Green Bay Packers' Desmond Bishop Out for the Year?

The Green Bay Packers experienced the one thing NFL fans fear the most once preseason football gets started. 

Season-ending injuries to key starters. 

In this case, veteran linebacker Desmond Bishop isn't just a key starter, but possibly the best defensive player on the entire team. In the first preseason game of the year, Bishop tackled San Diego's Ronnie Brown and had his right leg bent unnatrually underneath him. The right knee was sprained but team doctor Pat McKenzie feared something much worse — a serious hamstring tear. A pull or a sprain can be fixed with ice, strecthing and 4-6 weeks of rehab. McKenzie discovered, after examining Bishop back at the team's facilities, that it was in fact a hamstring tear. The knee is hurting as well, but the hamstring is what will keep Bishop from returning to the field this year.

"Unfortunately, the hamsting injury was what we feared," said head coach Mike McCarthy after practice Saturday. "Surgery is imminent, and Desmond's season is in jeopardy. Once we have he surgery, we'll have a better idea on his status for this season."

The former 6th round selection is entering his sixth season out of Cal and has developed into the leader of the Packers defense from his inside linebacking position. He has 218 tackles — 115 last season even with missing three games — and 8.0 sacks over the last two seasons for the Packers. It also made him one of the top fantasy options at linebacker. He was ranked as the No. 6 overall IDP — individual defensive player — regardless of the position and the No. 2 overall linebacker in the entire league.

So Packers fans, McCarthy and fantasy owners alike are trying to find a replacement in short order. The official back-up at the "Mack" backer position is D.J. Smith. The second-year pro from Appalachian State got three starts in place of Bishop last fall and played well, posting 37 total tackles and one interception. With AJ Hawk and Clay Matthews still on board, the Packers linebacking corps has plenty of depth. But on a team that could be the best in the NFL and is eyeing a Super Bowl run, losing arguably the top defensive play-maker will cost the Packers somewhere along the line. That is the one thing fans can bet on.

-by Braden Gall

Follow @bradengall