New Seahawks Running Back Eddie Lacy: "I'm Very Motivated To Prove Myself"

When it came to picking a new team, running back Eddie Lacy saw a perfect fit in the Seattle Seahawks, who when at their best in recent years have featured a running game that is equal parts explosive and punishing. “They definitely fit the way I run,” Lacy said Wednesday after officially signing his contract with the Seahawks. “I’ve always favored Marshawn Lynch’s running style, and that’s something Pete Carroll definitely likes. I’m going to come in and do my best impression of him and just bring my hard work and my hard running style to the table.” Lacy’s comments align with what Carroll said a day earlier when he talked about Lacy’s signing being a move that will help the Seahawks be more physical on offense. “I like that we’re bringing in a big, tough guy who’s going to send a message with the way he plays the game,” Carroll said on 710 ESPN Seattle. “… We went all those years with Marshawn (Lynch), and everybody knew what we stood for and the style of play, so I’m hoping to just continue to add with Eddie and the way Thomas (Rawls) brings it, that’s a great one-two punch sending a message about playing tough and physical. That’s who we are and that’s who we want to continue to be, so that’s why we made this move.” While Lacy admired Lynch’s game, he said he isn’t here to fill the shoes of one of the retired back, but rather to “just want to come out and showcase what I can do, prove that I’m not a fluke, that I can do what I do and do it really well.” Lacy uses the word “fluke” because he’s motivated to prove that he’s still the back who rushed for more than 1,100 yards in each of his first two seasons with the Green Bay Packers, and not the player who was limited to only five games in 2016 because of an ankle injury. “I’m very motivated to prove myself,” he said. “I know what I’m able to do, but I just want to go out and show everybody that I can do it and will do it. I just can’t wait to get my chance.”Lacy joins a backfield that includes Thomas Rawls, who led the NFL in rushing yards per carry as a rookie in 2015, C.J. Prosise, who was a dynamic threat as a runner and receiver when healthy last year, and Alex Collins, who came on strong late in his rookie season, and the former Packers starter doesn’t come to Seattle assuming anything about his role with his new team. “Whatever the coach needs me to do,” he said. “However he wants to use me, however he wants to play me, my job is to take my opportunities and make the most of them, and that’s what I plan to do. You have to compete. Spots aren’t given, they have to be earned, always. There’s a great group of guys here and I just want to fit in and do my role.” Lacy joins the Seahawks very familiar with his new team having faced Seattle three times over the past three seasons—he missed last year’s game due to injury—including the Seahawks’ memorable NFC championship victory over the Packers at CenturyLink Field. “This is a very physical team,” Lacy said. “Defensively, those guys play with a lot of heart and a lot of passion, and they get that energy going. Hopefully I can add that on the offensive side and it can all come together and we can be one explosive team.”

New Seahawks Running Back Eddie Lacy: "I'm Very Motivated To Prove Myself"

Running back Eddie Lacy talks about his decision to join the Seahawks after signing his contract Wednesday.