GREEN BAY — His Desmond Bishop moment has arrived.
Jamari Lattimore talked all the time with Bishop as a rookie in 2011 , about the way Bishop impatiently waited for an opportunity to crack the Green Bay Packers' starting lineup on defense. And, when he did — after former first-round pick Nick Barnett broke his wrist early in the 2010 season — he took the job and never looked back.
Now, it's Lattimore's turn.
Lattimore will start in place of veteran inside linebacker Brad Jones on Sunday against the New York Jets at Lambeau Field. Jones has been ruled out for the game with a quadriceps injury after playing poorly in the team's season-opening loss at Seattle.
And Packers coach Mike McCarthy, for one, is challenging Lattimore to never give the job up.
"I would think anytime you get a chance to go and perform, if you perform at a high level, you don't want to give that spot back," McCarthy said after ruling Jones out Friday. "I think that's the part of injury. You look at the history of the National Football League, some of the greatest careers were started because of an injury in front of that particular player. This is a big opportunity."
And one that Lattimore is more prepared for than he was last season, when he started four games due to Jones' various injuries. He played a career-high 272 defensive snaps on defense last season, starting four games for an injured Brad Jones and recording 38 tackles (31 solo), two sacks and a forced fumble.
But he did that while battling a mysterious virus that was making him sick and weak, one that was never officially diagnosed.
"I had no choice," Lattimore said of the illness. "It's my job. I've got to go and play. But I didn't feel good. But you just have to suck it up."
Lattimore likened the illness to what former Packers inside linebacker Terrell Manning dealt with during training camp in 2012, when Manning was diagnosed with a parasite that caused colitis, an inflammation of the large intestine.
Lattimore never received a clear diagnosis — "If a person tells you they don't know what's wrong with you, how would you take it?" he said Friday — but is at full health now. Having re-signed on a one-year, restricted free-agent tender of $1.431 million this offseason, this is a big opportunity.
"I just come play ball," Lattimore said. "For me, I just look at every opportunity the same. My number's being called, so I've got to step up and show what I'm about and do the best job I can. Simple as that."
Jason Wilde wrote: