Starks’ SUV was hit by semi in crash
Green Bay — The traffic accident that resulted in Green Bay Packers running back James Starks being placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol occurred when his vehicle was hit by a semi tractor-trailer, according to the police report.
The crash occurred Dec. 12. Starks has not been cleared to play since.
Police initially did not release details about the crash, which happened at 4:32 a.m. at the intersection of Webster Ave. and Radisson St. on Green Bay’s north side. The crash came about 12 hours after the Packers played the Seattle Seahawks at Lambeau Field.
A Green Bay police report filed with the state Department of Motor Vehicles, says the crash occurred as Starks was driving northbound on Webster Ave.
His Range Rover was struck by a Contract Transport Services LLC truck driven by Robert Boeck, 63, of De Pere, according to the report.
Boeck was headed east on Radisson. He stopped at a flashing red light, then proceeded into the intersection, hitting Starks’ vehicle. The Range Rover was extensively damaged, the airbag deployed and Starks’ vehicle came to rest in the grass on the east side of Webster Ave., according to the report.
Drugs and alcohol were not factors in the crash, the report said. Boeck was cited for inattentive driving. Starks was wearing his seat belt.
Green Bay — Clay Matthews’ sprained left shoulder might not be fully healed before the season ends, but the Green Bay Packers linebacker believes he’s closer to being effective.
Matthews was held without a tackle for the second time in three weeks Sunday against the Chicago Bears. He has played in only 40% of the Packers’ defensive snaps in the past three games.
With his left shoulder still hurting, Matthews rushed to the right against the Bears.
He said he thought the change helped, even if it didn’t show up on the stat sheet. Matthews said he started using his left shoulder with pass-rush moves in the second half, and it felt better than expected.
“It’s one of those things where the timetable for this is not really set in stone,” Matthews said. “It’s more so about getting strength and the range of motion back.
“Despite what the numbers would indicate, especially last week, I felt like I started getting some ability to throw back in there and to kind of let it withstand the rigors of battling with some of those offensive linemen. I’m encouraged about that.”
Matthews, 30, plans to see a shoulder specialist after the season, and surgery could be an option. Until then, it might be difficult for Matthews to be fully healed.
Sitting a week to let his shoulder rest could have “potentially” accelerated its healing, Matthews allowed, but he doesn’t regret playing. Matthews said his shoulder has had no setback the past three weeks, despite the risk of reinjury.
His shoulder isn’t 100%, but Matthews said it has healed to the point where sitting a week wouldn’t make sense.
“The swelling and everything is mitigated,” Matthews said. “We’re at the point where it’s just about fine-tuning it. We’re real close to getting this closer to 100% — whatever you want to call it — than it was in weeks prior.”
After playing each game the past two years, Matthews has seen his eighth NFL season mostly derailed with injuries. He missed three games with a pulled hamstring he aggravated once, only to sprain his left shoulder a week after returning.
Matthews had three sacks in the Packers’ first four games, but only one since. He is on pace to finish with the fewest sacks in his career.
“It’s been a challenging year, that’s for sure,” Matthews said. “Physically, having some of the injuries I’ve had, but mentally more than anything, just having to overcome them week after week has been very difficult, not doubt about it.
“I’m feeling good now and can only focus on the next game and not the past.”
Capers counters: Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers said he wasn’t happy with way things went in the fourth quarter Sunday against Chicago, but he said it was wrong to characterize the failures as a result of sitting back in coverage once the Packers had a lead.
The Packers did play a lot of zone in their secondary and as a result, Bears quarterback Matt Barkley was able to find a rhythm in the fourth quarter by throwing lots of short, easy completions. It seemed like Capers took his foot off the gas and started playing the clock when the Packers got ahead, 27-10.
But Capers said when he got aggressive, the Bears beat that, too.
“The problem is if nothing’s working so that’s when you have an issue,” Capers said. “But you go through stretches like that in a game where you’re searching, you’re trying to find something to make a play to get things turned around.”
Capers said things turned quickly in Chicago’s favor and turning to the blitz didn’t work.
“I felt really good about the way things were going there and then all a sudden, it’s a play here, it’s a play there, we get a roughingthe-passer penalty,” Capers said of the drive that ended in Jordan Howard’s 9-yard touchdown run that made it 27-24. “We blitz, give up a touchdown on the blitz and yet we came back to the blitz.
“I mean we ran our