Eddie Lacy started out his first NFL training camp by making headlines for things other than his style of play. No rookie wants their talent put into question before they even step on the field, but after reporting training camp weighing in at over 238 pounds people wondered if Lacy was eating his way out of the NFL. However, all of those rumors were put to rest after the first preseason scrimmage where Lacy was clearly the better running back.
At this moment, the former Alabama running back is competing against rookie Johnathan Franklin, James Starks and Alex Green for the No. 1 spot. Lacy's commitment was questioned after his recent weight gain, but the running back insists that he is exactly where he wants to be physically and is not worried about what others are saying. Mike McCarthy echoed that after Lacy passed the conditioning test and looked impressive in practice.
During the scrimmage, teammate B.J. Coleman referenced Lacy as a huge weapon for the Packers.
"First time out. Environment like that. I thought he did a great job. It's nice to have him back there with you. He runs the ball hard. He's a very strong man," Coleman said via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Lacy had consecutive runs of 4, 16, 19, 4, 8, and 4 yards when he would put in. While Lacy is competition, Green praised the rookie's efforts in his first NFL scrimmage.
"He went in there and proved he could run the ball effective," Green said. "Even when he was a little bit winded he still ran hard and finished runs. Picked up the blitzes when he had to. I thought he did great."
While Lacy might not have stood out during the training camp practices not involving contact, when the pads were put on Lacy proved why he was a force at Alabama. During the scrimmage, he thrived on contact with the defense, bouncing off of tackles. Lacy showed to be improving his pass protecting skills and was clutch in goal-line situations.
During the scrimmage, Starks was given the starting spot and given his years in the NFL, he could remain the No. 1 back for the team. However, if Lacy keeps improving he could be primed to eventually start at some point this season. It seems that extra weight might only be helping him.
