Eddie Lacy is supposed to be the leading rusher and star of the ground game for the Green Bay Packers, but instead he has lost his starting job and been criticized for his efforts on and off the field this season. Lacy is not having the year he was hoping for as he continues to deal with injuries and mistakes on the field. That has led to speculation about his future with the franchise. However, head coach Mike McCarthy believes Lacy is on the upswing.
After losing his starting job once again for missing team curfew, Lacy appears to be back in the good graces of the Packers. According to McCarthy, Lacy will be given the chance to earn his job back while James Starks started the game and John Crockett impressed in his first time on the field. McCarthy defended the running back saying he got the team's message loud and clear and could return to being the leading rusher quickly.
"Everything Eddie wants to accomplish is right there in front of him," McCarthy said, via ESPN.com. "Everything is in front of him. If Eddie or any other player wants to jump up and grab that opportunity, it's right in front of them. I think Eddie's been rejuvenated. His work was good today. I checked in on him just like I do with all the players, and I look for him to have a very good week of practice, and I look for him to be productive Sunday."
According to ESPN's Rob Demovsky, Crockett has won over the coaching staff and could still see plenty of playing time moving forward. McCarthy did not name a starting running back for the game against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14, but if Lacy has a good stretch of practices it could be him. Prior to the benching, Lacy had begun to turn things around having two of his best games of the season. That momentum could continue.
The Packers are hopeful the momentum gained off the Hail Mary catch to beat the Detroit Lions will push them for the rest of the season. Richard Rodgers is certainly hoping to see more playing time because of his now hero status. The Packers would love to get Rodgers more involved considering all of the other injuries on offense. Andrew Quarless has yet to be active, but the team is hopeful they can use him soon. In the meantime, Randall Cobb, James Jones and Davante Adams must improve to help Aaron Rodgers in the coming weeks.
