Green Bay Packers cornerback Al Harris is heading to his second straight Pro Bowl.
Harris, an alternate in the voting in 2008 after going to his first Pro Bowl last year, has been named an injury replacement for Philadelphia's Asante Samuel. Samuel, whose Eagles lost last weekend in the NFC Championship Game, has a neck injury.
Harris is the second injury replacement at that position for the NFC. Earlier this month, Green Bay's Charles Woodson was replaced by Tampa Bay's Ronde Barber. Minnesota's Antoine Winfield is the other NFC cornerback.
Harris finished 2008 with 21 tackles, all solo, and 12 passes defensed. He missed four games due to a lacerated spleen suffered in Week 3 against Dallas, but he returned after the bye week and rarely came off the field the rest of the season.
Harris had never missed a game in his 11-year career until the spleen injury. It ended his streak of 175 consecutive games played (163 regular season, 12 playoffs), which began in Philadelphia in 1998. Before the injury, he had played and started every game in Green Bay -- 88 in all (83 regular season, 5 playoffs) -- since coming to the Packers in 2003.
Harris is the third member of the Packers' secondary to receive Pro Bowl recognition in 2008. Woodson and safety Nick Collins were voted as starters. The last time the Packers had three defensive backs with Pro Bowl honors was 1967, when Herb Adderley, Bob Jeter and Willie Wood were all starters.
Landing a Pro Bowl spot in his 11th season, Harris also now matches Woodson as the most experienced Packers cornerback to earn the achievement.
