Bears almost had Green Bay's Starks

Yes, it's true the Bears all but selected starting Green Bay running back James Starks in the sixth round of the last NFL draft.

“They just called me and told me, ‘How would you like to be a Bear?' ” Starks said. “Then (former Bears director of college personnel Greg Gabriel) put me on hold and said, ‘Hold on for a second.' He came back and said, ‘I'm sorry, James, we're going to go a different direction.' ”

While the anecdote makes the Bears look a little uncouth — general manager Jerry Angelo changed his mind and went with long-gone quarterback Dan LeFevour — it's not like they ruined Starks' afternoon.

For starters, he didn't even bother to watch the draft. When the Bears called, Starks was playing spades with his brother and ignoring pleas to watch events unfold on ESPN.

“My family was about to turn on the TV,” Starks said. “They were getting all upset: ‘Why aren't you being picked?'

“I told them you can't listen to all that. You really can't pay attention to the draft. You've got to let it come to you. I didn't really think I was going to get picked up, really.”

But 12 picks after the Bears switched from Starks to LeFevour, the Packers snagged the 6-foot-2, 218-pounder from Niagara Falls, N.Y., who missed his senior year at the University of Buffalo due to a shoulder injury.

Further ailments pushed back his NFL debut to Week 13, but Starks' fresh legs have paid off in the playoffs.

His 23-carry, 123-yard effort against Philadelphia stands as one of two 100-yard games in the playoffs this year (Seattle's Marshawn Lynch posted the other).

“As far as the Chicago Bears being on the phone and so forth, I was not aware of any of that,” said Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy. “We're happy we selected him that day and we're even more happy he's here today.”

And Starks is even more happy he's in the same backfield with Aaron Rodgers.

“That's Aaron Rodgers,” he said. “I'm James Starks. I don't think (the Bears) are going to focus on me. I mean, that's AARON.”

If Starks belonged to the Bears today, he'd probably be a part of the practice squad due to Matt Forte's return to excellence and Chester Taylor's veteran presence (and big contract).

Not everybody can say they'd rather be in Green Bay than Chicago, but Starks belongs on that short list.

“I'm very content,” he said.