Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • Page 3-4

123456 4 CHICAGO SPORTS Napoleon Harris dresses in an Oakland Raiders locker room that has the feel of a hallway in Canton. Future Hall of Fame players Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Rod Woodson surround Harris. So the second-year linebacker from Northwestern was asked if he ever looked at the NFL legends who happen to be teammates with a sense of awe. a dumb Harris said. Everybody asks me that and everyone wants to know how does it feel to be in there with Jerry Rice.

Well, why you ask Jerry Rice what like to be in there with Napoleon Harris? the way I feel. not star- struck at Stardom-bound might be more like it. Harris has followed up a surprisingly strong rookie season by leading the Raiders in tackles through three games with 35. On a defense that has struggled as mightily against the run as the Bears have, Harris has been one of the constants in consistency. be honest, I think doing Harris said.

Sunday, he will do his best to come up with 50 tickets to meet the demand of friends and family in Chicago. Harris grew up on the South Side, attended Thornton High School, and still resides in the southwest suburbs in the off-season. Growing up a Bears fan, he idolized Mike Singletary and attended two games at the old Soldier Field. He wait for a glimpse of the new one. going to be Harris said.

Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher addressed the question whether blockers were having an easier time getting to him this season because of the scheme or if he simply taking them on effectively enough. know what? Either way, got to get off blocks and make Urlacher said. matter if guys are blocking me. what football is all about. They have their jobs to do and I have to do mine and get off blocks and make some Urlacher said sometimes the blocker has nothing to do with whether he makes a play.

done it a few times, missed tackles when been Urlacher said. The knock on new starting strong-side linebacker Lance Briggs during the preseason was that he know his assignments well enough. Briggs says his mind has caught up with his body. put out a player who execute the Briggs said. Two former Bears quarterbacks will be with the Raiders on Sunday.

Jim Harbaugh is the quarterbacks coach and Rick Mirer is the No. 3 quarterback. Raiders defensive end and former Bear Trace Armstrong president of the NFL Players Association, mentioned public office as an option after his playing never considered taking on Arnold Schwarzenegger for governor of California. not sure going to beat Armstrong said, chuckling. BEARS BITS BY DAVID HAUGH South Sider on the rise Ahman Green at first dismissed the idea that he would be motivated more than usual against Mike Holmgren and the Seahawks.

That was before he heard explanation for the trade that sent him from Seattle to Green Bay. With Seattle (3-0) playing Green Bay (2-2) at Lambeau Field on Sunday, Holmgren was asked about the trade, and he cited the same reasons he has for years: Ricky Watters already was his featured running back and he needed a cover cornerback. Then he brought up another factor that he ever mentioned publicly: asthma. know if he would admit this, but he was having some asthma problems that I thought were fairly Holmgren said. thought it was tough for him to stay on the field for any length of time without it really bothering When informed of comments, Green was puzzled.

a new one on he said. tell my mom and dad that one. Hey, had this my entire life. Every coach ever played for knew about it, from little league to high school to college. So, if says he was worried about it, maybe he was.

not going to get inside his head and see what he was thinking. If that was the case, that was the Green was dealt to the Packers in 2000 for cornerback Fred Vinson, who tore knee ligaments and never played for Seattle. FOCUS: AHMAN GREEN, GREEN BAY PACKERS Tribune photo by Jim Prisching Asthma slow Ahman Green when he ran for 176 yards against the Bears Monday. Back finds some new motivation Detroit Lions coach Steve Mariucci said Friday the only physical ailment bothering second-year starter Joey Harrington is a dislocated right index finger. my main Mariucci said of the finger injury.

are there bumps and bruises? Sure. just normal. But nothing has kept him out of Rumors surfaced this week that Harrington might be suffering from a bruised, or perhaps a dislocated, right shoulder. In practice earlier this week, backup Mike McMahon ran the No. 1offense in the two-minute drill.

Mariucci dismissed that as nothing more than a case of wanting to get McMahon some work in the two-minute offense as the team prepares for San Francisco, old team. Smith OK with Panthers Steve Smith did his best to keep the peace, dropping the grudge he held against Carolina over contract negotiations. Smith believed the Panthers called him a in explaining why signing him to an extension would have to wait until after a deal with defensive tackle Kris Jenkins was completed. Smith called the comment spit in my in a brief tirade Thursday. Derrick Fox, his agent, later said the Panthers actually called him Smith, who would be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, just wanted to drop the whole thing by Friday.

have said Smith said. have made it personal. This game personal. I should have just kept my mouth Duckett may carry load Falcons running back T.J. Duckett averaged 7.1yards while rushing for 100 yards in the 23-3 loss at Carolina last week.

He is expected to again take carries from Warrick Dunn, who had just four for 20 yards last week. take whatever it takes, as long as we get a Duckett said. The 1-3 Falcons take on the 4-0 Vikings Sunday. AROUND THE LEAGUE Lions say Harrington is fine TEAM SYNOPSIS San Diego Chargers Right tackle Solomon Page limited in practice Friday with sprained left ankle, will miss 2nd straight game. Phil Bogle makes his 2nd start vs.

Jaguars. WR Tim Dwight (knee) will play. Indianapolis Colts RB Edgerrin James (sore back) practiced for 2nd straight day with no lingering effects. doing fine. say his chances (of playing Monday) are pretty coach Tony Dungy said.

Tennessee Titans TE Frank Wycheck (concussion) will not play against Patriots Sunday but can expect to play this season. results) recommended we shut him down for five to seven days, so going to be our coach Jeff Fisher said. Wycheck sustained his latest of 10 concussions in an Aug. 16 exhibition. Jacksonville Jaguars WR Jimmy Smith activated Friday; he had received a 7-day roster exemption Monday when his suspension was lifted by NFL.

Denver Broncos Defensive end Trevor Pryce, a target of coach Mike criticism last season, now is being praised. say the last three games Trevor has played are probably as well as seen a defensive lineman play since been in the Shanahan said. Pittsburgh Steelers Exactly 1 year after replacing Kordell Stewart as starting QB, Tommy Maddox is feeling some heat. Coach Bill Cowher is grumbling about his 17 interceptions in his last 12 games. The Steelers do lead the NFL in passing yards (279.0 per game).

By Jack McCarthy Special to the Tribune The Fire will miss the intimate setting and fan-friendly atmosphere when they depart Cardinal Stadium after Saturday final game in Naperville. They necessarily miss the field. has been said coach Dave Sarachan, who will lead the Fire in its 27th and last game at North Central College on Saturday against defending champion Los Angeles. been intimate and I like the town but not the Players and coaches have grumbled about Cardinal tight dimensions and artificial turf since arriving in spring 2002. But also turned a perceived drawback into what a rival Major League Soccer coach called biggest home-field in the league.

At home, the Fire is 12-6-8 over two seasons and an impressive 7-1-4 this year with the fewest home losses in MLS. That performance has helped the Fire (12-6-8, 44 points) build and maintain a lead atop the MLS East, a six-point edge over the second-place MetroStars with four games to play. The start of Soldier $600 million rebuilding project in 2001forced the Fire to scramble for a temporary home. In January 2002, the team announced an agreement with Na- perville and North Central College to expand capacity of Cardinal Stadium to 15,000 and play home games there. But the move to a smaller suburban facility meant an attendance hit as the fan base shifted from predominantly city to a suburban orientation.

Average attendance was 16,388 in 2001, the final Soldier Field season, and dipped to 12,922 in 2002. Through 14 home dates this season, the team has averaged match. But a pair of Soldier Field games this month could bump that figure up. Team officials expect more than 20,000 fans Oct. 10 when the Fire plays host to Columbus in its first Soldier Field game in nearly two years.

SOCCER Fire lauds Naperville, not the field 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Fox Sports World; WBIG 1280-AM (English), WNVR 1030-AM (Polish), WNTD 950-AM (Spanish). Series: Los Angeles leads 7-10-1; the Fire is 3-0 this season. Last meeting: The Fire beat the Galaxy 3-2 on Sept. 26 in a U.S.

Open Cup semifinal match at Cardinal Stadium. Players to watch: Rookie Damani Ralph plays his last game before a two-week assignment with the Jamaican national team. Los Angeles forward Carlos Ruiz is second in league scoring with 31points. Quick look: The Fire (12-6-8, 44 points) goes for a season sweep of the defending MLS champs (810-8, 32 points) in their final game at Cardinal Stadium. A victory, combined with a loss by the second-place MetroStars, would put the Fire on the brink of the Eastern Conference championship with three games to play.

Galaxy at Fire denBusshe and Jason Strudwick in that a better skater who also can kill penalties. VandenBussche help his cause Thursday. He lost one fight decisively and was goaded into a bad penalty late in a tie game trying to exact revenge. The Hawks need toughness and Moen has shown he can hold his own. The Hawks still have to decide what to do with center Igor Korolev and his $1.7 million contract.

He has been non-existent in games and practices. Do they send him to Norfolk again as one of the American Hockey highest-paid players? Does hard-working Brett McLean or Strudwick stick? Last defensemen: Right now the top four defensemen no particular order because the Hawks still have a bona fide No. Klemm, Alexander Karpovtsev, Steve Poapst and Lasse Kukkonen. That leaves Anton Babchuk, Nathan Dempsey, Deron Quint and Steve McCarthy in line for the last three spots. Sutter said Dempsey had his best exhibition game he had to have his best he will be among the top seven.

Quint has If the Hawks had known over the summer what they know now about Babchuk, likely they have signed Quint. McCarthy is the perpetual roster bubble player and it may be time for the Hawks to move him somewhere else for his own good. Which leaves Babchuk and his bundle of raw talent. here because in the Sutter said. has gotten a little better in every game.

He excites you, seeing him shoot the puck and seeing him Yet, he play Thursday and Sutter was non-committal when asked if Babchuk would play Saturday. Because the only one who can be sent down without needing to clear waivers, the safe thing would be for the Hawks to send Babchuk to Norfolk for a couple months and see how Quint and McCarthy play. But because highly unlikely the Hawks are going to contend for the Stanley Cup this season, they might want to give Babchuk on-the-job training. know there are going to be some mistakes Sutter said. do you play him 15-20 minutes and accept the mistakes and hope he keeps getting better, which you know he will, or do you let him go down and play 25 It has been three weeks of training camp.

up. time for some answers. Tribune file photo by John Konstantaras Because he has had some success in the NHL, Michael Leighton may earn the backup goaltender role for the Blackhawks. HAWKS: McCarthy is on the bubble CONTINUEDFROMPAGE1 By K.C. Johnson Tribune staff reporter Bulls coach Bill Cartwright had blown the whistle on morning practice session 30 minutes earlier.

In four hours, the evening session would begin. And there was Kendall Gill, hoisting jumper after jumper on the Berto Center court. Minutes earlier, Scottie Pippen had walked off the court after finishing near the lead in the last wind sprint. Officially, NBA training camps began on Tuesday, when players with less than four years of experience reported. Unofficially, they began on Friday, when Pippen tested Jamal Crawford with a back cut and then marked his territory with some playful trash talking.

only I were younger Pippen said, implying a vicious dunk would have followed. Crucial to this Bulls success will be how the young players with star potential mesh with and learn from the veteran players with battle scars. So far, so good. Crawford said he loved practicing with Pippen, who made it clear he will take his time to assert his leadership. Gill, a 13- year veteran who attended Rich Central High School, chose to do so right away.

no feeling out for Gill said. been around too long. seen everything. You tow your own weight or going to get an earful from the veterans who have been around for a long time. a Chicagoan, a blue-collar worker, self-made.

This is how stayed in the league, by staying after and working hard. I noticed some of the young guys stay. But hopefully, see by my example and example and stay in the later days of training Eddy Curry practice again because of a sore left hamstring but did work out on a treadmill. Tyson Chandler, who turned 21Thursday, got a massage after practice. Still, both Gill and Pippen are optimistic about the young work ethic after an intense but sloppy practice.

Gill, who played with Minnesota last season, sounded impressed when Chandler asked about Kevin work habits, which Gill happily shared. not lazy guys at Gill said. I kind of thought that when I got here. But seeing them in practice, they have the will to win. Especially when they come up to me and ask, can I get The Bulls now have five solid veterans in Gill, Pippen, Jalen Rose, Corie Blount and Donyell Marshall, who missed practice for personal reasons.

But as general manager John Paxson has said, the Bulls will be only as good as their young players. have to build some kind of relationship with them before I start to get on them or try to correct Pippen said. have to see how responsive they are to different things. is all about us working hard and trying to get the best out of each other. what you look see how hard guys are pushing Pippen have to look far to see Gill.

I saw beat the Lakers last year, I said, these guys in the playoffs? Why they play like this all the Gill said. they need to be pushed a bit. You can only be pushed so much by the coaches. You need guys out there who are playing with you to push you also. That was true in my case when I was a rookie.

And it still holds BULLS Vets set example for young Bulls Gill, Pippen hope knowledge, work ethic have impact The intensity in the way you have to come and you have to be ready to go, every play. a lot different from college and learned to adjust since been The inexperience up front figures to make the weakest run defense even weaker. Traylor stuffed the run better than anybody the Bears have, even if it was hard to tell at times in the first three games when opponents averaged 183.7 rushing yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry. In his 12th season, the 34- year-old Traylor had four tackles, two for lost yardage, and a pass deflection this season. to be out is certainly disappointing for Jauron said.

tell you how discouraged he is. just the way it injury means the Bears will start three new players against the defending AFC champions: Boone, strong-side linebacker Lance Briggs for Bryan Knight and cornerback Charles Tillman for veteran Jerry Azumah. On one hand, the game represents an opportunity to shine for Bears general manager Jerry draft class and a player Angelo invested $4.125 million in a five-year contract extension (Boone). On the other hand, it reveals how thin in terms of experience Angelo has left the Bears on the defensive line and raises doubt about another player, Azumah, in whom Angelo awarded a hefty contract extension ($12.2 million for four years). Scott, at 6 feet 2 inches and 315 pounds, caught the attention during training camp as technically sound and tenacious.

He feels more comfortable playing the defensive line equivalent of a root hog, which Boone plays, than the more up- field-minded role of Robinson. a very tough guy, hard working, smart player who understands the Jauron said. just young. He has worked hard every single day. He has some size, not a huge player like Keith is, but he has the size to play in there and the strength and the leverage.

But certainly a different game than he played in How well all three rookies adapt to their new roles Sunday may determine how much the most disappointing unit acquits itself. has to upgrade their game and play Jauron said. miss Keith, but no BEARS: Weakest run defense now even weaker CONTINUEDFROMPAGE1 have to be ready to go, every play. a lot different from college and learned to defensive lineman Ian Scott.