Chris Havel is a national best-selling author and his latest book is Lombardi: An Illustrated Life. Havel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4-6 p.m. CDT on WDUZ FM 107.5 The Fan, or on AM-1400, as well as Fan Internet Radio [www.thefan1075.com]. Havel also hosts Packer Fan Tours’ Player Autograph Receptions the evening before every Packers home game.

Packers’ defense better hope Bishop’s position is handled

June 17th, 2013

Desmond Bishop Flash Sale! Mini helmet - $39 (reg $59) Authentic Football - $99 (reg $149) Full Size Helmet -  $179 (reg $239) Brad Jones is next inside linebacker up; could Nick Barnett make GB return? By CHRIS HAVEL Desmond Bishop is out. Brad Jones is in. Two questions come to mind. First, do the Packers and defensive coordinator Dom Capers have the right guy to replace Bishop in Jones? Second, have the Packers completed their depth chart at inside linebacker? Or is it possible ex-Packers’ linebacker Nick Barnett, currently a free agent and recently seen in Green Bay, be in the mix? News of Bishop’s release came via a[...]

Lombardi’s greatness would endure today

June 10th, 2013

Legendary coach’s 100th birthday a milestone worth remembering By CHRIS HAVEL Vincent Thomas Lombardi would have celebrated his 100th birthday on Tuesday. Both the milestone and the NFL’s greatest head coach are worth remembering for many reasons. Foremost, all things Lombardi are synonymous with success. There are the 1960’s Green Bay Packers teams that became a dynasty. There is the NFL as it grew to become this country’s national pastime. There is the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s that shared Lombardi’s belief that regardless of race, creed or color all people are created equal. Perhaps the most enduring legacy is the one that exists[...]

Deacon Jones’ passing conjures images of NFL’s greatest defensive lines

June 5th, 2013

Packers’ front fours in 1962, 1996 rank among the NFL’s best ever By CHRIS HAVEL The Green Bay Packers’ 1996 defensive line is among the NFL’s greatest of all-time. It is probably the most underrated, too. News of the great David “Deacon” Jones’ death Monday at age 74 triggered a barrage of bone-jarring memories. Images flashed of Jones using a since-outlawed head slap to shock opposing offensive linemen before obliterating the quarterback. Jones, along with Merlin Olsen, Lamar Lundy and Rosey Grier comprised the Rams’ “Fearsome Foursome,” long considered one of the greatest defensive lines in NFL history. Jones’ passing resurrected thoughts of the great[...]

Building on success remains a constant under McCarthy

May 28th, 2013

Past accomplishments, recent shakeups give reason to think Packers will be among NFC’s elite teams in 2013 By CHRIS HAVEL The numbers don’t lie. A look at the Packers’ offensive production under coach Mike McCarthy reveals an explosive unit that has everything it needs to be dominant. Everything, that is, except a running game and upgraded pass protection. The draft and the offensive line changes should facilitate improvement in both of those areas. By maintaining all that’s been good in Green Bay’s offensive attack, McCarthy wisely moved to make significant changes sooner than later. The key is more consistency. Increased consistency means more snaps. More[...]

Packers’ newcomers draw attention now; come camp 5 key veterans must step up

May 20th, 2013

Bulaga isn’t the only offensive lineman who is being counted on heavily By CHRIS HAVEL Rookies and first-year free agents receive the majority of scrutiny in the off-season, and understandably so, but it is the returning core players who largely decide an NFL team’s fate. In the offseason, the possibilities seem endless for newcomers such as Datone Jones, Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin. The reality is this: For the Packers to advance deep into the 2013 playoffs, they will need more than a boost from the new players. They will need at least a handful of veterans to post strong bounce-back seasons. Here are the[...]

Packers’ run attack worth a 1,000 yards

May 14th, 2013

Lacy, Franklin hope to be Green Bay’s 1-2 punch by CHRIS HAVEL Last week on Sports Line – the afternoon sports radio talk show I host on The Fan – I asked Packers’ fans to air their grievances. It seems their level of satisfaction is almost as high as their optimism. There wasn’t much griping and few complaints. Can one draft class and a reshuffled offensive line really make fans forget the number “579” and the 45-31 playoff loss at San Francisco? Yes, it appears that it can. Packers’ fans are hopeful and expectant all at once. They know the 49ers shredded the Green Bay[...]

Packers’ smooth operation resonates throughout draft

April 30th, 2013

BY CHRIS HAVEL Write it down. Save it for posterity. Take it to the bank. Years from now, Packers’ fans will reflect on this past week, smile and be reminded that the football operation simply wasn’t in good hands. It was in Ted Thompson’s hands. At the conclusion of an epic week in which the Packers’ top two stars were re-signed to record contract extensions, and the GM conducted the draft like a maestro, the NFL’s top story was this: Jets release Tebow! No problem with that in Green Bay. Here, the GM seeks no praise – which probably explains why he receives so little.[...]

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