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Harris was considered the incumbent. Then Harris was lost for the year due to a knee injury. Starks outlasted Alex Green on roster cut-down day. Lacy ascended atop the depth chart, as expected.
Couple that with Aaron Rodgers' career-high 480 yards passing and the dangerous receiving corps of James Jones, Randall Cobb, Jordy Nelson and tight end Jermichael Finley, and the Packers offense has the potential to be downright unstoppable.
Despite all the physical issues, Starks led the Packers with 833 yards rushing over the previous two seasons.
"James Starks is definitely someone I look at as a starter and the ability to run as many times in a football game as needed," McCarthy said Wednesday after practice. "James will get the starting opportunity this week."
"We know what he's capable of. He's been injured off and on during his time here with us," Rodgers said. "I think we've seen when he's been 100 percent healthy the kind of back he can be. Like most players,NFL Jerseys Wholesale, I'm sure he's a confidence player. The more opportunities he gets when he knows he's the guy and he's going to get a lot of reps, that can only give you more confidence."
It could be the seasoning that comes with grinding out a four-year NFL career, the experience of knowing what could be after watching so many games from the sideline.
Worked last week. He's experienced at handling the load,Ultra Boost Wholesale, too, after starting during Green Bay's playoff run to the 2011 Super Bowl.
Fullback John Kuhn also missed Wednesday's practice with a hamstring injury.
But he has been bogged down by injuries. Then a rookie out of Buffalo, Starks was sidelined by a hamstring injury early in that Super Bowl year. An ankle injury bothered him for several weeks in 2011. Toe and knee problems sidelined him for parts of 2012.
Starks gives the Bengals all due respect. He also doesn't plan on wasting this opportunity, either, especially after all the competition in camp.
Lacy was drafted in the second round out of Alabama. Johnathan Franklin was drafted in the fourth out of UCLA. DuJuan Harris,Nike Shoes Online Store China, who held the starting job down the stretch last year, also was back.
How long he keeps the running back job may depend on how quickly rookie Eddie Lacy recovers from a concussion. But if Starks keeps churning out 100-yard games, coach Mike McCarthy will have a pleasant problem on his hands.
Which brings the Packers back to Starks.
Not a hard decision, really, after Starks ran for a career-best 132 yards and a 32-yard touchdown on 20 carries against the porous Redskins after Lacy left in the first quarter. It was the first time a Packer back went over the century mark in nearly three years.
But those carries were against Washington,Cheap MLB Pro Shop. Sunday's game at Cincinnati might present a much tougher challenge since the Bengals have the seventh-best defense in the league so far.
"That's always a positive sign,Wholesale Jerseys China, but he's got a couple more tests in front of him that he has to pass before he'll be able to practice,Wholesale China Jerseys," McCarthy said.
"That's, I mean, that's the will of a player," he said. "I never give up. ... These guys are my family. I'm going to do all I can to come back and be the best I can be to help the team win."
Then Lacy left Green Bay's 38-20 victory over Washington in the first quarter following a headfirst tackle by Redskins safety Brandon Meriweather. Later, Meriweather left the game with his own concussion on a similar play trying to take down Starks.
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — From training camp afterthought back to the starting lineup, James Starks' journey with the Packers has come full circle.
Lacy watched practice Wednesday from the sideline. His status for Sunday remains uncertain. McCarthy said the promising rookie was making progress, and he was involved in team meetings.
"For me this year, I've put in 100 percent effort ... no matter what," Starks said. "Every time my number (is) called, I want to be able to go in there and perform at a high level and play successful."
Starks said he's more focused now. "My mindset is at a high. I feel good," he said at his locker. |
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