Haugh: Forte, Harris look rejuvenated

[wab]

I'd like to invite you all to sit back in that rocking chair on your front porch, watch the children play in the yard, and enjoy a nice tall glass of ice cold Kool-Aid.

__________________________________________

Forte, Harris look rejuvenated

They could be X factors for Bears' offense, defense

David Haugh
In the Wake of the News

August 10, 2010


BOURBONNAIS — Feigning memory loss from Day 1, Lovie Smith has banned the Bears' recent past from having a presence this training camp. Yet there it was again the other night, sneaking under the rope line, teasing Smith with tantalizing possibility.

On one play, Matt Forte planted his left foot and changed direction as he leaped over a defender into the open field without slowing down, the way franchise running backs do. The way Forte did as a rookie in 2008 when he was drawing comparisons to Neal Anderson but couldn't last year because of, as we learned after the season, knee and hamstring injuries.

On another play, Tommie Harris exploded out of his stance and split two overmatched blockers who had no answer for the combination of power and quickness all dominant defensive tackles have. The combination Harris hasn't displayed consistently since 2007, the last time he made a Pro Bowl.

You will find neither Harris nor Forte among the list of offseason Bears acquisitions. You have heard more buzz since March about free agents Julius Peppers and Chester Taylor and the ways those two will bring out the best in Harris and Forte, respectively. But through this early, first phase of practice, Harris and Forte look like different players than they were in 2009 thanks to nobody but themselves.

More than anything else that was obvious through 10 days of football, that development could impact the Bears as significantly as any newcomer — if the trend continues.

Admittedly, that's a big if. Forte's success depends largely on a cobbled-together offensive line that remains a work in progress. Harris' fragile health history makes it dangerous to ever assume too much about his future.

So proceed cautiously, Bears nation, but understand that, based on the eye test, these guys brought more than just their reputations to the Olivet Nazarene University campus. That's progress. That's also an observation from someone suffering from Lovie fatigue who has vowed to be swayed only by results and not the typical Pollyanna preseason rhetoric.

Still, you don't have to drink from a glass half-full to praise two guys whose rejuvenation may make them X-factors.

Forte arrived in better shape than ever after surgery to repair the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in January allowed him an offseason to appropriately prepare for an NFL season — something a torn hamstring prevented him from doing before '09. Whether it was at a speed facility in South Florida or a steep mini-mountain in Vernon Hills, Forte relentlessly attacked his conditioning and rediscovered the burst we never saw last season.

"There's a big difference when you can train in the offseason and come in not injured," Forte said.

Added quarterback Jay Cutler in an interview with WSCR-AM's Zach Zaidman: "The guy's got like six gears now."

For Harris, it appears he approached this season as his last chance with the Bears after having played in little more than half the snaps over the last two disappointing seasons. Like Forte, it benefited Harris that his body finally could withstand an offseason regimen because it was the first time since after the 2005 season that he didn't undergo surgery that required rehabilitation. It shows.

The best part for the Bears so far is that any proclamations about Harris' possible return to Pro Bowl form haven't come out of the mouth of Harris himself. Seeing, not hearing, always makes believing easier to do in the preseason.

I have seen other things early in camp just as hard to ignore.

Defensively, rookie safety Major Wright possesses too many instincts for the ball to remain a backup for long. Yes, Craig Steltz has once again captured the imagination of Bears fans with another training-camp performance that one day may make him eligible for the Kankakee County Hall of Fame. But, sorry, please understand that if Steltz starts, the Bears defense is finished.

And the sooner the Bears let Danieal Manning focus on playing nickel back again to compete with Corey Graham, the better it will be for the entire secondary.

Offensively, wide receiver Rashied Davis has been all but forgotten by everybody but offensive coordinator Mike Martz, whose scheme could save the career of a quick, crafty receiver such as Davis. Devin Hester's hands appear improved. Johnny Knox is saving the reputation of a 2009 draft class that included more projects than a fourth-grade science class. Tight end Greg Olsen looks quicker, stronger and edgier than ever after an offseason in which he got sick of hearing how he didn't fit in Martz's offense.

Among unknowns, defensive tackle Matt Toeaina returned ready to justify the Bears' patience in a guy who has played in only five games in the last three seasons. Right guard Lance Louis has made headlines for the right reasons this camp but must sustain it.

Among knowns, Cutler couldn't look more comfortable in this new offense without a hammock. Peppers resembles every bit the athletic freak of nature Carolinians said he was. And Brian Urlacher didn't lose a step after losing last season to a wrist injury. The way he is flying around, Urlacher could be the veteran whose return to form benefits the Bears most.

Though based on early impressions, Forte and Harris may have something to say about that.