Good chance Harris won't play Sunday

Pro Bowl defensive tackle Tommie Harris did not practice Friday, making it a full week of inactivity because of a knee injury.

That's almost always an indication that a player will not suit up on Sunday.

But neither coach Lovie Smith nor Harris, both of whom have sent mixed signals, is ruling him out for the Eagles game, and Harris is listed as questionable (supposedly meaning there's a 50-50 chance he'll play).

"He's still not quite there," Smith said "We hope he'll be available for the game, but we'll see. There's concern. He didn't practice all week. He's getting better each day, but we hope he'll be ready."

Harris seemed to indicate he would have liked to practice and wants to play.

"Did he tell you I wanted to practice?" Harris asked reporters in reference to Smith's comments. "I'll see you on the field Sunday."

Asked if he expected to play, Harris said: "Didn't I just say, `See you on the field Sunday?' What does that mean? I'll see you on the field Sunday."

When asked if he injured his left knee - which required off-season surgery - in the Bucs game, Harris said: "No. Tommie was just on vacation. He went on vacation, and I think he just got back this week. We'll see how he goes."

Weeding through all his third-person gibberish, there appears to be a good chance Harris won't play Sunday.

"There might be," he agreed, continuing in the third person. "He has to show up though, no question. They gave him all that money ($40 million over four years). I guess since he plays for the money he better do something now since they paid him all that money.

"That's what they say, right? 'He got a new deal, he shut it down.' I've always played for the money? Get out of here. See you guys Sunday."

If Harris doesn't play, Anthony Adams will be active for the first time this season after starting nine games last season.

"We have a lot of confidence in Anthony," Smith said. "He steps up to the plate when he gets an opportunity. If Tommie can't go, Anthony would dress, and we feel good playing him. We should get good reps out of him."

Rookie Marcus Harrison or veteran Israel Idonije could start if Harris sits, but the Bears will play at least four tackles in a rotation that includes nose tackle Dusty Dvoracek.

Lineup changes: Corey Graham took some playing time from Nate Vasher at cornerback last week, playing in obvious run situations, and that could become a trend, although Vasher will continue to get the majority of playing time.

"We just wanted to make sure there are guys who are more down in the box, and we wanted to give Corey an opportunity," defensive coordinator Bob Babich said. "Corey did a very good job. We were pleased with it. It was just something we wanted to try." Last season the Bears used three safeties on some run downs, replacing Vasher and leaving Charles Tillman as the only corner on the field. The Bears also replace linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer with an extra defensive back in some passing situations, and backup linebacker Nick Roach also got some snaps in place of Hillenmeyer last week. "I think there are some things we need to look at every week in the different packages," Babich said, "whatever personnel group it is, nickel, base or some type of dime package or a heavy package or goal line."

Confidence game: Wide receivers coach Darryl Drake was asked if his dropped passes on each of the past two games could affect Rashied Davis' playing time.

"He knows what he has to do," Drake said of Davis. "Do I still trust Rashied? Yes. Does he need to catch the ball? Yes. But we still have confidence in him to get the job done. We need to get Devin (Hester) back, we need to continue to get Marty (Booker) some reps and get him in there."

Injury update: In addition to Tommie Harris, return specialist Devin Hester (rib) and wide receiver Brandon Lloyd (hip) were also listed as questionable and both were limited at Friday's practice, increasing the chance that rookie Earl Bennett will be active Sunday.

Defensive end Alex Brown (ankle) and cornerback Nate Vasher (shoulder) are probable and both participated fully in practice. Offensive tackle Chris Williams (back) was limited at practice and is doubtful but will not play.