4 Dec
Fans – Al just launched his new Myspace page, and he’d love to have you join his army of friends.
And unlike some athlete Myspace pages, Al personally manages his friends list. So check out his new page, send him a friend request and be assured it’s Mr. Al Harris himself who is approving your request!
2 Dec
You already know Al Harris is one of the baddest men in the NFL. But did you know he’s also a skateboard junkie, and he’s starting his own skateboard company?
More details are coming soon, but we know this much: The company name is ‘Brand H’, and Al’s in the process of setting the foundation for his business. Here is the company logo:
And here is the “crest”, which is a beautiful piece of artwork:
Finally, you didn’t think Al would start a skateboarding company without knowing how to grind, ollie and catch air, did you? Check the photos below and you’ll see 3irty1 like you’ve never seen him before!
1 Dec
Bears TE Greg Olsen paid the price for catching a 10-yard pass vs. Al Harris in Week 11.
Some streaks in sports simply defy logic. We could use Al’s recently-broken streak of 175 consecutive appearances in an NFL game as an example. Who goes 10 years or so without missing a game in the NFL? It’s crazy to even think about.
Al took a tremendous amount of pride in that streak, but when it ended due to a lacerated spleen, the only concern was for Al’s health.
However, 3irty1 beat that injury and returned to the field a few weeks later, starting a new streak of five consecutive games and counting.
But the real story during those five games is this: Al Harris has only allowed one completed pass for 10 yards. Let’s say that again: In five games since returning from a lacerated spleen, 3irty1 has given up just one completion for 10 yards.
Absolutely incredible.
Sometimes I wish Al’s name would appear more in the box score. More tackles. More deflected passes. More interceptions. Because often those are the stats most coaches and fans look at when they evaluate who is the best in the business.
But Al has made himself into one of the all-time greats by doing his job so well, opposing QBs don’t even bother throwing his way anymore. He doesn’t generate the stats you might expect from one of the best cornerbacks in the game because his guy is never open, limiting the opportunities Al gets to generate those stats.
So keep your interceptions, your tipped passes and your tackles. The only stat that really matters is right here:
Five games, 1 completion, 10 yards.
1 Dec
Al Harris on his matchup with Panthers WR Steve Smith: "There's no love lost at all."
Injuries have decimated the Packers secondary, and head coach Mike McCarthy decided to shuffle the deck a bit on Sunday with Atari Bibgy hurting.
The coaching staff moved Charles Woodson to safety, filling the spot vacated by an injured Bigby and joining Nick Collins. Nickel back Tramon Williams was promoted to a starting assignment at cornerback, opposite Al Harris, which gave the Packers three defensive backs on the field in their base defense.
This makeshift defensive backfield limited Carolina QB Jake Delhomme to just 12 completions for 177 yards. Unfortunately for the Pack, Delhomme connected with WR Steve Smith on a 54-yard pass late in the 4th, which helped seal the win for Carolina.
After the game, Al Harris didn’t have a lot to say. But as usual, what he did say was full of class and good sportsmanship:
Harris sought out Delhomme after the game that dropped Green Bay (5-7) two games back in the NFC North with four to play.
“He said, ‘Hey, you did a great job, you took what we gave you today,’” Delhomme said. “That was something that as a quarterback you try to take what they give you. It’s hard. You want to take shots.”
Early in the game, Panthers wideout Steve Smith got tangled up with 3irty1, pinned him to the ground and the two exchanged words (in fact, the Charlotte Observer called it an “absolute wrestling match.”). Here’s what Al had to say about the matchup:
Some of the most physical play was away from the ball. Harris and Steve Smith kept jawing after Smith fell on top of Harris and took a shot at him. Harris made sure he had a little more bump in his bump-and-run defense after that.
“We’re competing, now. We’re competing. This was my third, fourth time playing against him,” Harris said. “He knows me, I know him. I know what to expect when I play him. . . . There’s no love lost at all.”
Greg A. Bedard of the Journal Sentinel also reports helmets collided as Smith and Harris left the field for halftime.
27 Nov
As you all know, Al’s career was in jeopardy earlier this season when he was diagnosed with a lacerated spleen.
But if you know anything about Al, you know he’s the most determined athlete on the planet. And when he returned from the injury weeks later, many people were surprised.
The experience gave Al a new perspective this Thanksgiving season, and the Wisconsin State Journal wrote about his return from injury, his future with the Packers and more. Here’s a sample:
“I am extremely thankful. Extremely thankful,” Harris said as the Packers prepared for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field. “It was scary. It just made me put my life in perspective. This (football) is only a small piece, but an important piece. I appreciate it a little more.
“It was scary. I thought it was over for the year, and being that our team is going in a younger direction, that it could be it here.”
25 Nov
Being the ultimate team player and a loyal Packer, Al Harris said what you’d expect him to say after Drew Brees passed for 323 yards and 4 TDs during New Orleans’ 51-29 win over Green Bay on Monday Night Football:
“Our offense put up 29 points,” cornerback Al Harris said. “We’ve got to help them out. We didn’t get it done. We’ve got to hold them to 28 points.”
And to his enormous credit, Al wasn’t backing off his pre-game claim that the Packers have the best seconadary in the NFL:
“As talented a group as we have — not to say anything negative towards them, but we’ve got the best secondary, period,” Packers cornerback Al Harris said. “We’ve got shutdown guys on the edge, a great nickel guy, two great safeties. They didn’t fool us, they did exactly what we thought they’d do. We’ve just got to make it happen.”
It was admittedly a tough night all around. But one bright spot came – surprisingly – on New Orleans first TD of the game. It was a short pass to Lance Moore, who caught the ball on the right side of the field, danced around one defender and bolted toward the end zone. It appeared as though no one could catch him, but as he sprinted closer to paydirt, a Al Harris was seen absolutely hauling butt (:50 in the video) from the left side of the field at an angle that almost allowed him to catch Moore. Harris grabbed Moore and threw him to the ground, but it was one yard too late. Still, it was great to see Al continue to play with his “never say die” mentality, and to see him run so quickly knowing it was just weeks ago when he was diagnosed with a lacerated spleen.
Watch video of Al taking questions at his locker after Monday’s game:
Click to watch and listen to Al Harris talk with reporters.
Transcript: “We gotta cover our guys, that’s it. Not to say anything negative about Drew. Drew played a great game, made a lot of good decisions, you know, we gotta step up.
Q: How do you prepare for Carolina on a short week?
A: Hey, we gotta get ready. We got another good team coming in here, another good group of receivers. We gotta play.
24 Nov
You know the old saying, ‘It’s not bragging if it’s true’?
Last week while speaking with reporters, Al Harris told them something you don’t hear from pro athletes much while talking about the Packers secondary:
“By far, we are the best in the league,” Harris said.
You only need to watch Harris and Co. lock down opposing WRs to know that claim is true. But the stats also back up 3irty1’s claim.
The Packers entered this weekend’s action No. 1 in the NFL in several key defensive categories: interceptions (16), touchdowns by defensive backs (6), completion percentage (51.5) and quarterback rating (59.5).
And Monday, the Packers take their ultra-aggressive pass defense and put it up against Drew Brees and the high-powered attack of the Saints. In fact, the game is being billed as the NFL’s No. 1 passing offense vs. the league’s best defensive secondary. And Al likes that:
“Nice. That’s got a nice ring to it.”
Saints’ QB Drew Brees will have to be especially accurate tonight if New Orleans is to have any success through the air. What does Brees expect tonight?
“I think more so than anything, all of their guys have very good ball skills,” said Brees, who has thrown for a league-best 3,251 yards with 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. “So if a ball is up in the air and touches their hands, they have a good chance of coming down with it. They have pretty good athletes on that side of the ball.”
Brees throws it 40 times per game and is averaging 325 yards per game. And with RB Reggie Bush still banged up, you have to expect the Saints will have no choice but to challenge the Packers stout secondary.
Lance Moore has been Brees’ favorite target in 2008. Moore leads the Saintswith 52 receptions, 609 yards and 5 TDs. He’s small (5-9, 190) but he runs precise routes and has a knack for coming down with the ball.
Devery Henderson hasn’t been quite as prolific as Moore, but has hauled in 22 catches for 554 yards and three scores.
And don’t sleep on Marques Colston. In each of his first two seasons, the 6-4, 225lb wideout accumulated over 1,000 receiving yards and scored a total 19 times. But after off-season knee surgery, Colston has been slow to regain his old form and hasn’t made much of an impact this season. However, he has 10 catches for 170 yards in his last two games and appears to be regaining strength in his knee.
No matter which player Harris matches up against, you can almost guarantee the WR won’t see many balls thrown his way. And if he does, be prepared for an all-out war for possession of the pigskin.
GAME NIGHT
Packers (5-5) vs. Saints (5-5)
8:30pm (ET) on ESPN
18 Nov
Al Harris and about 30 of his teammates got together Monday night for Al’s second-annual Stars & Strikes Celebrity Bowling Tournament at Pro Bowl Lanes in Suamico.
Watch WBAY-TV’s report from Pro Bowl Lanes.
Money raised by this event will help Al take underprivileged children in Brown County Christmas shopping next month (Watch last year’s shopping event here).
Here’s a quote from “Santa” Harris on evening’s festivities:
“I get really excited at Christmas time when my kids open up their presents, and just to help out some kids that you don’t know, to see the joy in their eyes that they get to go Christmas shopping when they may have not gotten the chance, it’s a good thing.”
17 Nov
Al Harris defends against a pass intended for Chicago's Devin Hester Sunday in Green Bay.
As we noted last week, Al Harris entered Sunday’s game with an amazing streak: He had not allowed a completed pass to his side of the field since returning from a lacerated spleen in Week 8.
And 3irty1 continued his streak Sunday vs. Chicago, using his signature physical style of play, his speed and his smarts to help take Devin Hester, Rashied Davis and Brandon Lloyd completely out of their games.
In fact, Bears QB Kyle Orton did not complete a pass to a Chicago WR until the nine-minute mark of the third quarter.
Chicago wideouts finished the game with a measly four receptions for 60 yards and no scores. And Al Harris extended his streak of not allowing a completed pass to four games and counting.
Afterwards, the Bears showed a healthy amount of respect for the job the Packers secondary performed. Brandon Lloyd:
“I’m a huge fan of Woodson and Harris,” said Lloyd, who was back on the field after missing five games with a sprained knee. “I think those guys are awesome. They get paid a ton of money to do what they do. So it is a lot of work to get open against them.”
“They’re very good. They’re tough to throw on. If you’re going to do it, you’ve got to execute well.”
Executing “well” is proving to be inadequate against this Packers “D”. In Al Harris’ mind, if opponents want to get anything done on offense, they must execute to perfection:
“If you get pressure when you’re playing press coverage, balls have to be perfectly thrown balls,” said Harris. “That’s the goal. For them to complete a pass, it has to be a perfect pass.
“That’s how I look at it.”
As you know, teams have learned to not throw in Al’s direction and as a result, his stats don’t look impressive on paper. Sunday’s totals: One tackle. No interceptions. But the game isn’t played on paper. It’s played on the field, and fans, coaches and opposing WRs know no stats can describe the effectiveness with which Al Harris is playing on the defensive end.
Just ask Devin Hester, Bernard Berrian and Justin Gage.
17 Nov
Click to watch and listen to Al Harris chat with reporters after the Bears game.
The Wisconsin media surrounded Al Harris’ locker shortly after Sunday’s dominating 37-3 victory over the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field.
Watch and listen to the Q&A session right here. Cool to see Al mixing it up with the beat writers, joking around and having a good time while making it clear he worries about nothing other than the team, the fans and his task at hand:
Al: New Orleans is the team to beat. We play them next. So we’re looking to get our game plan for New Orleans. You know, anything after that is after that.
Q: How much do you pay attention to the standings?
Al: Me, personally? Not at all. (New Orleans) has got some good wideouts, so that’s what I pay attention to. (Laughing with reporter) C’mon, dog! You know how this goes!
Q: Talk about holding Chicago to without a touchdown today.
Al: It was a good win. It was a good win for the defense. It was a good win for the team.
I mean we played well, played hard and came out with a win. That’s what you want.
Q: How does it feel to beat a team like Chicago who has kind of had your number recently?
Al: Yep, feels great, feels great. But like I said, it didn’t matter who it was, we were trying to win.
Q: Was that the best total performance of the season? Better than the Colts game?
Al: I don’t know. I wasn’t part of the Colts game. (Laughing) But, it was a good win. It was a good win. All jokes aside, it was a good win, it was an all-around great performance by everybody.
Q: How does it feel to get that winning feeling back in the lockerroom?
A: It feels good. It feels good to good win today.
The National Football Post
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