[img_r]http://cmsimg.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20080917&Category=PKR01&ArtNo=80917201&Ref=AR&Profile=1058&MaxW=150&Border=0[/img_r]You can bet Terrell Owens has been in the back of Al Harris mind since the Green Bay Packers schedule came out in April.
On a Dallas Cowboys team that has one of the best offenses in the NFL, Owens played a big role in handing the Green Bay Packers a 37-27 loss last season. He had seven receptions for a hefty 22.3-yard average on Nov. 29 at Texas Stadium.
Harris, who matches up on most plays with the opponents best receiver, wasnt solely responsible for that big performance but covered him much of that game.
Though Harris probably wont say so publicly on Wednesday he said didnt have time to answer questions during his brief appearance when the Packers locker room was open to reporters its a given this highly competitive player is drawing extra motivation for his rematch with Owens and the Cowboys on Sunday night at Lambeau Field.
You feel like if someone embarrassed you, you want to come back and embarrass them on the next one, Packers wide receiver Donald Driver said of the emotion that fuels the weekly personal matchups in the NFL. You feed off the hunger of coming back to embarrass them. I think it goes hand in hand.
The assumption is that Packers defensive coordinator Bob Sanders will match Harris against Owens, who has three touchdown receptions in two games this season.
I think theyll probably keep Al on (Owens) wherever he goes, they probably like that match up, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo said in a teleconference with reporters in Green Bay on Wednesday.
Saying that, theyre a man-to-man type of team, but each week we dont always see what teams do on film all the time either. Well be prepared for a few other things as well.
Harris and Owens is only one of several key battles for the Packers defense, because Dallas has one of the best collections of skill-position talent in the NFL.
Quarterback Tony Romo (a 113.1 passer rating after two games) looks like hes becoming one of the leagues top quarterbacks in only his second season as a starter, and he has formidable weapons besides Owens. Top among them is tight end Jason Witten (13 receptions, 15.8-yard average in two games) and the halfback duo of Marion Barber, a bruising whirling dervish, and first-round draft pick Felix Jones, whose explosiveness was evident on his 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Philadelphia on Monday night.
The Harris-Owens matchup, though, warrants attention because Owens, 33, is playing as well as ever early this season, with eight receptions for a 22.0-yard average. Hes almost surely the best receiver on the Packers regular-season schedule this year and might be one of the three or four best receivers in the game.
This is why they pay (Harris) all his money, backup safety Charlie Peprah said, to go up against big-time receivers in big-time games. Hes always up for that.
Harris, also 33, lacks pure speed for cornerback but uses his strength and experience to knock receivers off their routes, which can ruin a play by blowing up timing with the quarterback. Owens presents a major challenge there, because at 6-foot-3 and 218 pounds hes a big, strong athlete who as a 13-year pro has vast experience defeating all types of coverages. He, like Harris, is in superb physical condition.
I know hes going to play a lot of bump-and-run, and Ill be faced with that, Owens told reporters in Dallas on Wednesday. No different than last year. Obviously, I think he knows what to expect from me, and I know what to expect from him. With that being said, I think they know what to expect from this team. I think we have a lot of weapons. Were going to try to work the middle of the field, were going to try to stretch it, were going to do whatever we can to try to move the ball.
Last year in their matchup, Harris appeared to make a huge play early in the game when he snatched a pass out of Owens hands along the sidelines on the Cowboys second play from scrimmage. However, the official ruled Owens made the catch and Harris was out of bounds, and though replays appeared to show Harris had made the play inbounds, the Packers replay challenge failed.
Owens had six more receptions on the night, including a 34-yarder that set up a first-quarter touchdown, a 48-yarder that set up a second-quarter touchdown, and a 10-yard touchdown of his own later in the second quarter.
The Cowboys lined up Owens at various positions and sometimes sent him in motion to help prevent Harris from getting his hands on him. Chances are theyll deploy Owens similarly on Sunday night.
But Dallas has other ways to occupy the Packers defense. Witten often is Romos bailout target when plays break down; Barber is a strong, punishing runner who is averaging 4.2 yards a carry, and Jones is averaging 6.0 yards on 12 carries.
One of the Packers best chances to slow Owens and Witten is to put some pressure on Romo. Pass-rush specialist Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila didnt play in last year's game, and the Packers almost non-existent pass rush allowed Romo to throw comfortably from the pocket all night.
The Packers have talked about deploying a more varied blitz scheme if necessary, though the risks of that were obvious in Dallas 41-37 win over Philadelphia, which has as exotic and prolific a blitz scheme as any team in the NFL.
Honestly, one of our strengths is the ability to create big plays sometimes when people come after us, Romo said. I think thats why you see less and less teams try to pressure us, because of our ability with matchups to create some quick-strike opportunities.