GREEN BAY -- Al Harris wouldn't say what the Packers' defensive game-plan is for the Dallas Cowboys Sunday night -- he chose a more cryptic wait-and-see tease -- but the veteran cornerback wanted to be clear on one thing.

"I can say this: I think this is a much better game plan (this week)," Harris said. "This is the best game plan that we've had since I've been here, in this scheme. I honestly think that. And you can quote me on that."

We just did.

And if the Packers hope to beat the Cowboys Sunday night, they'd better have a better game-plan for Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens, who caught seven passes for 156 yards and a touchdown in the Packers' 37-27 loss in Dallas last Nov. 29.

In that game, Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett repeatedly sent Owens in motion, effectively countering the Packers' bump-and-run coverage by forcing them to play off and in zones. That allowed Owens, to take over the game like he did last year.

Owens caught seven of the 11 balls thrown his direction in that game. Harris intercepted one that deflected off his hands in the end zone, and Owens was awarded a 12-yard catch on the first pass he saw even though Harris wrested it away from him on the sideline. Most of the catches came via pre-snap motion, which often led to Owens bunching or "stacking" with other receivers in the same area at the snap.

Packers cornerbacks coach Lionel Washington said bump-and-run is rendered useless against in-motion receivers because it requires precise hand-placement on the jam at the line of scrimmage. When a receiver goes in motion, Washington said, the cornerback is forced to play off-coverage instead.

"In those situations, you can't bump guys, you have to play off. That's what they tried to do, so we can't get our hands on them and disrupt the timing of their routes," Washington said. "We understand what they did to us, and we're going to defend it this time. We're going to make an adjustment this week, and we'll see what happens."

The Cowboys are expecting Harris to match up with Owens -- "I think they'll probably keep Al on him wherever he goes; they probably like that match up," Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo said, "but we'll be prepared for a few other things as well" -- and Owens certainly doesn't mind it.

"Sometimes you live by the sword, and sometimes you die by the sword," said Owens, who had 34- and 48-yard to set up touchdowns and a 10-yard TD catch of his own in that game but also had a pair of drops. "Sometimes being aggressive or overly aggressive, you try to exploit those things."

Owens had three catches for 89 yards -- including 72- and 4-yard touchdowns -- all in the first half of Monday night's victory over Philadelphia, as the Eagles used all three of their top cornerbacks on Owens before double-covering him after halftime. While they shut down Owens, tight end Jason Witten ended up catching seven passes for 110 yards.

"When you have somebody of my caliber, you are going to try to throw the book at them.. I already expect that going into every game," Owens said. "They are going to try different coverages. If that doesn't work, they are going to try different personnel. If that doesn't work, then, hey, eventually they are going to have three or four guys on me. When that stuff happens, you saw the results of it."

Owens called Harris and Charles Woodson "one of the best cornerback tandems in the league," then added, "Al presents some challenges. I know he's going to play a lot of bump-and-run and I'll be faced with that. 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."

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Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by LegallyBlonde on Sept. 19, 2008 at 12:27 p.m. (report)

I am in New Orleans, looking at the Superdome, having flashbacks of XXXI, and I can't miss my OnMilwaukee. go pack.

Posted by danielnathan on Sept. 19, 2008 at 9:54 a.m. (report)

Yes, and be sure to watch the battle between Packers DE Aaron Kampman and Dallas OL Marc Columbo. Kampman has 2.5 sacks through two weeks, and his 27.5 sacks over the previous two seasons are second-most in that time span.

Posted by beentheredonethat on Sept. 19, 2008 at 8:12 a.m. (report)

Go Cowboyis! We will break that Lambeau losing streak!!!!