Railbird Central : Desmond Bishop

Special teams player of the week vs. Cowboys '09

Brian Carriveau — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:49:00 GMT

While the performance wasn't exactly spectacular, the Packers put an improved effort into special teams against the Dallas Cowboys. Particularly, they held solid return man Patrick Crayton in check, which helped in the field position battle. Here's the candidates for tonight's special teams player of the week vote to be held during Packer Transplants this evening:

Desmond Bishop: Made two solo tackles and assisted on two more and earned a game ball from the Packers for his performance on special teams.
Spencer Havner: Made a team leading four solo tackles on special teams and also earned a game ball from the coaching staff.
Derrick Martin: Made two special teams tackles in his first action since coming back from injury. Also replaced John Kuhn as the punter's personal protector.
Tramon Williams: Averaged 12.5 yards on two punt returns, a marked improvement from the nearly four yard average the team had previously been setting. Also had one 24-yard kickoff return.

The Cheesehead Nation special teams players of the week:

Week 1 - Brett Swain

Week 2 - Tramon Williams

Week 3 - Johnny Jolly

Week 4 - Korey Hall

Week 5 - Mason Crosby

Week 6 - Spencer Havner

Week 7 - A.J. Hawk

Week 8 - Ahman Green

Packers Daily Links 11.3.09

Brian Carriveau — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:33:05 GMT

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Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is saying that not only are the Minnesota Vikings beating the Green Bay Packers on the football field, they're beating them in the offseason as well. "It doesn't take a football genius to figure out who has been doing the better job acquiring talent," writes Silverstein. "When asked Monday if he thought the Vikings were more talented, Packers coach Mike McCarthy admitted he was impressed with their lineup." This falls on Ted Thompson's shoulders. The man who's hesitant to dip into free agency may just have to do so to save his job this upcoming offseason.

It appears as if Brandon Chillar is going to miss a few weeks with a broken hand and then will eventually come back with a club-like cast. "Against the Vikings, backup inside linebacker Desmond Bishop filled in for Chillar in the nickel, playing alongside Nick Barnett," writes Silverstein. "The other option would be to play starter A.J. Hawk there." As much as fans wanted Bishop to play well in Chillar's place on Sunday, he played very average.

With Chillar out, it also appears as if "Big Okie" is out as well. “I would say right now ‘Big Okie’ is probably on the shelf for a little while,” defensive coordinator Dom Capers told Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “We’ll have to look at other means to get what we got out of ‘Big Okie.’” As interesting as "Big Okie" was, this isn't much of a loss. With Atari Bigby seemingly getting better every week, he doesn't really need to be replaced.

It's possible that T.J. Lang and Allen Barbre could be out of the starting lineup this upcoming Sunday when the Packers take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "As the coaches sorted through the aftermath of Sunday’s 38-26 loss to Minnesota and began preparations for this week’s game at winless Tampa Bay, they left open the possibility of going with the veteran tackle combination of Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher," writes Demovsky. While neither of the young tackles played great, I'm not in favor of this. This is only a stop gap solution. In the bigger picture, the Packers might have to replace Clifton and Tauscher as early as next season. It's time to get the young guys some experience now.

"(Head coach Mike McCarthy) had to meet with defensive linemen Johnny Jolly and Cullen Jenkins, who in separate incidents during and after Sunday’s 38-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings made McCarthy’s team look undisciplined on and off the field," writes Demovsky. Incidents like this make it appear that McCarthy is losing control of his team. If occurrences like these continue to appear, the Packers might be better off with a different coach.

Add perhaps the most important player on the Packers' roster to the injury report. "(Aaron) Rodgers, who played with a sprained foot, suffered a sprained toe on his other foot and is now hobbling on both of his feet," reports Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com. "Backup Matt Flynn figures to take over the first-string offense in practice Wednesday and Thursday before Rodgers returns to action in time for next Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay." McCarthy said he didn't expect Rodgers to miss any game time as a result of the new injury.

"Ahman Green, returning kickoffs for the first time since 1999, will keep the job," reports Bill Huber of Packer Report. "McCarthy thinks Green will get better as he gets back into football shape and more comfortable in the role." Wouldn't the Packers be better off with Kregg Lumpkin filling this role?

Mitchell of Acme Packing Company would like to see Ryan Grant being used differently. "I think Grant can be very effective as a member of a committee, instead of a lone workhorse," according to the article. "Remember how the Giants used Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Derrick Ward with great success? That's the type of setup I'd like to see Grant in, with Brandon Jackson playing the role of the change-of-pace back. Then again, this is all assuming that the real problem isn't with Grant, but with his blocking, which is a very real possibility."

Aaron Nagler of Cheesehead TV gives fans some hope. "A lot, and I mean a LOT can and will happen between now and the end of the season," writes Nagler. "This is your team, no matter how much, at this moment, you wish it wasn’t. You simply have to get behind them, warts and all. I’m not happy with McCarthy, but I’m not ready to call for his head yet."

Sunday's game was the second most watched game ever in the history of football being broadcast on Fox.

Railbird endorsed video: Enjoy "Hurricane" by Bob Dylan...

Packers coaches ignore preseason play

Brian Carriveau — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:19:07 GMT

Some might say the relevance of this column is past, and that may be so. It also might be long overdue.

Based upon roster cuts and personnel decisions made by the coaching staff, it's obvious that the Green Bay Packers don't care about preseason football games. How else can one explain the apathy toward perhaps the three best individual performances of the '09 preseason.

Take Tyrell Sutton for example (yes, I'm beating a horse that's not only dead, it's rotten and decaying as well). He was the Packers leading rusher during the preseason, gaining nearly 100 more yards than the next closest player. He also had a 4.8 yard average per carry, best on the team among running backs.

Fans know the story by now. Sutton is cut and eventually signed by the Carolina Panthers. Meanwhile, the Packers have an ineffective running game, are injury-riddled at the position and have just signed an aging Ahman Green whose best years are behind him.

I'm not naive enough to think that Sutton was the cure for all that ails the Packer defense. But I think even the most ardent supporters of the Mike McCarthy/Ted Thompson regime would rather have seen a rookie with potential and fresh legs like Sutton rather than a veteran past his prime like Green.

Sutton is far from the only case study. Also released on the final day of roster cutdowns was safety Anthony Smith at another position where the Packers have had their fair share of troubles.

Given the injury to Atari Bigby, hindsight is 20/20. But combined with the release of Aaron Rouse, Smith would have proven to be a more capable backup at safety than either Derrick Martin or Matt Giordano, both of whom have had to learn the Packers' defense after training camp.

Smith was the only free agent of any significance signed this offseason and could have figured into the Packers' equation on defense. Considering the contract status of Nick Collins, the injury situation regarding Bigby and the below average histories of Jarrett Bush, Martin and Giordano, Smith could have lent at least a modicum of stability at safety.

He, too, performed well during the preseason. One of only two players on the team with at least two interceptions during preseason play, Smith also tallied a sack on a safety blitz and also led the team in passes defensed to boot.

And finally for the player still on the Packers' roster but with no more than a special teams role, Desmond Bishop. Despite a lack of impact plays from the inside linebacker position, Bishop still rusts away on the bench.

He was the team's leading tackler in the preseason but also tallied a sack, two interceptions, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and two passes defended. With those kinds of stats Bishop probably had the best overall preseason of any single player on the Packers' roster.

Now in Bishop's third season as a pro, it's unclear whether the coaching staff is holding him back due to deficiencies from seasons past or problems seen during practice. Either way, Bishop did everything in his power to prove himself on the field of play.

Shouldn't performance during game situations be the number one evaluation tool? If not, shouldn't it at least rank near the top? In regards to the Packers, it appears not.

This is getting ridiculous

Brian Carriveau — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:35:24 GMT

Thanks goes out to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for the reminder of what a good job Desmond Bishop has done in game situations

"Bishop had 24 tackles, two interceptions, one sack, one forced fumble and one recovered fumble in exhibition games," wrote McGinn last Friday. "Of the seven fumbles forced by the entire linebacking corps in the last 20 games, three were by Bishop in a mere 142 snaps."

The fact that Bishop is not playing on defense is bordering on ludicrous. Look at those stats again. A.J. Hawk has zero interceptions, zero sacks, zero forced fumbles and zero fumble recoveries through five games this season.

Hawk's playing time has decreased to around twenty some snaps per game as he's only playing in the base defense. And while he's been reliable, he's not an impact player. Bishop could be.

"How does he not get on the field?" a personnel director from another team said in McGinn's article. "If you watched (Nick) Barnett the first four games you'd say Bishop is a better football player. He makes more plays than Hawk. Maybe there's something I don't know but I know this: That guy was making like nine, 10 tackles a game in preseason."

I'll admit that Nick Barnett is improving with every game this season and he A) recovers from his knee injury from a year ago and B) gets more comfortable in the new defensive scheme.

It would stand to reason that Bishop would take Hawk's place on the field and not Barnett's. But the time to make the change is now.

Maybe the coaches are seeing something on the practice field that is causing them to hold Bishop back. But the game isn't played on the practice field. It's played when the game is on the line. And the Packers could use some impact plays from Bishop now.

Three tweets 10.6.09

Brian Carriveau — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:12:09 GMT

I'll be providing at least three thoughts about the Green Bay Packers per day on Twitter. Here what I'm tweeting about:

1. It bears repeating: Hawk and Barnett through 4 games combined - ZERO sacks, ZERO interceptions, ZERO forced fumbles, ZERO fumble recoveries

2. Desmond Bishop apparently hurt himself playing on special teams last night. That could be why he didn't play on defense. #Packers #NFL

3. I'm worried that when Atari Bigby gets back, the #Packers aren't going to be any better at safety. Two seasons of injuries might catch up.

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