Tommie Harris' left hand was wrapped tightly as he stood Thursday in front of his locker, arousing curiosity. The truth is Harris slightly injured the hand against Arizona last month and has been wrapping it since as a precaution. But the story he was trying to sell piqued more interest.

"I was just in there boxing,'' Harris claimed, kidding.

He only felt like hitting something.


His frustration has been mounting since Harris' last sack eons ago Oct. 1 against the Seattle Seahawks. That was his fifth in four games and he talked afterward of getting 10.

Funny thing about high standards: The higher you set them, the harder they are to meet.

"I'd be disappointed if I don't get 10,'' Harris said. "I don't want to be selfish, but this is the NFL and the NFL is a business and in this business you've got to [have sacks].''

Harris made five tackles against the Giants, a season-high six a week earlier against Miami and returned a fumble against San Francisco. Yet the findings of his own informal Harris poll reveal a player in the midst of a slump.

"Two plus two is not equaling four right now,'' Harris said. "I don't know why.''

Part of it can be attributed to his own complacency Harris alluded to after the Dolphins loss. But most of it involves the way teams began to assign two blockers to him after the first month of the season when Harris was the NFL's most dominant defensive lineman.

Of the 56 Giants offensive plays, for example, Harris said they blocked him one-on-one only three times.

"But those three times I didn't beat it,'' he said.

Harris wonders if there will ever be a time when it won't matter how many linemen block him.

Here are some questions easier to answer.

A recent Jets-Bears game preview in Sporting News said Grossman can read only half the field, locks on his primary receiver and that Miami figured out that Jones tips the plays by lining up six yards deep on pass plays and seven or more on runs and blitzed according to this alignment. What is your comment? --Vic Feibig, Springfield, Va.

Many theories abounded after Grossman laid eggs against Arizona and Miami and his field vision came under more scrutiny. Yet in the games he has excelled -- the Giants game marking the fifth time in nine games Grossman has exceeded a passer rating of 100 -- his accuracy and command illustrate that he sees the field with clarity. Grossman touched on the fickle nature of fans and media the other day, and he had a valid point. He's shorter than many NFL quarterbacks but when given time takes advantage and has no problem finding his primary and secondary receivers.

All quarterbacks who struggle as badly as Grossman did against the Dolphins and Cardinals can be accused of locking in too much on his No. 1 option, but that has been the exception and not the rule. If not, the Bears would not be 8-1 and Grossman would not have more TD passes (17) than interceptions (11).

As for Jones tipping off passes and runs, if a Dolphin coach or player noticed that and reacted that way then it's likely something the Bears have addressed. Nobody on the Bears or any other team would acknowledge such a tendency but it will bear watching Jones' depth on the first third-and-long situation Sunday against the Jets. Every game there will be subtle signs that help defensive coordinators make adjustments, which is part of the reason they sit high atop the field in the coaching booth. If there was nothing to gain from that vantage point, they'd all call defenses from the sideline.

David, it seemed when the coaching staff realized how much pressure the Giants line was getting on Rex Grossman, they switched to more two tight-end sets that were effective. Do you see the Bears continuing this trend, and if so, what combination of TEs, given Clark's lack of blocking ability and Gabe Reid and John Gilmore's ability to block? --Jon Lucci, Lower Merion, Penn.

First, Clark often gets unfairly labeled as a poor blocker. If he were as bad as he is often perceived, no way could the Bears afford to keep him on the field as a starter. While Clark might not match Gilmore's blocking skills, he gets the job done more often than not. Reid has a longer way to go as a blocker but his strength is good hands and instincts getting open. If you are advocating taking Clark off the field for any number of snaps, it's a bad idea. He is in the midst of a career year and gives the Bears a missing element to the passing game. The two-tight end set makes sense in the red zone, on short-yardage downs and for the occasional play-action pass but does not threaten a defense vertically in the passing game as much as a three-wide receiver set would.