Hawk, Bishop ruled out against Giants

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Packers will be without both of their starting inside linebackers -- Desmond Bishop and A.J. Hawk -- as they try to improve to 12-0 this season Sunday in New York against the Giants. Bishop and Hawk both left the Packers' Thanksgiving win against Detroit with calf strains. Bishop stood on the sideline in the second half of that game with the aide of crutches. While coach Mike McCarthy held out hope that the reevaluations of both players Friday would show enough improvement to get them on the field Sunday, it did not happen. "It's a doctor's decision," McCarthy said. "They just didn't feel that (Bishop and Hawk) would be ready to play. How close, I don't really have a measuring stick. They'll be evaluated again on Monday, and we'll see where they stand next Wednesday." If this was a playoff game, Bishop believes he'd be playing. "We're just being safe," Bishop said, adding he'll only miss one game with the injury. "It sucks, (but) it's part of the game." Bishop is seventh in the NFL with 97 tackles and tied for the team lead in sacks with Clay Matthews at five and in tackles-for-loss with four. In their absence, rookie D.J. Smith and former practice squad veteran Robert Francois will start. Francois, who was released by the Packers last season before being re-signed six days later, intercepted Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford in the third quarter of last week's win. Smith recorded five solo tackles in that game off the bench. Smith, a sixth-round pick out of Appalachian State, will also be performing the on-field headset duties in calling the plays. That role normally belongs to Hawk. Green Bay defensive coordinator Dom Capers will call plays from his booth in the press box and relay them to inside linebackers coach Winston Moss on the sideline, who will then send them to Smith on the field. "It's really different if you've never done it," McCarthy said. "To have: A.) a voice in your helmet and B.) the volume of it. It's a lot louder I think than people realize, especially if you're going on the road. It's definitely different if you've never done it. "He's prepared. I think he has very good communication skills, and I think it'll be seamless." As McCarthy announced earlier in the week, starting right guard Josh Sitton (knee) is officially out. Evan Dietrich-Smith, who filled in for Sitton for most of the Lions game, will start in his place, with first-round pick Derek Sherrod potentially getting some snaps. The Giants will be without defensive end Osi Umenyiora, with wide receiver Mario Manningham doubtful and running back Ahmad Bradshaw questionable. Follow Paul Imig on Twitter.