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Slimmed-down Eddie Lacy answers Green Bay Packers' call

By The Sports Xchange
Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy salutes the television camera after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter of their game against the Chicago Bears November 26, 2015, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Photo by Frank Polich/UPI
Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy salutes the television camera after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter of their game against the Chicago Bears November 26, 2015, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Photo by Frank Polich/UPI | License Photo

GREEN BAY, Wisc. -- Saying he received a wakeup call from head coach Mike McCarthy a few months ago, lead running back Eddie Lacy injected a sense of humor Tuesday.

"I'm not going to get skinny like (fellow back) James Starks. I'm always going to be big," Lacy quipped while surrounded by a large group of reporters in the Packers locker room after the team's first open workout in organized team activities.

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Fortunately for Lacy, he didn't report for the start of Green Bay's offseason program last month not nearly as big as his well-chronicled inflated playing weight last season.

"So far, so good," McCarthy said after watching Lacy on the field through two days of OTAs.

Lacy refused to divulge how much weight he's lost, saying only, "Enough to be lighter."

An intense training program with P90X founder Tony Horton that included pickup basketball and boxing early in the offseason allowed Lacy to get back in McCarthy's good graces.

At the end of last season, McCarthy publicly criticized the young standout by saying he reported to the spring workouts overweight and stayed that way in what turned out to be an underwhelming season. Lacy rushed for only 758 yards and three touchdowns in 2015 after he racked up at least 1,100 yards each of his first two pro seasons with a cumulative 20 touchdowns on the ground.

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An upset McCarthy demanded that Lacy come back this spring in better shape. Lacy didn't take his coach's reaction as a slap in the face.

"At the end of the day, we're all grown men," Lacy said. "Whether he calls me out, I just have to take care of that responsibility. You don't get mad or flash out or anything like that. You just take it as it is what it is and make it go away.

"You get a wakeup call; that was my wakeup call -- better sooner than later," Lacy added.

The Packers list the 5-foot-11 Lacy at 234 pounds on their spring roster. He was listed at the same weight last season.

Lacy is optimistic he can get back to being the productive workhorse he was for the Packers in 2013 and 2014, just as a slimmed-down version.

Yet, he acknowledged there's more work to do and weight to shed with training camp two months away. He wouldn't say what his target weight is for next season,

"Just trying to get in better shape," Lacy said.

McCarthy is hopeful his lead back has turned the corner in a favorable way.

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"Eddie will be fine," McCarthy said. "I believe he'll hit the target that we're all looking for when the lights come on."

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers shared the enthusiasm after running around with Lacy on Tuesday.

"Eddie looks like Eddie," Rodgers said. "It's good to have him out there. He's a talented guy. He's going to be an important part of our season."

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