Chris Harris Tweeted about what a crazy business this NFL is these days. Robbie Gould reiterated this idea, using the same format. They want us to somehow believe that Chris Harris was released from the Chicago Bears this morning for financial reasons. They want us to believe this was a decision made by Jerry Angelo and the suits at Halas Hall and not by Lovie Smith and the men who evaluate play on the football field.
This was not a business decision. This was a decision forced by the actions and play of Harris on the field. After a disastrous performance against the Lions (and subsequent benching), Harris acted like a petulant child. He wanted to take his ball and play elsewhere. He requested a trade. But nobody wanted him because the other thirty-one teams could clearly see what the one in Chicago could see: Harris was taking terrible angles in run defense and seemed lost when the football was in the air.
Major Wright took his spot and played an excellent ballgame against the Minnesota Vikings. But as is the cast with Major, injuries marred a worth effort. Harris was reinstated into the starting lineup. How did he treat his second chance in 2011? He was the weak link, CLEARLY the weak link, in an otherwise sturdy defensive effort. It didn’t take much of a reach to notice Harris was mailing it in for sixty minutes in London.
The Bears have a free safety now. His name is Chris Conte. That leaves them with three plays – Major, Meriweather, Harris – for one position. Harris was the weak link. Releasing Chris Harris was not a business decision by the Chicago Bears. It was a football decision. Remember in high school when your biology teacher used to allow you to drop your lowest quiz score at the end of the term? Lovie Smith just dropped his.