Starks being pulled

[P-E-Z]

It seems to todays fumble was bleep happens one. Helmet right on the ball. He had 5 fumbles but most weird hit type things. Should he have been pulled?

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Had MM benched every guy for making a mistake today, we may have ended the game with Crosby snapping the ball to Masthay. One thing has been pretty obvious though, when you are a running back for the Packers under MM, you don't fumble or you see the bench for a timeout. Had the running game actually been working AND the Packers were actually in the game, we may have seen Starks again.

 

[red4tribe]

It seems to todays fumble was bleep happens one. Helmet right on the ball. He had 5 fumbles but most weird hit type things. Should he have been pulled?

I think MM was out of patience after Stark's fumbles the previous two games.

 

[7thFloorRA]

....and yet Adams can drop every pass in sight...run sloppy routes....spike the ball like a damn fool and get a delay of game penalty.....and PLAY DAMN NEAR EVERY OFFENSIVE SNAP.

 

[Darryl Tincknell]

I don't know how you can put James Starks back on the field. His fumbling is becoming a huge problem. That being said, I don't know if we're going to have a choice with the way Lacy is feeling right now with the rib(?) injury..he certainly looked like in was in a lot of discomfort. Boy, there is not one position group on this team that I feel great about right now

 

[P-E-Z]

I don't know how you can put James Starks back on the field. His fumbling is becoming a huge problem. That being said, I don't know if we're going to have a choice with the way Lacy is feeling right now with the rib(?) injury..he certainly looked like in was in a lot of discomfort. Boy, there is not one position group on this team that I feel great about right now

he had 5 fumbles then entire season and least 2 of hemet on the ball.

 

[Darryl Tincknell]

And....that's ok?

 

[Mondio]

He's put the ball on the ground 4 times in the past 4 games and he has a problem with carrying the ball too low, he did again yesterday. If he has that ball high and tight like it's supposed to be the likelihood of fumbling goes way down. In that situation, ball awareness should have been paramount. After failing to get any points despite being given the ball at the 15 yard line and then giving up a TD going the other way with a minute left to go in the first half, you absolutely can not turn the ball over on the first play from scrimmage in the 2nd half trailing 17-0. and he did.

 

[P-E-Z]

And....that's ok?

Not Ok he one few pieces that actually was gaining made screens work

 

[Darryl Tincknell]

I agree PEZ..I do think Starks is by far one of the best options we have in the passing game right now,especially the way teams are blitzing Rodgers...the pass in the flat to Lacy was a great call/audible the way the LB's were coming after ARod..but their margin for error is so slim right now I don't know how much you can trust Starks

 

[Sanguine camper]

4 fumbles in 4 games that should get a player demoted. Accountability is a problem with the Packers so I see no other remedy than to bench him. He can't be trusted with the ball. Starks isn't the only guy that has earned a long trip to the pines. I think Adams, Rick Rodgers, Don Barcley have a well deserved benching

 

[ChesterfieldCheesehead]

Starks has definitely been awesome this year do not get me wrong I am honestly surprised how much he has showed up. (Obviously one reason is Eddies troubles) but never the less he has provided that stark spark almost all year until a couple games ago when now he keeps losing the ball once a game in HUGE situations. If Lacy will get benched for fumbling then Starks most definitely should be as well. Unfortunately with him playing this well but having these problems of late. I believe this could mean he will be disposable after this season.

 

[Half Empty]

Not Ok he one few pieces that actually was gaining made screens work

"sent from my smartphone"?

 

[El Guapo]

"sent from Fuzzy's"

 

[OldSchool101]

"sent from my smartphone"?

Brings back memories of poor speech after MadDog 20/20.

 

[milani]

It seems to todays fumble was bleep happens one. Helmet right on the ball. He had 5 fumbles but most weird hit type things. Should he have been pulled?

The two fumbles he's had were great defensive plays. Woodson ripped him hard last week just before he hit the ground. Yesterday he just got popped with a major league hit just like the one Matthews forced in the SB. Just because Lacy goes in does not guarantee no fumbles. Heck, Adrian Peterson fumbled against us a month ago at a crucial time. And from what I can tell he's still on the field.

 

[milani]

If you want to talk miscues I did not see MM pull any of the linemen that let the Cardinal pass rushers blow by and wipeout Rodgers. Of course, he had no one left to replace them.

 

[ivo610]

I dont see him with the team next season

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Starks has been a cheap reliable 2nd running back. I don't see yesterdays "helmet on ball" fumble as costing him a job in GB. Unless TT happens to find a cheaper option to back up Lacy.

 

[PackerFanLV]

Physical runners tend to fumble the ball time to time hes a tall rb and its hard to get your pad lvl as low as a lot of defenders. His production has been far better then lacys. This game was not loss because of starks. hes been the only consistent rb we have had this year and years before. Cut him some slack.

 

[Pkrjones]

This has been MM's policy for years, if a RB fumbles he needs to earn his way back onto the field. Starks is a much more boom/bust runner, however, and generally makes something (good) happen regularly, so a struggling Packer offense can NOT afford to bench him "on principle".

I vehemently oppose this policy NOT being used on Adams, who stays in games only to continue killing drives. Great example at end of 3rd quarter in the AZ game: Adams lets TD pass fly through his fingers, and next play AR went right back to him short of the endzone for a turnover on downs. I'm an OK lip reader and I believe AR was saying to himself "F__ing play call" when Adams was stopped short.

Either McCarthy uses this policy for every player or discontinue it... to remove a weapon from the field for a mistake doesn't help the big-picture of winning a game.

 

[Mondio]

Rodgers going right back to a receiver that has dropped a ball is nothing new. He's been doing it for years, for everyone. He did it for Abbrederis too, he dropped one that would have been a 15 yard or so gain. Came right back to him on a 5 yard gain and he caught it. I'd be all for getting Adams off the field now, but who is taking his place?

Starks has always ran with the ball low and away from his body, and he's put the ball on the ground 4 times in the past 4 games.

 

[Patriotplayer90]

This has been MM's policy for years, if a RB fumbles he needs to earn his way back onto the field. Starks is a much more boom/bust runner, however, and generally makes something (good) happen regularly, so a struggling Packer offense can NOT afford to bench him "on principle".

I vehemently oppose this policy NOT being used on Adams, who stays in games only to continue killing drives. Great example at end of 3rd quarter in the AZ game: Adams lets TD pass fly through his fingers, and next play AR went right back to him short of the endzone for a turnover on downs. I'm an OK lip reader and I believe AR was saying to himself "F__ing play call" when Adams was stopped short.

Either McCarthy uses this policy for every player or discontinue it... to remove a weapon from the field for a mistake doesn't help the big-picture of winning a game.

Bad things just tend to happen when the ball goes to Adams. Starks has provided us many sparks, while Adams has the opposite effect.

 

[azrsx05]

Here is my problem with this and I think MM lost some of the locker room. He is saying one thing and doing another, he is not being fair. Starks or Lacy get a fumble and they get benched Cobb or Adams drop multiple balls and they are still on the field. Rodgers throws INTs in the red zone and doesn't get pulled. Abby or Janis drop a ball and they get pulled.

If there are not dramatic changes this offseason expect a bad season next year fellas. I'm afraid to say it, but I think we are seeing the beginning of the end of MM

 

[El Guapo]

Tailback James Starks fumbled for the fourth time in as many games Sunday against the Cardinals and his playing time quickly dissipated.

Starks played just seven of a possible 72 snaps while fellow running back Eddie Lacy earned 45 snaps. His reps could remain on the low side until he regains the trust of the coaches in practice.

"If you don't take care of the football you won't play," McCarthy said. "That goes without being said. James has put the ball on the ground consecutive weeks now and that's got to stop.

"It obviously affected his reps in the Arizona game."

I agree with you partly azrsx05. It's a double-standard regarding the RBs vs QB. Rodgers had three fumbles yet stayed in the game until McCarthy became concerned for his health. Obviously I don't want Rodgers pull but RBs need a little slack. We need production right now with the risk of turnovers vs occasional production (Starks vs Lacy). There must be another way to penalize RBs for turnovers that doesn't violate the CBA.

However, I don't think this is the beginning of the end for McCarthy.