Titans' Harper practices, says he'll play vs. Chargers

After two days out of practice to rest a sore shoulder, Tennessee Titans cornerback Nick Harper practiced fully on Thursday and says he will play Christmas night against the San Diego Chargers.

Harper is listed as questionable on the Titans injury report after sitting out both Tuesday and Wednesday to rest a shoulder he had surgery on five years ago. He is considering, but would not commit to wearing a harness to protect the shoulder.

“I’ll play. I don’t know [about the harness]. I have one in my bag,” Harper said. “I’ll probably go out and warm up in it, but those things tend to hold you back. They limit the movement in your shoulder. I’ll see how it feels during warm-ups.”

Harper said his broken forearm, suffered Oct. 11 against Indianapolis, has contributed to his shoulder problem, primarily because the forearm won’t allow him to condition himself the way he needs to.

“I haven’t been able to lift weights, and you tend to lose a little muscle,” Harper said. “I’ve done some little dumbbell stuff, but that’s not getting it. So the shoulders got a little weak and it’s a little sore.”

Titans coach Jeff Fisher said Harper has been OK since returning to the lineup from the forearm injury, even though more passes have been thrown to his side than at right cornerback Cortland Finnegan.

“He’s done fine. I think there’s been a lot of unnecessary talk,” Fisher said. “The left corner gets more balls than the right corner, and that’s just life in the National Football League.”

As for other Titans on the injury report, defensive tackle Tony Brown (knee/quadriceps), defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch (neck), tight end Craig Stevens (concussion) and receiver Nate Washington (ankle) all practiced fully and are probable against the Chargers.
Tackle Troy Kropog, who injured his calf on Wednesday, and linebacker Keith Bulluck, who has yet to be placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL in his left knee, are out.