Mike McCarthy wants Eddie Lacy to slim down this offseason
In the past, Lacy has said he doesn’t believe in scales, but it might be time for that to change.
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It's no secret that Packers running back Eddie Lacy came into camp last summer a bit overweight. He was even asked about it in June and responded that he doesn't pay attention to scales, which aren't exactly words any coach wants to hear coming out of the mouth of his primary ball carrier.
Of course, all would have been forgiven if Lacy had put up numbers this season. But the meager 758 yards he rushed for over 12 games -- on 4.1 yards per carry -- wasn't good enough in the eyes of Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, who singled out Lacy in his end-of-year press conference following Green Bay's heartbreaking 26-20 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday.
“Eddie Lacy has a lot of work to do,” McCarthy told reporters Monday, via Packers.com. “I think I’m stating the obvious. His offseason last season was not good enough. He has to get it done. He cannot play at the weight he did this year.”
Lacy is listed at 234 pounds. But it’s fairly obvious that he’s at least 10, if not 20 pounds heavier than that. Even his productive plays are derailed by his inability to run at full speed for more than 20 yards, like his 61-yard gain against the Cardinals that could’ve been a touchdown if he had an extra gear:
This is not the type of runner the Packers thought they were getting when they selected Lacy in the second round of the 2013 draft, though he wasn’t exactly lean when he showed up to camp that year, either.
But in the past, Lacy has been able to successfully toe the line between big and overweight. He ran for more than 1,100 yards in each of his first two seasons in the league and a total of 20 touchdowns.
All that is why his disappointing output this year, one where the depleted Packers fell from No. 6 in total offense to No. 23, was likely so infuriating to McCarthy. Then again, Lacy, 25, is entering a contract year. If there was ever a season where he did show up in shape, this would be it.
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