The Eddie Lacy Conundrum

jakecronus8 · Post #1 » by **jakecronus8** » Sat Dec 5, 2015 1:57 am

I can't help but wonder what the future holds for Eddie and the Packers. My gut tells me it's time to cut ties.

Given everything that's happened with him this season, coupled with his personality, style and history, I don't think he's a long term piece here. The latest incident is utter stupidity. Something like that combined with his refusal to stay in shape and lackadaisical attitude towards the game in general, it's becoming clear that football is just not very high on his list of priorities.

If I were Thompson I'd trade him this offseason. Perhaps a team would give you a third round pick for him. I just simply don't trust the guy. I can see the merits of keeping him around for his contract year and then cutting ties, but Eddie is one of those guys that wouldn't shock me if they decided to up and retire mid season. Just a different kinda dude.

The only real way to mess this situation up would be to pay him. Besides the personality/motivation issues, his seemingly always ballooning weight and violent playing style screams someone whose game will fall off a cliff sooner rather than later.

Maybe I'm overreacting but unless he gets his act together and we decide to run more and almost exclusively out of an i-formation, I think it's time for both parties to move on.

WiscoKing13 · Post #2 » by **WiscoKing13** » Sat Dec 5, 2015 2:15 am

He's a RB in the NFL, we have him for one more year. After that take your comp pick and move on.

El Duderino · Post #3 » by **El Duderino** » Sat Dec 5, 2015 4:00 am

WiscoKing13 wrote:He's a RB in the NFL, we have him for one more year. After that take your comp pick and move on.

It's not just that he's a running back. With the body type of Lacy, there is no way i'd pay him.

HKPackFan · Post #4 » by **HKPackFan** » Sat Dec 5, 2015 4:48 am

WiscoKing13 wrote:He's a RB in the NFL, we have him for one more year. After that take your comp pick and move on.

I agree. You get your miles out of him, draft his replacement in April and let him go next year.

Bernman · Post #5 » by **Bernman** » Sat Dec 5, 2015 4:55 am

This situation and reaction doesn't sit well with me at all. I said b4 the season we should rip up his contract and at least pay 5-6 million this year for past services. He played like a 20 million dollar player the last two years, and in the process put his body and brain through the ringer. Now we might be starting to see the ill effects. Regardless, he played his ass off for the team and has little to show for it compensation wise still. You shouldn't just use and discard people like this, especially after all we've learned. I'd offer replacing the final year of his current contract w/ a guaranteed 5-6 million, in exchange for fully unguaranteed 5-6 the subsequent year. Then if he continues to fall off you're not on the hook long-term but he gets paid enough for lifetime financial security. I was told the Packers take care of their people. If they did this, they wouldn't be doing it in this case.

El Duderino · Post #6 » by **El Duderino** » Sat Dec 5, 2015 7:22 am

Bernman wrote:This situation and reaction doesn't sit well with me at all. I said b4 the season we should rip up his contract and at least pay 5-6 million this year for past services. He played like a 20 million dollar player the last two years, and in the process put his body and brain through the ringer. Now we might be starting to see the ill effects. Regardless, he played his ass off for the team and has little to show for it compensation wise still. You shouldn't just use and discard people like this, especially after all we've learned. I'd offer replacing the final year of his current contract w/ a guaranteed 5-6 million, in exchange for fully unguaranteed 5-6 the subsequent year. Then if he continues to fall off you're not on the hook long-term but he gets paid enough for lifetime financial security. I was told the Packers take care of their people. If they did this, they wouldn't be doing it in this case.

Come on Bern, you can't be serious.

By your logic, the Packers should do the same for Corey Linsley who played for 5th round pick money these last two years, not 2nd round Lacey money. They also should have given Sam Shields a bunch of extra cash before he got any real money by being an undrafted free agent. Mike Daniels has been only making a little over 500 K a year. Bakhtiari a little over 600 K. Those guys on the line of scrimmage are in a violent collision every play, along with others rolling up on their legs. Same for linebackers across the sport who weren't a high pick.

The list is endless of other prior Packers who weren't drafted high, but were starting players, yet didn't make any real money until reaching free agency and made less money on their rookie contracts by being less than a 2nd round pick. So should only Lacey be "extra taken care of", but not all of the other starters on even cheaper rookie contracts? Or are only running backs afforded this special payoff?

This is how the NFL and all pro sports leagues work. Players get drafted and except for the really high picks who get a lot of cash on their rookie contracts, the rest simply have to play until free agency hits. In football where countless 2nd-7th round picks and undrafted free agents end up being starters, to think teams could go around and giving extra money to all of them out of being swell and kind in a hard cap league is silly. Produce through four years and then you get paid. That's just how it is for all players, Lacey is no exception.

XtremeDunkz · Post #7 » by **XtremeDunkz** » Sat Dec 5, 2015 2:49 pm

Wasn't the big story when he came out that he didn't love the game? I think that is obvious now.

zmanishere11 · Post #8 » by **zmanishere11** » Sat Dec 5, 2015 3:17 pm

The Lacy thing is so simple:

Dude needs to run behind the best offensive line in the league. Last year, we were close to that. This year, we are not.

What this offense needs right now more than anything is a RB who we can move around the offense to create matchup problems for the defense (think woodhead, sproles, spiller if he ever stayed healthy, ect.)

Crockett / Starks look very similar - shifty, well built guys with good vision. Give them the keys to the offense for the rest of the season, de-activate Lacy, and see if you can get anything for him in the off-season.

jakecronus8 · Post #9 » by **jakecronus8** » Sat Dec 5, 2015 4:41 pm

I mentioned it briefly but how have they not figured out that running him out of shotgun is basically throwing away downs?

RRyder823 · Post #10 » by **RRyder823** » Sat Dec 5, 2015 9:18 pm

It's like people have forgotten just how horrible our RB situation was pre Lacy. And yes that included a younger Starks.

Starks looks fine for the backup role but even then the clocks about to strike midnight on him so people thinking we'll be fine with him in a bigger role next season is disconcerting.

Lacy is having a rough year so drafting a RB in the next draft looks like a good option and then you can see if Lacy has a bounce back year which is definitely possible in a contract year but cutting ties in the offseason is way to big of a knee jerked reaction

RiotPunch · Post #11 » by **RiotPunch** » Sun Dec 6, 2015 12:10 am

I thought Lacy looked fantastic in that Bears game, sans the moronic fumble. There's still a lot of talent there--see if he can run motivated to make money next year and then let him walk. I agree that he is a scary guy to give a big payday to, but yeah, keep him on and then take your comp pick, as someone already said.

Iheartfootball · Post #12 » by **Iheartfootball** » Sun Dec 6, 2015 4:48 am

Bernman wrote:This situation and reaction doesn't sit well with me at all. I said b4 the season we should rip up his contract and at least pay 5-6 million this year for past services. He played like a 20 million dollar player the last two years, and in the process put his body and brain through the ringer. Now we might be starting to see the ill effects. Regardless, he played his ass off for the team and has little to show for it compensation wise still. You shouldn't just use and discard people like this, especially after all we've learned. I'd offer replacing the final year of his current contract w/ a guaranteed 5-6 million, in exchange for fully unguaranteed 5-6 the subsequent year. Then if he continues to fall off you're not on the hook long-term but he gets paid enough for lifetime financial security. I was told the Packers take care of their people. If they did this, they wouldn't be doing it in this case.

It's a business. Everyone knows what they sign up for. Why would you pay him more now after he's had 1.5 good seasons and slowly fallen off a cliff? Plus rookies used to get paid more and the players union agreed to the new rookie scale. Where's the issue?

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HKPackFan · Post #13 » by **HKPackFan** » Sun Dec 6, 2015 5:58 am

If he has a great rest of the year and next year has a great year I'd still draft his back up this offseason and would consider giving lacy good money on a 2 year contract. I think we did that with Jennings after his rookie contract.

I just would NOT want to give him a 4 or 5 year contract.

WiscoKing13 · Post #14 » by **WiscoKing13** » Sun Dec 6, 2015 3:53 pm

Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet 1h1 hour ago
#Packers were gonna sign RB Alonzo Harris to the practice squad, but now won't. They don't want any outside influences on buddy Eddie Lacy

Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet 1h1 hour ago
Safe to say, #Packers have concerns about RB Eddie Lacy. On the field, he's dynamic. Off the field, they need better attention & commitment

vegaspacker · Post #15 » by **vegaspacker** » Sun Dec 6, 2015 6:53 pm

Monte Ball in town with GB..

FAH1223 · Post #16 » by **FAH1223** » Sun Dec 6, 2015 7:58 pm

You guys are extremely ridiculous

Lacy is our best back. It's obvious he's been hurt and it's also obvious he didn't put in the work to be better but I'm not ready to give up on him esp when we have barely used him at that 20 carries threshold

Ayt · Post #17 » by **Ayt** » Mon Dec 7, 2015 12:04 am

Hopefully get a decent year out of him next season then absolutely let him walk.

Teddyb · Post #18 » by **Teddyb** » Mon Dec 7, 2015 3:43 am

He had 2 games in a row with over 100....he can play. Work out the off field nonsense and make it work....

Post #19 » by **MickeyDavis** » Mon Dec 7, 2015 3:45 am

I certainly wouldn't get rid of him. I'd keep him next season but I don't offer him a big extension

HKPackFan · Post #20 » by **HKPackFan** » Mon Dec 7, 2015 4:19 am

FAH1223 wrote:You guys are extremely ridiculous

Lacy is our best back. It's obvious he's been hurt and it's also obvious he didn't put in the work to be better but I'm not ready to give up on him esp when we have barely used him at that 20 carries threshold

Are you ready to pay him $40 million at the end of next year with 15 to 20 million upfront or something ridiculous? Murray got 40 million 18 guaranteed.

No doubt hes our best back. Yet I'm not ready to hand over that type of money to lacy. At most a 2 year deal with decent pay. Who knows if he would accept a 2 yr deal and would only accept Murray's or Lynch's contract. If so I let him go.