Last Minute Decision Sent Starks From Bears To Packers
A lot happens in NFL war rooms on Draft day. Players move up and down the board and team's make decisions that can either lead to Super Bowl or to a losing season.
One decision that Jerry Angelo made during the 2010 Draft has made it's way into the headlines.
In the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, the Bears selected Dan LeFevour from Central Michigan. This pick came as a surprise to some, especially James Starks, who was expecting to be drafted by the Bears.
"Going into the sixth round there were two players that really stood out on our draft board," former Bears' Director of College Scouting, Greg Gabriel said on the Mully and Hanley Show. "There was Starks and Dan LeFevour."
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The Bears ended up picking LeFevour, who as later cut by the team, and passed on Starks, who ran for 123 yards on 23 carries for the Green Bay Packers in their Wild Card win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
"We had really good discussion," Gabriel said of the time leading up to the decision of whether to take Starks or LeFevour, "there was no argument, it was a good discussion. Some people liked Starks better, some people liked LeFevour. Everybody chipped in and gave their opinion."
But like all NFL war rooms, the final decision comes down to the opinion of one person. For the Bears that person is general manager Jerry Angelo.
"Jerry made the decision to take Starks," Gabriel said. "And we followed the protocol that we do. [We] called the agent and got some agreements from the agent and then I called the player."
This is where things took a turn from the ordinary, and the fate of Starks changed.
"Now I wasn't in the draft room during this part of it, so what happened when I wasn't there I don't know," Gabriel said. "But while I was on the phone with Jason, Jerry came in and said 'no, I've changed my mind.' It just made an embarrassing situation because I was on the phone with the kid at the time."
As disappointed as Starks was, it appears as if things worked out for him. But if the Bears and Packers both win this weekend, then Starks could have the opportunity to put the Bears in another embarrassing situation, because the two teams would meet up in the NFC Championship game.
