Packers Daily Links: Green Bay Second Guesses Bishop's Roughing Penalty

The Packers see little wrong with the way Desmond Bishop tackled Panthers quarterback Cam Newton last Sunday. That and more in today's Daily Links...

The Packers don't appear to be learning any lesson from a roughing the passer penalty levied on linebacker Desmond Bishop last week when he hit Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. "Bishop was shocked when the penalty was called because that is how the Packers train their players to tackle," writes Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Seintinel. "In fact, in practice Wednesday, the team ran a drill where players flip ball carriers onto a cushioned landing bag the same way Bishop flipped Newton." Head coach Mike McCarthy called it a "perfect tackle."

Though the NFL won't come out and say it, it would look as if they're siding with the Packers. "The way the Green Bay Packers inside linebacker figures it, the fact that he hasn’t been fined by the NFL for the hit, which came on the Carolina Panthers’ second possession, is proof that he should not have been flagged," writes Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com. "The NFL does not confirm player fines until Fridays, but players usually are notified via a letter delivered by FedEx on Wednesday or Thursday. Bishop said he had not been notified." In the Silverstein article, Bishop said he would make the tackle the same way again.

More on Desmond Bishop and his tackle appear at Packer Report, PackersNews.com and via the Associated Press.

Jordy Nelson's sneaky ascension to the de facto No. 2 wide receiver is covered by Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel. "(Donald) Driver is the team's newly minted career receiving leader, (James) Jones inked the off-season contract and Randall Cobb is the intriguing rookie," writes Dunne. "But it's Nelson who has entrenched himself as the No. 2 option at wide receiver. On a crowded offense, he's maximizing his chances." Some say he has under-the-radar speed. I'd tend to agree with that.

In the same vein, Jason Wilde writes an article about the wide receivers making the most of their limited opportunities with such a deep receiving corps using Nelson as an example. “We say it all the time in our room, especially with the rotation we have with the five guys: You’ve got to make the most of your opportunity. You just do. Because you don’t know if you’ll see one ball or 10 balls,” Nelson is quoted as saying. “When you get one, you better make the most of it. We know that.” Nelson is the perfect sample, who had one catch in last week's game against the Panthers but made it count by going 84 yards for a touchdown.

More on Jordy Nelson come from the Associated Press.

Offensive lineman T.J. Lang's solid play is noted in an article at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "He hasn’t allowed a sack in either of his first two games and has given the Packers a left guard with some power in the running game," reads the article. "The third-year pro won the job in a landslide over rookie first-round pick Derek Sherrod and hasn’t looked back." Both McCarthy and offensive line coach James Campen have praised the job Lang is doing so far.

The match-up between punter Tim Masthay and Bears return specialist Devin Hester is highlighted as game day nears. "The Packers’ punter has been called to action seven times in the first two games of 2011," writes Kareem Copeland of the Press-Gazette. "Masthay had eight punts alone in each of the last two games against the Bears. That’s 16 punts against a team with one of the most dangerous return men in NFL history — Devin Hester." In addition to Masthay, another key player in containing Hester is gunner Jarrett Bush.

More on the punting game and its influence on Sunday's matchup is at the Packers official website and Packer Report (subscription required).

Running backs coach Jerry Fontenot is stressing yards after contact. “In my eyes, yeah, (Starks) had some big gains but he still left some yardage on the field,” Fontenot is quoted as saying at JSOnline. "Both backs understand that. As we reviewed the film after the game we saw it and coached it up. That’s one of the key points we’re working on this week. Don’t let anybody arm-tackle us.”

Aaron Rodgers and Donald Driver are used as examples of a "buddy system" the NFL has used to train players in an effort to diagnose concussions.

Mike McCarthy discusses the film he shows the team every year stressing the historical implications of the Packers-Bears rivalry.

The Bears have defended Aaron Rodgers better than most, according to Jason Wilde.

The local Chicago media writes about facing Aaron Rodgers and the Packers suspect pass defense thus far.

The switch from wide receiver to cornerback for Sam Shields is featured at the Packers official website.

The Packers Insider section at JSOnline looks at the NFC North and struggling NFL defenses from a Packers perspective and also has a preview of Sunday's game (sub required).

Charles Woodson and Clay Matthews sat out of practice again on Thursday.

Turnovers, as they relate the Packers-Bears game, are the focus of an article at Packer Report (sub required).

An excerpt from a book on Bart Starr apppears at Packer Report.

Fox broadcasters Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson weigh in on the Packers-Bears game.

Former Packers cornerback Brandon Underwood pled no contest to a lesser charge stemming from his disorderly conduct charge and paid a $767.50 fine.

Defensive lineman Jarius Wynn talks about his diet and nutrition in an interview with CNN.

Jarius Wynn is also interviewed in a video at JSOnline.

The Green Bay Symphony Orchestra will play the national anthem before the Broncos game.

A column about the Bears game is up at Packers.com.

Video: From WBAY-TV in Green Bay, the ABC affiliate, the Packers have begun razing buildings in the stadium district area...

Brian Carriveau is the editor of the Maple Street Press Packers Annual. To contact Brian, email [email protected].

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