Starks and Cooks Practicing Wednesday

[7thFloorRA]

If MM **** cans his horrendous pitch play Starks could be fine. It seems like on the 5 or 8 runs he has had this year each has been either the pitch or a sprint to the outside. I also believe he tore up his meniscus during practice so we saw him at 100 percent when we saw him.

 

[Mondio]

IF Starks can plant his foot and hit a hole like he used to, great, if he looks like before, not so great. It was like watching Adams last year, and Adams this year. It's so obvious something was physically wrong with him last year. He couldn't cut, he had not quickness, nothing. Everything looks slow and soft. This year, he looks like a new WR.

Could Starks' knee have been slowing him down that much, because he looked a step slow and his stats kind of bear that out. It's not out of the question by any means. What is the question is if the surgery fixed anything to allow his play to return to what it was. It wasn't major surgery, and getting that pain taken care of can make a big difference. Like always we get to find out. I'd still rather they spread things out from here on out and just go for broke.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I also believe he tore up his meniscus during practice so we saw him at 100 percent when we saw him.

At least that's what Starks told the media. Not sure it's the truth though.

 

[HardRightEdge]

I don't consider paying a backup running back $3 million a season a modest contract. That doesn't mean Starks isn't a significant upgrade over an undrafted rookie like Don Jackson.

Well, using $3 mil equates to a 1 year contract: $2.25 in cap for this season and $750,000 in dead cap for next season assuming he's released after this season.

Given that Lacy would never be considered a 300 carry back even under the most optimistic scenario, the backup is assumed to get a lot work. Here you have a vet with years in the system coming off a very productive year who can run some, catch some, block some. That price is hardly out of bounds.

I would have liked the Packers to have drafted and carried a 3rd. back. I had Ajayi in the third round for the Packers in the 2015 draft, low enough to compensate for injury risk, an injury he played with in his last year of college when he gained over 2,500 yds. from scrimmage. I believe at the time your opinion was he'd not last that long; they could have had him in the fourth round or even a trade down into the upper 5th.

But that was water under the bridge when they signed Starks to his deal which, considering all the factors, was hardly out of bounds.

The best argument against the Starks deal was his history of knee sprains; on the other hand he got through 2015 clean which was an understandable decisive factor in giving him that deal.

 

[HardRightEdge]

IF Starks can plant his foot and hit a hole like he used to, great, if he looks like before, not so great. It was like watching Adams last year, and Adams this year.

Yeah, somehow people don't notice these things until after the fact.

Adams went limping off the field repeatedly, was limping while on the field, and was out of the lineup for 3 games. It's just another case of a player being impaired, willing to play in diminished capacity, and the team willing to put him out there in a "who else we got?" calculation.

Has anybody noticed Nelson limping off the field?

Has anybody noticed Rodgers limping on that left leg on a couple of occasions after a hit? The same leg where he had his knee scoped in the off season?

The NFL warrior ethos cliche, not much talked about these days, is players need to know the difference between pain and injury. Unfortunately, pain does reflect injury so the only questions are: 1) is the injury going to impair performance to the point where the next man up presents a better option and 2) what is the likelihood of making the injury worse or causing another injury when compensating for the first one.

As to point 2, there is never zero risk.

 

[OldSchool101]

We desperately need to pull out a win this week without any significant injuries
We will likely soon have Mathews and Randall, Cook and Starks and maybe Tretter all within the next 1-2 weeks.
While injuries cannot be solely blamed for our recent woes IMO they have been a large portion of them.

 

[PackerDNA]

We desperately need to pull out a win this week without any significant injuries
We will likely soon have Mathews and Randall, Cook and Starks and maybe Tretter all within the next 1-2 weeks.
While injuries cannot be solely blamed for our recent woes IMO they have been a large portion of them.

The thing is this; out of that list, non have been worth much of a damn when they have played.

 

[OldSchool101]

The thing is this; out of that list, non have been worth much of a damn when they have played.

I thought Tretter played really well actually especially for a 1st year starter.
I think we need a larger sample size before we hang the others.

 

[PackerDNA]

I thought Tretter played really well actually especially for a 1st year starter.
I think we need a larger sample size before we hang the others.

Tretter could be an all-pro, if he was bigger and stronger. But there's nothing to be done about that.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Well, using $3 mil equates to a 1 year contract: $2.25 in cap for this season and $750,000 in dead cap for next season assuming he's released after this season.

Given that Lacy would never be considered a 300 carry back even under the most optimistic scenario, the backup is assumed to get a lot work. Here you have a vet with years in the system coming off a very productive year who can run some, catch some, block some. That price is hardly out of bounds.

Most starting running backs don't get paid $3 million a year therefore a 30 year old backup is overpaid in my opinion.

 

[Pucky]

Cook yes, Starks bleh. All he does is try to run as fast as he can to the outside. Montgomery can do that, and catch the ball out of the backfield. Starks has become useless.

I totally agree. Starks had a couple break out runs, but for the most part, he runs to get tackled.