BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Mike McCarthy hasn't seen his slimmed-down running back in person yet, but the Green Bay Packers coach likes what he has seen of Eddie Lacy in photos.
"I saw a picture or two," McCarthy said Tuesday at the annual NFL owners meetings. "He looked good. What'd you think?"
If the picture that was making the rounds on the Internet recently is legitimate, then it appears Lacy has taken McCarthy's ultimatum seriously and he must slim down this season.
Lacy had been working out with P90X founder Tony Horton in Wyoming earlier this offseason, and McCarthy said those sessions are continuing now in California.
New running backs coach Ben Sirmans has been in regular contact with Lacy and has been providing McCarthy with updates.
"It sounds like things are going well for him," McCarthy said. "He looked like that rookie guy."
Even before McCarthy called out Lacy after the season for being overweight, he acknowledged last October that Lacy was "bigger than he was as a rookie," and McCarthy didn't sound thrilled about it.
After consecutive 1,100-yard seasons to start his career, Lacy's production declined significantly last season. He rallied late in the year to finish with just 758 yards.
Although the Packers have not said what they would like Lacy to weigh by the time he reports for the offseason program in April or at the start of training camp in July, McCarthy said last month that he never asked Lacy to lose 30 pounds as had been reported. However, a weight loss in excess of 20 pounds probably wouldn't be out of the question. The Packers listed the 5-foot-11 Lacy at 234 pounds last season.
Whether or not Lacy's weight-loss program is finished by the time the offseason program starts next month, McCarthy said he expected to see a different-looking Lacy soon.
"Well if he stays the course, yeah definitely," McCarthy said. "So far, so good."
