Break Up The Cornerbacks

The link here to the article by Pete Prisco wherein he says CB Charles Woodson is the 2nd best CB in the NFL, behind only CB Champ Bailey, reminded me of KC Joyner's article at ESPN.com (sorry, it's behind the Insider wall).

Joyner looked at yards per attempt for passes thrown at cornerback tandems. It's hard to judge corners statistically due to the complex coverage schemes run in the NFL, but it gives you something to consider. According to Joyner, the tandem of Woodson and Harris was one of the worst in the league. They weren't hold-your-nose bad like the tandem down in New Orleans, but Joyner's analysis does have a point.

Harris made his first Pro Bowl, but it was his worst season as a Packer. He made some good plays early in the season, but as the season went on, there were some times when he got burned repeatedly. He was playing through some injuries, and it didn't help that Woodson got hurt on Thanksgiving and he later admitted that the knee injury he suffered in St. Louis was really a problem for him the rest of the season.

Both players go into training camp as the starters, but if they get out played this preseason, the coaches should not hesitate to bench them. Rookie 2nd round pick CB Pat Hill probably won't be ready to start yet, but CBs Tramon Williams and Jarrett Bush have both been learning the Packers' defense for over a full season now, and they might be able to push Harris and Woodson.