It's been a dizzying 10 days for James Starks since becoming a Super Bowl champion.
The Niagara Falls native can still see the cameras flashing and the confetti falling inside Cowboys Stadium after his Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-25, in Super Bowl XLV.
The running back is back home and shared his victory story with the Western New York media on Tuesday.
"I'm still on cloud nine," Starks said. "I'm enjoying every moment of it. Seeing all the love that everybody has been showing me, it's just nice to be home."
Sporting his ever-present 1,000-watt smile, Starks spoke at his alma mater, the University at Buffalo, before the men's basketball team played Ohio. He said coming home to share his victory with friends and family was important to him.
"Everything I've been through, Niagara Falls and Buffalo have been there 100 percent of the time, backing me all the way," he said. "That gives you a lot to fight for. A lot of what I do today is because of the community and my family. It's a big part of my life."
Starks' rise up the Packers' depth chart culminated with a starting role in the Super Bowl. He was the only Green Bay player to get a rushing attempt (not counting two kneel-downs by quarterback Aaron Rodgers), finishing with 11 carries for 52 yards.
The performance capped a dream postseason for Starks, who rushed for 310 yards on 81 carries in the Pack's four-game march to a title. Starks outgained all other playoff rushers by 85 yards.
His rookie season didn't start out so perfect. A hamstring injury landed him on the physically unable to perform list, costing him the first 10 weeks. He didn't get his first NFL carry until Week 13 and finished the regular season with just 101 yards on 29 attempts.
"I had some minor setbacks," Starks said. "That happens in football. You never know what's going to happen. I came back a little rusty."
Starks admitted his work during the week needed improvement.
"I wasn't a practice player. I wasn't practicing right. There's a different way to practice in the NFL, and I wasn't doing that and it was a little setback."
The Packers, though, were desperate for a running game after star Ryan Grant was lost for the season to an ankle injury in Week One.
When the playoffs started, Starks made the most of his chance. He rushed for 123 yards on 23 carries against the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round, securing his role for the postseason.
"I got in tune with the system, starting learning everything, and then everything started working my way," he said.
Starks touched on a number of other topics Tuesday, including what might happen next season when Grant returns.
"Competition is always good. That's when I'm best. ... Everybody in the NFL has an opportunity to play. There's great talent everywhere. With Ryan back, it's going to make me that much better."
On the threat of an impending lockout, Starks said: "I'm not really worried about it right now. I only can control what I can. I'm going to continue to work. I never shy away from hard work. I've been doing it since high school. I believe in it. If we have a lockout, that'll just give me time to get better."
Indeed, complacency does not seem like it will be a problem. Asked what drives him now after achieving a Super Bowl title in his rookie season, Starks offered the following.
"What motivates me is I don't think I did as good as I can do. I didn't play half of the season. I think a lot of fans know me just cause of what I did in the playoffs. I don't think that's going to stick.
"I want to be seen as one of the best backs in the National Football League. That's my drive. I'm going to keep pushing to be that."
"Jay Skurski" wrote: