Green Bay Sitting in his locker with ice bags on one of his knees, a hip and a shoulder, linebacker Desmond Bishop looked like he definitely got the worst against the New York Jets.
Looks, however, can be deceiving.
The other guys' running backs managed just 74 yards rushing on 22 carries, and Bishop was a major factor in the Green Bay Packers shutting out the Jets' offense. He finished with a game-high 13 tackles and broke up two passes, including a clutch third-and-1 deflection late in the first half that assured the Jets would remain behind, 3-0.
Since he became the starter for injured Nick Barnett, Bishop often comes out of the training room after games entombed in icepacks. He wouldn't have it any other way.
"It's a physical game," Bishop said.
It's especially physical when Bishop is on the field. The 6-foot-2, 238-pound inside linebacker's speed has been questioned, his over-zealousness has gotten him in trouble and his inconsistency has been mentioned often.
But his tackling has never been doubted.
Bishop doesn't just tackle people. He tries to make ball-carriers look to see the name on the back of his jersey as they pull themselves up off the ground.
"He's a play-making tackler," inside linebackers coach Winston Moss said. "I've seen him low tackle well, I've seen him go for the big hit, I've seen him form tackle, I've seen him angle tackle. I've seen him do all the technique tackles, but I've also seen him really go after guys and try to get the ball out.
"As long as he continues to get that guy down, I'll continue to support him."
Making most of chance
Ten weeks ago, Bishop couldn't see himself in the role he's in now. For three years, he has been Barnett's backup, heading for the bench as soon as another impressive training camp was in the books.
During the games he did manage to play, he was wildly inconsistent, forcing a fumble on Minnesota's Adrian Peterson on a fourth-down play one moment and failing to fill a gap that allowed Peterson to score the game-winning touchdown the next.
Bishop recalled the conversation he had with a reporter shortly before the start of the season. After another solid training camp, he was so frustrated that he was contemplating having his agent, Blake Baratz, ask for a trade.
Told that it was a long season and injuries could happen, Bishop wasn't comforted.
"When you asked me this, I probably wouldn't have seen it coming," Bishop said. "I was always staying in tune, staying ready for my opportunity when and if it every came. It came, so I'm just embracing it."
Bishop has started five games, and those plays that kept making people wonder if he could be trusted as a starter are few and far between. He has had double-digit tackles in four of those games, and scored his first touchdown off an interception thrown by Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre. He has five tackles behind the line of scrimmage to go with two sacks, five quarterback hits, one forced fumble and five pass breakups.
All those concerns about him being able to play well on a consistent basis are starting to fade away.
"I always knew with a given opportunity I could string them together, but I just needed an opportunity," Bishop said. "Now it's here and I want to keep doing it throughout the season and possibly the postseason, whatever."
The Packers have thought enough of Bishop's play that they have had almost weekly conversations with his agent about a contract extension. Because Bishop is scheduled to be a free agent once a new collective bargaining agreement is reached, the Packers' offer probably would have to blow his socks off.
But with the structure of A.J. Hawk's deal likely to make him a free agent next year, the Packers could allocate the money they have been spending on Hawk to re-sign Bishop. The better he plays the more money he makes.
"The lines of communication are open," Baratz said.
Regardless of his contract situation, Bishop has come a long way in four years.
A sixth-round pick in 2007 and college teammate of quarterback Aaron Rodgers at California, he was not a unanimous pick by personnel evaluators to become a starter in the NFL. Bishop impressed everybody by pumping 225 pounds a remarkable 33 times at the scouting combine, but his speed was questioned and he was viewed mostly as a special teams player.
Rising through ranks
During his first three years with the Packers, he was exactly that, leading the special teams units with 49 tackles. Tackling has been a labor of love for Bishop ever since his dad, Dennis, a former college and United States Football League player, coached him and his brother in junior high.
"It was a new league that started," Bishop said. "Most of the people on our team, it was like their first year. Me and my brother were the only ones who played previously. We were 0-9. Pretty much if me or my brother didn't make the tackle, it was a touchdown.
"We got blew out like every game. I had like so many tackles. From then on, I loved tackling. That was just my thing."
To this day, Bishop pulls out tape every week to watch other linebackers and see how they hit. His favorite player to watch is Indianapolis' Clint Sessions, who rarely turns down an opportunity to bring the pain.
Bishop said laying the wood on a ball carrier on command is something that only a select number of players can do.
"It's really a talent," Bishop said. "Watching film throughout the league, not everybody can do it. I feel like I'm pretty good at it, but a guy I watch and who I try to learn from is Sessions. It's a talent the way he does it. He does it well."
So does Bishop, whose insertion into the defense has added some punch.
"Desmond has turned the corner from an execution standpoint, really doing a good job not only executing his assignments but still playing with playmaking mentality," Moss said. "So I'm very pleased how he's been able to step in and add another dimension to our group."