "being late for treatment and a meeting, according to a source close to the situation."
Rest assured, though: Smith is very sad about the recent turn of events.
"It's always disappointing when you have to suspend one of your players, but nothing's bigger than the team," Smith said. ... "It's disappointing when you have to [suspend a player]," Smith said. "But as far as disrupting the team, it can't. Injuries happen. Players don't play from time to time. You have to move on. We played last week without Tommie, so we've been in that situation before."
To recap: it's disappointing.
Smith also said that Harris "was close" to playing last week, "so I assume he would have been able to" play against the Lions. Schefter writes that Harris "was not expected to play against the Lions anyway." The truth is out there.
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Presumably, Israel Idonije and Anthony Adams will again replace Harris, but, really, it's the Lions. And as Snyder so eloquently put it earlier today, they just suck. Which is another way of saying: if the Bears are going to suspend Harris, this is the week to do it. Message received, Lovie.
