Oh no you don't!
Prior to this year, the Detroit wideout had good things to say about his nemesis on the other side of the ball, Al Harris:
“He’s 8 feet, 12 inches,” Williams said. “His arms are 36 feet long and he’s so strong with those long arms. His arms drag on the floor and when he puts those arms on you, you’re not going anywhere. It’s really like a boxing match. You have to fight, using your hands. He’s so skinny, yet so strong and that’s what makes him so good.”
“I vote for him for the Pro Bowl year in and year out,” he said. “He’s not the corner who is going to get you interceptions. By no means is he going to do that. He will shut down that No. 1 receiver, whoever he is matched up with. They may leave the game with two catches for 29 yards. That’s just the type of player he is.
“He’s my measuring stick for how good I can be against him because like I said, I think he’s the best corner in this league.”
But things got nasty before Sunday’s game. Williams claimed 3irty1’s physical style doesn’t always jibe with the rules, and he added:
“He’s just a bump-and-run guy,” Williams said. “He’s more physical when he has a safety over the top. When he doesn’t have that safety help, he’s not as physical as he wants to be.
“I have to put Nnamdi in front of him. Nnamdi is a guy who will bump-and-run you all day, and he don’t want no help if teams are going to throw his way. That’s the type of corner I’m impressed with.”
Are you impressed now, Mr. Williams?
The Detroit wideout was shut down Sunday, managing three catches for 48 yards and no scores. Al Harris covered Williams for all but two of Detroit’s 39 offensive plays Sunday and was a big reason the high-powered Detroit passing game really struggled outside of a six-minute stretch to start the 4th quarter.
When the game got close in the 4th Sunday, it was the defense that really stepped up, intercepting three Detroit passes including two for scores at the end of Green Bay’s 48-25 victory.
But back to Harris vs. Williams. After the game, 3irty1 took the high road and tried to kill any controversy:
“I’m not a big talker,” Harris said. “The stats tell it all. Not what this guy says or that guys says. I’m not going to downgrade anybody. It is what it is. The game speaks for itself. I think Roy is a good player.”
Speaking of stats, Harris had three tackles, one assisted tackle, four passes defended and as we mentioned above, harassed Roy Williams for all but two of his 39 snaps.
This kind of performance is exactly what got Harris selected into last year’s Pro Bowl: He takes the other team’s No. 1 receiver and without any fanfare, just takes him completely out of the game. There are a few reasons Lions fans are calling for John Kitna’s head today. One of them is the defense of Al Harris.
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