No road map for Harris injury: Hamstrings can take weeks—or a year (John Mullin, Chicago Tribune, 12/9/2006)

Tommie Harris' hamstring injury will have an immediate effect on his Bears teammates in the short term. They aren't exactly cheered by the prospect of long-term implications either.

Harris was on his way to becoming one of the elite defensive linemen in the NFL. One concern with a hamstring injury is that it is often slow to heal.

"It takes something like up to a year before you're fully over it," said linebacker Brian Urlacher, who suffered two hamstring injuries in 2004 and missed seven games. "That's what they say, six to 12 months. You never know because they're touchy. There are some times when you don't know if you're going to be 100 percent.

Let's hope he's a quick healer. Or Alfonso Boone really makes an impact. With Mike Brown already out, the Bears' defense could become vulnerable due to injuries.