Tag Archives: Action packed 1991

NFL

Brennan, Brian

pset89 brennanCards: Topps 1990,
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent: 2/9      Received: 2/22  (11 days)
Failure: TTM 2011, C/o Home

Brian Brennan was a consistently unheralded receiver in the Browns receiving corps from back in the 80s. Reliable, with good hands and route running, Brennan was a player who made it despite the naysayers by sheer grit and determination- almost like a prehistoric Kevin Walter.

to90 brennanBrian was an All-American wide receiver and established Boston College records for career receptions (115) and single season receptions (66). A teammate of Heisman Trophy Winner Doug Flutie, Brennan’s 2,180 career yards and 1,149 single-season yardage totals also set BC records. A 4th round pick of the Browns in 1984, Brian had to contribute any way he could and spent his first two years as the primary punt returner, even nabbing a TD in 1985. Never a starter in the wide receiver corps, somehow Brian managed to make big plays when they counted. His best season came in 1986 with 55 receptions for 838 yards and 5 touchdowns.  Surrounded by guys like Bernie Kosar, Ice Cube McNeil, Kevin Mack, Webster Slaughter, Ozzie Newsome, Earnest Byner, and Reggie Langhorne, Brennan always had to fight for scraps.

ap91 brennanBrian played through the 1991 season and then joined the cross state rival Bengals for a few weeks, before closing it out with the San Diego Chargers.

Since retiring Brian has worked as a broadcaster for the Browns and was inducted into the Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. I had tried previously in the past to get Brian, since he has some surprisingly nice cards but was unsuccessful. I decided to give it another shot and got these 3 back in the mail in a short amount of time.

Rec 334     Yds 4336       Avg  13.0       Td  20      Lg   57
Pr 56     Yds 438      Avg 7.8       Td  1       Lg   37t

NFL

Jeffires, Haywood (5)

gday93 jeffiresgda93 jeffires GBCards: Gameday 1993 Gamebreakers, Gameday 1993, Action Packed 1991, Score 1992.
Acquired: IP 7/11/15, Houston Oilers 25th Anniversary Party
See Also: Haywood Jeffires, Freakwood, Haywood Jeffires (3), Haywood Jeffires (4)

Well the Houston Oilers 25th Anniversary Party got off to a slow start. I expected to be able to recognize a lot of them, but to be kind, it has been a long time.  The first guy I was able to nab was Jeffires. True to form he wore his staple long shirt, and sported an epic grizzly Kimbo Slice beard. He was in an incredibly good mood, and signed these cards for me. Sure I am slowly running out of cards for him to sign, as I won’t pursue the Saints or ‘Tennessee Oilers’ cards of him, but still, he remains one ap91 jeffiressco92 jeffiresof my favorite players in a bizarre footnote of my otaku-like obsession. I shot the breeze a bit with him and shook his hand. I stopped him and said, “I can’t believe your hands are so baby smooth after all these years!” We both laughed heartily about it for a minute. I later told him that if he needed to leave, I could stand in for him and tell people that I was Haywood Jeffires.
Still I am hitting some pretty nice cards here. Somehow this Action Packed 1991 gem slipped through the cracks up to this point. Otherwise, by 1992 I had stopped collecting many of the brands of cards, and in 1993 I was done with the hobby for a while. I did not pick up Score 1992 or Gameday 1993. While Gameday seemed to respect the evolutionary process- Score’s 1992 effort was looking more and more like a children’s activity book. The redeeming quality of this particular Jeffires card is the great action shot, something that as the manufacturers’ solidified their desperate hold on the soft market- began to slide off a precipice and into the sideline/ warmup gutter.

 

NFL

Baxter, Brad “Smooth”

sky92 baxterCards: Proline 1992, Skybox 1992, ProSet 1990, Action Packed 1991
Acquired: TTM 2013, C/o Home
Sent: 10/31     Received: 11/15    (16 days)

Looking back at Brad Baxter’s relatively modest NFL career, it was surprising he didn’t go higher. While at Alabama State he finished with 3,728 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 19 100 yard games. These accolades alone would garner strong praise in today’s NFL scouting circles, but he probably carried the ‘small school’ stigma. Originally an 11th round long shot out of Alabama State by Minnesota  in the legendary 1989 draft, Brad Baxter did not make the roster of the talent deep Vikings. In fact, while the ’89 draft is considered one of the stronger ones in the modern era, it was disastrous for the Vikings’ front office. Still even after being cut by the Vikings, Brad believed in himself, and embraced his underdog status. The New York Jets picked him up quietly and placed him on their developmental squad before the season was out, and he played on special teams in the team’s season finale.  As head pset90 baxtercoach Joe Walton was shown the door after the 1989 season, the Jets front office decided to bring in Bengals offensive guru Bruce Coslet to coach the team. With Coslet, came a new offensive philosophy, and for Brad, -an opportunity. The Jets in fact had so much confidence in Baxter, they let incumbent 1st round choice Roger Vick go.

Brad did not disappoint. He’d be one of the best blocking backs in the league, handling the load for guys like Blair Thomas, Freeman McNeil, and Johnny Hector. The team as a whole was 4th in the NFL averaging 132.9 yards per game. Baxter also got into the act rushing for a club rookie (on technicality) mark with 6 rushing TDs, and paired with Thomas to be the first duo of Jets rookies to finish with 500+ yards rushing in a season. In fact Baxter’s 539 yards, were only second to Thomas among all AFC rookies that year.

Mr. Hit and Run followed up 1990 by leading the AFC with 11 rushing touchdowns in 1991, matching a team record, as the Jets discovered Smooth’s nose for the end zone. His 666 yards rushing ap91 baxterwere second again to teammate Blair Thomas. In 1992 Baxter led the team and ran for a career high 698 yards as the Jets struggled under a quarterback transition from Ken O’Brien to Browning Nagle. Johnny Johnson assumed the majority of the running load from Blair and Brad, as Boomer Esiason joined the team at quarterback in 1993, but Brad still managed to garner 559 yards and 20 receptions. Again, Brad survived another coaching transition with Pete Carroll taking over for Coslet in 94, and Rich Kotite for Carroll in ’95.

In the meantime Brad had gotten into an odd side business- cattle hauling. This caused quite a stir when he opted not to show up at ‘voluntary’ mini camp over the summer in order to manage it. OC Ron Earhardt apparently took it as a cardinal sin, and gave the job to Richie Anderson. Baxter, while a fine blocker and rusher, did not tally high numbers receiving and the new coaching staff saw his lack of willingness to participate in mini camp as a liability.  Baxter was cut after 7 seasons. The Jets then went 1-15.

Many fans today still consider Brad as the best blocking back the franchise ever had, as even in those lean years through all thosepline93 baxter bad teams and a turnstile of coaches, Baxter could be counted on the champion the runningback in the ground game, clearing paths, or finding a little wiggle room himself.

I absolutely detest the Proline 92 set. While it was ground breaking at the time, with its nameless cards, and displaying players frequently not playing football, this card of Baxter absolutely charmed me. It is so wacky, and really frames everything about that era of the sport. I had to get it signed. Brad also was a nasty one two punch along with Blair Thomas in Tecmo Super Bowl.

G/Gs  94/72  Rush 779  Yds 2928  Avg 3.8   Td 35  Lg 31   |
Rec  80    Yds 587   Avg 7.3    Td 0    Lg 34