McGinn’s well respected around the league. Personally, I value his input. He doesn’t stir the pot without reasoning, but this is an eyebrow raiser. I'm guessing this is about Starks’ work ethic and not his character. I guess you could consider them one in the same, though. I wonder if this was an attempt to motivate him. Perhaps the Packers purposely leaked something to McGinn in hopes Starks caught wind of it. It’s probably a long shot, but teams have used the media in the past. For example, Tedy Bruschi called Chad Johnson out last year. That was obviously a deliberate attempt to light a fire under him. Of course, it failed.

Originally Posted by: porky88 

Sorry.. but how much stock do we take in McGinn's chosen whipping boys of camp?

He writes a daily column of ups and downs through his eyes.. and he looks for takes that are going to draw people to read his writings.

Basically.. it is a his living to stir the pot.. and the exact reason I don't take much stock in a ton of their takes. They are being paid to increase readership.. I would rather read a bloggers take of camp because they have a passion for it than someone that is being paid to cover and quasi forced to turn out articles.

Basically it is hard to distinguish their true opinions from their trying to throw something at the wall and see if it sticks type mentality to drawn in the readers. It is not that they don't know the game or can evaluate.. it is that it takes to much effort to parse their true view from what they fluff to draw attention.

Originally Posted by: Pack93z 

I have to disagree with this. McGinn is, by far, the best beat reporter for the Packers not only because he actually has some understanding of the game and dedication to his craft, but because he isn't simply one to churn out articles for the sake of controversy. He actually tries to bring the informed opinions of others to the table and isn't ashamed to contextualize his opinion by telling his readers it is from his own limited perspective. However, his years of covering the Packers have clearly provided him insight that few other reporters / fans can match. So, while I don't take his word to be everything, it is a perspective I am excited to read and do put some stock in.

Which leads me to McGinn's comments about Starks. I don't think some people actually get what he is saying: Starks, entering his third year in the league has, in McGinn's view, not improved at all in pass blocking or his running skills. As in, he's essentially as good at those things as he was when he first came in the NFL. From the view of any fan or reporter, if you think that is the case with a player then it has to be somewhat concerning. Even more so when you indirectly question the player's work ethic and desire to be the best he can be.

I remember last year in a column that some people in the organization saw Starks as a poor man's Adrian Peterson. With that much talent, it's understandable if some reporter is less than impressed if a player makes little/no attempt to maximize it.

Having said that though, maybe Starks is simply one of those players that shows up when it's game time. I was adamant throughout our Superbowl run that he'd virtually contribute nothing based on his practice reps and that we heard nothing good about him in practice. I was wrong because he showed up in the games when it mattered. So while I am not exactly panicking with what McGinn said, I do find his take interesting and, as a result, will keep a closer eye on Starks in the preseason games that I do watch to see what level his game is at when it matters.

And, since I haven't posted in a while and want to preserve any semblance of a zany online persona I may have, I leave you with this: In conclusion, I ❤ Adrian Peterson and so can you. (Seriously, I would attempt back-flips if Starks can even slightly resemble All-Day when it matters - during games. I'd also call him out if I felt he wasn't capitalizing that talent to reach that type of level)

Originally Posted by: all_about_da_packers 

BUT, I'd rather have Starks. Pack93z will probably disagree with this, but I'd rather NOT have an elite RB.

Originally Posted by: zombieslayer