Al Harris

[Kiwon]

What the heck happened to "the best bump and run corner" in football during the last game?

Why was Plaxico Burress able to have such a monster game against him?

I did not get to see the full game, only the highlights.

[oregonpackfan]

Part of the problem is that Burress is a big WR. Like T.O. Harris seems to have difficulty covering the physically big WR's.

Even before this game, I thought Harris was overrated and that Woodson is actually a better coverage cornerback than Harris.

I think the main factor was that Eli Manning had a fantastic game. With minimal pass rush from the Packers, Manning had a lot of time to pass. Most of his passes had good velocity and pinpoint accuracy in terrible playing conditions. He was particularly effective throwing to receivers right on the sideline.

For that matter, Manning has had about four great games in a row where he has successfully demonstrated his development as a quality quarterback.

[twoseven]

You can add to that Harris looking out of it even before the opening kickoff. In a pregame interview with Chris Myers that TV viewers should have seen, minutes before kickoff, the guy looked like he was in the early stages of hypothermia. He looked completely psyched out by the cold when he should have been as warm as could be hoped for having pregamed and been moving around non-stop before the kickoff. The look on his face made me say 'ohhh shit.' Half deer in headlights, half frozen to death, all bad.

[CaliforniaCheez]

Part of the problem is that Burress is a big WR. Like T.O. Harris seems to have difficulty covering the physically big WR's.



I think Bush also has the instincts but is just too small.
The top CB's in the draft are 6' 1" at best.

Accurate passing can take advantage of the difference. Few QB's are that good. You do meet them in the playoffs. The Seahawks dropped many passes that were well thrown. A good pass rush helps as well. Every team has the problem.

How many times have people marveled at a Brett Favre pass??

Eli did well.

[Merlin]

Burris played the game of his life. It wasn't like Harris blew coverage. It's tough for any corner to cover a big receiver, especially one that is having the game of his life out there. Woodson is a good cover corner too but he didn't exactly cover Toomer any better than Harris covered Burris. Eli & Burris were on the same wave length and even Toomer made some spectacular catches. It's tough to shut down a receiver every play and it wasn't their play that cost us the game. The Giants were going to complete passes and they did 20-20. There were many more things in this game that cost us dearly. Special Teams hurt us bad giving up field position. The Offense's inability to move the ball in the second half for examples.

Harris & Woodson had a great season. They both did their jobs covering the NFL's best receivers and did a good job. The NFL needs to review the rules in the off season to not call a penalty when the contact is initiated by the receiver. A lot of our DB penalties this season were the rest of teams designing plays for the receiver to initiate contact after 5 yards so the call would go against us. If the DB and the WR start to lock up within 5 yards and the WR carries that past 5 yards when the DB is trying to disengage, that again should be a no call.

[Deputy Nutz]

Harris gave up ten receptions, while Woodson gave up 4. Neither one had a great day in coverage, but Harris struggled, he couldn't jam Burress, he couldn't run with him, he got turned around, and pushed around.

The refs certainly decided not to allow the Packer corners to play their physical style, and that was exactly what they needed to do to slow down Burress. I was pretty bitter with the refs because Burress was shoving all night long, and He started the exchange when Harris made the interception that got called back for interference.

[denverYooper]

I thought for sure that Burress would quiet down after Bigby laid that big hit on him in the middle, but he didn't. He continued to play out of his mind.

I was a little annoyed that Harris was out there jawing so much. I know it's part of his aggressive play style, but after a while it seemed like he was poking a bear with stick.

[Deputy Nutz]

I thought for sure that Burress would quiet down after Bigby laid that big hit on him in the middle, but he didn't. He continued to play out of his mind.

I was a little annoyed that Harris was out there jawing so much. I know it's part of his aggressive play style, but after a while it seemed like he was poking a bear with stick.

He did the same shit to TO and his jawing just seemed to stir the pot.

[Cheesehead Craig]

Harris gave up ten receptions, while Woodson gave up 4. Neither one had a great day in coverage, but Harris struggled, he couldn't jam Burress, he couldn't run with him, he got turned around, and pushed around.

The refs certainly decided not to allow the Packer corners to play their physical style, and that was exactly what they needed to do to slow down Burress. I was pretty bitter with the refs because Burress was shoving all night long, and He started the exchange when Harris made the interception that got called back for interference.
Harris threw Burress aside on that play. That was a legit PI call against him. I do agree that the NFL has to look at reciever initiated contact though.

I was a little pissed that the G-Men got away with a few, (that pass to Lee where the LB simply wrapped him up 10-15 yds downfield) but that's life. Officiating doesn't lose games. Good teams can overcome those things.

[pbmax]

I just cannot get worked up about Burress. He has done this to elite defenses before (see Eagles) and that was before Eli discovered his inner Trent Dilfer.

11 catches and 150 yards helped give their offense 23 points with more opportunities for FGs than TDs. He is a glorified possession receiver.

The TO debacle was worse and possibly a better indication that Harris has declined. But I don't think he has fallen off the chart just yet. Woodson's numbers were also helped by Toomer's case of the dropsies.

What concerns me about the Giants passing game was the number of third down conversions and the fact that we couldn't get off the field. Patler made a good point that long drives happened twice after the Defense was well rested.

I think we need to find backup/eventual replacements for each CB soon, but I am more concerned by the pass rush than CB play.

[Merlin]

I thought for sure that Burress would quiet down after Bigby laid that big hit on him in the middle, but he didn't. He continued to play out of his mind.

I was a little annoyed that Harris was out there jawing so much. I know it's part of his aggressive play style, but after a while it seemed like he was poking a bear with stick.

He did the same shit to TO and his jawing just seemed to stir the pot.

The coverage against Dallas though was mostly zone and that definitely isn't our style. The NFL has to seriously take a look at the way WR's are creating penalties by engaging the DB. Harris had a right to that ball and he picked it off. Burris was all over him, the wrong call was made, just like in Dallas. Our WR don't engage the DB's, they just get held and interfered with. There were several no-calls in that game that were infuriating. Just because the DB is agressive doesn't mean that a WR can get an advantage via penalty by engaging them. Conversely, just because the DB doesn't bump the WR at the line, doesn't mean they are free to interfere with them.

[GrnBay007]

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=710264

[Merlin]

Holy Crap!

I knew Harris was over 30 but I didn't think he was 34. Hell if he can play like he did this season @ 34 more power to him. But I agree that it will catch up to him at some point, hopefully in 2010.

[Carolina_Packer]

Injuries happen, but I think when they lost Jolly, they lost a serious contributor to their DL rotation. I know people talk about the scheme and how they don't really blitz. Obviously there is a correlation between the time a DB has to cover a receiver vs. the time it takes for the DL to put pressure on the QB. If there is little or no pressure put on a QB, they are going to make the throws unless they are horribly inaccurate or their receivers don't run the routes. Plaxico and Eli are on the same page, and know where they want plays to go. Credit the Giants for coming up with a scheme that allowed Manning and Burress to make plays. The Packers simply needed to come up with pressure, some how, some way, in order to stop them on third down. There were some bone-headed penalties that allowed them to keep drives alive, but overall we showed little or no presence on the DL, except in run stoppage. They need to be better prepared to know how to make adjustments and find where they can exploit the line and bring pressure, even if it means they modify the scheme a bit. Your DB's are skilled, but if you are getting killed by lack of pressure, adjust. However you have to do it.

[denverYooper]

Injuries happen, but I think when they lost Jolly, they lost a serious contributor to their DL rotation. I know people talk about the scheme and how they don't really blitz. Obviously there is a correlation between the time a DB has to cover a receiver vs. the time it takes for the DL to put pressure on the QB. If there is little or no pressure put on a QB, they are going to make the throws unless they are horribly inaccurate or their receivers don't run the routes. Plaxico and Eli are on the same page, and know where they want plays to go. Credit the Giants for coming up with a scheme that allowed Manning and Burress to make plays. The Packers simply needed to come up with pressure, some how, some way, in order to stop them on third down. There were some bone-headed penalties that allowed them to keep drives alive, but overall we showed little or no presence on the DL, except in run stoppage. They need to be better prepared to know how to make adjustments and find where they can exploit the line and bring pressure, even if it means they modify the scheme a bit. Your DB's are skilled, but if you are getting killed by lack of pressure, adjust. However you have to do it.

I keep forgetting how much Jolly's loss hurt GB. The DL was much better at collapsing the pocket when he was in there.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Even before this game, I thought Harris was overrated and that Woodson is actually a better coverage cornerback than Harris.

agreed.

I always thought that Burress is a monster. Maybe they needed to get some hard hits on him to slow him down.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I thought Harris was exceptional last year and just solid this year. I think Woodson has been very good both years. Maybe Al has hit the wall. Let's be fair here though. The Giants (Manning and Burress and the OL giving them time) just made some plays that any corner would have had a hard time defending. They also found a weakness in Al's game and exploited it. It often took great throws and good adjustments to do so because Al had good coverage on a lot of those plays. Some times you just get beat as a corner, and there's not much you can do about it. I'd love to get a great third corner and then match up Al on a receiver each week who doesn't handle bump coverage well.

[gbgary]

harris gave up size and strength to this guy for 40 minutes, without any help, and didn't give up anything for points. give the guy a break. it's the offense that totally sucked...not the D!!!

[Partial]

I thought Harris was exceptional last year and just solid this year. I think Woodson has been very good both years. Maybe Al has hit the wall. Let's be fair here though. The Giants (Manning and Burress and the OL giving them time) just made some plays that any corner would have had a hard time defending. They also found a weakness in Al's game and exploited it. It often took great throws and good adjustments to do so because Al had good coverage on a lot of those plays. Some times you just get beat as a corner, and there's not much you can do about it. I'd love to get a great third corner and then match up Al on a receiver each week who doesn't handle bump coverage well.

Asomugha

[b bulldog]

The Gmen thought that 31 struggles at ball recognition when the ball is in the air and that is why they liked the fade route. Harris struggles bigtime against big WR's. Owens and Plax just ate him up!

[HarveyWallbangers]

Harris struggles bigtime against big WR's. Owens and Plax just ate him up!

Who doesn't? Especially when the WR is damn good and the QB is on target. It's not so much that he struggles with big receivers. It's that he struggles with receivers that are good against press coverage. Not all big guys are, and there small guys that are.

[4and12to12and4]

If you give a QB 4+ seconds almost EVERY down, Craig Nall will kill you. MM did absolutely ZERO adjustments at half time, and that's why we lost. Sure, some of our veterans should have played better in those conditions, but to not change ANYTHING on offense or defense at halftime is just stupid. MM's play calling, IMO, is one reason we won 13 games, but how good is he at adjusting his scheme when it's NOT working? In this particular game, it was nonexistent.

[Kiwon]

You can add to that Harris looking out of it even before the opening kickoff. In a pregame interview with Chris Myers that TV viewers should have seen, minutes before kickoff, the guy looked like he was in the early stages of hypothermia. He looked completely psyched out by the cold when he should have been as warm as could be hoped for having pregamed and been moving around non-stop before the kickoff. The look on his face made me say 'ohhh shit.' Half deer in headlights, half frozen to death, all bad.

Like I said, I only saw the lowlights but it looked to me that Harris was half-a-step slow off the line. No doubt Burress played the game of his life and was aided by Manning's sharpness and our lack of a pass rush, but I just hated to see Harris get lit up like that.

IF the Packers get to the Super Bowl in the near future, it will probably be with Harris and Woodson as their corners. That's my thoughts at least. That means that next year will probably be their best shot (if Farve returns).

I hope Harris and the D coaches will take the game and help him to figure what happened so that he won't have any repeats next season. Maybe the Pack will need to play more zone but it was really ugly Sunday watching Burress make catch after catch.

[4and12to12and4]

You can add to that Harris looking out of it even before the opening kickoff. In a pregame interview with Chris Myers that TV viewers should have seen, minutes before kickoff, the guy looked like he was in the early stages of hypothermia. He looked completely psyched out by the cold when he should have been as warm as could be hoped for having pregamed and been moving around non-stop before the kickoff. The look on his face made me say 'ohhh shit.' Half deer in headlights, half frozen to death, all bad.

Like I said, I only saw the lowlights but it looked to me that Harris was half-a-step slow off the line. No doubt Burress played the game of his life and was aided by Manning's sharpness and our lack of a pass rush, but I just hated to see Harris get lit up like that.

IF the Packers get to the Super Bowl in the near future, it will probably be with Harris and Woodson as their corners. That's my thoughts at least. That means that next year will probably be their best shot (if Favre returns).

I hope Harris and the D coaches will take the game and help him to figure what happened so that he won't have any repeats next season. Maybe the Pack will need to play more zone but it was really ugly Sunday watching Burress make catch after catch.

I thought you said you didn't see the game Sunday, you only saw the highlights?

[Kiwon]

Ha, Burress was the highlight film for the Giants.

NFL.com has about 25-30 minutes of different videos regarding the game.

Quality stuff.

Here's the game of the week recap. Painful to watch.

http://www.nfl.com/partner?partnerType=game-of-the-week&season=2007&seasonType=POST&week=3&campaign=ec0005

[b bulldog]

I think Harris is on his downside. He also had some other rough games this year. Plax and Owens are good but they just torched him and yet he still runs his mouth.

[Deputy Nutz]

Harris gave up ten receptions, while Woodson gave up 4. Neither one had a great day in coverage, but Harris struggled, he couldn't jam Burress, he couldn't run with him, he got turned around, and pushed around.

The refs certainly decided not to allow the Packer corners to play their physical style, and that was exactly what they needed to do to slow down Burress. I was pretty bitter with the refs because Burress was shoving all night long, and He started the exchange when Harris made the interception that got called back for interference.
Harris threw Burress aside on that play. That was a legit PI call against him. I do agree that the NFL has to look at reciever initiated contact though.

I was a little pissed that the G-Men got away with a few, (that pass to Lee where the LB simply wrapped him up 10-15 yds downfield) but that's life. Officiating doesn't lose games. Good teams can overcome those things.

I said Burress started the exchange, Burress put his hands on Harris first, that is all that I was saying. I didn't say it wasn't pass interference, but when the offense gets a free pass 9-10 times the deck is stacked. I know, that is the way the NFL wants it, but it is wrong for the game.

[Kiwon]

I think Harris is on his downside. He also had some other rough games this year. Plax and Owens are good but they just torched him and yet he still runs his mouth.

It goes with the hair. You can't wear dreadlocks and play football without having a big mouth.

[The Shadow]

Harris is not the player he once was. Woodson is the superior player.The Packers need to seriously consider ways to upgrade.