I don't get how anyone can expect anything from Starks.
He is a rookie, first of all. That means, he has to digest a voluminous playbook. It's not easy for a rookie to do that. Yes, he has had a few more months than Nance to learn the playbook, but then there are audibles and such he has to learn. I highly doubt McCarthy will insert Starks unless he can surely protect the QB from getting hit.
Secondly, this dude has not played in more than a year and a half. Outside of wondering whether he is ready for the physicality of the NFL (which is more physical than college) we have to wonder how long he will take to get back in stride. A lot in the ZBS is predicated on timing, on the RB knowing when he can make the cut. You have to have a fell of when a hole will open along the trenches, and this not something that can be mechanically learned.
Starks would be a welcome addition. I just cannot, however, see him contributing much until perhaps the last quarter of the season. And even that is a long shot.
And the fantasy article link.... honestly, that dude is going off nothing more than a hunch. He picked up Brandon Jackson off a hunch he could replace Grant and traded for Lynch off a hunch that he'd end up in GB... this dudes hunches are just plain awful.
"porky88" wrote:
Depends on what your expecting.
He won't solve all the issues, but Starks is good. He was a second rounder before he hot hurt. That's what dropped his stock. You look for vision and instincts in RBs and he has that. You also never really lose that as a runner.
Obviously, you can't count on him in the Minnesota game, but come November and December, I think he'll have a surprising impact.
The obstacle in his way is conditioning.
"all_about_da_packers" wrote:
This is closest to my own view. I'll add a couple things, though others have pointed some of them out.
- RB is the most accessible position for a rookie. See Chris Johnson or any number of examples. Yes, there are protection concerns, but I don't think anybody is suggesting you put the rookie in on 3rd down, especially when you've got perfectly good 3rd down back in Jackson. Other than that, running is instinct - you can do it or you can't, and based on what can be seen from his college years, he's got it.
- Will it translate to the NFL? You don't know - and you won't know until the kid gets in a game. Let's point out that had it not been for the injury the kid would have had 6 weeks less to pore over the playbook - that's how much time every other rookie RB had to do so. In that sense, he has an advantage over the rest of his draft class. Beyond that, he's a rookie just like all the others, so I'm not sure why people are so convinced he won't be able to adjust to the speed of the NFL game. Is it possible he can't? Sure, but it's as possible that he can.
Overall, it's hard to say either way whether he can provide a spark - until he hits the field we just don't know. But as far as the tools he possesses, he's a better RB than any guy on the Packers' roster, including Grant - he's got gears nobody else has, and if he gets to the second level he can make a huge difference.
So I'm rooting for the kid (and I also picked him up in my fantasy league and stashed him on the bench, just in case). I'd like for them to put a couple packages in just to see what he can do - get him a little game experience as he rounds into football shape. A viable running game could do wonders for helping to protect Rodgers.