Analyzing Packers Running Back Eddie Lacy - Q&A with Roll Bama Roll

With the Green Bay Packers drafting Eddie Lacy in the second round of this year's NFL Draft, they finally brought a big, physical running back to the team who has an established college career against top-level competition. There is still plenty we do not know about Lacy yet, however, so we got in touch with SBNation's Alabama blog, Roll Bama Roll, to get their thoughts on the big back. Here are the responses we received from one of their editors, Josh (aka "Slice of Life").

APC: Lacy certainly appears to be a powerful back who can punish a defense as the game goes on, but some reports said he looked out of shape for his Pro Day. Do you have any thoughts on whether his conditioning may be an issue? Or will rotating backs make a huge difference in the quality of his play in the 4th quarter?

RBR: My personal opinion is that the "out of shape" reports from Pro Day were a bit overblown. Eddie never seemed out of shape while playing at Bama, and I never any heard reports that would indicate he is lazy in the weight room. It should be noted, though, that he was never really required to dig deep into the tank while at Bama. I think most people would be surprised to find out that throughout his whole career, Eddie didn’t have a single game where he ran more than 20 times. So, honestly, Bama fans are probably as curious as you guys to see how he’ll hold up late in games. His situational stats probably aren’t super encouraging in this regard, as he averaged 7.19 YPC in the first half of games, but only 5.03 YPC in the second half. The biggest key for Eddie will be health. If he can stay at or near 100%, I’m confident he’ll perform fine, even late in games.

APC: A lot has been made about the toe fusion that Lacy reportedly underwent last off-season. Did you see any signs that there was anything bothering him in 2012?

RBR: Probably not what you want to hear, but the nagging turf toe injury was really just one of several small, persistent injuries that hung with Eddie throughout his career. As such, the die-hard fans grew pretty accustomed over the last three years to seeing Eddie play with his foot taped, or knowing he had a plate in his cleat. I would wager, though, that more casual viewers would not even know he was ever injured. He never favored is foot, never ran timidly, and never really indicated that he was in any pain over it. Most importantly, it never seemed to negatively impact his production.

APC: Lacy caught a few balls here and there, but what are your overall impressions of him as both a receiver and a pass-blocker? Do you think he has the skill set to remain on the field on third downs?

RBR: I would say he definitely has the skills to be a third-down back. Eddie is serviceable as a receiver. He has decent hands and typically does a good job of catching the ball away from his body. He’s also deceptively shifty in the open field, which I think surprises people. He is just as likely to juke a guy, spin right past him, or truck the living daylights out of him. Eddie is also solid as a pass blocker. As a bigger back, he’s not afraid to man up and block bigger rushers, and he has the power to bounce them back.

APC: One thing that nobody has seemed to talk about is Lacy's character, and generally no news is good news. Can you tell us anything about Lacy the man and about his work ethic?

RBR: Eddie seems to be a fairly quiet guy. I’ve never heard any reports of him getting in trouble or slacking. One of the many benefits of a loaded roster is it leaves little room for complacency, and forces players to develop a strong work ethic (or find a new team).

APC: Is there anything else we should know about Lacy that we wouldn't otherwise know at this point?

RBR: Never feed him after midnight, and don’t get him wet.

Thanks a lot to Josh and the Roll Bama Roll crew for their input. I'm sure everyone involved would be happy to see Lacy go off for 1,500 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns this season.

Check out all of Acme Packing Company's draft coverage: 2013 NFL Draft Central | Green Bay Selects Datone Jones in First Round | Green Bay Drafts Eddie Lacy in Second Round | Complete List of Packers' Draft Picks| Packers Undrafted Free Agent Tracker

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