Bears' Harris: I'm ready to play Sunday

At least in his own mind, defensive tackle Tommie Harris has nothing to prove after missing a week of practice and last Sunday's 45-10 loss to the Bengals.

After Friday's practice capped his first full week without limits, Harris deigned to speak with the media he had been ducking all week. He was asked: "What do you have to show (coach) Lovie (Smith) to get back on the field?"

"I don't have to show him anything," an indignant Harris said. "He knows what I can do, and everybody knows what I can do. I don't have to prove anything to anybody. I owe it to my teammates, I owe it to this organization to get back to tiptop shape, so that's what I'm doing."

But Harris also claims not to have a problem with his surgical left knee, even though that's been listed as the reason for him missing or being limited in practice every Wednesday since the season began and most Wednesday practices last season.

Harris, a Pro Bowl pick three straight years (2005-07), was asked if his knee was back to 100 percent or if it ever will be.

"I don't remember," he said. "I don't even think that was an issue. I think somebody just made that up, so we'll just leave that alone."

So the knee's fine now?

"We'll just leave that alone," Harris repeated.

Are you as good as you were?

"I don't know," he said. "I'm ready to play Sunday."

Smith expects a solid contribution from Harris after his week off.

"I'm confident that it helped him a lot," Smith said. "It has to. That was our plan, to put him in position where he could practice all week. He's feeling good about the practices he's had and playing good this week. So we expect him to do that."

According to the NFL's official statistics, Harris has 7 tackles this season, and he has rarely looked like the player he was. But he says the expectations of teammates, the organization and the media aren't too great, even though his production has decreased steeply since signing a four-year, $40 million contract extension before the 2008 season.

"My teammates?" Harris said. "They're supposed to expect. That's what I got paid for. So it's not a bad deal that everybody's talking all this other stuff. They're supposed to expect that."

The question remains: Is Harris healthy enough to once again become the disruptive force that got him the Pro Bowl recognition and the big money.

"You'll see Sunday," he said. "How about that? You tell me. All right? Thanks a lot. God bless you guys."

• Eight players were listed as "probable" on Friday's injury report: defensive linemen Adewale Ogunleye (ankle), Tommie Harris (knee) and Israel Idonije (knee), safeties Al Afalava (shoulder) and Danieal Manning (foot), cornerback Zack Bowman (knee), linebacker Lance Briggs (shoulder) and running back Adrian Peterson (knee).

All of them practiced in full Friday, except Bowman, who was limited, and all are expected to play Sunday.

Defensive tackle Matt Toeaina (calf) did not practice and will not play, although he was listed as "doubtful."