Lucky No. 13: Clubhouse Live hits jackpot with Packers wide receiver Allen Lazard
Brett ChristophersonWhat was your favorite Allen Lazard moment last season?
Maybe it was when the Green Bay Packers wide receiver posted six receptions for 146 yards – both career highs – and a touchdown in a Week 3 victory against New Orleans. Those receiving yards, by the way, were the most by a Packers player who went undrafted since 1966, which marks the beginning of what’s deemed the NFL’s common draft era.
Or perhaps it was securing that clutch 58-yard TD catch in the Packers’ NFC divisional playoff victory over the Rams – a grab that marked the longest scoring reception in team postseason history since Donald Driver’s 90-yard TD snag against the Giants in the 2007 NFC championship.
Or maybe it was one of the many big blocks he delivered to free up a teammate to make a big play.
All worthy choices, certainly. But for those of us who are part of USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin’s Clubhouse Live team, it was the night he brought Davante Adams to the show.
And Jaire Alexander. And Adrian Amos. And AJ Dillon. And Elgton Jenkins. And Kevin King. And Darnell Savage. And Robert Tonyan. And Marquez Valdes-Scantling. And even No. 12 himself – Aaron Rodgers.
Now THAT’S an All-Pro effort.
The 25-year-old Lazard has agreed to co-host Clubhouse Live for a second straight season. And while he won’t make any guarantees as to which teammates will tag along as his guests this time around, he’s excited for fans to see the many fun personalities that will make up the 2021 Packers – including his own.
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“There are no teasers or anything of who can potentially come,” said Lazard, who will make his debut as part of our Sept. 13 season-premiere show. “Obviously, you saw who I had last year (as guests) with those guys. But I think I’ll be able to bring a lot of good, entertaining teammates and just bring something new to the show this year.”
The award-winning Clubhouse Live can be seen Mondays at 6:30 p.m. during the Packers season at the remodeled Clubhouse Sports Pub & Grill inside the Paper Valley Hotel in downtown Appleton. It's our intention to return to an in-person format after going virtual last year, but that plan is subject to change.
The show, which is entering its 13th season, will also stream live on any of our USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Facebook pages and websites, including facebook.com/packersnews and clubhouselive.com, and on our YouTube channel. It will be made available to viewers on mobile, desktop, tablet and streaming devices.
Our game plan remains the same. We’ll review how the Packers fared, take a look at who’s next and examine some of the trends and headlines seen throughout the NFL.
But Clubhouse Live is a football show that’s not always about football. That's our mantra. So instead of doing a deep dive into the X's and O's of how the Packers pummeled the Bears, Lions and Vikings, we challenged Alexander to show off his juggling skills, quizzed Adams and Rodgers on their NBA knowledge and asked Tonyan what it means to be “steezy.”
Sure, we’ll talk football. But we’ll also have our fun as we give fans a glimpse into the lives of Lazard and his teammates away from football through a fun and interactive discussion.
That all sounds good to Lazard. And so does having people back in the seats.
“I think that was the biggest missing piece last year – not being able to have the in-person interaction with the fans and the crowd reaction and ... see the kids and everything,” Lazard said. “At the end of the day, I love doing what I do. But it’s really being able to go out there and inspire other people to be able to interact with them and build that connection and relationship with the fans.”
Look for more details and other show information, including the health and safety protocols that will be in place this season, on our Facebook page at facebook.com/clubhouselive.
Contact Brett Christopherson at (920) 993-7117 or bchristopherson@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PCBrettC.