Denver Broncos | News

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Chris Harris Jr. has no "off" switch. If he did, he might not have reached the point at which he sits as 2015 dawns: in possession of a five-year contract extension that should yield life-long financial security, his first Pro Bowl invitation and with no touchdowns allowed in a virtuoso season that defied expectations and redefined recovery time after he underwent ACL surgery in February. His successful return helped him earn the team's Ed Block Courage Award this week, and a video commemorating that was shown to the team. "To see what he had to go through, what he had to come back from, the way he went after it, the tenacity that he approached it with, and the performance he's had," Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio said. "He's had the best year of his career coming off a major injury so it's really a great story. It's been a special year for him in a lot of different ways.”Even in his wildest dreams, he could not have imagined how his fourth NFL season would unfold while he recuperated immediately after the procedure -- particularly the no-touchdowns part. "No, I couldn't. That was a goal for me, but I figured coming in this year, teams would be after me," he said. "After I tore my ACL, I figured teams would be going at me like crazy from the jump, so I had to shut [them] down early, and that's what I did. So I kind of let them know early that just because I tore my knee, I wasn't going to have that this year." According to ProFootballFocus.com's calculations, teams threw at Harris six times per game in the first four games of the regular season. In final three weeks of 2014, that had dropped to four, and in Cincinnati, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton threw at him just once. Only two cornerbacks have allowed a lower quarterback rating than the 47.8 on passes thrown at Harris, per ProFootballFocus.com: Indianapolis' Vontae Davis and Seattle's Tharold Simon. "No Fly Zone," indeed. "He's been an All-Pro in my book," said Del Rio. "He's been very good." And he's been everywhere over the course of the season. The inside/outside role where he moves between the edge and the slot is nothing new; he first began handling that dual role in 2012, when he ascended to the first team at midseason. But his place in the defensive alignment is more diverse than that."He's played really not only left, right and in the slot as a nickel but he's also played some safety,' said Del Rio. "He's done a little bit of everything. Guys that are tough and smart with the way he approaches and studies the game and the way he performs it just allows you a lot of flexibility." It means studying for multiple positions, but that's nothing new, and nothing that Harris can't handle. And that's why when Saturday night comes, Harris will be in front of his flat screen, ready to take notes on the Steelers-Ravens wild-card game. And if the Steelers lose, he'll be back in the same spot late Sunday morning, doing the same for Bengals-Colts. "I'm watching, definitely, as a scout," Harris said, with a laugh. And then, when the game ends, he'll watch it again -- but not on his DVR. That's the only step he doesn't have to take, because the Broncos' football-technology department does it for him. "There's no need to DVR. As soon as the game's over with, they'll shoot it straight to my iPad. Our (football-technology) guys here, they do a great job of giving me the information that you need." And then Harris will watch and study some more. "I'm doing whatever I can to get a tip and get back to my teammates for this weekend," he said. "If they're going to have fun, I'm going to make sure I have some notes for them." It's a bye weekend. But for Harris, it's not an off-weekend. That doesn't exist for a man with no "off" switch. Do you have a question for Andrew Mason? Ask it here and you might be in this week's Mailbag!

Denver Broncos | News

A bye weekend isn't an off weekend for Chris Harris Jr.