#16 Packers POV: Allen Lazard

In this episode of the Packers POV podcast, wide receiver Allen Lazard discusses his favorite grocery items, reveals his greatest achievement to date and details his goals for the year ahead.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hello, and welcome to Packers p o V, a podcast
that aims to shine a light on the human behind
the helmet. I'm your host, Taylor Rodgers, and we are
here inside historic lambeau Field. Today's guests graduated from Iowa
State as a school's all time leader in receptions and
receiving yards, earning first team All Big Twelve honors twice.

(00:26):
After going undrafted, he is now the Packers receiving yards leader,
eclipsing his career best single season mark against Tennessee. Introducing
Green Bay Packers wide out Alan Jamal Lazard. What's up, Alan?
How doing doing well? It's nice to have finally a
little bit of a break on the back side of
that Titans game. Yes, it is very refreshing, to say

(00:48):
the least. Did you take advantage? I did? I did.
Actually went down to see some family in Chicago. Um,
just kind of get away from the weekend and spend
some time and not really think about football and every
thing and just kind of be able to enjoy the
simpler things. And who was down there? Both my parents
showed up, My little brother came as well, and then
my dad has an aunt, uncle and another aunt, and um,

(01:12):
his cousin out there, So I think I have four
family members in Chicago. That's a pretty good reunion. Yeah,
it was great, especially for Thanksgiving. Um, we won't really
get to see each other too much and everything, so
kind of a pre Thanksgiving. And my dad's birthday was
at the beginning of the month, so it's kind of
a nice little family family time to be able to
celebrate multiple things. Did you guys get into any adventures
down there now? We just went to dinner, which was

(01:34):
great for my family and everything. Good food, good time
to just be able to conversate and just kind of
catch up. I know you're also a big juice guy. Yeah,
you've gone viral on social media with your juice rate reviews.
What is your juice of choice at the moment? I
think my juice of choice every day is going to
be freshly squeezed orange joice. It's hard to be um.
I like switching it up every once in a while,

(01:55):
apple juice. UM. I like cranberry juice and stuff anything
that's natural, not loaded with sugar, and a bunch of
other stuff. Um, it's usually my favorite go to, but
orange is hands down every single day. And you mentioned
favorite foods water. Some of those my favorite foods. Um,
I'm big, I'm bacon. I love bacon steak, and I

(02:17):
grew up in Iowa, so it's kind of hard to
get get away from those two things. Um. But other
than that, I mean, I eat a lot of food.
I love vegetables. I love fruit obviously, and I have
a really bad sweet tooth that we actually have. A
High Vy just opened up here in town in Green Bay,
and that's something I grew up on, was going to
High Vy um all the time as a kid and everything.
And I've always loved the produce and just like the

(02:40):
store set up and everything. So I want to want
to um. Hivy here the other day and this bakery
and dessert area was different than any other High v
I've ben do, so it was way more top notch.
And they had um, like this coconut mango moose that
I got. Um, It's like little chocolate truffle cake, vanilla
butter butter cake. What else did they have? They're just

(03:02):
like a small, little intricate desserts that are just all
over the place. Man, that sounds decade. It was great.
It was great. I think I gotta go back now.
I'm thinking about it again. You've also been prominent on
social media posting about your growth and development, saying, the
biggest thing I've learned from this past year is who
I am, so who is Alan Lazar. I'm a person

(03:24):
that's constantly growing, learning, trying to figure out life just
like everyone else. But I think the most important thing
along that journey is being okay to make mistakes. And
I think that's something I learned um really kind of
going into the NFL and everything was that going undrafted.
I was obviously devastated and really down on myself, but
I kind of had two options. I could either just

(03:45):
let that be the reality, or I could try to
change it as much as I could, And to change it,
I had to make several mistakes to learn how to
grow and learn how to get better, and to learn
on what things would work right for me personally and
on the field as well. So things are always going
to go your way and things aren't going to always
be easy, but you know, if you stay persistent, consistent,

(04:07):
and you know you see the bigger picture of things,
and eventually you'll be able to get there. So you
mentioned going undrafted, you end up in Jacksonville, And you've
talked about that as being extremely hot and super grueling
and tough mentally. How far away from just shutting this
football thing down were you at that point in time. Um,

(04:29):
I wouldn't say I was. I wouldn't want to shut
it down, but it was it was hard to see
the future. It was hard to see any hope. Really,
It's what I felt like when I was down in Jacksonville.
I was on the practice squad. I was working hard
every week or in the offense scout team, deepen the
scout team, special team, scout team, and then watching the
game from the sidelines on Sunday. So it was something

(04:50):
hard for me. Like you mentioned, I had a pretty
prolific career. I would stay and so I was used
to playing a lot, being a main guy and getting
the ball a bunch of stuff. So to kind of
do a complete one eighty, you know, it was tough
for me at first, But you know, I think the
thing was that just kept consistent, and the day that
I did get the call to come up here to

(05:10):
be part of the packers and everything, I actually remember
thinking like this is it, Like this is your second chance,
and so to speak, and so you may do with
it as you want to. So as soon as I
got up here, I kind of just zoned in focus
and you know, try to make the best impression on
the players, coaches, and UM front office here so I
could stay here as long as I could. You took advantage.

(05:32):
You come to Green Bay, you don't get in the
Jets game, but season finale at home versus Detroit. One
play and you make a catch. Yeah, And and to me,
that's why I tell people my greatest accomplishment is my
greatest achievement. And most people don't see it as that
because it was a seven yard catch, it was one

(05:52):
play and a kind of a pointless game for both teams.
But for me, it was everything, especially at that moment
in time. Um, just for all the hardships that I've
been through throughout my life in my career up to
that point of just being on the Peace squad and everything,
and kind of just learning the whole NFL business and
how things work and when will I get my shot
and how can I take advantage of it? And how

(06:13):
can I grow and how can I expand my role
and how can I make a bigger and better name
for myself? As far as what I visualized, and so
at that moment when I got that catch and everything,
I knew that worst case scenario, I never played football again.
I'm in the staff book, you know, Like I I've
proven to myself. And I think that was the biggest
thing that I learned, was that not to prove other

(06:34):
people wrong, but just to prove myself right. And so
keeping that positive mindset and keep reaching for new new
heights and new goals was something I've kind of developed
in that time period to learn just to keep on
trying to prove myself right, prove myself right, and not
really worry about the external noises. Where did you learn
that mentality from? Probably my parents, you know, I definitely

(06:55):
now that I'm twenty six, by twenty seven get into
this quote unquote later state in my life, which I
know is still very young, but coming from high school
and just being a adolescent and teenager of just realizing
the value of parents and the people that are around
you that help mold you into who you are. And
I've been very grateful and thankful to have not only
a great family, but great friends and great coaches as well,

(07:18):
um throughout my life and teachers too. I've been very
blessed to have people that have always saw something in
me and always pushed me to be the best version
of me. And even at times when I didn't see that,
especially as a kid, you know, they still were um
consistent on it and everything. And it's always great going
back and seeing old coaches, old teachers and just seeing
their faces light up because you know they saw me

(07:39):
where I am today many years ago of being able
to achieve this, and so I'm just very thankful for
their guidance and their help along the way. You've had
a lot of family go to Iowa State, your mom,
your dad, your brother, I think, your sister. Now what's
that reunion like? And how cyclone focused? Is it? Very

(08:00):
Vario psychle focused? For us, It's nothing really new because
I feel like that's just how we grew up. My dad,
if you ever get the chance to meet my dad,
it's probably one of the most passionate people that I know,
especially about the game of football, and even more so
by Iowa State. You know, he got one scholarship to
go to foot or to go to college and ended
up being Iowa State, and so you just see the

(08:21):
love that he has for the school, the passion that
he has for the game, and even from being three
four years old, you know, he's just constantly been rewinding
plays showing me what I should do in this situation
and how I should make this move or why this
guy messed up, or how I should answer interviews and stuff.
And I feel like my whole life he's just kind
of really prepared me and molded me and to be

(08:43):
able to be who I am today, to be able
to be this athlete or football player, to be able
to kind of handle the role that the way that
I've been able to. So my dad, Yeah, his his passion,
his love. I mean, my dad will be the same
way at a Green Bay pack of football game for
the NFC Championship as he is for my sisters seventh

(09:03):
grade basketball game or volleyball games. So just the love
and support that he has for not only me, but
just everyone in my family and even friends that I
have or other family members that I've seen them go support. Um,
it's definitely kind of where the whole love for Iowa
State and game of football that was developed. This being

(09:25):
Thanksgiving week and a week of gratitude, what would you
like to say to your dad, and what are you
most thankful for? Probably his craziness, you know, his love,
his passion, you know, his discipline, nous. He disciplined me
a lot as a kid. Um, not to say that
I was a bad kid or that I got I'm
about of trouble, but um, he was just always on me,

(09:47):
you know, as well as my grandpa as well. And
I think most of us are like, we're spitting images
of our parents, naturally, but there's always a little voice
in our heads. It's like, oh, I'm never nothing like
my dad. I'm never like my mom. Like now that
I'm getting older, I'm like, wow, I'm starting to do
the exact same things that I used to watch him
do as a kid. And so you know, I'm just
thankful just for you know, like I said, the sacrifice

(10:09):
that he made. I mean, just to see the importance
of having both parents in the house, to have a
strong man in your life as a kid, to show
you guidance, to show you love, to show you discipline,
and many more things that he showed me throughout my life,
you know, Like I said, I went down to Chicago
this past weekend and spend time with my family and
to seeing him interact with his aunt and uncle's and

(10:32):
the bond they have, and um seeing how it's reciprocated
in my family as well. It's just something that I
have a lot of love for. Your Dad's told you
before the truth will set you free, and being true
to yourself. Who do you want to be? I want
to be someone that could be an example, you know.
I think that's something I take a lot of pride

(10:52):
and that when you don't know where to look, you know,
you can look towards me and find guidance, find reassurance.
You know. I'm someone that's always positive, always trying to
uplift others, to get the best out of others, to encourage,
to help pick up. And so you know, I've always

(11:13):
enjoyed being the crutch for other people in their lives
and everything, whether it's been like figuratively or realistically, like
in the game of football as well of just being
you know, third and long and fourth quarter and we
need this first down, of just being that guy to
be able to step up. And so I feel like
it's carried that mindset is kind of carried throughout my
life in every aspect and for you personally, what do

(11:36):
you want to accomplish in your I think this next
year in life is more so just about just you know,
I feel like I've been working a lot my my
life to get to a point where it's like to
be able to relax, so to speak, And I think
I'm getting closer. That's to that point where when I
get to twenty seven, I'll be closing a chapter of
my life and opening up a new chapter. And I

(11:57):
feel like this new chapter in life is to have
a plethora of nuances as far as challenges that obstacles
and adversity that I will be going through, but just
to always remain true to who I am and to
not get too caught up in the things that don't matter,
to always stay supportive and loving to those that have

(12:18):
always been supportive and loving of me. And two always
want to grow, always want to get better, and never
lose that drive of wanting to be the best. You know.
I think that's that's always been within me. I've always
saw myself as being able to reach the highest of
heights and everything. So now that I'm hitting this new
chapter in life, I'm just not to lose that. That's

(12:39):
a beautiful way to close Thank you so much, Allen,
absolutely thank you for having me, and thank you for
listening to Packers p o V. To learn more about
what Alan is doing off the field, visit at the
top dot life, Take care and see you next time.