(Does Starks role change because of what he did?)
His role? Well, he definitely deserves opportunity. Hell run the ball against Atlanta, if thats what youre asking me. Yeah, hes going to carry the ball in Atlanta. Hes earned that. The young man was extremely productive and works extremely hard. Hes had a tough road coming here in the spring and being injured, PUP and not to be able to practice in pads for Lord knows how long. Weve just been trying to get him ready through the weekly practices. Its nice to see someone like James put as much into it, stay patient, stay confident, and when his number is called, to produce.
(Your fan base has been clamoring for him a lot. Is it fair to say you wanted to make sure before you expanded his role that you knew he could hold onto the football and that you felt good in pass protection? Were those the things holding him back more than anything else?)
Its all about preparation. When you dont have an opportunity to see someone do it in the padded practice, I think its only natural to be concerned about it. I think those are all natural questions that everybody had, including James. He hadnt run through an inside drill in quite some time. To go back and ask him to return a kickoff and he hadnt done it in a year and a half, thats a legitimate concern. Edgar Bennett does an outstanding job coaching the running backs, and we were just making sure that he was ready to go.
"Mike McCarthy" wrote: