Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert
There is a "good chance" that Green Bay cornerback Al Harris can avoid surgery on his ruptured spleen, Packers coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Wednesday, and the team hasn't ruled a possible return to the field this season.
Multiple reports have suggested Harris will miss the remainder of the season whether or not he has surgery, but McCarthy wasn't ready to confirm that information Wednesday. Harris is speaking with several specialists to determine his treatment program.
Meanwhile, McCarthy said that center Scott Wells will start Sunday at Tampa Bay for the first time this season. Wells missed the Packers' first three games because of a back injury. His replacement, Jason Spitz, will shift back to right guard in the starting lineup.
UPDATE: Jack Bechta, Harris' agent, reported on The National Football Post web site that Harris could start "non-impact" workouts in as little as a week if no new information surfaces on the injury -- which Bechta said was a "laceration" rather than a rupture. If so, Harris would start a timetable that would get him back on the field before the end of the season.
According to Bechta, Harris asked one doctor to remove his spleen this week so he could play Sunday. The doctor refused.
Seifert joined ESPN.com in 2008 after covering the Minnesota Vikings for the Minneapolis Star Tribune for eight years. He lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and daughter.
