Green Bay Packers News: Eddie Lacy Benched For Missing Curfew
In Green Bay Packers news, Eddie Lacy was punished during the Detroit Lions game because he and a teammate missed the team curfew on Wednesday, according to NFL.com.
Despite playing with one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL in Aaron Rodgers, Eddy Lacy has regressed. The Green Bay Packers felt that they finally had a reliable running back when they drafted Lacy out of the University of Alabama in 2013. The five-foot, 11-inch, 250-pound back rewarded the team for their faith in him by running for 1,178 yards and scoring 11 touchdowns. Eddie followed that up with 1,139 yards and nine touchdowns during his sophomore season. This year, Lacy has just two touchdowns and is on track to run for less than 800 yards.
During the first eight games of the season, Lacy had three games where he was given less than 10 carries. The Louisiana native failed to break the 100 yard mark in all of those games. Questions started being asked. A seemingly rejuvenated Lacy strung together two good games, putting up 100 and 105 yards against the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears respectively. Eddie was given five carries against the Detroit Lions this past weekend. Reports have now surfaced that the reason why Packers head coach Mike McCarthy punished Lacy was because he missed the team curfew earlier in the week.
The teammate that was with Eddie Lacy when he missed the team curfew on Wednesday was Alonzo Harris. At six-foot, one-inch, 237-pound, he provided the Green Bay Packers with another bruising back in the same mold as Lacy. Eddie and Alonzo formed a quick and close friendship when Harris was picked up by Green Bay as a undrafted free agent from Louisiana-Lafayette. Since Packers head coach Mike McCarthy could not release Lacy yet, he opted to send a message to the rest of the team by letting Harris go and promoting John Crockett from the practice squad.
Not only did McCarthy send a message to the rest of the team, he sent one to Lacy. Mike is letting Eddie know who is in charge in Green Bay. He was quick to get rid of Lacy’s best friend on the team. McCarthy has also proven that he is not going to be held hostage by star players by taking away carries from Eddie even though it meant that he would purposely hurting the potent Green Bay offense. The goal is to win another Super Bowl, so this is definitely not a battle that McCarthy wants to have frequently.
As of right now, the Green Bay Packers cannot get rid of Eddie Lacy. Since he is just 23-years-old, the hope is that his maturity level will increase because he realizes that he might be leaving a good situation soon. Plus, Green Bay invested a second round draft pick in 2013 to get him. Usually, general managers and coaches want to avoid wasting picks that easily. However, winning and production trumps all. If Lacy fails to become an offensive asset again, then it is not inconceivable that the Packers will part way with Eddie.
An interesting landing spot for Lacy would be the Dallas Cowboys. Owner Jerry Jones has proven time and time again that he is willing to take a chance on high-risk players if he feels that they can contribute to victories. Plus, the Cowboys would love to add a running back of Eddie’s caliber. While Darren McFadden has done a solid job this year, their running attack has not been the same since DeMarco Murray signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency. Lacy could provide them with a 1,000 yard rusher.
How much longer do you think the Green Bay Packers are going to put up with Eddie Lacy?
[Featured Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images]
