Running back Eddie Lacy (42) and his college doctor both say the toe surgery he had after his junior season won’t have a dramatic impact on his NFL career. Photo: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Was Lacy’s free-fall all about his right big toe, which allegedly had been surgically fused and may or may not remain perilously fragile? Could the toe come back to haunt him and the Packers?

Oh, the drama!

Calm down, kiddies.

University of Alabama team doctor E. Lyle Cain Jr. said it’s much ado about nothing.

“The joint underneath the toenail was fused to allow the ligament to work better, basically,” Cain told the Pioneer Press. “It’s something you do to give you a better push-off. His big toe moves just like a normal big toe in terms of motion … If you fused it completely, it’d give you a stiff big toe and you can’t push off and that’s a big problem. In Eddie’s case, he does not have that.

“The bottom line is, the fusion he had does not affect his big-toe motion.”

Move along. Nothing to see here.

We wondered aloud just last week about what the back story was, because it had been largely ignored by the mainstream media. Now we know. Or at least we know more.

As for the long-term ramifications, it still remains to be seen whether the rigors of the NFL will cause more problems with the toe. Is it possible other teams overreacted? Was there not enough information available for teams scouting Lacy? Because it stands to reason that if the Packers were high on Lacy, they did the same due diligence as the Steelers and Broncos.

As for how it will affect Lacy as a player, Cain said, the “window of legitimate concern” has passed. Lacy’s 1,322 yards and 17 touchdowns last season during the Crimson Tide’s BCS championship run would support that notion – at least in the short term. And going forward?

“I expect Eddie Lacy to have a long, productive NFL career,” Cain assured. “I don’t think the toe will be a problem in his career.”

“It’s nothing that I’m thinking about,” Lacy told Pioneer Press. “I’m pretty sure I won’t have any problems with it. It’s holding up good. The surgery was basically perfect, and now it’s about getting back to doing what I know how to do best.”

As for all the toe drama, hopefully it will be a case of all’s well that ends well.

Bart Starr will be recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Allstate Insurance Company in Montgomery, Ala., on Wednesday, Nov. 16, as part of “Hometown Hall of Famers™,” a national program honoring the hometown roots of the sport’s greatest players with special ceremonies and plaque dedication events in local communities.

A two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback for the Green Bay Packers and former Sidney Lanier High School standout from 1949 to 1953, Starr will be presented with his “Hometown Hall of Famer™” plaque during a special ceremony at 2:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at the Sidney Lanier auditorium, where the plaque will live permanently to serve as an inspiration for the school’s student-athletes.

This program is about celebrating the hometowns that helped pave the way for future Hall of Famers to become the legendary football players we all know and love,” said George Veras, Pro Football Hall of Fame Enterprises president and CEO. “Together with Allstate we are proud to recognize Bart Starr with his ‘Hometown Hall of Famer™’ plaque where it all began here in Montgomery.”

In addition to the plaque, a commemorative Bart Starr “Hometown Hall of Famer™” road sign will be on display in Montgomery, Ala.

In his junior year at Sidney Lanier High School, Starr became the starting quarterback and led the team to an undefeated season before becoming an All-State and All-American quarterback his senior year. After high school, Starr committed to play at the University of Alabama and became the starting quarterback his sophomore year. Starr battled a football-related back injury his junior and senior years, however, that did not hinder him as a prospect for the Green Bay Packers leading into the 1956 NFL Draft.

The Green Bay Packers selected Starr as the 199th pick in the 1956 NFL Draft and he began as the backup quarterback to Tobin Rote until 1959 when Vince Lombardi took over head coaching duties and positioned Starr as the starting quarterback. Starr led an electric Packers team to back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 1966 and 1967 where he was named Super Bowl MVP both years. He holds the second highest playoff passer rating of any quarterback in NFL history, only behind current Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and Starr also holds a playoff record of 9-1.

Starr was voted to the NFL Pro Bowl four times during his career and is one of only five Green Bay Packers to have his number – No. 15 – retired by the team. After his 15-year playing career ended, Starr remained with the team and took on the role of head coach from 1975 to 1983. Starr was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.

“Hometown Hall of Famers™ presented by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Allstate” is the Hall of Fame’s first nationwide plaque program and will lead into the celebration of its 50th anniversary in August 2012.

For more information on the program, fans can visit www.profootballhof.com. Also, Allstate’s website ishttp://www.allstate.com.

Taryn Parker, an Account Coordinator with Taylor and a fan of lombardiave.com, provided us with this information. We are grateful and happy to let all our readers know about The honor being bestowed upon Mr. Starr.

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