Category Archives: NFL

Lambert, Dion

Card: Star Pics 1992
Acquired: TTM 1993, Patriots Blitz

Dion Lambert was drafted out of UCLA by the New England Patriots in the 4th round of the 1992 draft.  He earned Pac-10 Honorable Mention honors in 1990 when he made 48 tackles and broke up 4 passes, but his senior season was largely marred by a torn tendon in his right foot.  An aggressive man to man defender, at 6’1″, 190, Lambert was thought to be a nice sized defensive back that the team maybe able to slot at safety with his long arms and huge hands.  Dion was also strong for his size, rarely got blocked off the ball, and possessed tremendous closing speed.

Dion would play two seasons for New England, making 23 tackles and a fumble recovery in 1992, and 1 pick, 1 FF and 28 tackles starting 4 games in 1993. Lambert would sign with the Seahawks in 1994 where he’d play through 1995.  In 1997 the Amsterdam Admirals of the NFLE would draft Dion with their 8th round pick of the positional draft, and he’d play one season there before retiring. Since then, Dion has done some work for Greg Bell’s Athletes For Life foundation and football camps.

A nice signature in red ink on a great Star Pics 1992 card, I’d get Dion’s autograph along with a host of other Patriots at the conclusion of the 1993 season. Real nice job by the guys at Star Pics, but a common error in design is creating type that flows up the card, such as on the right of this card with the position and name of the player. Regardless, it’s still a well designed card outside of it, and the player framing inside the box is a tantalizing size to the eye combined with vivid colors and nice photography.

G/Gs 31/5     Tac  56      Sac  0         Fum  1        Int   1        Yds   0     Avg 0    Td 0    Lg 0

Ryans, DeMeco

Card: Score 2009
Acquired: TTM 2009, Texans Blitz


The Texans in 2006 took Mario Williams with the overall #1 pick, but it was their second rounder- DeMeco Ryans that would steal the show. Ryans was taken by the Texans to play MLB after checking in at 6’1″, 236 and ran a 4.65 40 at the top of the 2nd round. He’d be moved from outside linebacker to middle linebacker by the team, where he immediately assumed a leadership role and started calling plays. A head hunter who has great instincts, Ryans was dominant right out of the gate he ended up winning the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year Honors in 2006 with a remarkable campaign  making 156 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 5 pass defensed, and a pick. He’d follow this up with a decisive 2007 and be named AP and to his first ProBowl.  His dominance would continue, and in 2009 he was named to the Pro Bowl again and the Texans offered him a lucrative contract.

DeMeco’s 2010 would be a let down. Injuries would limit the Pro Bowl star to only 6 games, yielding to an Achilles injury that would end his season and would spell the death knell for the Texans’ defense. He’d finish with 54 tackles and 1 forced fumble while the team would collapse even further going 2-7 down the stretch. It’s obvious looking forward that Ryans is the key to the Texans’ defensive plans. As the team moves to his native 3-4 defense and DeMeco continues his rehabilitation, all signs point to go for the young rising star.

G/Gs  70/70      Tac  436      Sac  8.5      Fum  8
Int 2       Yds 17      Avg 8.5        Td   0        Lg 16

Awalt, Robert

Card: ProSet 1990
Acquired: In Person 1991, Dallas Cowboys Training Camp

Okay, I could never understand the Cardinals organization’s logic when it came to their tight ends. Here you have a proven veteran in Jay Novacek. You watch him leave Plan B to the Dallas Cowboys where he goes on to burn defenses across the league. In the meantime, the Cardinals groom promising Robert Awalt who actually starts and front of Novacek,(named NFC offensive rookie of the year in 1987,) but then roughly two years later, traded Awalt away to that same Dallas Cowboys organization. Just makes me scratch my head. (In Rob’s first few weeks for the organization, Robert would wear 46 as pictured on the card until 89 became available for him to wear.) Awalt would play behind Jay in two injury plagued seasons for the Cowboys primarily as a blocking tight end and occasional receiver. In 1992 Rob joined the Buffalo Bills, making 2 SuperBowl appearances there before retiring at the age of 29, after being placed on injured reserve to repair a torn rotator cuff in 1993.

I got Robert’s autograph on his ProSet 1990 at Cowboys Training camp, at the infamous autograph alley back in 1991- I think from what I remember at the final fence line before the players walk onto the playing field. I was a regular as background fodder on the local sportscasts and also had my picture once in the Dallas Morning News getting crushed in the alleyway by fans leaning me into the fence trying to get autographs. Those were good times despite the heat, and I never failed at getting an autograph everyday I was there.

G/Gs  95/44   Rec 138   Yds  1583   Avg  11.5   Td  10   lg 52