Faith in a team

So I’m driving along running errands today, listening to ESPN on the car radio, and the hosts start an interview with Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris. He’s been out most of the season for injury, but he’s a big force on the team. Along with all the usual football talk, they asked Harris what his reaction was to Tank Johnson’s personal problems off the field, which were considerable.

Harris said when that story broke “I dropped to my knees and started praying for him.” Then he called Johnson and said ‘I don’t know what else to do for you but I’m going to pray for you’. He talked about the importance of a team staying even and stable, no matter how much ‘the world around you’ changes.

The ESPN guys asked Harris about defensive coordinator Ron Rivera’s personality as they speculate on his move up to head coach of another team. Harris said it’s like Indianapolis Colts Tony Dungy ‘laid an egg, it cracked open and all these guys came out like him,’ because Chicago’s coach Lovie Smith and Dungy share the now famous friendship and calm temperament. Which they instill in the coaches who work with them. “It’s the ‘talk softly but carry a big stick’ approach” Harris said. “These guys don’t yell at people, they don’t even talk much. But when they do, you listen.” He talked about their respect, a two-way thing on their teams.

He had more inspiring words, but at that point I was thinking….no matter what happens on Super Bowl Sunday, there will be no losers on that field. And when my friend John Morales does the Champions of Faith football edition, he should continue to find plenty of candidates.