Desmond

Bishop

It’s pure speculation on Corkran’s part. We don’t know if the fit is a good one. The Raiders paid Nick Roach to man the middle, and they also have third-round rookie Sio Moore and free-agent pickup Kevin Burnett flanking him. It’s possible they could move Roach to his natural strong-side spot and have Moore be a backup in year one, but the Raiders have bigger problems than linebacker.

We’d say this was an upgrade for the Giants’ running game if the Giants had a running game. They don’t. The Packers are expected to start rookie D.J. Smith and practice squad type Robert Francois in Sunday’s game versus New York.

The Packers are expected to start rookie D.J. Smith and Robert Francois at inside linebacker, improving Eli Manning’s already tasty matchup. Sitton is Green Bay’s best lineman, so the holes may not be as big for James Starks this week.

“I just took off to run and it kind of popped on me,” said Bishop. We never like to hear it when players say they felt or heard a muscle “pop.” Working in Bishop’s favor will be a 10-day layoff before next week’s game versus Oakland.

Both players missed the entirety of the second half. Bishop’s injury is considered the more serious of the two. He was sporting crutches after the game and will head for an MRI on Monday. Rookie D.J. Smith replaced Bishop while Rob Francois filled in for Hawk.

Bishop, who came into the game nursing a calf issue, limped off in the first quarter. He was replaced by rookie D.J. Smith. Bishop is questionable to return.

Bishop racked up a team-high 12 tackles against the Bears. “I thought it was a good step, him coming back,” DC Dom Capers said. “He flew around. His production was pretty high. He was involved in a lot of plays.”

Although Smith impressed as an impact run defender in Weeks 12-15 last season, the 2011 sixth-rounder expects Robert Francois to back up “buck” ILB Hawk while he plays behind “mack” ILB Desmond Bishop. “It’s still a middle linebacker, but one position (Hawk’s) has more responsibility than the other,” said Smith. DC Dom Capers is confident, however, that Smith can play either position if needed.

“Don’t really have a time frame because we’ve had some history with his calf last year and missed a couple weeks,” explained coach Mike McCarthy. “I’m sure we’ll be cautious before we get him back out there.” Also failing the Packers physical were FB John Kuhn (knee), OT Derek Sherrod (leg), TE Andrew Quarless (knee), OG Jaymes Brooks (hamstring), DL Johnny Jones (knee) and OLB Frank Zombo (hamstring).

Bishop was carted off the field and did not return. The Packers’ beat writers had no updates during the game, but we should have more information during the week. Initial indications were that Bishop’s injury is significant.