Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy insists that rookie running back James Starks was put on the 53-man roster for one reason — to contribute.
There was no guarantee Starks would be activated this season after missing training camp with a hamstring injury and starting the season on the physically unable to perform list.
But instead of placing Starks on season-ending injured reserve, the Packers moved him to the 53-man roster last week.
“His look’s over … he’s competing to play,” McCarthy said Monday. “He needs to get ready to play, and that’s what all 53 players look for, an opportunity to compete during the week. We do it in our Tuesday meetings normally in a normal week, we stack the board, how you get from 53 to 45, this player is competing against that player. Special teams is usually the tiebreaker.
“He needs to compete to get up on the field on Sundays.”
Starks hasn’t appeared in a football game since suiting up for the University of Buffalo in the International Bowl against Connecticut on Jan. 3, 2009. He missed his senior season with a torn labrum, but set school records in rushing yards (3,140), rushing touchdowns (34) and points scored (222) in just three seasons.
“He’s a big, physical, athletic runner,” McCarthy said.
Starks, a sixth-round draft choice, participated in a practice for the first time as an active member of the Packers on Monday and wore the No. 28 jersey to impersonate Vikings running back Adrian Peterson against the No. 1 defense.
“Definitely, think I am (ready),” Starks said. “I’m kind of itching to get out there. I want to feel how everybody in this locker room probably has been feeling — going out there every day.
“I’ve been out for a while. Just getting into things … I started feeling more comfortable and feeling like myself again.”
The Packers are ranked No. 20 in the league with 101.6 rushing yards a game. Brandon Jackson has averaged 93.2 combined rushing and receiving yards during the last five games, and John Kuhn has served as the team’s other halfback since starter Ryan Grant was lost for the season in Week 1.
It might be a stretch to think Starks could make an impact so soon after missing so much time, especially with the scheme’s pass-blocking responsibilities. But McCarthy and the coaching staff saw something encouraging to merit giving him a roster spot.
“Every day is an evaluation for me,” Starks said. “Whenever my name is called upon, I’ll be ready. Each day I try to get better. That’s the main thing, being more efficient in everything you’re doing. I want to play. Of course I want to play. But I can only control what I can right now.”
