November 3rd, 2009

The Mess At Nickel Linebacker

Aaron Nagler in A.J. Hawk, Brandon Chillar, Desmond Bishop

So now, with Brandon Chillar out, we’ll all get our wish and get to see pre-season darling Desmond Bishop inserted permanently in the Nickel package, right?

Maybe not.

As much as the Packer Blogosphere wants Bishop to be the answer, he was most definitely part of the problem when he came into the game for Chillar on Sunday, the most egregious play being Peterson’s back-breaking screen pass (1:25 mark) where Bishop committed the cardinal sin of driving inside a blocker rather than jumping outside and forcing contain. That is just dumb, dumb football and it cost the Packers big-time.

What’s even more worrisome is that, before getting hurt, it’s not like Chillar was lighting the place up. In fact, as Jason Wilde pointed out on the show last week, other than the leap-over-the-running-back-to-get-there sack he had in Week One, Chillar has been most noteable for getting beat by journeymen tight ends, usually for touchdowns. And this is the “best cover linebacker” on the squad.

Of course, you can see where I’m going with this.

That’s right – get ready…for more A.J. Hawk.

12 Responses to “The Mess At Nickel Linebacker”

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Uggghh! So much hope now shattered! Well,
clearly the Vikings are better now. Maybe the Packers can at least make the playoffs. I don’t know if that is success at this point.

jrarick said in November 3rd, 2009 at 11:17 am

What about more Clay Matthews… ;-)

darolls said in November 3rd, 2009 at 11:37 am

darolls – he’s already in the Nickel package. :)

Aaron Nagler said in November 3rd, 2009 at 11:47 am

Matthews is already playing every down.

jrarick said in November 3rd, 2009 at 11:47 am

I wasn’t sure he was in the nickel package… And I dont think he is already playing every down except what I saw the last game…

darolls said in November 3rd, 2009 at 12:18 pm

darolls – as of a few weeks ago, Matthews is in on every down – they take him out only when he needs a breather.

Aaron Nagler said in November 3rd, 2009 at 12:23 pm

Agreed. And we’re well aware of what happens when the great and powerful Poppinga tries to cover tight ends.

I guess I’m hoping that with more playing time, Bishop will become a bit more assignment sure. Excellent point about Chillar not setting the world on fire since the first game.

Anderson said in November 3rd, 2009 at 3:53 pm

No doubt Matthews is a stud, but does that bother anyone else that a rookie comes in and shows up all of our other linebackers this season? I laugh hysterically when I think about that preseason hype surrounding Brady Poppinga. I understand Barnett is coming off a serious knee injury and is looking pretty good now, but Hawk, Poppinga, Bishop, and company have been in the pros for a few years now. How does a rookie come in and play that much better?

VApackerfan said in November 3rd, 2009 at 3:55 pm

I’ve been saying it for awhile, but nobody wanted to hear it. There is a reason Desmond Bishop isn’t playing more. Despite the bone-crunching tackles, he is a mistake machine. Whether it’s penalties or missed assignments or being out of position, he often does more harm than good. It’s too bad, because there’s nothing I like more than a hitter like Bishop. But I understand why he’s not on the field more.

JerseyAl said in November 3rd, 2009 at 7:49 pm

About possibly making the playoffs… I want the Pack to make it to the playoffs as much as anybody, but I just don’t think this is their year. There are still so many basic problems that should have been fixed in the off-season, but then again, a football team can not totally recover from a 6-10 season in less than a year. I don’t know what happened in the preseason, but it obviously wasn’t enough. If the Packers can’t fix these basic problems, such as creating something that looks like a running game, eliminating rediculous penalties, and improving the defense, than it would be necessary to make some coaching and front office changes, starting with Thompson and McCarthy.

PACKERS said in November 3rd, 2009 at 10:37 pm

Just for the record, you might want to fix the daylight savings thing.

PACKERS said in November 3rd, 2009 at 10:39 pm

PACKERS, just wanted to point out that many teams have gone from a 6-10 record, or worse, and improved dramatically the next season. For example, the Atlanta Falcons (4-12 2007, 11-5 2008). Miami Dolphins (1-15 2007, 11-5 2008). Baltimore Ravens (5-11 2007, 11-5 2008). Those are just a few teams for the 07′-08′ seasons. Turnarounds happen every year, but you’re right, the front office needs to make those changes. So far Thompson has been hard headed with free agency.

VApackerfan said in November 4th, 2009 at 5:56 pm

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