Tag Archives: Atlanta Falcons

Haynes, Michael ‘Mike’ (WR)

gday92 mhaynesCards: GameDay 1992, Gameday 1993, Fleer 1995
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent: 12/28    Received:  2/8  (42 days)

Michael Haynes grew up in New Orleans as a Saints fan, so imagine his surprise when he was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 7th round of the 1988 draft. A track man out of Northern Arizona with a powerful second gear, Haynes still ranks in the top 3 on the school charts for the 55 meter dash and the 200 meter dash.  Of his 13 catches in his rookie season, 4 went for touchdowns. The Falcons were mired at the bottom of the NFC West- a frequent whipping boy of the 49ers, Rams, and even the Saints during that period.

flr95 mhaynesIt was in 1990 that things would change under new head coach Jerry Glanville. Glanville brought his fiery brand of football from Houston including the Red Gun offense (a Run ‘N Shoot variant). The Falcons went high octane.  Mike had his best season as a pro in 1991, catching passes from Chris Miller and Billy Joe Tolliver. Among them was a Hail Mary from Tolliver to Haynes to stun the 49ers and kick the door open on the race for the NFC West.

He’d also bedevil his hometown Saints, catching a 50 yard TD during the regular season against them, and a 20 yarder in the playoffs. Haynes finished with a gaudy league leading 22.4 yards per reception, 1122 yards, and 11 touchdowns on just 50 passes.  In 1992 and 1993, Haynes led the NFL in longest reception with 89 and 98 respectively.  Haynes joined the Saints in 1994 and recorded a career high 77 receptions.   Over his 3 seasons in his hometown, Michael had 162 receptions for 2368 yards and 13 touchdowns.  He returned to the Falcons for a swan song in 1997 catching just 12 passes and not starting any contests.

Haynes is a reliable TTM signer and lives in Georgia.

G/GS 147/113     REC428    YDS 6588     AVG 15.4     TD 47    LG 98T

gday93 mhaynes

Robinson, Eugene “Orca”

pset89 erobinsonCards: ProSet 1989, ProSet 1990
Acquired: TTM 2016, C/o Home
Sent:  1/29    Received:  2/13
(15 days)

Eugene Robinson goes down as one of the finest free agent finds in Seattle Seahawk history. Going undrafted out of Colgate in 1985, Robinson arrived in Seattle as a cornerback where he just hung on for dear life learning the ropes from guys like Dave Brown, Kenny Easley, and Paul Moyer.  He gained a variety of nicknames from Grange, to Orca- a name given to him because his voice rose in octaves when he’d call plays in the secondary.  By the time Robinson left the Seahawks in 1996, it was thought he had lost a step, so Seattle traded him to the Packers in exchange for Matt LaBounty. He finished his career in Seattle as the franchise’s all time leader in tackles, and second in interceptions.

pset90 erobinsonHe provided the Packers with a veteran presence in their secondary and led the team with 8 picks en route to a 35-21 thumping of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. The team returned to the big game the following year, but the Packers lost to the Broncos, thanks in part to John Elway‘s Herculean effort.

Eugene joined the Atlanta Falcons for the 1998 season. To be frank, I thought it was a cash grab. I mean he went to the Falcons- a team that had posted a losing record in 8 of the last 10 seasons. There was no way this team was… And then they did. Eugene after years of futility with the Seahawks went to a Super Bowl for a 3rd straight year, and earned his 4th Pro Bowl nomination AND second career AP nomination.  Atlanta lost 34-19, and the Falcons returned to anonymity the following year (1999)- Eugene’s last with the team.  Finally Eugene suited up for one final year with the Panthers in 2000, retiring after the season.

Eugene was a highly decorated player with gaudy statistics from his time in the NFL.  He was also honored as the Bart Starr Man of the Year in 1998 for his charitable activities. He is vastly underrated in fan circles and should be honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. If not for an embarrassing event on the eve of his Super Bowl appearance with the Falcons, Eugene would probably warrant more consideration by the selection committee.

Eugene has stayed busy since then as a football coach, morning show personality, and Panthers color commentator. He signed these two absolutely picture perfect ProSet cards for me in no time flat.

G/GS   250/232       TAC  1250           SAC 7.5         FUM 15
INT  57        YDS 762         AVG  13.3        TD 1            LG 49

Smith, Jerome


sa14 jersmith
Card: Sage 2012
Acquired: 2014, Box Breaker

Jerome Smith played runningback at Syracuse wher he rushed for 914 yards and 12 touchdowns in his redshirt junior season at Syracuse. He left with one year remaining for the NFL, but went undrafted in 2014- instead signing a free agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons. He’d make the Practice Squad and then be promoted to the active roster at the end of the season, suiting up for one game.
In 2015, the Falcons had an open competition at runningback. Smith had 22 carries for 72 yards during the preseason, but got injured and later reached an injury settlement with the Falcons upon his release.