New linebacker Desmond Bishop takes part in individual drills Thursday with the Cardinals.
After missing 28 of 32 games the past two seasons, Desmond Bishop knows any talking he does right now is cheap. That’s why he was so happy to return to a practice field.
Injuries have derailed a promising career for the veteran inside linebacker, who sat out all of 2012 in Green Bay with a ruptured hamstring and 12 games last year in Minnesota with a torn ACL.
Bishop is still only three years removed from consecutive 100-tackle seasons with the Packers, and the Cardinals signed him to a one-year contract Thursday as a possible inside linebacker option. Bishop said he worked hard to rehabilitate from his knee injury, and is ready to prove himself.
“I’m definitely confident, but the thing about it is, I don’t really want to talk about it,” Bishop said. “I just want to go do it. A lot of it is, ‘How do you feel?’ I say, ‘I feel great. I’m strong, still quick.’ There’s no way you can simulate a football game. If it’s basketball, you can go anywhere in the country and go shoot around at the gym. In football, there’s no simulation for it. The only way to do it is to do it.”
Bishop was a key member of the Green Bay defense in 2010 and 2011. He had five tackles in four games last season in Minnesota before suffering the knee injury on Oct. 13. He is expected to compete for a backup role behind starters Larry Foote and Kevin Minter. Coach Bruce Arians said the Cardinals worked out Bishop twice, and now that he’s healthy enough to play, the team is excited to add him.
“He was a guy we have had our eye on for a long time,” Arians said.
Bishop, who had eight tackles and a fumble recovery for Green Bay in Super Bowl XLV, said he had multiple options on the table, but liked the opportunity with the Cardinals. He said his seven years of NFL experience will be important as he tries to get up to speed quickly in training camp.
“The defense is similar to what I’ve learned over my career,” Bishop said. “I think that puts me ahead of the curve a little bit. Knowing offenses and knowing the ins and outs of football, it helps me tremendously.”
via: azcardinals.com
