Fredrick, Travis

leaf13 fredrickCard: Leaf Draft 2013
Acquired: BB, Leaf Draft 2013

One of the better offensive linemen of the 2013 draft, Travis Frederick was a skilled mauler both at center and at guard for Wisconsin. Opting to declare early for the NFL draft, Travis was rated as the #1 center in the 2013 Draft.  With a run on offensive linemen early in the draft, Frederick’s card moved up into the first round where the Dallas Cowboys carefully decided to select him with the second to the last pick of round 1. Roundly criticized initially for the pick, with more glaring needs on the board, the Cowboys actually made the safest and strongest pick they could by reinforcing the offensive line that was protecting quarterback Tony Romo.

Frederick has anchored the center position since his rookie year, unseating veteran Phil Costa. (It was a milestone as he was the first Cowboys rookie center to do so.) In 2014 Frederick was named to the ProBowl after leading an exceptional line that paved the way for runningback DeMarco Murray to challenge the single season NFL rushing record. Although the Cowboys fortunes sunk early on after a promising start in 2015, Fredrick garnered his  second consecutive 2nd Team All-Pro nomination.

Holmes, Maurice

tnttalons14 holmes
Card: TNT Talons 2014
Acquired: IP 2014, San Antonio Talons v. Arizona Rattlers

After playing ball with Charleston in college, Maurice Holmes was signed as a free agent in 2012 by the San Antonio Talons collecting 8 tackles and a pass block as a rookie. Skipping 2013, Maurice returned to the Talons after injuries decimated the team’s back four during the season. Already familiar with the team’s defensive assignments and alignments, Holmes logged 21.5 total tackles and 6 pass breakups in 7 contests.

Robertson, Marcus (2)

wcard91 robertsonpac94 robertson
Cards: Wild Card 1991, Pinnacle 1994, Gameday 1994, Pacific
1995
Acquired: IP 7/11/15, Houston Oilers 25th Anniversary Party
See Also: Marcus Robertson

gday94 mrobertsonA dynamic defensive back who changed the Houston Oilers secondary when he became a fixture in 1993, Marcus Robertson was a mystery at the Anniversary Party. One of the guys who was with me got his autograph on a helmet and I immediately recognized his unique signature.  Marcus was very impressed by this Wild Card 1991 card of him. He made sure to show it to all his friends and teammates. Marcus was all smiles and thanked me for being a fan and sticking through it with the Oilers all those years.

pin94 robertsonPretty much ugly cards all around here.  The Pinnacle entry is just… all the worst combined into one card. A horrible font that’s barely readable in gold and then a really bad card back that is just too busy. It’s just impossible to read anything. GameDay continued its slow and minimal evolution into nothingness and by 1995 the brand had been completely reabsorbed into Fleer. Sure, I appreciated the tall boy entry as some of their sets are my favorites, but this one was almost too simple.

I found out about this event through Texas Autograph Club. While there was a person kind enough to put event information up there, when I asked for more information about the event, one of the regulars decided to belittle me, and tell me to do the work myself if I wanted to know. It really turned me off the site, because it was just a simple question.

 

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