The New England Patriots signed running back Donald Brown on Wednesday. That wouldn’t be notable except for the fact that the Pats brought in James Starks for a look last week.
The signing of Brown likely means the Patriots no longer have interest in Starks. The choice of Brown over Starks shows how little they think of Starks.
On paper, the only thing Brown has going for him is he’s a year younger than Starks. Brown has never been a No. 1 back and averaged a very meager 3.1 yards per carry in his two-year stint in San Diego.
The guy only scored one touchdown in those two seasons as well, despite starting five contests and playing fairly regularly.
In other words, you could say Donald Brown is a below-average NFL running back and you wouldn’t get much argument from anyone other than Donald Brown and Donald Brown’s mother.
Yet the Patriots — the supposedly shrewd talent evaluators that they are — chose this guy over Starks, who’s coming off a season in which he recorded more than 900 total yards.
What gives there?
We can only conclude that either, A. Starks has overvalued himself and is asking for far too much money or, more likely, B. the Pats think Starks actually has a lesser skill set than Brown.
And that brings us back to the Packers, who are said to be interested in bringing Starks back.
I guess this is where we should say something like one man’s trash is another man’s treasure or beauty is in the eye of the beholder or something like that.
Instead, we’re just going to state the obvious here.
We all know the Packers will end up re-signing Starks. The organization loves nothing more than the status quo.
This is pretty concrete evidence of how the rest of the league views the Packers’ free agents.
It’s a wonder continuously re-signing only your own free agents doesn’t result in improvement year after year.
Can’t Ted just find the love of his life and run away with him for crying out fucking loud??
This is a good running back draft, just like last years’ was. Ted better be planning on actually using a precious draft pick on a RB this season, unless he’s expecting one of his undrafted gems from past seasons to become a workhorse
Of course Ted is expecting an undrafted “gem” to step it up. That’s all he ever does. Heck, wasn’t Starks a 7th rounder which almost makes him undrafted as well. Wouldn’t be surprised if he came from a compensatory pick either.
I am guessing Starks overvalued himself, or brown fit more of the mold of a grinding back to eat clock at the end of games that Blount once filled. James white nor Dion Lewis fill that roll of a physical back. Patriots are always low spenders at the RB position, Brown was almost certainly cheaper
We have Jeff Janis we don’t need a running back
Best Comment ever, or at least on drunken Irish Paddy day.
I won the super bowl in techno bowl with the same play. Jeff Janis go route every play
Foster to Packers. Cook to Packers. Dansby to Packers. Teddy just can’t stop spending. Love it
Lol. Our pal Ted believes in the “addition by sitting with your thumb up your ass” philosophy. Unless Arizona, Seattle, Carolina, Minnesota and a few other teams get shredded by injuries, I don’t see how we get to the dance.
Martellus Bennett no longer an option. That leaves Cook as just about the last option for immediate TE upgrade, otherwise status quo for another year at that position. I wonder if the Packers are really trying to get better, cuz this ain’t cuttin’ it. Signing your own guys is staying the same, no matter what Ketchman says.
“F” Ketchman, he is a friggin’ shill . . .
They aren’t making the dramatic changes that they need to be a contender next year, resigning Starks isn’t making you better, it’s making you the same or worse. What the packers need is a real GM that dips in free agency when need be, but still holds titletown’s traditional values
So let me get this straight. Because the Patriots signed Donald Brown over Starks, and even though Starks was better than Brown in 2015, and even thought the Packers haven’t resigned Starks, the end result is that the Packers have gotten worst.
What the fuck?
This site has a single agenda. Get Ted Thompson fired. Why? Because then you think the Packers will hire someone that blow it all on free agency which will guarantee multiple Super Bowls. Cause that’s all that matters. And when that GM or coach doesn’t win you’ll demand he be fired too. It’s worked out great for teams like the Raiders and Tampa Bay.
Besides, what has Thimpson done except helped the Packers get to the playoffs every year and win a Superbowl. And don’t tell me they haven’t one another since because only two teams have won more than two Superbowls since Thompson became the Packers GM. How many teams haven’t even been to the playoffs in that time? How many have the Seahawks won in that time? Same as the Packers. How many have the free agency crazed Broncos won? Same as the Packers. Hey, remember when the 49ers were good? How many did they win? Zero.
So keep fucking that chicken and jerking off to each other’s comments. Keep pretending like you all know what the fuck you’re talking about cause it’s fucking hilarious.
My thoughts exactly.
Well put there MDM.
Exactly MDM…
Without Ted we could never get in the playoffs in the ultra tough and talented NFC North, especially against future HOF’ers like Cutler, Ponder, Bridgewater, and Stafford. When we have to suffer with Aaron Rodgers. It’s a wonder we get in the playoffs at all.
THANKS TED!!
Suddenly i crave some kool aid.
Yep PF4L.
I get annoyed when apologists like you jump the gun and state that people on here want the GM to go balls out on free agency! Where the fuck do you read that in here? What many of us are saying is that we need to do is to “dip into” free agency when it is NEEDED. Not every fucking time. The way TT “The Frugal GM” does it, is a fucking joke. It may well be why we are fodder in the playoffs since the ONE SB season. We always seem to be lacking that one (or perhaps two) players that are needed to push us over the heap. And it has usually been someone (and I DO NOT have time to go into specifics) each year that we could have picked up either before the draft or after the draft. Only to have that fucktard pass on that player(s). Fuck.
i agree with you Ditka!!! I love the weird fucker too!!! He is the BEST, well maybe the fifth best…i love how he’s coming under more and more criticism though…keeps him on his toes…hey, enjoy your NFC North Champs hat…oh thats right we didn’t win this year…in fact our group of JAGs got swept AT FUCKIN HOME…
James Starks doesn’t run…he gallops…