February 2
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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James Starks was just getting hot. The Green Bay Packers second-year running back took a short pass and turned it into a 12-yard gain. He darted off the right edge for 29 yards. In two third-quarter series against the Giants in the NFC divisional playoffs, Starks accounted for 56 total yards. Then, Starks gave way to Ryan Grant and touched the ball just twice the rest of the game. This is how it went much of 2011 for Starks in the backfield-by-committee that the Packers employed. Neither Starks nor Grant could ever get rolling the way they each did in past seasons. And Green Bay's rushing game struggled, ranking 27th overall and 26th in yards per carry. With the possibility of Grant"
December 16
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Last weekend was a 2009 replay for Ryan Grant. The 29-year-old running back's split-second anticipation and patience resurfaced. He had his longest run since Dec. 27, 2009, and looked as fresh as he has all season. It'll all add up to more opportunities. Right? "I could say something smart like if we got a 47-yarder on the first run, we might," joked offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, referring to Grant's first carry last week. Correct, this is a pass-first, pass-often team. Even though the temperature is falling, the Green Bay Packers will likely keep throwing the ball often. But Grant, fresh off the team's best rushing day of the season, probably will see more touches out of necessity."
December 5
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Running back James Starks doesn't think he'll be out that long, but the Green Bay Packers might have to consider sitting him down for a while after he sprained his ankle in a third straight game. Starks had to leave the Packers' 38-35 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday after aggravating a right ankle sprain midway through the second quarter. The injury occurred on the play in which Giants linebacker Chase Blackburn intercepted Aaron Rodgers. Starks first suffered the injury at the end of the Tampa Bay game Nov.?20. He was able to get on the field four days later for Detroit but aggravated the ankle slightly and a decision was made to sit him out most of the second half. On Sunday,"
November 23
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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If Green Bay Packers running back James Starks can deal with the pain, he should be able to play against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day. Starks took part in practice Tuesday and while the medical staff told him to take it easy, he couldn't help but open it up on a couple of runs to see if his sprained right knee and ankle could handle the stress. The verdict was so far, so good. "I was going through a little bit of pain, but I can deal with pain," Starks said. "Running backs play with a lot of pain, so I can get through it. I just have to start tolerating it a little better. I feel good, though. I feel better." Of the two players who suffered injuries against the Tampa Bay"
November 22
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Just as the Green Bay Packers might need their running game one day, Ryan Grant figures that the running game might need him some day. It very well could be Thursday because James Starks, the primary ball carrier and leading rusher on the team, suffered a sprained knee and ankle Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lambeau Field. Starks' status is up in the air, although coach Mike McCarthy said the second-year back would try to practice Tuesday, and Grant said things were looking positive for his teammate's return. "He's sore," McCarthy said. "We're going to see what he can do. He feels like it's a little bit more like a normal day after the game. We'll see how he goes tomorrow.""
November 13
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The highlights are grainy, in slow motion. The featured player is from a hated rival. Doesn't matter. James Starks stays locked in. Whenever the Green Bay Packers running back has down time, he types " Gale Sayers" into YouTube and watches in awe. Ever so eloquently, the Chicago Bears great glides through defenses. "He was a smooth running back," Starks said. "If you've ever seen him run, he's patient. He's patient and was always fast. He could make a person miss. He was so smooth and patient. I try to be like that." It's not time to punch Starks' ticket to Canton, but these past few weeks he has made strides. In year two, developing patience has been his No. 1 goal."
September 11
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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This room is typically reserved for solving - or, well, trying to solve - a city's myriad problems. It's gloomy in City Hall. On this day, the room has blurred into a collage of green and yellow. Nineteen days prior, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl. James Starks, Niagara Falls' native son, is getting the key to the city. Pandemonium replaces complacency. Bliss replaces doom. In droves, residents pour in from the main lobby. Ignore that "No cellphones allowed" sign at the entrance. Camera phones are hoisted into the air. Everyone here empties a reservoir of emotions. They're crying, screaming, laughing. Standing before them is something different,"
September 6
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The goal is for Green Bay running backs Ryan Grant and James Starks to get an equal amount of rushing attempts Thursday night against New Orleans. That's the plan for now, anyway. With a healthy Grant back after missing nearly all of the 2010 season, the Packers are faced with the new challenge of merging his comeback with the progression of Starks, whose late-season emergence as a rookie paced the Packers through the playoffs. And the only way to figure it out literally is to let things play out. "We know what they can do," first-year running backs coach Jerry Fontenot said. "It's just a matter of getting them comfortable and making sure they've gotten enough reps to do it. The only way I"