Ailing Harrison to be sidelined again

FOXBOROUGH -- Safety Rodney Harrison, who injured his right medial collateral ligament in the season finale at Tennessee Dec. 31, has been ruled out for Sunday's playoff game against the Chargers. Harrison also missed last Sunday's playoff opener, as second-year safety James Sanders started in his place.

Harrison is currently in his hometown of Atlanta and hasn't been around the team regularly since suffering the injury.

Also on the injury front, fullback Heath Evans missed time in yesterday's practice to rest his shin. The versatile Evans, who can line up as a lead blocker or running back, is questionable on the team's injury report, giving him a 50-50 chance of suiting up Sunday.

There were no other additions to the team's injury report, as the list was shortened from last week, with running back Kevin Faulk (knee), defensive back Chad Scott (back), and nose tackle Vince Wilfork (ankle) given clean bills of health.

Players missing parts of practice yesterday included receiver Bam Childress (questionable, ankle), tight end Benjamin Watson (questionable, knee), and linebacker Mike Vrabel (probable, back).

Former Patriots linebacker Andre Tippett was named one of 17 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, marking the first time he has advanced that far in the process.

"The Hall of Fame is holy ground," said Tippett, who works as the Patriots' football development and promotions director. "I'm very, very excited and honored to make it this far. To get there, and be a part of that, would be something truly special."

Tippett, a five-time Pro Bowl selection who played from 1982-93, joins 14 other modern-era players and two players selected by the Hall of Fame's Senior Committee as finalists. The selection committee will meet in Miami Feb. 3, the day before the Super Bowl, to choose between three and six players for induction.

Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, running back Thurman Thomas (Bills), receiver Michael Irvin (Cowboys), and offensive lineman Bruce Matthews (Oilers/Titans) are among the finalists.

Tippett learned of his advancement into the final round while watching the NFL Network yesterday. Among those who called to congratulate him was former Patriots linebacker Johnny Rembert.

"He said if I was ever inducted, that would represent all the linebackers who played for the Patriots," Tippett said. "To hear that, it was pretty awesome."

A member of the NFL's 1980s all-decade team, Tippett totaled a franchise-record 100 sacks in 151 games. From 1984-85, he recorded the highest two-season sack total (35) by a linebacker in NFL history.

Tippett spent his entire 11-year career with the Patriots and was a member of three playoff teams, including the 1985 AFC champions.

The other 10 modern-era finalists are defensive ends Fred Dean and Richard Dent; guards Russ Grimm and Bob Kuechenberg; punter Ray Guy; wide receivers Art Monk and Andre Reed; linebacker Derrick Thomas; cornerback Roger Wehrli; and tackle Gary Zimmerman.

Joining them are Senior Committee nominees guard Gene Hickerson and tight end Charlie Sanders.

Quarterback Tom Brady fired back at Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer last season, when Schottenheimer made seemingly innocent remarks about the high number of injuries New England had endured. It was another case of the Patriots using others' words as motivation.

Asked yesterday if he was still upset about Schottenheimer's remarks, Brady said, "That's water under the bridge."

But Brady did hint that the Patriots were deriving a different form of motivation from the Chargers. Brady said he has been picking the brain of receiver Reche Caldwell about the Chargers' defensive backs, and that "they don't think too highly of us from what Reche says."

Asked to elaborate, Brady said: "From when they played us last year, he knows exactly about what his coach said about us leading up to the game."

One sign of how the Patriots are preparing for Sunday's game came in the decision to have a practice in full pads yesterday. Practicing in pads gave the defense a chance to work on its timing at close to game speed.

"Any time you have a good running game that you're going against, it's important to get some good fits," said cornerback Ray Mickens, referring in part to the gaps that defenders fill in the front seven. "This will give us a good look as far as practice is concerned."

Mickens, who played for the Jets from 1996-2004, recalled Bill Parcells practicing the team in pads before its 1998 divisional-round playoff game against the Broncos. While players generally prefer non-padded practices, Mickens said no one was complaining yesterday. "It's a work day," he said.

Coach Bill Belichick noted the Chargers have scored 176 points in the fourth quarter, which is "so far off the charts, it's hard to relate it to anything else." That's the highest fourth-quarter total of any team in the league, with the Cowboys (142) ranking second . . . Brady has been preparing for what he expects to be a defensive onslaught from the Chargers (61 sacks), as he called them probably the best defense the Patriots have faced. "They're about a 50 percent blitz team, they bring it, they get to the quarterback," he said. "It's going to be a challenge for the guys up front to handle the blitz pickup." . . . Patriots teammates voted Harrison the winner of the Ed Block Courage Award, given to the player who best exemplifies the principles of courage and sportsmanship while also serving as a source of inspiration . . . Watson, who played Sunday for the first time since injuring his knee Dec. 10, was struggling with his stamina during the game. "It's hard when you haven't played; you can't really simulate game speed, game action," he said. "You can run as many sprints as you want to, but it's not the same as playing. This week will probably be a lot better." . . . Chargers defensive end Jacques Cesaire, who hails from Gardner, and played at Southern Connecticut State, is doubtful for Sunday's game because of a knee injury.

Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com.