Fresh off a second straight appearance in the Pro Bowl, cornerback Al Harris returned from Honolulu perhaps at a crossroads in his future with the Packers.
While Harris is under contract through 2011, the team's significant change in defensive philosophy this offseason doesn't jibe with the strengths of the 12-year NFL veteran.
Harris and Charles Woodson, who declined his invitation to the Pro Bowl this year, are widely regarded as the top bump-and-run cover duo in the league. The Packers' previous 4-3 scheme allowed both players to flourish playing mostly man-to-man coverage up at the line of scrimmage.
The hiring of Dom Capers as defensive coordinator after Bob Sanders was fired following last season prompted head coach Mike McCarthy to change course and adopt a 3-4 base defense.
Besides bringing about significant changes for the defensive line and the linebackers, the system for other teams that employ it involves a lot of zone coverage by the secondary. That would take Harris, and to a lesser extent Woodson, out of his in-your-face comfort zone.
For the here and now, both Capers and new secondary/safeties coach Darren Perry suggested that modifications could be made to how the team will orchestrate the 3-4 that would suit Harris, 34, better.
"As we go along, your system has to have enough flexibility to where you can go in the direction that you think your talent will take you," Capers said.
Without commenting specifically on Harris' role, Perry added: "The one thing we don't want to do is jeopardize our players' ability and try to do something that doesn't fit our personnel. If that means maybe not doing as much or being a little bit more multiple in our looks up front, then that's what we'll do."
At least the 3-4 principles won't be foreign to Harris. He was the nickel back for five seasons in Jim Johnson's exotic defense with the Philadelphia Eagles, who traded Harris to the Packers in 2003.
Harris will be paid his $1.2 million roster bonus due in March, general manager Ted Thompson said at the Combine. "This is a guy that I don't see a lot of drop-off," Thompson said. "He's still a good player and we think he's going to be a good player again this year. We're not having a big youth movement."
