News and Notes from McCarthy’s Tuesday Presser

After taking Monday off, the Packers resumed training camp today. Following practice, Mike McCarthy echoed several of the themes from earlier in camp such as injuries, positional battles, and young players stepping up.

He also fought off the barrage of questions regarding Eddie Lacy's weight, "Going through the tests, [Lacy] was fine. If we had any concerns about any of our guys, they wouldn't be on the field... Lacy definitely falls in the category of big back, and big backs tend to fall forward." The concern surrounding the Packers' second round pick began yesterday when several fans noticed a rather unflattering photograph of Lacy from practice. Fortunately, our own Evan "Tex" Western weighed in on the matter via twitter:

"OMG Lacy is fat!" No. Shut up. It's a bad picture. Moving on to things that matter, like butt sweat ratio.

— Tex Western (@TexWestern) July 29, 2013

Conversation over.

Back to McCarthy, he spoke at length about the young cornerbacks covering for injured veterans. He once again singled out rookie Micah Hyde as well as Sam Shields for their work defending the no huddle. Both contributed to a defense that shut down Aaron Rodgers at the end of practice. As for Shields, McCarthy expressed excitement about his potential but noted he looked rusty at times during practice.

McCarthy was equally excited about second-year safety Jerron McMillian. McMillian has consistently been the best safety opposite Morgan Burnett through four days of camp, though he continues to split time with the starters with M.D. Jennings. McCarthy admitted that last year the difference in experience hurt McMillian's chances of winning the job outright over Jennings. That gap has now been bridged, and if McMillian's early success holds, he'll be no worse than the nominal starter.

Not all the defensive back news is good, however. Tramon Williams was held out of practice again today with a knee injury. McCarthy said Williams doesn't know exactly when the injury occurred, but it was during Sunday's practice. The head coach placed the timetable for a return at "a couple weeks."

Tuesday's practice saw Datone Jones' first reps with the kickoff coverage team. While such is a strange role for a five-technique defensive lineman, McCarthy explained that Jones' ability to run makes him a prime candidate for special teams. Don't get too worked up, though. McCarthy also stated that this will not be one of Jones' primary roles.

Even after another difficult day at center for Don Barclay, McCarthy reiterated that the second-year tackle has earned the right to compete for a starting position. While Barclay is certainly in the running at right tackle, it's hard to imagine him beating out Evan Dietrich-Smith at center.

McCarthy didn't provide much of an update for the backup quarterback competition. He likes the improvements B.J. Coleman has made, stating, "B.J. probably made the biggest improvement carrying it over from the classroom to the field." The "classroom" McCarthy refers to is his renowned QB School he holds with the quarterbacks in the offseason. As for the competition, both Graham Harrell and Coleman continue to split reps, which as we've noted before should persist through most of the preseason.

There wasn't many meaningful updates for injured players. McCarthy reiterated that DuJuan Harris remains 2-3 weeks away while also revealing that no timetable exists for rookie Charles Johnson's recovery. Expect an update for Johnson in the next 24-48 hours.

Finally, McCarthy promoted his new sandwich at Curly's Pub. "Eat plenty of Mac Attack burgers. Highly recommend it. It's for charity." So please, eat one for the children.

There's more to come today, as we'll cover Ted Thompson's presser and any other breaking Packers news. Do yourself a favor, and keep your internet machines tuned to Acme Packing Company.

Jason Hirschhorn covers the Green Bay Packers for Acme Packing Co. He has previously written for Lombardi Ave, College Hoops Net, LiveBall Sports, and the List Universe. He is also currently a senior writer for Beats Per Minute, an indie-music webzine. Follow him on Twitter: @JBHirschhorn