Category Archives: NFL

NFL

Foreman, Jay

ud02tx foremanCard: Upper Deck Houston Texans 2002 Inaugural Season
Acquired: 2014, Future Considerations

Jay Foreman was an intimidating presence at linebacker for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. A four year starter there, Jay finished with 233 tackles, ranking him 12th best in school history. Taken in the 5th round of the 1999 draft, Foreman was inactive for a good portion of his rookie season due to a logger jam at linebacker on the team. He’d play on special teams in the final 4 games of the season. It wasn’t really until 2001 that Foreman got his chance to shine for the Bills. The team converted to the 4-3 defense and kicked Sam Cowart inside, leaving 2 spots to be fought over at outside linebacker. The big loser was John Holecek, a stalwart defender who found himself surprisingly cut due to the Bills precarious salary cap situation. Foreman was supposed to battle it out with Kenyatta Wright and Jeremy Spoon for the backup job at MLB to Cowart, but by the beginning of the season, Foreman was starting at right linebacker for the Bills. He’d have a pretty respectable season with 72 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries, – right in time for a new contract.

The Bills, still contractually herniated needed to figure out to do with Jay. Enter the Houston Texans. The rookie Texans became a dumping ground of sorts for bloated contracts to go to die, while alleviating much needed cap space for the teams who gave up players. With the expansion draft underway the Texans selected offensive back Charlie Rogers with the 11th pick. The Bills had pined for Rogers, put some calls into the Texans, and before everybody knew it, the trade was consummated. Foreman was a steal for the Texans, as he’d have his best season as a pro officially recording 137 tackles (197 by Texans’ coach estimates) at LILB. He’d post another good season for the team before injuries limited him to 11 games in 2004. After the ’04 season, the Texans coaching staff blew up the defense trying to go younger, and allowed both Foreman and Jamie Sharper to explore trade options after the team signed Morlon Greenwood. Unable to find a trade partner, both players were eventually cut. Foreman went on to play two more forgetable seasons for the New York Giants and San Fransisco 49ers before finally retiring.

I had heard that Jay was appearing at a Texans Ambassador appearance in East Texas, and with Lance going, I went ahead and exercised one of my future options. I sent him a few cards for both myself and him to get signed and crossed my fingers that everything would work out. Overall a pretty nice card, and I am glad to get Jay’s autograph on it. I would love to eventually complete this set out, but many members of the expansion Texans franchise roster has already slipped under the radar.

G/Gs  84/60     Tac  527    Sac 4.5      Fum 4     Int 0      Yds 0      Avg -.-      Td 0        Lg -.-

NFL

Jeffires, Haywood (4) “Freakwood”

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pset92 jeffirespset91 jeffiresud91 jeffiresJeffires and meCards: Topps 1990, Topps 1992, Topps Stadium Club 1992, SkyBox 1992 LL, ProSet 1992, ProSet 1992 PB, ProSet 1992 LL, ProSet 1992 Milestone, Upper Deck 1992, Upper Deck SP 1993, Fleer 1991, Fleer Ultra 1991, ProSet 1991, Proline Portraits 1992, Proline Profiles 1992, Proline Profiles 1992 #2, Score 1991, Upper Deck 1991.

Acquired: In Person, 10/26/14 GMC Monday Night Football Tour
See Also: Haywood Jeffires, Haywood Jeffires (2), Haywood Jeffires (3)

When I heard that Haywood Jeffires was appearing with Ernest Givins at the GMC Monday Night Football Event in Houston I penciled it on my itinerary for that weekend. Held at the Katy Mall, it was pretty much a straight shot once I got to the 10. Unlike previous events and the Austin event held the previous year there was a limit on the vouchers to prevent multiple autograph requests. This was not announced before the event. If that had been the case, I may not have gone. Ernest was a last second cancellation- replaced by another member of the Fab 4, Curtis Duncan. Still I planned ahead in case of a problem and things worked out great.

Oh and the insane amount of cards that Haywood signed, I just used my autograph mind control powers on the handlers. After talking to them for a few minutes, they just let me ask Haywood directly when there were no more fans waiting in line. I mean the worst he could say was, “No”, right? I offered him any card that he wanted, but he just opted to sign everything I had instead. He loved my Houston Oilers hat, to which I explained to him it was classic, not vintage since it was actually an Apex hat from 1992. We talked about the preseason game against the Cowboys when Bucky Ricahrdson flipped a last second pass to his left hand and tossed a TD in the end zone, and about how long I’d been a fan of his, bringing up how I wrote him in the past for his autograph, when he used to shorthand his autograph to “H. Jeffires”. He asked me how I knew that, and I said that I was a real fan, remember? He tossed in the final photo with all the cards as a final send off. By far abashedly this was my biggest single player haul ever, beating out a previous in person appearance by Eric Metcalf by 8 or 9.  I’m sure I’ll dig up a few more cards of Jeffires for next time, even though he’s already zoomed to the top of my most acquired autograph player list.

mem14 jeffiresWhen I asked Haywood about who was the toughest matchup he faced, he first said the Browns with Minnefield and Dixon, then Pittsburgh, and finally just said the whole AFC Central because the teams all faced each other twice a year and they all knew one another so well. Jeffires was unaware of his status on Tecmo Super Bowl and had not played the game. Haywood and Curtis hugged when Duncan arrived. Apparently they hadn’t seen each other in quite a while and it was a nice reunion of sorts.

 

NFL, University of Texas

Williams, Aaron (2)

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Cards: SageHit 2011, Donruss Rookies & Stars 2011, Score 2011, SP Authentic 2011
Acquired: 2/26/14, Rudy’s Ribfest 4

Aaron had a difficult transition his first few years there in Buffalo, but you have to hand it to the Bills and Williams being patient with finding his role in the defensive system. After a change of head coaches and defensive coordinators, it looks like Aaron will be the team’s answer at strong safety. He started 14 games in 2013 and recorded 60 tackles, 4 interceptions, 11 passes defensed, and a forced fumble.  After the Bills were unable to come to a long term arrangement with free safety Jarius Byrd, the team upped its contract with Aaron instead.

I had a grand plan for Ribfest this year in order to hit as many of the locations as I could. Well, other than the traffic working against me, so were the guests of honor at the event, and the Rudy’s staff. They were incredibly clueless of who was going to be at which location, and who exactly any player was. It was frustrating. Still I made my first stop at the Round Rock location and waited him out. He arrived in style in a dapper, white 4 door Porsche. Aaron really liked his Donruss Rookies & Stars card and paused to show his friend the card before he signed. I got  him shortly after on these 4 cards. The 5th was his Topps debut card, but he claimed that the photo on the card was not of him. Chris Houston who was supposed to be there with him was a last minute scratch, so I bolted for the 183 location with little time to spare for Fozzy Whittaker and a mystery guest.