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.
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Dumbest question I've heard
KC Jones is overrated. Woodson and Harris are two of the best defensive players in the league, much less on the team. You can’t play the style of defense the Packers have adopted without two CB’s who can play hard bump-and-run coverage. Tramon Williams and Jarrett Bush are going to be good, but no way should they ever sniff PT over a healthy Harris/Woodson combo.
90% of all statistics are made up, anyway.
-- "I do know that I plead the fizzif."
by Mitchell_M on Jun 26, 2008 7:34 AM CDT 0 recs
THe stats are only telling a part of the tale… THe Packers CB play press man coverage. It means if they blow a coverage the reciever is basically running free in the secondary. Not like a cover 2 where if a coverage is missed the whole DB is watching the play and can get into position to limit the yards.
Woodson is still a top 5 CB…. BUt Harris slipped badly at the end of the year!!! He is clearly on the downside now, and needs a replacement ASAP!!! Wood has 2 yrs left at CB before I think he moves to Safety to finish his career… Need two of the young guys to claim the positions in the next year or so…
by Strohman on Jun 26, 2008 6:46 PM CDT 0 recs










