Eddie Lacy is in the news for the first time because of his inability to perform in the first three weeks
of the NFL season. Last week was arguably his worst performance as a Packers starter with a fumble, a tackle for loss that resulted in a safety, and a general “un-Lacy-like” performance. Lacy ran high, was indecisive and though he had a few good runs (38 yards on 8 carries) and covered way too much ground East/West for a running back whose strength is yards after contact.
I’m not going to get into the reasons for Eddie’s disappointing first three games, was it the play-calling, the o-line, or Lacy himself? Everyone in Packernation has an opinion about that and they are all right to some extent…but they are all wrong to some extent too. The truth is the problem is a combination of factors, some of which come to the forefront on a given play. The deeper question is this: Is Eddie Lacy a “one shot wonder”?
The NFL is a “what have you done for me lately” league and Eddie Lacy has not done much for the Packers. On the contrary, in the last game, he accounted for minus 9 points and a hole that the Packers offense couldn’t climb out of against the Lions.
I have made it very clear that I expect Eddie Lacy to have a good day today against the Bears. There are a couple reasons for this:
1. Eddie Lacy has reviewed the film and as a professional, made the necessary corrections.
Look for Lacy to run the cutback more than the stretch even when the defense flashes in the hole. As a running back, everything happens so fast that your mindset and reactions take over. Lacy’s mindset in this game should be re-set and he should be back to his bruising North-running self today. And when he does run East/West, he does so against the Bears who are not very fast to the edges (see number 2). Add to that the fact that no pro player can stand a performance like last week’s…he will be looking to avenge himself.
2. Eddie Lacy is running against the Bears
Eddie Lacy, as last year’s rookie of the year, faces expectations that are off the charts and just plain misguided at times. Lacy has run against the number 1, 2, and 7 defenses against the run so far this season. Today he takes on a Bears run defense that is 23rd against the run, giving up almost 6 yards a carry. If the Packers can get the run game going again, the whole offense will open up. I have yet to hear any commentator mention this fact. Yet it is the most important fact in the whole Eddie Lacy drama this week. And don’t misunderstand me…I am NOT saying that Eddie Lacy is not responsible to perform against tough run defenses…he is. In fact, Lacy’s performance against top run defenses will inevitably determine his legacy as a running back in the NFL. What I AM saying is that today is the perfect day for a turnaround and I look for Lacy to have it. Once he gets going, he will be fine folks.
3. Lacy (and the Packers) are a cornered animal
The Packers cannot afford to drop to 1-3 with two division losses to the most dangerous rivals in their division. This team has had to answer the questions and suffer the criticism of a fanbase that had much higher expectations for this Packers team to get the job done. They have to answer the bell and today is the day. The defense came into its own against the Jets just before the half and they are coming in with confidence and a jilted defensive end named Julius Peppers who wants to make a statement against his former team. EVERYBODY thinks of the Packers as a team that outscores opponents. The reason for this is because that is what we have done for the past couple years. But TAKE NOTE…the Packers defense has given up 10 points since before the second half of week two. When the offense gets rolling…the Packers are going to impress.
Finally
I am not off the bandwagon, I am not jumping ship. Eddie Lacy is NOT a one shot wonder and I expect him to begin the return to his former prowess…TODAY! If he performs the way I think he will, he will be a big piece of the puzzle that brings the Packers back even at 2-2 and gives all of Packernation hope moving forward into the second quarter of the season.
GO PACK!!!
Give him a break….what do you expect with this crappy offensive line??? Just look how many times AR is getting hit or running for his life….YOU NEED TO BE REALISTIC, look at the stats before you place the blame on EL!!!
You could be right about Lacy having a rebound game especially since, as you pointed out, the Bears run defense sucks but I’m not sold on the defense being all that. Imo it’s still nowhere good enough,1. Who is gonna cover Brandon Marshall in that secondary. No one. 2. Sure, they only gave up 1 TD last game but look at all the time consuming drives that kind of bend bit don’t break gives up. It’s ridiculous. All time that would be better served with A-Rod on the field instead of on the sideline. I’ve lived in Steeler Country all my life and although I’ve been a Packer fan for many years, I’ve still witnessed some really good Steeler D’s. The Packers D doesn’t resemble any of them. They need to, HAVE to get 3 and outs way more often than they do to be considered a good defense. The Packers D is not good and as a Packer fan it pains me to have to point that out.
Now that it’s over, Lacy was not a factor in turning it around for the Packers offense – unless you count having him back there as a diversion. Rodgers spreading the ball around, attacking through the air, the offensive line giving Rodgers more time, and more creative play calling in the passing game were the keys in my opinion. This was by far the most time Rodgers has enjoyed in the pocket of any game so far. And even though Cobb and Adams had a drop, I think Boykin being absent was to our advantage.
Lacy remains slow to the hole and only a few times did the offensive line open any holes for him. On the few times that he did manage to gain some yards, the officials called holding on us. (This was probably the worst officiated game I’ve seen since the Fail Mary, but that’s another story, and at least it went to our advantage on some key plays). He had 3 nice runs in the entire game, and that’s simply not enough. Only once did he hit the line with force, on first and goal from the 2 for 1 yard, and that needs to improve. But calling draws, delays, and sweeps aren’t giving him much opportunity to do so either.
Lacy said at the beginning of this year that the game was slowing down for him. I think he’s also slowing down the game, and that’s not a formula for success in today’s NFL. Being patient is one thing, but being slow to the hole or to turn it up field is quite another.
Had we continued to pound Lacy, we would have lost this game. Our offense needed to score on every possession early and keep the momentum going throughout the game. I think we did that well. My only question was why Starks got no carries and wasn’t in on more series. He’s shown more explosiveness in every game. Mind boggling.
Our D still looked like the tale of 2 halves to a large extent, although they struggled to cover and tackle Bennett and Forte in both halves. I know Bennett is a good TE, but never would have guessed he’d have as big a day as he did, while Marshall and Jeffery were held in check for most of the game. Forte is a beast, but he’s not as good as we made him look either. We’re still very soft in the middle on D and need to clean that up.
And how about Richard Rodgers? He made 2 great plays to start the game and wasn’t targeted again. Other than the holding penalty, Quarless was not a factor either. I really thought our TEs would have more impact upon this game.
The problem is the way the Packers been playing…They need to get back to what they do best which is Pass and when they do that effectively then it will open up lanes for Lacy to run…They have been going at this backwards IMO trying to run to open up the pass and this team is not made that way, getting Lacy was a blessing but it also has took away this teams identity which is a west coast offense PASS first Run second!
I don’t know that McCarthy was trying to open the passing game with the run, as much as trying to have balance. But when the run isn’t working, it’s ridiculous to keep calling those plays. Seems like he finally adapted for the Bears.
I believe that our run game would be much more effective if Rodgers lined up under center more often and handed off to the back as they had a head of steam towards the line. Those delays, draws, and sweeps from shotgun are about fooling the D and don’t work. No NFL team would be successful with that approach, in my opinion.
I think we lined up in shotgun for 95% of our plays vs the Bears. Only a few times, other tha goal line situation that we didn’t.