Packers released James Starks and when you look at the Dirk Koetter’s offense, you’ll notice that he likes a back that puts his foot in the ground and put his head down to get their two yards in a cloud of dust. Then, once he pulls out that pounder he likes to have a back that can slash and catch out of the backfield keeping the defense on their heels.
James Starks is the type of back that can play hard nose old school style of football. Since coming into the league in 2010, Starks has never been a full-time starter, however, he was a key piece in the Super Bowl run for the Packers in his rookie season. He was the “spark plug” for an offense that had gone stagnant with the run game. If you look at his stats, he did not really have a good year at all, but he makes key runs at key times.
Starks has, historically, played well against the NFC South, and according to Alan Schechter, Starks has run 69 times for 356 yards, an average of 5.15 yards per carry against the NFC South, and he is right in saying that those are solid numbers against teams we play twice a year. With Starks has never been a full-time starter, he does not have many miles on his body having only carried the ball 618 times since 2010.
With the Buccaneers most likely drafting a running back somewhere in this year’s draft, unless the rookie back is overwhelming, having him sit somewhere behind Starks, for a couple seasons, would be beneficial for both parties.
Short version: Starks would be a nice veteran presence for the Bucs at a cheap price.
