NFL

Packers' Al Harris Thinks He'll Be Traded This Offseason; Let's Hope He's Wrong

Posted Nov 28, 2008 8:20PM By Bruce Ciskie (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Packers, NFC North, NFL Rumors

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This season hasn't been full of good news for Green Bay Packer fans.

Not that any of them should be asking for sympathy. In an era of increasing "parity" among NFL teams, the Packers strung together an impressive string of seasons. Green Bay has just one sub-.500 finish since 1992, by far the least of any NFL franchise.

However, this year's team is in danger of making it two sub-.500 finishes since 1992, as the Packers are at 5-6 and staring at a third year out of four without a playoff berth. While blind, gullible, and stupid people are bound to blame this on Aaron Rodgers, the real reasons behind Green Bay's subpar record go much deeper than anything Rodgers could be fairly blamed for.

One of those reasons is extremely uneven play from the Packers defense. Part of this is injury-related, as Green Bay has lost starters on the defensive line (Cullen Jenkins is injured, and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila was ineffective before being cut) and at linebacker (Nick Barnett is injured). In the secondary, safeties Atari Bigby and Aaron Rouse have been in and out of the lineup because of injury, and cornerback Al Harris had to battle back from a potentially season-ending spleen problem. These injuries have tested Green Bay's depth, which hasn't responded well.

When Harris was out, youngster Tramon Williams started and played okay. If Harris is right, Packer fans will be seeing more of Williams and some other young players next season.
Although he said he hasn't spoken to general manager Ted Thompson about it, he believes with the team's stable of young cornerbacks - Tramon Williams, who played well as a starter in Harris' place, as well as Will Blackmon and Pat Lee - behind him, the club will move him during the offseason for a draft pick.

"I think that's going to happen. And not from my performance or anything, but we're going young," Harris said. "I haven't talked to Ted about it. I've just got a gut feeling that that's the direction our team is headed. That's what happens in the league. I just have to make sure that I'm on top of my game.

"Every game I play is an audition. I have to make sure that I put good stuff on tape."
It's an interesting prediction, and there is probably some precedent for it if you look at Gbaja-Biamila's release. However, that precedent goes away if you consider that "KGB" simply wasn't producing. It wasn't a money move, as the Packers are far under the salary cap. Instead, it was a move made because other players who were candidates to be cut were more productive in their roles than Gbaja-Biamila was.

Harris, meanwhile, is still a productive player for the Packers. While I don't think he is a lock to be starting opposite Charles Woodson in 2009, I do think it would be a mistake for the Packers to trade or cut him. As Jason Wilde notes, Harris has been in Pro Bowl form since returning from his spleen injury for the Tennessee game. Even as the Saints were abusing the Packer defense on Monday night, Drew Brees only threw one ball in Harris' direction. It was incomplete.

I find Harris' prediction to be oddly-timed, and I hope this is nothing more than Harris misreading the proverbial tea leaves. Thompson has made few mistakes since taking over as the general manager after the 2004 season. Letting Harris go by any means would be, by far, the biggest. I understand the concept of trying to get something of value for a veteran player who is still under contract if you feel that player is about to slip in his play. But an effective Harris is the kind of player who can make this defense better. If he continues playing at a high level, the secondary will easily show that Monday night was nothing more than a disastrous aberration.

Frankly, while Williams has been okay, he's also had his moments of poor play. His coverage technique needs refinement, and while he has a lot more speed than Harris, he's simply not as instinctive. The guys behind Williams - the likes of Pat Lee, Will Blackmon, and Jarrett Bush - are severely combustible. I don't think this team is ready to try to play 16 games without Harris, and I don't think they should be so quick to jettison Harris simply because of his age.

(Via MDS at PFT)

Tags: al+harris, AlHarris, charles+woodson, CharlesWoodson, ted+thompson, TedThompson, tramon+williams, TramonWilliams

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