GREEN BAY — The Green Bay Packers had been waiting all season for Nick Barnett to look like himself. Now, they'll have to wait until next season.

The veteran middle linebacker suffered a season-ending torn (ACL) in his right knee during Sunday's 28-27 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome, ending a year in which his play had been described as "adequate, not impactful" by position coach Winston Moss just two weeks ago.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy announced Barnett's status Monday morning but refused to say which ligament Barnett injured.

Barnett went down on the opening series of the second half when he overran Vikings halfback Adrian Peterson, then tried to change directions and had his foot stick in the FieldTurf. McCarthy said Barnett will undergo surgery but that the procedure has yet to be scheduled.

"He's very disappointed. It's unfortunate. But we need to have the other guys step up," McCarthy said. Asked if it was the ACL, McCarthy replied, "He has a ligament tear. If he wants to tell you which one, he can tell you."

McCarthy later confirmed on his afternoon radio show on WTMJ-AM in Milwaukee that it was an ACL tear. The injury normally requires a 6-to-8 month recovery period, meaning Barnett is likely to be limited in training camp next year.

Barnett wasn't in the locker room during the media access period Monday, but he didn't sound particularly optimistic about the injury after the game Sunday.

"It felt like it got messed up," he said. "I'm just hoping for the best. That's all I can do."

McCarthy said the Packers have several options for replacing Barnett — starting backup Desmond Bishop, who took over for Barnett after he went down; moving will linebacker A.J. Hawk to the middle and starting Brandon Chillar outside; or starting Chillar in the middle and leaving Hawk outside.

Moss said Hawk has practiced in the middle before, while Chillar has no experience at the position. After the final cuts, the Packers cut another middle linebacker, Abdul Hodge, who now plays for Cincinnati.
McCarthy said the defensive staff discussed its options during their Monday morning meeting, adding that they will "probably make that call" today.

On the play after Barnett got hurt, Bishop overran halfback Chester Taylor on a pass to the left, resulting in a 47-yard touchdown. Moss said Bishop also wasn't in his gap on Peterson's go-ahead 29-yard touchdown run late in the game, although Bishop did strip Peterson on a crucial fourth-and-1 play earlier in the fourth quarter.

"Desmond played very fast, he was very productive, he was impactful," Moss said of Bishop, a 2007 sixth-round pick. "He made a big play on that fourth down. So there were some real positive things that Desmond did with a minimum amount of (practice time) throughout the week. So if he's the guy that'sgoing to be in the middle or be on the field, I think with a full week's work, he'll be ready to go."