Green Bay Packers

Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote a heck of a profile on Green Bay Packers linebacker Desmond Bishop. You should by all means check out Dunne's deep dive into Bishop's life story and how it has impacted his recovery from a torn hamstring muscle. From a football perspective, what stood out to me is that the recovery is still ongoing a full nine months after the injury. When the Packers begin organized team activities (OTAs) this week, Bishop isn't expected to participate.

Green Bay Packers inside linebacker Desmond Bishop is returning from an injury that cost him all of 2012, but he has his sights set high -- defensive MVP.The post Desmond Bishop Setting His Sights High appeared first on Total Packers.

In 2003, the NFL scheduled the Minnesota Vikings as the Green Bay Packers' first opponent in the renovated Lambeau Field. So naturally, the Vikings are expecting the league to return the favor 13 years later. Nothing will be official for a while, but the Vikings' top stadium executive suggested to multiple media outlets over the weekend that the Packers likely will be the first regular-season opponent in the Vikings' new stadium, scheduled to open in time for the 2016 season.

<br /><br />Green Bay --- Linebacker Desmond Bishop says he doesn't want to hurry back too soon from the torn hamstring injury that ended his 2012 season. He may be cautious and sit out the start of organized team activities this week.<br />

This Monday morning I have the privilege of joining Brian Carriveau on CheeseheadTV’s Railbird Central podcast where we’ll talk about everything and anything Packers that can be squeezed into a 10-minute time slot. If you can catch it live, come on over to cheeseheadtv.com and listen in. If you can’t make the live podcast, look for the posted recording. Among the topics we’ll discuss are the running backs situation (especially how James Starks fits into the equation, Mason Crosby and his future with the team, position battles that should be interesting to follow during OTAs, and which rookies will be most fun to watch. Heck, we might even spend some time talking about Brett Favre, time permitting. CheeseheadTV, if you don’t know, is one of the premier Packers blogs out there on the Internet. Their insightful looks at Packers news is something that every Packers fans should bookmark and take a look at on a daily basis. So, spend a few moments and stop over to the site for a listen. I’m not sure I will provide any new Packers news, but it’s sure to be a decent discussion about where the team stands at this point in time, one day from the start of OTAs in Green Bay.

We're Black and Blue All Over: We're down to five unsigned draft choices here in the NFC North after the Chicago Bears wrapped up contracts for their 2013 class over the weekend. First-round draft pick Kyle Long agreed to terms on a four-year deal, with a team option for a fifth, a move that gets 30 of this division's 35 draft picks under contract. Those unsigned include four first-round picks and one second-rounder. They include the Minnesota Vikings' Sharrif Floyd, Xavier Rhodes and Cordarrelle Patterson; and the Green Bay Packers' Datone Jones and Eddie Lacy.

We’ve all seen the numbers. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sacked a total of 51 times in 2012 – more than any other NFL quarterback – and 55 times if you count the playoffs. It eclipsed his previous record of 50 sacks in 2009 and brings his five-year total as a starter to 202. His lowest sack count in that span was 31 in 2010, the same year they won the Super Bowl. Frustrating doesn’t even begin to describe the feeling that Packers fans have in response to this data. Arguably the best player in the game right now is on his back way more often than he should be, and we are all left wondering why. Well, perhaps some fans are looking more for an answer to “who” than for “why.” Who is to blame for this risk to our precious franchise quarterback? Who can we channel our anger towards when we’re yelling at the 60-inch plasma television? Unfortunately, that’s not easily answered. But we can give you some suspects to choose from . . . (don’t forget to cast your vote in the poll below…) SUSPECT #1: The Blockers (Offensive Line, Running Backs, etc.) In most cases, the offensive line is usually who we shout profanities at immediately after Aaron Rodgers gets sacked. After all, when it comes to the passing game, their number one responsibility is to protect the quarterback long enough for him to complete a pass. If he goes down, then it means they failed. During the 2012 season, the two biggest culprits were Marshall Newhouse and T.J. Lang. They each allowed 9 sacks according to ProFootballFocus.com, which accounts for roughly 35% of the 51 total sacks. It’s not surprising that Mike McCarthy felt the need this offseason to shake up the offensive line, pointing specifically to a weakness “on the left side.” There’s plenty of blame to go around, though. Josh Sitton, Jeff Saturday, Evan Dietrich-Smith, Bryan Bulaga, and Don Barclay combined for another 17 sacks allowed. All in all, that makes 35 sacks from the offensive line, which is a clear majority of the season total. Let’s not forget, though, that tight ends and backs also share some responsibility for blocking pass rushers. Fullback John Kuhn allowed two sacks and tight end Tom Crabtree allowed one. (Some might be surprised that none of the halfbacks allowed a sack according to PFF, especially in recalling the major gaffes by James “Neo” Starks.) With those numbers, it’s easy to see why fans (and coaches) are unhappy with their pass blockers. But for all the times they failed, there are other times where they might merely have played the scapegoat. SUSPECT #2: Aaron Rodgers, the Quarterback A common criticism of our beloved quarterback throughout the years has been his propensity to hold on to the ball in trying to extend plays. Whether he ends up scrambling for a first down or hitting a receiver on an improvised route, there have been numerous times where Aaron Rodgers’ has saved failing plays. Yet we are ever so reluctant to take the bad with the good. Kevin Seifert over at the ESPN NFC North Blog recently shared some statistics about the division quarterbacks and their “time in pocket.” (This was actually the impetus for my blog post.) According to ESPN Stats and Information, Rodgers spent an average of 2.82 second in the pocket, which was longer than 34 other quarterbacks. He also had the highest sack rate per drop-back in the NFC North. Really, this is some fairly damning evidence. It doesn’t take into account plays made outside of the pocket or even the average sack speed, but it does clearly show that Aaron Rodgers took longer to throw the ball than most quarterbacks in 2012. The major counterpoint is that Rodgers more than makes up for this with the successful extended plays and that he balances out the productivity with fewer interceptions from forced throws. Rodgers is, after all, the only quarterback in NFL history to have been sacked 50+ times in two separate seasons while still maintaining a 100+ passer rating in each. Still, we’re not talking

We&rsquo;ve all seen the numbers. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sacked a total of 51 times in 2012 &ndash; more than any other NFL quarterback &ndash; and 55 times if you count the playoffs. It eclipsed his previous record of 50 sacks in 2009 and brings his five-year total as a starter to [...]

It didn&rsquo;t take long for the big dogs in Sin City to follow the lead set by our neighbors to the north. Just over one week after the Atlantis sports book in Reno became the first shop to enter the 2013 NFL season win totals market, Cantor Gaming (Friday) and the LVH SuperBook (Sunday) joined the party with their own opinions. In addition to posting season win totals on Sunday, the LVH also hung lines for 80 NFL games played between Week 2 and Week 17. You&rsquo;ll find the full rundown at the end of this article. So the calendar hasn&rsquo;t even flipped to June and we already have an opinion from three different sports books on each of the 32 NFL franchises. The most intriguing number at the moment? Well, that would be the Green Bay Packers. The Atlantis hung Aaron Rodgers and company at 12, but adjusted south prior to Cantor and the LVH coming out with a lower total. Before we get to the complete breakdown, take note of the following: Biggest Discrepancies 1. Green Bay: 12 wins at Atlantis, 10 wins at LVH.2. Buffalo: 5 wins at Atlantis, 6.5 wins at Cantor and LVH.3. St. Louis: 6.5 wins at Cantor, 8 wins at Atlantis.4. Baltimore: 8.5 wins at LVH, 9.5 wins at Atlantis.5. Cleveland: 5 wins at Atlantis, 6 wins at LVH.6. Denver: 11 wins at Cantor, 12 wins at Atlantis.7. Houston: 10 wins at LVH, 11 wins at Atlantis.8. Miami: 6.5 wins at Cantor, 7.5 wins at Atlantis and LVH.9. Pittsburgh: 9 wins at LVH, 10 wins at Atlantis.10. Seattle: 10 wins at Cantor, 11 wins at Atlantis.11. Tampa Bay: 6.5 wins at Atlantis, 7.5 wins at Cantor and LVH.12. Washington: 8 wins at Cantor and LVH, 9 wins at Atlantis. Unanimous 1. Atlanta: 102. Chicago: 8.53. Dallas: 8.54. New York Giants: 95. Oakland: 5.56. Tennessee: 6.5 High/Low Atlantis: 12 wins (Denver and Green Bay), 4.5 wins (Jacksonville)Cantor: 11 wins (San Francisco, Denver, New England), 5 wins (Jacksonville)LVH: 11.5 wins (San Francisco, Denver, New England), 5 wins (Jacksonville) One for the road&hellip; 17 weeks of NFL action produces a grand total of 256 games. That means 256 winners and 256 losers. Add the 32 win totals from our three sports books and you get the following: Atlantis: 262.5 winsLVH: 260 winsCantor: 256.5 wins Early leans UNDER 7 wins New York Jets (-110, Atlantis): I loved it at 7 and am still willing to play it at 6.5 (-110, LVH). The Jets followed up a 6-10 campaign in 2012 by getting worse from a personnel standpoint this offseason. Sure, the Tim Tebow drama is a thing of the past, but how exactly does Gang Green plan to improve on last season&rsquo;s 17.6 points per game average (28th in NFL)? Darrelle Revis is now in Tampa and without him this defense is a far cry from the unit that used to bail out the offense back in 2009 and 2010. Sean Payton's return to the sidelines will mean big things for the Saints in 2013. OVER 9 wins New Orleans Saints (-115, Cantor): Go 4-2 within the division, come up victorious in home games against Arizona, Miami, Buffalo and Dallas and then find a way to grind it out on the road against the Jets and Rams. That gives you ten wins right there. Getting San Francisco at home and Chicago on the road in early October are big plusses. OVER 6.5 wins Kansas City Chiefs (-110, Cantor): I&rsquo;ve never been a big Alex Smith fan, but the guy is still 100 times better than the rotating collection of stiffs that have occupied the quarterback position in Kansas City over the last few seasons. Between stability and experience at quarterback along with my belief that Andy Reid&rsquo;s offense gets big results from Dwayne Bowe and Jamaal Charles, I&rsquo;m willing to back the Chiefs getting to seven wins. Hell, it&rsquo;s not all that crazy to think Kansas City goes 4-0 against Oakland and San Diego. Speaking of the Raiders&hellip; UNDER 5.5 wins Oakland Raiders (-110, Cantor): I&rsquo;m going to spend more time researching the Silver & Black over the summer, but the bottom line is that when I look at the Oakla

An injury cut short Green Bay Packers linebacker Desmond Bishop's season before it began in 2012, preventing him from reaching some lofty goals. This year, he's set those goals higher.