We had to get around to this eventually. Where some local media hack would finally ask someone on the Green Bay Packers why they released one of their best… only… playmakers on defense, inside linebacker Desmond Bishop.
Although he missed all of 2012, Bishop had 115 tackles, five sacks and two forced fumbles in 13 games in 2011, but that production meant nothing to Big Ted and The Boys.
So, Ted and Coach Awesome say they released Bishop because their inside linebacker group is deep.
This past week, both Packers general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy have stated the June release of the 28-year-old Bishop was a byproduct of what they felt to be one of the team’s deepest collection of inside linebackers.
These are the same assholes who’d tell you you can never have enough good football players. But apparently you can, if you can release a guy who was on the verge of stardom the last time we saw him on a football field and let him sign with your biggest, shittiest rival. I mean, why not let him try to win his old job back in training camp?
Things don’t work that way in Green Bay, son.
Then there’s defensive coordinator Dom Capers, who likes to use the word “athletic.”
“We like (last year’s starters A.J.) Hawk and (Brad) Jones,” Capers said. “They were basically our guys for most of the season last year. And we thought we made pretty good progress defensively. Rob Francois, when he’s been asked to go in and play, you remember two years ago he went in and got a couple game balls and made big plays for us. Jamari Lattimore has been around here and has become one of our best special teams players. We like his athletic ability. And then you have two draft picks the last two years in Terrell Manning and Sam Barrington. And those guys are both athletic.”
Ah, so Bishop, despite his production, was not athletic?
We sure as fuck know no one has ever labeled Hawk “athletic.” So you like these young, “athletic” guys and the totally non-athletic guy that Big Ted drafted way back when and will never part with because he’ll then have to admit failure and that other guy who may or may not be “athletic?” Instead of the most “athletic” inside linebacker we’ve seen in some time?
That makes total sense!
Then, here’s second-year inside linebacker Terrell Manning basically saying no one in the current group can do all the things Bishop did.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see a couple guys mix in on certain downs and things like that because everyone does something different,” Manning said. “If we could all just combine and be one person, we’d be the ultimate linebacker, but we can’t. We’ll see how it goes. It’s the coaches’ decision at the end of the day.”
Ah, so if you guys could form like Voltron, you’d really kick some ass, huh?
That would be awesome if Voltron was one of the Packers inside linebackers, wouldn’t it?
Stupid move. Hope they don’t regret it
I think there are some things that have been left unsaid. these dudes are in the business of finding and recognizing football talent. and their track record would indicate that they are somewhat successful. I may be wrong, and I’ll admit it. But something is nagging me, making me feel they saw some slip in ability or maybe were thinking he’s not going to make it back to the playmaker he was before the injury.
Bishop is a viking, accept it and move on.
we have
There was an article posted right after he got released about players who had the same or very similar hamstring injuries and something ridiculous like 90% didn’t play a full season the next year, most of them were out of football pretty quickly after that.
Small series in American Journal of Orthopedics- half the players were able continue their careers for meaningful time, but effectiveness was not evaluated. The other half essentially washed out. This surgical repair is much harder to recover from than ACL reconstruction. Even at 50/50 I’m surprised the Packers didn’t even give him a realistic chance at competing.
They bring Johnny Jolly to training camp who hasn’t played in three years, but they can’t bring Bishop after one? At least see what he has left.
The word is Hawk has trimmed down some and looks good in camp. Had an INT yesterday.
There is likely more to this than we will ever know. I don’t think it is coincidence that DJ Smith and Bishop were both waived during the same offseason.
The fact that the Vikings got Bishop for so cheap says what the other 31 GMs thought about his injury.
I also find it somewhat comical that Monty keeps referencing Bishop’s numbers from 2011, which was the year the Packers’ defense ranked dead last in the NFL. Middle linebackers typically put up huge numbers on terrible defenses. It is called LOTS of opportunities.
It costs you nothing to bring in Jolly and cut him if he stinks. It costs you a lot more to cut Bishop at the end of camp, especially when you are already certain he has lost a step. This is evidenced by the fact he is a backup in Minnesota.
It’s a tendon to bone surgical repair/connection. Very good chance of having problems with it in the future. Ted made the prudent call, the Jolly comparison is apples to oranges.
I don’t get this BS article at all. I bet any sum of money that this hack would complain about Bishop riding the pine and collecting a big hit on the cap if he remained. Constant negativity from this site. Why would he be riding the pine? Brad Jones out graded him and took his starting spot. Let’s not forget that Bishop didn’t play last year, this author throws some stats out there from Bishop as a starter on a defense that was just terrible. He came up big in 2010 late in the season, but the injury is one that is hard to come back from. We have many people to potentially sign this coming offseason and need the cap space we could get from a backup linebacker. Releasing him (while taking a 800K cap hit) was a smart move.
They could just as well have released him after giving him a shot to win his old job back, you moron. If he wasn’t going to be a starter, they certainly wouldn’t have kept him around “riding the pine” as you suggest at that salary. Think before you comment.
Holy shit Manning sounds like the perfect athlete interview cliche machine.
“We like (last year’s starters A.J.) Hawk and (Brad) Jones,” Capers said. “They were basically our guys for most of the season last year. And we thought we made pretty good progress defensively. …..Made good progress Dom?……Tell me about progress, Tell me about the 49er game…..Oh, you won’t talk about that….I understand Dom.
Monty, I think Ted and Mike were given a negative outlook from the get-go from doc McKenzie. I think they cut him loose early so he could have a shot with another club, but they pretty much knew from jump street that he wasn’t going to be their starter ever again … Just too risky. Could he return to form? Sure. Is it likely? Not given the history of others with the same injury.
^^^ that’s all pure speculation of course (aside from the returning to form “fact”)… Just my take.
One thing that’s not speculation… Manning is going to be good. Write that down… Big letters.
We gonna beat that ass this year with Bishop and Allen sacking your boy Homo Rodgers! Yeah we are GOING to the BOWL!!
Bwhahaha..bishop and gayred allen..lol..the only bowl youre ginna win is the toilet bowl! Go back to your purple puke site and brag there. Your opinion means nothing here!!!