Inspirational words helped Al Harris recover from devastating knee injury 

Al Harris taped the piece of paper to the inside of his locker when he arrived in Green Bay in 2003.

Entitled It Will Come, the inspirational message was given to him by then-Packers cornerbacks coach Lionel Washington. The words ring true perhaps more true than ever today as hes on the cusp of completing his comeback to the NFL, 11 months after a horrific knee injury.

Harris on Friday completed his first week of practice since the injury and could be activated off the physically unable to perform list for Sundays game against the Minnesota Vikings.

The message, which Washington found on a website called The Daily Motivator and remains inside the door of Harris locker, begins:

Work patiently toward the goal youve set, and it will come. The setbacks are no reason to quit but are, in fact, confirmation of the necessity to push forward.

Setbacks and then pushing forward have been Harris life since Nov. 22, 2009, when he shredded the guts of his left knee against the San Francisco 49ers.

This wasnt your garden-variety torn anterior cruciate ligament. He also tore the lateral collateral ligament, fibular collateral ligament, IT band and lateral hamstring.

In the days and weeks immediately after his injury, Harris would sit alone in a dark room and wonder if his NFL career was over.

Even after Packers physician Dr. Pat McKenzie rebuilt Harris knee, Harris wondered if it would ever be strong enough and able to function like it did when he made the Pro Bowl in 2007 and 2008, like it did when he returned that interception 52 yards for a touchdown to beat the Seattle Seahawks in the memorable NFC wild-card playoff game in the 2003 season.

The first three weeks were really hard, just sitting around and moping a little bit, Harris said. Once I got out of that phase and figured out what Ive got to do, that was one of my first steps.

Twice after the surgery, McKenzie put Harris under anesthesia so he could move Harris leg around and break up the scar tissue. Harris had to be knocked out, otherwise the pain would have been excruciating.

To create something of lasting value requires lasting effort and commitment. Act with diligence, with persistence, with patience, and it will come.

Harris and his agent, Jack Bechta, who also is a co-founder of the website The National Football Post, decided to document Harris comeback with a series of weekly videos that showed the training and rehabilitation process. Little did Harris know at the time they started filming that those videos would become therapeutic for him.

He said he turned the corner mentally when after about three months of training, he sat down and watched the videos one after another.

I never watched them, so I went back and watched from the first week through Week 11 or 12, Harris said. Thats what did it for me, just seeing the progress I was making.

If you seek to get it now and then work for it later, youll end up cheated, disappointed or worse. Instead, make the effort now, work patiently toward it, and it will come.

Harris initially vowed he would return from his surgery in six months. That would have meant Harris would be back on the field for the start of organized team activities in May.

But he wasnt.

Instead, he remained at home in south Florida and continued his rehab.

Then, when he arrived in Green Bay in June to finish his rehab at Packers headquarters, he vowed to be ready for the regular-season opener at Philadelphia.

But he wasnt.

He never got on the field in training camp and remained on the physically unable to perform list throughout the preseason, meaning he would have to miss the first six weeks of the regular season.

On the first day of Week 7, which was Monday, Harris finally was cleared to return to practice when the Packers began preparations for the Vikings on Wednesday. It began a three-week window in which he can practice without counting against the 53-man roster. At the end of the three weeks, the Packers will have to either activate him or place him on season-ending injured reserve. It appears hes ready to play Sunday against the Vikings.

Weve stuck to the plan; Ive stuck to the plan, and its done well, Harris said. The big picture, Im better off now than I was six weeks ago, so thats what counts.

Harris position coach, Joe Whitt, said Friday that Harris has looked better than he expected.

It was impressive, Whitt said. He covered up the field well. Everyone knows he can bump, but his off-man (coverage) was good, his route recognition was good, the zone matches, thats probably the most difficult thing, and that got better during the week. Hes further ahead than where I thought he would be.

What role he plays, if any, on Sunday is unclear, but the Packers arent going to thrust him back into the starting lineup. He will be eased back in the subpackages. Safety Atari Bigby (ankle) also could be activated off PUP this week.

Build the value that you desire to experience. Build it with each thought, each action, each moment and each day. Build a bright future with integrity and persistence, with faith, patience and love.

In several interviews this week, Harris mentioned two things that got him through the past 11 months: his faith and his wife, Shyla, whom he married in 2007. He recently started his own record label called 3irty 1 Entertainment that will produce Christian music.

Shyla not only offered emotional support, but also plenty of medical advice. She is finishing her nursing degree at Florida Atlantic University this fall. She was en route to Green Bay on Friday so she could be at Lambeau Field on Sunday if Harris makes his return.

You know what? I prayed a lot, Harris said, and my wife was huge.

Coming back from an injury of this magnitude wouldnt have been easy for anyone. That Harris is trying to do it at age 35 and in his 13th NFL season surely makes it tougher.

Als got an awful lot of pride in what he does, and hes probably worked as hard as anybody could work, Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers said. Guys like that, they find a way to claw themselves back. Its obvious to me hes worked hard to be able to come out and do the things he did in practice this week.

On Tuesday night, on the eve of his first practice, Harris got a phone call from Washington, who now coaches with the Oakland Raiders.

He said, Youre ready, if anybody can do it, you can, Harris said.

And it will come.