With Super Bowl aspirations still in mind, the Green Bay Packers took the practice field today for the first time since getting beat up by the Seattle Seahawks last Thursday night in Seattle. The good news is that they will be facing the New York Jets at home in Lambeau this Sunday, the bad news is that they may have to face them without their stellar running back Eddie Lacy.
Lacy did not practice on Wednesday after receiving a concussion in the fourth quarter of last week’s game. The NFL’s concussion protocol demands that Lacy must be cleared by an independent doctor before he can return to a practice or game. Lacy was able to attend practice today as a non-participant.
According to Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy, the sophomore back is almost finished with the mandated concussion protocol. “He’s had good workouts. He progressed very quickly,” said McCarthy during the team’s post-practice press conference today.
If Lacy is able to practice tomorrow, the running back should be ready to face the Jets come Sunday. Lacy had 12 carries for only 34 yards against a very tough Seattle defense last week playing in hostile territory. However, Lacy was a beast last year with 11 touchdowns and 1,178 rushing yards. He was also the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.
If you own Lacy on your fantasy football squad, a la the Shady Rangers, and are waiting to see if he is going to play on Sunday, it’s just too early to tell whether his concussion will keep him on the bench or not. However, the mere fact that Lacy was at practice is a good sign because players ready to come off concussions typically attend practice as part of the last stage of recovery.
Here’s the rest of the Packers injury report from this afternoon’s press conference:
LB Brad Jones (thigh) – DNP
OT Bryan Bulaga (knee) – limited
TE Brandon Bostick (leg) – limited
CB Demetri Goodson (concussion) – full