Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy wants one thing from running back Eddie Lacy after they were eliminated last Saturday; it is for Lacy to come back in shape in the 2016 season.
McCarthy was speaking at his season-ending news conference when he frankly addressed the issue with Lacy, ESPN and Yahoo Sports reported.
"Eddie Lacy, he's got a lot of work to do. His offseason last year was not good enough, and he never recovered from it. He cannot play at the weight he was at this year," McCarthy stated.
According to both reports, McCarthy calling out one of his players is a rare occasion, with Yahoo Sports adding that in the 2015 regular season the head coach did not even speak negatively about Lacy despite his struggles.
This season was Lacy's third year in the National Football League (NFL), and so far his worst after tallying more than 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first two seasons.
In 15 games played in the 2015 regular season, the 25-year-old running back, who was listed as standing 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 234 pounds, according to ESPN, had 187 carries for 758 yards and three touchdowns, which are all career-lows.
It was an unrecognizable season for Lacy, who was hailed as the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2013 and followed it up with another great season in 2014.
Unfortunately, the 2015 season did not go well for him, but he will have the chance to bounce back next season.
The Packers' Super Bowl aspirations ended in the Divisional Playoffs, after falling to the Arizona Cardinals in a game that needed extra time to determine a winner.
Last season, Green Bay came closer to reaching the Super Bowl and was in the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship Game.
But it was also shut down by the Seattle Seahawks, who were also eliminated in the Divisional Playoffs this season after losing to the Carolina Panthers.
