The Packers have begun practice and Eddie Lacy is turning heads. The fourth-year running back, out of Alabama, is in supreme physical shape. Rob Demovsky, who covers the Packers for ESPN, reported, “according to one source, Lacy has lost between 15-18 pounds since the end of last season.”
Eddie Lacy is in Supreme Physical Shape
During the off-season, Lacy trained with P90X founder Tony Horton and the results have earned glowing reviews from his teammates. According to Demovsky, Jordy Nelson refused to joke about Lacy’s weight because of how good he looks.
Mike Daniels told al.com that Lacy looks good now, but wanted to see how that would affect him once the pads and helmets come on. Aaron Rodgers, via al.com, complimented the young running back on his weight loss, his infectious personality, and what he means to the team.
This began on January 18th, when Mike McCarthy publicly criticized Lacy about his weight issues. This was not the first time we heard complaints about Lacy’s weight, but it was the first time that somebody in the organization voiced an opinion publicly.
In 2015, Lacy had the worst year of his career thus far. He was so ineffective running and catching the ball that Mike McCarthy benched him for backup James Starks.
It was not just total rushing yards or carries. In all 16 games, Lacy failed to have at least one run of 40 yards, and only had four runs of 20 yards or more. In contrast, in 2014, the former Crimson Tide running back had eight runs of 20 or more yards.
As a rookie, Lacy converted 61 first downs. In his second season, he converted 58. Last year, his first down conversion total plummeted to 39.
The Packers head coach publicly challenged his running back and Lacy manned up and got into the best shape of his professional career. It will be interesting to see if Lacy can return to his 2014 form and take control of the Packers running game once again.
Main Photo:
