Eddie Lacy was benched to start last week’s game against the Lions after he missed curfew on Wednesday night in Detroit, and the Green Bay Packers running back says he learned a valuable lesson.
Earlier this week, Lacy confirmed to reporters that he ended up in Mike McCarthy’s doghouse after he “lost track of time” while he was downstairs at the team hotel. He said the message was received after he played just 19 snaps and got five carries against Detroit.
“Just be aware of time, honestly,” Lacy said, per Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “It’s a life lesson. It’s a lesson learned, and then it’s something that you move forward from.”
Lacy said he had a discussion with McCarthy before the game, so he must have known there would be consequences for his actions.
“We had a conversation internally, and they know that whenever I’m out on the field I’m going to do exactly what I have to do,” he said. “I’m not a guy that makes a lot of mistakes, or bad things off the field either. So that’s something they know they don’t have to worry about.
“We put it behind us, and we’re moving forward. I think we both got things out in that conversation, and we’re both moving forward from that incident.”
McCarthy said after practice on Tuesday that Lacy looked “rejuvenated,” so it sounds like the punishment will just be a one-week thing. Although, Lacy did admit that it was “devastating” that fellow running back Alonzo Harris — who also missed curfew — was cut by the team. Not only that, but a report indicates the Packers chose not to bring Harris back because of Lacy.
The Packers are better when Lacy runs with effectiveness and ferocity. His talent level is absurdly higher than that of veteran backup James Starks. Lacy at his best gives Green Bay the best chance of making a postseason run.
