Getty ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 15: Tackle T.J. Lang #70 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates as he walks off the field after the Packers won 48-21 against the Atlanta Falcons during their 2011 NFC divisional playoff game at Georgia Dome on January 15, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Would the homecoming of T.J. Lang and Josh Sitton really have felt complete without some pregame antics from the retired Green Bay Packers starters?
Lang and Sitton, both crucial members of the Packers offensive line earlier this decade, were back at Lambeau Field as honorary captains for Sunday afternoon’s 20-15 victory over the Washington Redskins and walked out of the tunnel to thunderous applause from Packers faithful during the pregame.
The two stopped partway onto the field for one of their signature, interlocking-arm celebrations before retrieving beers from within their jackets, emphatically chugging them before the crowd.
Lang and Sitton each ended his career with another NFC North team, as Sitton spent some time with the Chicago Bears before a brief stint in Miami and Lang finished out his final two seasons in the league with the Detroit Lions. Both of them announced their NFL retirements during the offseason, capping careers that each included multiple Pro-Bowl honors and shared a Super Bowl championship.
Prompting their homecoming, Sitton returned a few days before the game and retired as a member of the Packers organization to put the finishing touches on his 11-year career that saw him named an All-Pro in three consecutive seasons. He got a chance to reflect on his career talking with reporters at the team’s facility last Friday afternoon.
“It’s the most storied organization in the NFL,” Sitton said, “and just to be a part of that, to have my name as a part of this organization, is an incredible honor. Most organizations aren’t all about winning championships. Green Bay is all about winning championships and that was extremely important to me in my career and it was an honor to be able to win a championship here.”
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Sitton Has Packers Picked to Win Super Bowl
While speaking to reporters and a front-row crew of former teammates Aaron Rodgers, Bryan Bulaga and David Bakhtiari, Sitton didn’t just talk about the Super Bowl he won with the Packers. He also looked ahead to what he hoped would be their next championship — at the conclusion of the current season.
“I hope y’all can do it again this year because y’all are my bet,” Sitton said, drawing laughs from the room. That might have made it seem like a joke, but Sitton is likely serious. At least about the Packers’ potential to go all the way in 2019.
At 10-3, the Packers are shaping up to have their best campaign since before Sitton was cut from the team near the start of the 2016 season and took over the No. 2 seed after their most recent win — and the Saints’ loss — on Sunday afternoon. It wasn’t the cleanest win against one of the league’s worst squads, but the Packers are plenty content to just be winning, no matter how ugly it might look.
“We’re all in this together, there’s no doubt about it,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Monday afternoon. “I love the mentality of our guys. I don’t think anybody was satisfied with yesterday, and I’d be disappointed if they were.”
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Former Packers Celebrate Return With Pregame Beer Chug [WATCH]