Hawk Key to Surviving Barnett Injury

The news from Green Bay wasn't good earlier this afternoon. Linebacker Nick Barnett, who left yesterday's loss to the Vikings with a knee injury is done for the year with ligament damage. Which ligament is it? Well, we don't know because Mike McCarthy is guarding it like it's a state secret. All we know is that Barnett will have surgery and that he is done for the season.

Desmond Bishop filled in for Barnett once he left yesterday. The former Cal linebacker had his good moments and his bad moments. The Packers say they have confidence in Bishop's ability to man the 'Mike' LB spot. If you ask me, I'll tell you a different story.

Bishop's a nice guy, and a decent player, but he's also a guy who battled Abdul Hodge for the final spot in the linebacking corps this past summer. This is not a guy that I have the most confidence in.

It's time for the Packers to think outside the box just a little bit. Outside the box thinking means it's time to get creative (something Packer coaches seem to have problems with at times). Creative would be to move A.J. Hawk inside, and move Brandon Chillar into the spot that Hawk vacates.

Hawk has not been the playmaker that a lot of people thought he would be when he was drafted in 2006. He hasn't been bad, he just hasn't been what he was at Ohio State. A lot of scouts think he's more of a 'Mike' linebacker anyway, so this would give the Packers a chance to see if he can actually play there.

Moving Chillar into one of the outside spots gives the Packers some much needed speed in the middle of the field. Chillar, the only free agent that the Packers signed this past off-season, is the only player who has shown the ability to drop back into coverage without looking like he had no idea what he was doing.

Moving Hawk inside and Chillar outside might also free Brady Poppinga up to do the one thing he does best. Rush the passer (in other words, blitz, which might be a foreign concept to Packers Defensive Co-ordinator Bob Sanders). Turning Poppinga loose would help what has been a pretty weak pass rush (at least Green Bay would not have to depend on rookies like Jeremy Thompson to get to the opposing quarterback).

Besides, if you look at the remaining schedule, you see teams that can cause the Packers some problems. The Bears can run the ball, and if Kyle Orton plays, well let's just say he's a bit better than Rex (the Wonderdog) Grossman. The Saints can score on anyone. The Panthers have two backs that can gash the Packer defense, and December features matchups against Jacksonville and a rematch with the Bears.

With Barnett out, it makes sense to put your best three remaining linebackers out there as much as possible. To me, that means Hawk, Chillar and Poppinga. It does not mean Desmond Bishop.

Then again, I represent outside the box thinking (change). We'll see if the Packers opt for change or conservative thinking.