Packers wide receiver Allen Lazard on Clubhouse Live: 'We still have a lot more room to keep growing'

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Allen Lazard co-hosted Monday's Clubhouse Live, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin’s live weekly football show. Packers offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins was Lazard’s guest. 

The show can be seen live at The Clubhouse Sports Pub & Grill in downtown Appleton or on any of our USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Facebook pages or websites, including clubhouselive.com. It can also be seen on our YouTube channel.

Here are select and edited answers from the interview:

REPLAY:  Watch Clubhouse Live with Allen Lazard and Elgton Jenkins

Q: What are some of the highlights that stood out to you as you reviewed Sunday's 24-14 victory over the Bears?

Lazard: Overall, great team win. I think we were able to battle back through the ups and downs, momentum swings of the game. They obviously came out the first drive and were able to put up points. And our defense pretty much shut them down from there on out the rest of the game, which I think is a testament for the growth that they've had over this entire season. And our offense, as well. We go back to Week 1 and remember the conversation we were having here on the show about where we were and what we thought we could get out of the season and everything. And here we are, five weeks later, feeling a lot better and a lot more confident. So, we just know that we have to take all the positives from the game yesterday and still correct our mistakes to get better. But we still have a lot more room to keep growing and keep on pushing forward.

Q: The injuries continue to pile up, especially on the defensive side, yet you've been able to string together a five-game winning streak. How have you been able to stack the successes despite the many injuries you've sustained so far? Winning is never easy in the NFL.

Lazard: Yeah, you're right. And that's why we're thankful for all wins, even the ugly ones. I think it goes back to just the standard that we set. Obviously, we set the new standard every single year going into the beginning of the season. But it has also been the standard that has been around this place for a long, long time of putting in work, holding that standard of going out there and being accountable for your job - no matter what it is and whatever we ask of you. And I think we've done a great job of - no matter who we have out there - the other 10 guys have that guy's back and they're able to kind of corral around each other. And to be able to work together, to be able to go out there and execute very well.

Q: Aaron Rodgers said afterward that offensive line coach Adam Stenavich drew up the play that resulted in your 1-yard touchdown reception off the shovel pass. It is common throughout the course of the season to add new plays to the playbook? And how long do you practice a new play before everyone feels comfortable dialing it up in a game?

Lazard: How often? A lot, honestly. The first four weeks of a season, particularly, are figuring out your identity of who you are offensively and defensively. With your base plays, play-action, runs, deep passes and whatnot. From there, you've got to evolve each week into who you're facing and the opponents and the defenses that they run - who they try to key off of on what particular players. Are they trying to double Davante (Adams)? Or are they more concerned about Aaron (Jones) scatting out of the backfield? So constantly, we're changing plays, or we're tweaking plays as far as we could switch the formation of how we run them. We could alter the protection here and there. We could alter the personnel. So we could go from two tight ends to three receivers. So, there are multiple things that we do each week and throughout the season as far as adding new plays and practicing those new plays. 

When we feel comfortable running them? That's just kind of the thing in practice that if it goes well, and everyone kind of - it's just a feeling that you're confident in running the play, I guess.

Q: We mentioned the injury bug earlier, but how have you, as an offensive line, been able to maintain such a high level of play while having to plug different guys in as your room battles through all the bumps and bruises?

Jenkins: Shoutout Steno (offensive line coach Adam Stenavich) and (assistant offensive line coach Luke) Butkus for the game plan and making sure everything is simple and we are good with what we're doing on that particular play on Sunday. And then, it's just a culture in the room. Everybody, it's the next-man-up mentality. And we've got good players in our room that are ready to play and approach every game like they're the starters. So, the culture - and just guys being pros. Guys being guys and just loving one another and playing for one another is real big. You see it on Sundays. Just having each other's back and going out there and dominating. 

Contact Brett Christopherson at (920) 993-7117 or bchristopherson@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PCBrettC.