"You can't make the club from the tub."
FormerGreen Bay Packers linebacker Desmond Bishop is running up against that tried and true NFL training-camp maxim in his first summer with the Minnesota Vikings.
Since he didn't sign until late June, Bishop entered camp without the benefit of the Vikings' offseason program. Coach Leslie Frazier candidly acknowledged that he can't count on Bishop after the linebacker missed the team's preseason opener with a groin injury.
"This is going to determine whether or not he makes our team," Frazier said Tuesday, via The Star Tribune. "So much of this is about how he plays over the next two weeks. Or if he's not available because of his injury. I can't say it any simpler than that. It's a big two weeks for him. He needs to show us he can help our football team in order to make our team."
Frazier has noticed "a cleverness" to Bishop's play. The Vikings believe he can be effective against the run and hold his own in coverage if he's fully healthy. The question is if Frazier can count on Bishop to stay out of the trainer's room now that it's been a year and a half since the linebacker last suited up for a game.
"This is the NFL," Frazier explained. "If a guy can't be available, he really can't help your team. As talented as he may be, you need guys who are available."
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