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’ 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.[...]

Packers’ D tries to gain edge, takes UCLA DE Datone Jones

April 26th, 2013

Tall, athletic defensive end figures to add speed, versatility to Green Bay front seven By CHRIS HAVEL GREEN BAY – With the 26th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers chose Common Sense, embodied by a tall, athletic defensive end from UCLA named Datone Jones. Jones – whose first name is pronounced DAY-tone – thus the nickname, Da Tone Setter, is at once an obvious, exciting and encouraging pick. The obvious, of course, is that the Packers’ need at defensive end could not be overstated. Four of the top five – including B.J. Raji – are in the final year of their[...]

Packers’ schedule presents great challenge, opportunity

April 22nd, 2013

By CHRIS HAVEL GREEN BAY – Two off-season dates on the NFL calendar draw tremendous interest from fans. The first is the release of the schedule. The second is the three-day NFL draft. For Packers’ fans these dates are prominently circled for good reason: No other team’s fan base has as great a vested interest. 2013 Printable Packers Schedule (Right Click, 'Save As' to download) 2013 PFT Package Information To them the schedule is the straw that stirs the[...]

Favre wise to wait before making Green Bay return

April 15th, 2013

By CHRIS HAVEL GREEN BAY – Brett Favre can laugh about it now. The old gunslinger told a Dallas radio station during the weekend that his trade to the New York Jets in 2008 and signing with Minnesota in 2009 “made for good TV when I came back, didn’t it?” Favre predicted he will return to Green Bay, which is to say he will return to be honored by his former team. He didn’t say when he planned to do that, though. “As far as coming back to Green Bay?” Favre said. “We’ll do it one day.” Favre, 43, also said he never used retirement as[...]

4/8 Packers Scoop: Locker Room Cameras, Woodson's Future, Rodgers' Contract, & the NFL Draft

April 8th, 2013

GREEN BAY – Green Bay Packers fans never fail to amaze me. Whether it is free agency, the draft or an upcoming game they have an opinion, and generally they also have the Packers’ best interests at heart. The most recent example involves cameras and the locker room. The NFL has ordered teams to place cameras inside the locker rooms with video to be shown only on stadium scoreboards this season. Commissioner Roger Goodell hailed it as a way for the league to further enhance the in-game experience for its fans. NFL vice-president of business operations Eric Grubman said the cameras will provide[...]

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