OK, so Harris is a great CB. Given. A Pro-Bowl CB- also given. However, it seems that when he gets into high-stress games, he stresses out. Check out his performances against TO in Dallas in 2007; check out the championship game against Burress that same seasn (though in 2008). Now, check out his last performance against Favre a few weeks ago. There is a pattern. Harris over-hypes himself, and takes himself out of the game, and the opposing QB takes advantage of him. So, I have a suggestion, though it may well be really stupid.

How about the Packers start Tramon Williams on defense, and let Harris play in Williams' position for the first part of the game? Just so Harris could calm down, get into the flow of the game, and then return to his original position. Unless Williams is shutting down the WR on that side. Then, let it go, and reevaluate during the week.

Now, I have this in mind only for this game- because this sets up the whole secnd half of the Packers schedule. Either they'll be battling for the division title, or chasing the leaders. Unless the Vikings do their usual "Jeckyll and Hyde" imitation- play well one half, tank the other half, of the last few years.

The question still remains- is this a viable idea- or am I totally wet?

I don't see taking a shot at Als ego being productive. Sounds like a coaching issue.

I'm not taking a shot at Harris' ego, but his psyche. Does he get too psyched up for big games and thus play worse? The evidence would suggest "yes".

A coaching issue? Absolutely. And sitting a player who is out of control or out of his zone is definitely a coaching decision. I hope the Packers make the right decision.

Its a novel thought, Harris can be a dominant corner (see last week vs. Cleveland) or he can have his bad games obviously the ones you mentioned.

It is tough to say why, but I think you have to keep him in if not just to keep him happy, I doubt he would be happy with a benching and be thinking every time he has a bad performance that he might get benched so I would be hesitant just to avoid the risk of making a good situation bad.

I do think Williams will be a starter and a very good one for us sooner rather than later though, gotta love having such a reliable solid NB not many teams can say that.

Ricky,

Interesting idea, but I'm not for it. I don't deny that Harris has been the target of a lot of passes in big games over the past two or three years, and there's a good chance he's lost a step over time. Still, I trust the Dom to keep a close eye on things and put the best man in to start in the base defense.

Actually, I think several of the times he was "burned" in those games (especially three weeks ago against Minny-haha) was because of poor safety play and a lack of pocket pressure on the quarterback (traitor).

Still, an interesting idea...

I think some of those games that he was getting "burned" expecially the Dallas game, I think it was atleast part good game planning by the opposing team. I think Al might have a hard time when he can't bump the reciever at the line. Some times I think it was miscomunication with the safeties, and last I think he might be starting to lose a step. I do agree thou that IMO no one is above being benched if the coach thinks it's warranted.

In the game against Dallas, Harris was owning TO until they took away a key interception that he made with a bad call. After that, the Cowboys seemed to go after him more and his physicality ended up causing a bunch of penalties which made him play soft later on. He started out the game by shutting TO down.

Burress just owned him in the Championship Game. After the 1st Quarter, there's no way that they should have had Harris covering Plax one-on-one with Bigby providing support. It just wasn't working. Usually Al is solid, but Burress had his number that night. They should have put Woodson on him and let Harris man-up whoever was on the field opposite him. That was a coaching error.

I think that Al and C-Wood can handle the Minnesota receivers and Brett Favre if the coaching staff is confident enough in the safeties to go after him with blitzes and pressure. They didn't have that in the first game (Collins playing SS and Martin out of position repeatedly) and so Favre had a good day. I don't think that he'll fare so well this time. Nice thought though. Sometimes a coach needs to think outside the box to get certain players into the right mind-frame. It's one to think about. Eventually, Tramon is going to supplant Harris. He's a good CB.

Al's problem is and always has been with bigger more physical WRs. If he doesn't get a good jam on them they can power past him. In the last MIN game Martin was more of the problem than Harris.

I don't see a calm Tramon as an upgrade to an emotional Al. Not to mention how much this would piss off Al.

It's a good thought in theory, but I don't think it's in any way worth it.

You ride Harris and hope for the best. Even the best get beat. Sidney Rice may be emerging as a big-time tall receiver for the Vikings, so perhaps he'll cause Harris some trouble. If Berrian can't play, that removes a speed guy, so that might make it easier on him.

I didn't see all of the last Minnesota game, so I'm not sure how much Harris got beat. Good receivers and good QB's, and the Vikings had both last time, will beat even good defenders. So I'm not sure. My recall is that in the famous Giants playoff loss, Manning was making some really good throws to some really big receivers who used their bodies to shield harris off.

But, I did see the biggest TD throw against harris in the Vikings game, the longish TD to Berrian down the left. After the play Harris was obviously faulting Martin, and there is little doubt but that martin didn't play it correctly. That said, it still seemed like a terrible play by Harris and like it was primarily on Harris, not Martin. It's a sideline deep play, a sprint. Harris just seemed to let him run free. Why? There were no other receivers within 15 yards of Harris, it's not like he had to let Berrian go because he needed to pick somebody else up. And to expect Martin to be picking up his guy 15 yards into a sideline fly pattern, that seems pretty ridiculous. It isn't that easy to expect the safety to be getting outside quickly enough to be covering a sideline throw only 30 yards downfield. A 40+ yard pass, they have more time. A pass that isn't totally a sideline throw, where the defender steers the receiver inside rather than outside, that's a different story. But if the corner lets the guy get around him to the outside, and does so that quickly, it's pretty ridiculous to expect the safety to already be in tight coverage on the sideline only 20 yards of sprint down the sideline.

I'm sure Martin should have been less than the 15 yards away that he was, I'm sure he didn't play it right. But personally I can't believe that was all Martin, I think it was a terrible play by Harris and it was ridiculous to just give up and let Berrian go free by the time he'd flown 15-20 yards downfield.

That said, players make bad plays.

Hopefully this time around he'll not have any bad plays like that. And hopefully even if he does, Favre won't be untouchable, or the receives will drop a ball or two more than was he case in the Metrodome.

I thought they should have traded him last off-season personally. Hell, even Al assumed he was on his way out. But hey, maybe now we can package him and Kampman together for a nice draft pick or player exchange.

In each of those games you cited, wasn't pass rush an issue? I'm not saying it's the only reason.

On the Berrian touchdown in the Vikes game, Al was playing zone underneath, so Martin had over the top responsibility. That's why Al was pissed. That's why Martin got yanked. Newspapers covered that one pretty clearly.

I don't know how much Al has left, but he's still an excellent corner. You can't tell me you forget the Bears game already??? I don't think he's a liability, but rather a strong asset.

EDIT: I reread the OP. Sorry, you still think all is good, but just needs to calm down. Got it. I don't think Al's early play in a game has made a much of a difference as the game progresses...

The coaches aren't even thinking of benching Harris. He's had a very good year.

OK, I've read the responses, and, you'll excuse me while I "towel off".

I was at that game and Dallas did a good job of moving TO around off the line with motion and such taking him away from Harris and getting him(TO) matched up against LB's and safeties. Harris was not allowed to press TO off the line, good scheming by the Cowboys and poor adjustment by the Packer DC. Also with the NFC championship game alot of the throws that Burress got were to his back shoulder allowing him to basically puch Harris up field with a go threat and then box him out with his body. This was facilitated by there being less safety help because of the need for help in the run support otherwise harris could have played the underneath stuff with a safety to help keep burress from getting deep. Again poor dc adjustment.

Hey, yeah. And Aaron Rodgers had bad games against New England, Baltimore, MN... so let's start Matt Flynn and have Aaron hold the clipboard.

Sorry ricky, but this was as bad an idea as I have read in the forum for a long time.

Actually, Matt Flynn has a 110.8 QB rating w/ 8 TD's and only 2 picks.....







in my Madden franchise

(yes, I traded Aaron Rodgers. But it was for Joe Thomas. So back off

I don't think the vikings traded for TO, and haven't busted plaxico out of jail, so I think Al Harris will be okay.

I don't think Tramon Williams would do better against receivers like those two.

Now, if you wanted to sign a younger, bigger shut down corner and start him instead- I could see that.

Yeah, because we all know they grow on trees and there must be at least 50 of them lined up begging to come to Green Bay

I think the problem in the NFC Championship vs. the Giants was that Al was bump-and-run with Plaxico every play. If an average QB like Eli knows what is coming on every single play, then he can probably beat you. That strategy was just a bad strategy.

Al is fine. There is not a question that he is one of our best cover men.

Payne85