Eddie Lacy Comments on Weight, Compares Himself to Other 'Big Backs'

The Green Bay Packers’ Eddie Lacy isn’t the skinniest of NFL running backs, and he’s fielded criticism for his weight since joining the league in 2013.

Those unflattering comments have continued as Lacy’s production dwindles in 2015—67 carries for 260 yards and one touchdown in six games.

Lacy addressed the rumblings Thursday, per ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky:

"

I'm not the smallest person. Brandon Jacobs wasn't the smallest person. Jerome Bettis wasn't the smallest person. Some people can just play like that, not that I'm Jerome Bettis' weight or nothing like that. I'm just saying, not everybody's meant to look like Adrian Peterson or somebody like that.

"

Lacy’s comments come in light of Packers head coach Mike McCarthy discussing the topic Wednesday, per Demovsky.

"I’m not going to get into guys' weights," McCarthy said. "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 Lacy at 234 pounds, only three pounds heavier than he weighed at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine. But a source told Demovsky that Lacy weighed in at 242 pounds early in training camp.

Here is the unflattering contrast, per David P. Woods of the Score:

In 2013, Lacy went on to become the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl. He followed that performance up with a stellar 2014 in which he picked up 1,566 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns, emerging as another passing threat for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. 

He’s seen a significant falloff in six games this year, gaining just 260 yards on 67 carries with one touchdown, though he’s been nursing an ailing ankle since Week 2. 

On Wednesday, McCarthy said the ankle isn’t affecting Lacy anymore, per Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, and backup James Starks hasn’t been practicing. Lacy will look to take a step in the right direction Sunday, when he and the Packers offense will face a tall task against the top-rated Denver Broncos defense in a battle of unbeatens.