Arena

Breen, Shannon

tnt14 sbreenCard: TNT AFL 2014
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent:  9/10   Received: 9/22  (12 days)

I had made a few cards for a client of mine who was a big Cleveland Gladiators friend, and decided to continue building out the AFL set on Twitter after the season had concluded. I expanded out most of the teams to at least 2 cards per set, and if I found the player I’d tweet them my art. Shannon saw what I had posted on one of the other player’s accounts and immediately hit me up for a copy of his own.  I always feel that the big men on the line get no love from card companies anymore. They are just not glamorous highlight reel stat building positions. Plus with the limited number of cards typically in sets, most of them rarely get around to the o-line.

Shannon was an All-Star tackle while playing for tiny West Virginia Wesleyan. Joining the ranks of the AFL in 2011 he played for the Green Bay Blizzard, and then in 2012, the Milwaukee Mustangs. He was a hotly pursued signee by no less than 4 AFL teams before choosing the Cleveland Gladiators. Since then he’s started 39 contests in 2 seasons for the club, and won Second Team All-Arena Honors in 2014 at Center.

A strong and well-conditioned lineman, he enjoys his offseason working and coaching at his Alma Mater.

NFL

Redding, Cory (2) “C Redd”

poff03 reddingCards: Topps Total 2003, Playoff Absolute 2003
Acquired: IP 7/19/14, Redd’s Barbershop
See Also: Cory Redding (C-Redd)

Cory decided to relaunch his Barbershop, and my oh my it is nice. A full service classic men’s barbershop Redd’s is located on the backend of 6th street away in a shopping center by MoPac. The inside has been retooled and repainted from the last time I was there. A new staff was also on hand for the relaunch. Many of them were meeting each other for the first time. I got a full treatment while I was there, including a deep tissue massage of my shoulders, hot towel, shampoo, and haircut – all for well under $50. They took photos of the event, and who knows, maybe my mug will end up on their website. Afterwards they treated everybody to some BBQ, and eventually I squared off against Cory in beanbag toss. (He absolutely crushed me 21-3.)

to03 reddingWe talked briefly about how teams were keying in and figuring out the Texans offense last season. Cory stopped for a second to try to phrase it as delicately as possible, then just told me that the offense was simple. You could tell when a certain set of personnel was coming into the game, and when receivers lined up just outside the slot, what the team was going to run. The Texans offense also had very simple set of routes for their receivers, so their defensive backs knew when to come up to the line of scrimmage and just sit on the routes, especially when Matt Schaub was habitual and predicated to do certain things when checking down. It was a recipe for disaster. Redding told me that they watched tape for a bit over an hour and knew what to do. -It was apparently that bad. Now of course, we waived all that off, because of new head coach Bill O’Brien’s multiple set offense, nobody knew what they’d do that year, but the tale of the tape said it all last season for the 2-14 Texans.

redding and meWord was that the venerable Redding might retire after the 2014 season.  Cory was brought in by coach Chuck Pagano from Baltimore in 2012 to be a mentor to the younger bucks on the Colts D and teach them the ins and outs of the system. His initial plan was to retire after year 10, but here he is now in 2015 still chugging along, signing as a Free Agent with the Arizona Cardinals. Cory finished his degree in education and was inducted into the UT’s Hall of Honor in November of 2014.

 

 

 

CFL, NFL, WLAF

Davis, Wayne

pset91 wdavis psetwlaf91 wdavis

Cards: ProSet 1991, ProSet WLAF 1991
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent: 7/5      Received: 7/11  (6 days)
Failure: TTM 2014, C/o New Life Covenant Church, Gordo, AL

Wayne Davis was a linebacker for the Alabama Crimson Tide.  He posted a career high 125 tackles his Junior year, and 85 in his Senior year. A 9th round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1987, the season was sort of a mess because of the Players’ Strike. Davis saw playing time in all 12 nonstrike games that year, and also in all 16 games in 1988.  He’d sign as a Plan B free agent with the Los Angeles Rams in 1989, and then later with the 49ers, who let him go on the final cutdown. Wayne played for the Edmonton Eskimos in 1990, before giving the WLAF a shot. Davis impressed the league scouts enough, that Orlando saw fit to make him the first overall pick of linebackers in the 1991 positional draft.  Head Coach Don Matthews liked his overall speed and athleticism. He’d have a solid year, posting 33 tackles, and 2 fumble recoveries. Wayne also played on special teams, recording 8 tackles on kickoff coverage. His highlight of the year was a 9 tackle effort in Orlando’s 35-34 victory over the San Antonio Riders on opening day.  A man of God, Davis styled himself as being a new found ‘Minister of Defense’ ala Reggie White, bringing the Good Word to the masses, and had been quoted as stating, “God first. Football second.”  After starting off the 1991 season hot, the Thunder had a meltdown and finished 5-5. Matthews quit, and new coach Galen Hall decided to overhaul the franchise. With a plethora of new linebacker blood in camp, Hall had to make some difficult cuts- Davis among them. Wayne however, felt a calling to God greater than football, and was ordained in 1992. Reverend Davis later returned to school and earned to Masters in Education and in Pastoral Ministry and lives in Gordo, Alabama today where he preaches to his flock and congregation.

NFL 28/1   Tac   N/a   Sac  N/a    Fum N/a    Int  0   Yds 0   Avg -.-   Td 0   Lg -.-
WLAF    Tac 33   Sac 0   Fum 2    Int 0    Yds 0   Avg -.-  Td 0  Lg -.-

Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.