After dropping weight last season to a trim 234 pounds, Eddie Lacy has reportedly ballooned to well over 260 pounds during the offseason.
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll responded to those reports, via ESPN Radio:
"Yeah, well, he's a big back, John," Carroll replied, as transcribed by SEC Country. "He's a big guy, you know? And there ain't nothing wrong with that. But there will be a real concerted effort to make sure he's at his very best. This is a hard time for him because he's working some rehab right now, but he's well aware of our expectations and the standards we're setting and that's all part of it.
"We would not have done this if we didn't have a clear understanding of how we're going to go forward. This is a big deal for him, you know, it's a one-year contract for him. This is a chance for him to prove it and show where he is in the league in and how he fits in."
Lacy was knocked out for the season in April after suffering an ankle injury earlier in the year.
Carroll's comments come in stark contrast to what Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy had to say at the end of the year just two seasons ago about his former back, per ESPN:
"Eddie Lacy, he's got a lot of work to do. His offseason last year was not good enough, and he never recovered from it," McCarthy said during his season-ending news conference two days after his team's 26-20 overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday in the NFC divisional playoffs. "He cannot play at the weight he was at this year."
Lacy, a former second-round pick, has started 48 games over the past four seasons. After consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to start his career, Lacy dropped off to just over 700 yards two years ago. He plummeted to just 360 yards in five starts last season with zero scores.
He replaces Marshawn Lynch as Seattle's workhorse as a between-the-tackles back.
We'll see just how motivated Lacy is when he enters training camp.
