Point/Counterpoint: Bishop Down
Desmond Bishop is too inconsistent to be trusted as a full time starter at inside linebacker.
By PackerAaron
Another camp, another round of impressive plays from Desmond Bishop. There he was yesterday putting a monster hit on Andrew Quarless and there he was this morning pulling in an interception. The guy is all over the field and always seems to be around the ball. Fans get excited and, sure enough, a gentleman next to me said "Why is he not starting? Why is he not starting over Hawk?"
Interestingly enough, the answer came in a drill that happened to be held right in front of us. Defensive line coach Mike Trgovac and the defensive linemen were drilling pre-snap shifts along with a number of the linebackers. Bishop twice mis-identified what the offense was doing and called for the wrong adjustment, the second time causing Trgovac to stop the drill and walk over to Bishop to have a few private words with the linebacker.
And that's it in a nutshell. The Packers would love nothing more than to get Bishop on the field. Unfortunately, they are scared to death that Bishop would have one of his patented mental breakdowns at the worst possible time. So they stick with Hawk, knowing that while the dynamic plays may not be as forthcoming (though Hawk also had a nice pick in practice himself this morning) they can be sure he will be in the right place, executing his assignment.
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Comments (9)
August 01, 2010 at 03:29 pm
The time has come to trade him. Get him in as much as possible in the preseason, get his price up, and trade him.
He wil NOT resign here next year. Because someone will pay him, and more importantly give him a chance to start. And we will them get nothing.
Trade him for a DB. Or even a late round pick that we can use next year to move on one.
Its time to trade him, and that's all there is to it.
August 01, 2010 at 03:45 pm
Move him OUTSIDE.
August 01, 2010 at 04:41 pm
Yeah, that seems to me the best way to go. He looks like he has the physical skills, as well as the thoughness and the instincts to play it, and in there, he doesn't need to have as much knowledge of scheme and calls as it's required of the ILBs.
August 01, 2010 at 05:43 pm
Not only that, but we're short at OLB. We could really use him there. I really don't know why they don't move him over.
August 01, 2010 at 03:55 pm
James Harrison took a while to get it too.
August 02, 2010 at 07:55 am
I don't know. This is his 4th season. At some point we need to stop being concerned with where he was drafted and start analyzing how he actually plays the game. First round pick only means that he has the best chance to make the team his rookie season. After that he has to earn it.
August 02, 2010 at 12:13 am
I guess we all know where TT will be this scouting season, lets hope it's a big crop!
August 02, 2010 at 10:05 am
If recognizing the defense is his problem, can't we just have someone else make those calls?? I've heard before that between the ears is the problem with him, not his abilities.
But are his lapses during the games coming from HIS incorrect calls. Or are his lapses during games happening regardless of the calls? It sure would be nice to keep him on the field because he can make some plays in a hurry!!
August 02, 2010 at 11:42 am
IMO the thing people find so intriguing with Bishop is that he makes "big plays". Fans can "live with" players like that giving up big plays as well. Either way it's exciting for them(fans love to cheer AND complain almost equally). Most fans would love to see a defense with 11 guys who are capable of making those types of big plays. Most coaches IMO would prefer to have a mix of "big play" guys and "dependable" guys who are going to do exctly what they are supposed to and the others can count on them to be where they need to be. Each level "needs" to have one or two "dependable" players in order to allow the "big play" guys the opportunity to make those plays while keeping the risk/reward level acceptable IMO. The D line has Pickett,the LBers have Hawk, and the secondary has Bigby (Woodson went out of his way to say as much when he was injured last year) and Harris. These guys, though not very exciting, are the reason the playmakers like Jenkins, Barnett, Matthews, Woodson, and Collins have the opportunities to do that because they know the "depenable" guy will cover his back.