Packers coach praises Eddie Lacy for staying involved while on IR

Eddie Lacy’s fourth season in the NFL hasn’t gone as planned. The former Alabama running back is currently on injured reserve (IR) after having ankle surgery. He had rushed for 360 yards on 71 carries before he was placed on IR.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy realizes Lacy is in a tough spot mentally.

“I think it’s important for any player, especially Eddie Lacy,” McCarthy said in a press conference last week. “When these players go on IR, that’s a tough spot to be in. Obviously, the No. 1 focus is to get them healthy, the right care — and I don’t think anybody does it better than us, in my opinion – and, frankly, to keep them involved.

“I think it’s a natural reaction once a player gets hurt, they don’t feel they’re as involved in the locker room and all those things. So we’ve always been proactive in keeping those guys part of the football team. I think it’s important for Eddie to feel that way and make sure we take care of him.”

McCarthy said Lacy helps the team, especially its running backs, by staying involved and active in meetings.

“It’s a great benefit,” McCarthy said. “Just think of the structure of the running back room. Every position room has a structure, a culture. You always talk about the culture of your locker room, the culture of the classroom environment. Your best player in the room is injured, so you take him out of the room, it obviously changes the dynamics, but also the experience, the interaction, the communication… He’s played a lot of football, he’s a very smart, instinctive football player and he’s a great asset for our young running backs.”

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.