Category Archives: NFL

CFL, NFL

Rodgers, Jordan

sage12 jrodgersCard: Leaf Rookies 2012, Sage Hit 2012.
Acquired: 2013, 2014 Box Breaker

The first thing you’re going to say is, “Wait a minute…” when you see the all too famous last name. Yes, Jordan is the younger brother of Green Pay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and much like Aaron, Jordan is trying to forge his own path in the face of a lot of adversity. Following a similar path as Aaron, Jordan split time at JuCo for 2 years before heading off to Vanderbilt. (In fact he’d go to the same JC (Butte) and shatter his brother’s passing records.) The SEC has always been a real difficult conference for the Commodores to excel in, but he was a winner for the team, and led Vandy to two surprising consecutive bowl appearances- the first in the history of the college. In his senior season he threw for a respectable 2,500+ yards and 15 touchdowns, putting together one of the best seasons since Jay Culter played there. As he quietly crept into the back of some sleeper experts’ draft boards, Rodgers pulled a groin muscle before the combine. Jordan was able to throw it at a pro day that Vanderbilt and Tennessee State hosted together.

leaf12 jrodgersHis good showing helped put him back on the map for many teams that attended.  After the 2012 draft Jordan was signed as a camp arm by the Jacksonville Jaguars, but was out on the street by July.  Chicago next kicked the tires on Jordan, but did not sign him. In the end, the Buccaneers looking for a new scout quarterback signed Jordan in October, after releasing Josh Freeman from their active roster. With head coach Greg Schiano bounced by ownership after the 2013 season, a new coaching staff was put in place led by Lovie Smith and Jeff Tedford. Although Tedford was Aaron Rodgers offensive coordinator in college at Cal, in February of 2014, the Bucs cut Jordan.

He went North to the CFL and landed with the British Columbia Lions.  Placed on their practice roster, he decided to go ahead and retire in 2015.

 

NFL

Wells, Jonathan

bow02 jwells
Card: Bowman 2002
Acquired: 2014, Albany Acquisition

Jonathan Wells played for the Ohio Buckeyes, where he ground out 479 carries for 2,381 yards and 27 touchdowns. He’d be taken at the top of round 4 by the then expansion Houston Texans in 2002.  Wells was expected to back up James Allen who had signed as a free agent, but Jonathan ended up getting the start in the Texans first game against the Dallas Cowboys. He finished the season as the Texans leading rusher with 529 yards and 3 TDs.  After a rough 2003, Jonathan rebounded in 2004 with 82 carries for 299 yards and 3 TDs in a crowded backfield. Splitting time at fullback the following season, Wells started 6 games rushing 90 times for 325 yards and a career high 4 TDs to go along with 22 receptions.  The team sunk to a 2-14 record and head coach Dom Capers was relieved of his duties after the season.  With a new regime installed under new head coach Gary Kubiak, Wells was a free agent. At a tryout with Seattle he blew out his calf and decided to put his energy into something else.

Wells had a nice run in Houston and was the franchise’s first career leading rusher. In addition, Jonathan was captain of the special teams 3 years running. Although Wells and fellow rookie QB David Carr were forced into the lineup right from the start behind a horrible offensive line, Jonathan has no regrets. Currently he’s been involved in record label management and is a big Buckeye fan to this day.

G/Gs 60/18   Rush 374     Yds 1167    Avg 3.1     Td 10      Lg 37
Rec  44     Yds 323     Avg 7.3      Td 2      Lg 28

 

NFL

Jeffires, Haywood (5)

gday93 jeffiresgda93 jeffires GBCards: Gameday 1993 Gamebreakers, Gameday 1993, Action Packed 1991, Score 1992.
Acquired: IP 7/11/15, Houston Oilers 25th Anniversary Party
See Also: Haywood Jeffires, Freakwood, Haywood Jeffires (3), Haywood Jeffires (4)

Well the Houston Oilers 25th Anniversary Party got off to a slow start. I expected to be able to recognize a lot of them, but to be kind, it has been a long time.  The first guy I was able to nab was Jeffires. True to form he wore his staple long shirt, and sported an epic grizzly Kimbo Slice beard. He was in an incredibly good mood, and signed these cards for me. Sure I am slowly running out of cards for him to sign, as I won’t pursue the Saints or ‘Tennessee Oilers’ cards of him, but still, he remains one ap91 jeffiressco92 jeffiresof my favorite players in a bizarre footnote of my otaku-like obsession. I shot the breeze a bit with him and shook his hand. I stopped him and said, “I can’t believe your hands are so baby smooth after all these years!” We both laughed heartily about it for a minute. I later told him that if he needed to leave, I could stand in for him and tell people that I was Haywood Jeffires.
Still I am hitting some pretty nice cards here. Somehow this Action Packed 1991 gem slipped through the cracks up to this point. Otherwise, by 1992 I had stopped collecting many of the brands of cards, and in 1993 I was done with the hobby for a while. I did not pick up Score 1992 or Gameday 1993. While Gameday seemed to respect the evolutionary process- Score’s 1992 effort was looking more and more like a children’s activity book. The redeeming quality of this particular Jeffires card is the great action shot, something that as the manufacturers’ solidified their desperate hold on the soft market- began to slide off a precipice and into the sideline/ warmup gutter.