Desmond Bishop: What Might Have Been
No matter how dedicated and honorable we are as Packer fans, you have to admit one thing, it tends to get a little boring this time of the year. After reading what felt like the 50th mock draft in a row and realizing half the athletes will never wear a Packers jersey, I began to reminisce down memory lane.
One of the hardest hitting middle linebackers ever to put on a Green Bay uniform was Desmond Bishop. He had great speed and a fantastic nose for the ball. When he would run from sideline to sideline and hit somebody, not only would you hear it; you could damn well feel it!
The last time I saw a middle linebacker hit like Bishop was in the mid 80’s by a player named Brian Noble. Noble suffered a terrible “back contusion” injury during a Bears game in 1992. Unfortunately, after an 9 year career in Green Bay, he never played another game in a Packer uniform. At that time, it was a terrible loss to the Packers defense, the organization and its fan base. Noble was fun to watch and was as pure of a football player as they come.
Back to Bishop.
Who could forget that unfortunate play in 2012 when he tore his right hamstring in the team’s first preseason game in San Diego. The Packers had high hopes for Bishop, who had 5 sacks in 13 games the year prior in 2011. The image of him being taken off the field by the medical staff and trainers is branded in many heartbroken Packer fans brains.
Bishop’s injury was a crushing blow to the Packers defense at a pivotal time. It virtually ended his stay in Green Bay. He went on playing for a year in Minnesota and finished his career in San Francisco. You have to wonder if he had never sustained that torn hamstring, what type of player he would’ve turned out to be. I believe he was on the verge of being a major influence and a difference maker on defense. Ultimately, Bishop was never the same player again.
In my opinion, the top 3 middle linebackers to ever wear a Packers uniform were Ray Nitschke, Jim Carter and Brian Noble. Bishop probably wouldn’t have cracked the top 3, but one thing we know for sure; the Packers organization hasn’t found a replacement for him yet.
JoeyT #DHPF
