NFL

Martin, Kelvin “K-Mart”

gday92 kmartin flr90 kmartin
Cards: Fleer 1990, Fleer 1995, GameDay 1992
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent: 1/28    Received: 2/7   (10 days)

Kelvin Martin played for Boston College from 1984-1987 and is considered one of the finest receivers to play for the school. He graduated as the school’s all-time leader in receptions (134), and TD catches (28), as well as holder of various punt return records.  A shifty receiver with deceptive speed, K-Mart was part of a strong triumvirate of BC players drafted in 1987. He’d go in the 4th round to the Dallas Cowboys, probably because of his height (5’9″) and frame (163).

After a wash of a rookie season- thanks in part to the players strike, K-Mart went back to work as the team’s primary punt returner, working his way into the lineup as a slot receiver. Beginning in 1988 he began to see an increased workload. As the team transitioned from Danny White to Troy Aikman, Martin saw little drop off, in fact, increasing from 39 to 59, his average yards per game, from 1988 to 1989. His best season came in 1990, as the team leaned on Kelvin heavily while Michael Irvin recovered from his 3rd straight injury plagued season. He’d finish as the team’s leading receiver in catches (64) and yards (732), however Josh and I joked about his bottom line- zero touchdowns. (I believe that his 100+ total catches spanning 4 seasons is an NFL record for futility, as he did not score a TD from week 12 of 1989 to week 4 of 1992.)  He’d pick back up punt returning, and lead the league in yardage (532) and TD returns (2) in 1992 while Michael Irvin and Alvin Harper were seeing more and more targets.

flr95 kmartin1993 was the dawn of a new era in free agency. Kelvin signed with the Seattle Seahawks, where he’d be paired opposite Brian Blades in the lineup. A value pick up, Kelvin finished with a career high 798 yards and 5 receiving touchdowns that year. He’d record respectable 681 yards the following season before he was left exposed in the 1995 Expansion Draft held for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers. Before Martin knew it, he selected with the 27th pick of the draft by the Jags. Oddly enough, the team cut him outright 2 weeks later- citing that his $800k price tag was too high to justify keeping him on the roster.

Enter the Philadelphia Eagles, who were burned by Martin, by denying the Eagles a playoff appearance in 1991, when Kelvin returned a punt 85 yards for a score. He’d sign with Philly and be one and done there before going back home to Dallas in 1996.  Kelvin scored a 60 yard TD against the Atlanta Falcons that season before hanging up the cleats.

I had never gotten Martin at training camp when the Cowboys were at St. Edwards back in the early 90s. It had almost appeared as though he preferred the anonymity rather than revel in the glory like guys such as Irvin did. Martin always reminded me of Houston Oilers slot man Curtis Duncan both in play, statistics, and overall class act. I was surprised at how fast I got a response from Kelvin and had seen that he averaged somewhere around 3 months per return. Kelvin lives in the Dallas area and has been involved in coaching at the college level.

G 139/66     Rec   367        Yds  4768     Avg  13.0      Td  15      Lg 60t    |
Kr  76      Yds 1453     Avg 19.1       Td 0       Lg 59  |
Pr  261     Yds  2567     Avg 9.8      Td  3     Lg 85t

 

NFL

Blake, Jeff “Shake-N-Blake”

flr95 blakeCards: Atomic 2001, Leaf Limited 2000, Fleer 1995, Skybox Premium 1997.
Acquired: IP 2/2/14, Yellow Rose Super Bowl Party

I debated heavily going to this event since it took place at the cabaret that basically ruined my bachelor party, but then I realized that I could turn the tables and take advantage of them. It was aggravating that nobody knew who Jeff Blake was, even though he was advertised for their event. All the women who worked there, even the ones on the phone, and that sat 5 feet from him met me with a curious, “Who?” Still I made my way up to the Yellow Rose, walked in like I owned the place, located Jeff, got his autograph on a few cards, and walked out like a boss -without dropping a dime.

Jeff Blake is definitely an unsung and underrated quarterback since being drafted by the New York Jets in 1992. A 4th round pick, Blake wasn’t really given a chance by the Jets after setting multiple passing records at ECU. Browning Nagle had been handed the keys to the Jets and with Ken O’Brien being forced out, Blake was sky96pr blakean afterthought. In 1993, the team again overlooked him, this time in favor of Boomer Esiason and Nagle. Jeff was cut during 1994, but snatched up by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Jeff stepped in and replaced the immobile David Klingler at quarterback, winning all 3 of the Bengals’ games that year. He’d mature in 1995, starting all 16 games under center for the Bengals and earn his only Pro Bowl berth, after throwing 28 TD passes. Although his 1996 season was almost as impressive, with 24 TDs, Blake was left out of the Pro Bowl mix, due to his team’s slow start. The next two seasons were mired in what seemed to be deja vu for Blake, as he’d do battle again with Boomer Esiason, Neil O’Donnell and finally be forced to hand the keys over to Akili Smith. I can imagine how frustrating it was for Jeff, being supplanted at nearly every stop after being a starter for a season. I can also imagine how frustrated Bengals fans were after he gave them so much hope. The pressure probably was also immense, as the idea of a black quarterback was still a foreign one to many franchises. Blake
washed his hands of Cincinnati and signed with the New Orleans
Saints in 2000.

leaflim00 blakeRejuvenating his career, Blake started the first 11 games and went 7-4, and threw for 2,025 yards and 13 touchdowns, but after breaking his foot, Aaron Brooks beat him out for the job in 2001. Spending virtually all of 2001 on the bench, Jeff became free agent gun for hire in 2002. He’d play for the Ravens, Cardinals, Eagles, and Bears for a season each, retiring after 2006. The closest he came to the Super Bowl was 2004 as a backup for Donovan McNabb. To this day he still wears his NFC Championship ring he earned with the team. I asked what team Blake enjoyed playing for the most, – the Bengals or the Saints, and rather than answer, Blake only flashed the ring. He’s lived in Austin the last 12 years, and his son played at my High School, Austin High. When I told him I had been working out all week  to challenge him to a quarterback contest and rotated my arm, he laughed at me.

Overall these are some pretty decent cards that were released in a dead time in my transition as a fan from the Oilers to the Texans. I didn’t collect any cards, but the Fleer 95 and the
Atomic 2001 are two pretty nice issues. Everybody seems to like or at01 blakehate the Fleer 1995 issue and I seem to be in the minority on this one. I just really like the transition between image and type. There’s just a lot of energy and punch there. The Atomic 2001 is a very nice die cut, and although the blurb on the back is absolutely stupid, talking about Jeff’s ‘atomic arm’ and ‘quantum speed’, the front by far wins with its simplicity and excellent photo.

 

 

 

G/Gs 120/100   Att 3241   Comp 1827    Yds 21711   Pct 56.4    Td 134  Int 99 Rat 78.0
Rush 418   Yds  2027   Avg  4.8     Td  14   Lg 30

NFL, ufl

Putzier, Jeb

ud06 putziertntufl11 putzier
Card: TNT UFL 2011, Upper Deck 2006
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent: 2/10    Received: 6/23   (133 days)

Jeb got his start in 1999 with the Boise State Broncos. He got out onto the field as a Freshman and logged 10 receptions for 120 yards and 2 TDs from the tight end position. Considering the offensive wizardry that was employed at Boise St., Putzier was redeployed as a wide receiver from his Sophomore season on out. He topped his numbers fairly evenly each season, culminating in a Senior year with 44 receptions for 824 yards and 12 touchdowns when he was an All WAC selection. He finished his career on the blue tundra with 128 receptions for 2,050 yards, 16.0 YPR, and 19 touchdowns.

The NFL reclassified Putzier back as a tight end, going into the 2002 draft. He did not receive a combine invite, but his fairly productive career at Boise St., coupled by his size (6’4″, 251) and well received team day (4.6 40), turned some heads of the scouts enough to get some attention. He was also valued for his special teams play as a long snapper. Jeb was tabbed in the 6th round, by the Denver Broncos as a ‘value pick’. He’d start off slowly and not even see the field consistently until 2004. He’d provide some nice mismatches, making 36 receptions for 572 yards and 2 TDs in 2004. (The 15.9 YPR was the highest number by a Bronco TE in over 25 years.) Putzier then followed it up in 2005 with a modest 37 receptions for 481 yards. With the Houston Texans making Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak their head coach, Putzier signed with the team to replace Billy Miller at the position in 2006. The Texans however found Owen Daniels in the draft. While the position was retooled now with Daniels getting the majority of the snaps, Putzier ended up sharing time with Mark Bruener as well. He’d log 126 yards on 13 receptions. In 2007, he made 6 receptions for 39 yards, and 1 TD- a 7 yarder in a 38-36 loss to Tennesseee. After the season Putzier was allowed to sign with the Seattle Seahawks for 2008. There, he lasted about 6 games before resigning with the Denver Broncos, where he was cut in 2009.  Jeb signed with the UFL Hartford Colonials, but was waved in June of 2010. The Omaha Nighthawks picked him up, and he immediately fit right into the offense guided by Jeff Garcia. Putzier had 14 receptions for 144 yards and 3 touchdowns- which tied for the team lead. Of the 3 touchdowns, 2 were game winners against the Moutain Lions and the Hartford Colonials. Due to financial instability in the league, (namely players not being paid,) Putzier decided to retire after the season. Currently he lives in the Denver area where he has served as a guest on some of the local sports radio stations.

A few things were going in Jeb’s favor for me sending a request out to him: 1) He’s a former Houston Texan, and 2) I did a UFL custom entry of him a few years ago for the Omaha Nighthawks. I really had high hopes things would take off, and as some fans had egged me on to do more cards I expanded off the base set and pushed the original UFL offering out to a bit over 100 cards. It became a labor of love when I lost out on a job in the industry I wanted, and I realized the league wasn’t going to make it. A lot of it to me is about preservation, and recovering that which is already forgotten to some. It’s just an added bonus when the player wants one of these cards to remember it by too, since a lot of them didn’t get squat from the league in the end. I didn’t honestly expect this one back, but lo and behold after a little wait, Jeb signed the TNT card, plus added one of his own, and asked me for a copy of my custom! With the recent flood of requests, I really have my work cut out for me!

NFL   69/17     Rec  96        Yds  251             Avg   13.0           Td  3              Lg 39
UFL      Rec 14       Yds 144      Avg 10.3       Td 3      Lg 33

 

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