Despite a Week Eight win over the Browns and their inept offense, it's likely going to take quite awhile for the Bears to get over their Week Seven annihilation by the Bengals, which more than a few longtime observers dubbed one of the all-time worse losses in team history.

In the aftermath of a defeat in which the Bengals built a 31-0 lead in what seemed like the blink of an eye, the tension at Halas Hall couldn't have been more evident. Coach Lovie Smith testily refused to elaborate on potential changes on both sides of the ball, which team insiders suspect were discussed following the Week Seven debacle.

Adding fuel to the fire was a Q&A session on the Bears' Web site, in which Bears GM Jerry Angelo expressed his surprise at the lack of defensive adjustments in the 45-10 thrashing by the Bengals.

Adding further fuel on the defensive side of the ball was the continually curious case of DT Tommie Harris, who, for reasons that remain unclear, did not participate in the game at Cincinnati.

The party line on Harris was that the team had "better options" for the game at Cincinnati and that the feeling was that Harris would benefit from getting the week off. Harris returned to the starting lineup vs. the Browns and had two tackles.

While he is hardly the only problem on a D-line that went in the tank in losses to the Falcons and Bengals, the three-time Pro Bowler has been a big disappointment, no matter how the team tries to spin it.

"They say he's a guy that still has to be accounted for with double-teams, but I've watched him closely this season, and he's had plenty of one-on-one situations that he has not taken advantage of," said one team insider.

"I'm not sure if it's a physical problem," the insider said, alluding to Harris' well-documented knee issues, which have been accompanied by an air of mystery since he announced out of the blue two weeks into training camp that he had undergone arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in March.

"I think it could be more of a mental, emotional problem, and that maybe his condition has gotten into his head. It's really hard to tell, since you never really get a straight answer from the guy.

"The bottom line is that (heading into Week Eight) he hadn't been a factor at all. He'll show up for a play or two, and that's been it."

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