Packers Training Camp: Eddie’s Weight and Linebackers Wait

After the first day of the Green Bay Packers training camp, there were a few questions that people were looking to be answered.

The first was concerning running back Eddie Lacy’s weight and the other was the investigation on linebackers Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers alleged PED use.

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Again with Lacy’s Weight

Is it really all that shocking to hear that Lacy is tired talking about his weight?

Should it also be not that surprising to hear that head coach Mike McCarthy is also done talking about his running back’s weight?

I know everyone and their dogs have been talking about Lacy’s weight (I’ve spent some time writing about it), but it’s been the summer. There hasn’t been too much to talk about except his weight and predictions.

Let’s take it from what Lacy and McCarthy had to say about the weight issue.

“I’m tired of talking about it,” Lacy said via ESPN. “I’m pretty sure you all are tired of asking about it. I’m tired of hearing about it everywhere I go. I’m done with that.”

“I’m just going to be frank here: I’m done talking about people’s weight,” McCarthy also said via ESPN. “I’ve never put a guy’s individual weight in the media. That’s not something I talk about, and in Eddie’s particular case, I’ve talked enough about his weight.

“I think there was a lot of drama added to that statement, quite frankly. I felt like I gave an honest answer to a question that I think was obvious. Everybody has things they need to work on, we all do, and frankly, like I said, Eddie’s ready to go.”

Intentional or not, Lacy got the message that he needed to work harder. If Lacy had been as productive as previous years, him gaining a little weight wouldn’t have an issue.

However, anyone who looks at his 758 yards and three touchdowns in 2015 and his back-to-back seasons of over 1,000 yards rushing the two years previously would think his weight would be the problem.

I think nagging injuries were a bigger reason that Lacy didn’t perform well last season. One running back I can think of that had a great career as a bigger running back was Jerome Bettis – and he’s in the hall of fame. Lacy will be just fine.

PEDs:Ain’t Nobody got Time for that?

The NFL has said that they will interview the players listed on the retracted Al Jazeera America report on the first day of camp. Well, the day has passed an the Matthews and Peppers were never interviewed.

The players’ union has been making it hard on the NFL to get availability for these players, but the Packers pair isn’t letting the investigation become a distraction.

“It’s bogus, and it’s kind of annoying that I have to continue to deal with this, but the truth will come out,” Matthews said via Packers.com. “I’ll just try to put that in the rear-view mirror and focus on the season.”

“I don’t think it’ll be a distraction,” Peppers also said via Packers.com. “We’re just trying to focus on camp and getting ready to play games, not nonsense.”

With hopes high for the Packers’ 2016 season, having focus is the right call. I don’t know why the NFL is making the process so difficult or even bothering with Peppers and Matthews because that report linking the two has been retracted.

Peppers and Matthews have claimed their innocence since the beginning and the NFL probably won’t find any wrongdoing.

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