Things are obviously going to be different for the Packers this week, playing in an empty Lambeau Field.
So they’re going to have to come up with a way to celebrate differently as well.
Via Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Packers tight end Robert Tonyan wasn’t aware that his Lambeau Leap last year against Washington was the last one for the foreseeable future.
“When you come to Lambeau Field, you think of the Lambeau Leap right away,” Tonyan said. “Right outside the pro shop, you see it. The fans come and take pictures doing the Lambeau Leap with the statue.
“I think that it is a big loss for the team and obviously the touchdowns and the fan thing. I think until they’re back in and do it the right way, then we can’t do it, you know? There’s no reason to do it.”
There were touchdowns for the Packers since in regular season games and the playoffs since Tonyan’s Dec. 8, 2019 score, but none of the scorers took to the stands in the traditional way. Tonyan joked that when he scored: “The first thing I’m thinking about is jumping into the stands.”
Now, even if fans get back in at some point this season, the Leap is on hold because of COVID-19. With the first six to eight rows of every stadium tarped off (and sold for advertising to make up some revenue), the immediate connection won’t be there.
And it won’t be quite the same.