Payne heir apparent to Harris
It seems like the Bears have been trying to replace Chris Harris almost since they traded him to the Carolina Panthers last preseason in the mistaken belief they had plenty of depth at safety.
Since then, Adam Archuleta and Danieal Manning have played themselves out of starting spots at safety, and Mike Brown suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 2007 opener. Brandon McGowan came to camp this year as the starter at strong safety, but he didn't play well enough to hang on to the job either.
So, who better to fill the void left by Harris than Kevin Payne, who followed him as a three-time all-Sun Belt Conference player at Louisiana-Monroe?
Payne began his UL-M career as a running back but converted to safety for his final two seasons, in part because Harris' departure created a shortage of talent in the secondary.
"Chris was a guy I always looked up to," said Payne, a fifth-round pick of the Bears two years after Harris was claimed in the sixth round. "It's very rare when you get a guy to come out of the University of Louisiana-Monroe and go to the NFL. (But) he made it, so that's a guy I look up to, thinking, 'If he can make it, there's hope for other guys here.' I was happy for Chris when he made it, and then he came in and he was a starter his first or second year. That just gave me a lot to look forward to."
With Payne in the secondary, the Bears are looking forward to the same physical presence that Harris is providing the Panthers. The 6-foot, 212-pound Payne led the Bears with 13 tackles last week in Charlotte, and his 18 tackles for the season are 4 more than the runners-up, Pro Bowl linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs.
While his style of play has been compared to thsat of Harris, Payne said he doesn't feel pressured to replace him.
"I don't say that's pressure, I say that's an opportunity to step up and show them what I can do," Payne said. "I love being in that kind of situation."
Payne's favorite situation is one in which he can deliver some punishment, whether it's a receiver or runner.
"I think you've got some (safeties) who love interceptions more," he said. "Don't get me wrong, I like interceptions, but if I get a chance to lay somebody out, I want to."