GREEN BAY (WFRV) – The final piece of tape from the Packers’ 2020 season might be hard for some fans to watch, with a close loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Buccaneers in the NFC Championship game.

Not for Jaire Alexander. It’s his favorite film strip.

The All-Pro corner picked off Tom Brady twice in the game to give Green Bay a puncher’s chance, a standout performance on one of the biggest stages of the season.

Frankly, the only real way to describe it is by creating a new metaphor.

“You guys ever see, like, an ant climb up a mountain?” Alexander asked reporters Friday. “Like a cold mountain? Like a real cold mountain. Hmm, probably not, huh?

“I haven’t either – but that’s how I felt.”

Whatever the metaphor truly means, it’s easier to find its significance in Alexander’s game. Ants are renowned for their strength and perseverance – climbing the mountain – and number 23 ascended to the peak of his own game in January.

“I just think he’s a complete package,” head coach Matt LaFleur said. “First of all, he’s got the talent. He’s got great instincts as well and he works at it. I think he attacks it with the right mindset each day.”

Now, it’s about building off a strong 2020 and improving even more.

“It’s just me versus me out there,” Alexander said. “It’s a different kind of perspective, you know? I don’t really get too involved with what other people are doing because that’s not going to make me better.”

Even while shutting out the noise, the man referred to as “Ja Island” can’t help but hear some of the praise, especially now being mentioned as one of the top corners in the game.

The key for him, though, is to strike the balance between pride and humility.

“I’m just thankful that everyone else gets a chance to see what I always thought I was,” Alexander said. “I think that it’s cool, you know, but at the same time, it’s also humbling because I know where I came from.

“I’m the ant climbing up the cold mountain.”