Reflecting on Eddie Lacy
By: Jake Rajala
Eddie Lacy was one of the toughest runners to take down in his early career. He had a bit of Jim Brown in him. He ran angrily for 1,178 rushing yards and 11 rushing TDs as a rookie. His success as a rookie awarded him OROY and sent him to the Pro Bowl! He was also named second team AP as a rookie. Lacy had a modest second NFL season, too. He registered 1,139 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns in his second season. Sadly, his best performances were in his first two seasons. The demise of Lacy was on the horizon.
He only ran for 758 rushing yards in his third season. The bowling ball also had three rushing touchdowns to show for it. He fell flat in 2016, where he only ran for 360 rushing yards. Let it be known that he suffered an ankle injury in 2016 in Week 8, which put a nail in his coffin.
But, wait there’s more.
Lacy merely ran for 179 rushing yards in 2017, which was his latest NFL season.
A combination of heavy body weight with injuries is a recipe for disaster. He was on pace to be special, but adversity got the best of him.
Just as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are trying to get Desmond Watson in much better shape as he weighs around 450 pounds, I would have liked to see the Packers keep the fan favorite, Lacy, on the squad and motivate him to cut weight and rehab better, so he stops having constant injuries.
If Lacy had a few more 1k+ yard rushing seasons, he would be in conversation as one of the best Packers RBs of all time. Sadly, the wear and tear caught up to him, just as it snuck up on the legend Todd Gurley.
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