When the Green Bay Packers report to training camp on July 25, all eyes will again be on Eddie Lacy and his midsection. There’s been endless news about Lacy’s workouts with P90X creator Tony Horton. Little has been said, however, about Lacy’s diet and nutrition regimen.
Lacy should know how to control his calories because he learned from one of the best while in college. Alabama coach Nick Saban had a sophisticated nutrition program in place years before the Packers hired its own director of performance nutrition in 2014.
After undergoing toe-fusion surgery in 2011, Lacy faced a lengthy recovery period. Amy Bragg, Alabama’s director of sports performance nutrition, worked out a calorie budget to keep Lacy from gaining weight while recuperating and inactive.
It apparently worked, as Lacy, weighing in at 220 pounds, rushed for 1,182 yards and played in all 13 regular season games in 2012.
In the SEC Championship Game — a 32-28 squeaker over Georgia — he rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Lacy was named MVP in that game.
He then capped off his college career with another 140 yards and both a rushing and receiving touchdown in the 2013 BCS Championship Game — a 42-14 pasting of Notre Dame.
It could be Alabama owes that national championship to its head nutritionist.
It could be Lacy who owes his professional career to her.
We’ll soon see if Lacy remembered any of those lessons.