<
>

Mike McCarthy on Eddie Lacy: 'He's bigger than he was as a rookie'

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Eddie Lacy is heavier than he was as a rookie, when the Green Bay Packers running back’s weight first became a regular topic, and coach Mike McCarthy doesn’t sound overly thrilled about it.

Although McCarthy declined to get into specifics about the Pro Bowler’s weight, he might have been trying to send a message to Lacy while also offering an explanation for his lack of involvement in the offense in the Packers’ most recent game.

"I’m not going to get into guy’s weights," McCarthy said Wednesday. "I mean, I’ve never been asked a question about a guy’s weight. But I think players do get bigger in their career. But he’s bigger than he was as a rookie."

The Packers list the 5-foot-11 Lacy at 234 pounds. He weighed in at 231 at the NFL scouting combine in 2013 and was listed at 230 last season. Lacy weighed 242 pounds early in camp, but at the time declined to say whether he failed to make weight.

"I don't get that at all," Lacy said during training camp when asked whether he's under any weight restrictions.

Lacy carried only four times for 3 yards in the Packers’ last game, against the Chargers before the bye. He had been bothered by a sprained right ankle that occurred in Week 2, but he wasn’t listed on the injury report leading up the most recent game.

McCarthy said last week that he did not believe Lacy’s injury impacted his ability to stay conditioned. The Packers will release their official injury report later on Wednesday, but McCarthy made it sound like Lacy won’t be on it.

"He looks good, just watching him work out and watching his work Monday," McCarthy said. "Particularly in the individual stuff, that’s where you try to really stress each position, so I don’t think the injury is affecting him anymore."

James Starks, who rushed for 112 yards in an increased role against the Chargers, is expected to be on the injury report. He did not practice Monday when the Packers returned from the bye week, and McCarthy declined to discuss the specifics of the injury before Wednesday's practice.