Tag Archives: buffalo bills

College Football HoF, NFL

Rashad, Ahmad

Upper Deck Legends 1997, #AL-158

CARD: Upper Deck Legends 1997
ACQUIRED: EBay, 2021

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Formerly known as Robert Earl Moore.
  • Ahmad Rashad played college ball with QB Dan Fouts at Oregon from 1968-1971.
  • Played HB setting multiple records at the school (rushing yards, receptions, and points) -which were all school records.
  • First round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1972 and transitioned to receiver.
  • Played in 13 games catching 29 passes for 500 yards.
  • Led the NFL with a 98 yard TD pass- probably the longest catch any rookie has had.
  • Traded to the Buffalo Bills after the 1973 season, but only played one year there, as he was sidelined with injuries for the entire 1975 campaign.
  • Traded to the Vikings shortly before the regular season by the Seahawks in 1976, and set new career marks across the board with 53 catches for 671 yards.
  • Caught 66 passes for 768 yards and 8 TDs in 1978.
  • Had career high 80 catches for 1156 yards and 9 TDs in 1979.
  • Continued unlikely run with another 1000 yard campaign in 1980, catching 69 passes for 1095 yards and 5 TDs.
  • In 1981, put up 58 catches for 884 yards and 7 TD.s
  • Retired after the 1982 campaign.

ACCOLADES:

  • Pro Bowl 1978-81
  • Second Team AP 1979
  • Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor
  • Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
  • 50 Greatest Vikings
  • Minnesota Vikings 25th Anniversary Team
  • Minnesota Vikings 50th Anniversary Team
  • College Football Hall of Fame 2007

NOTES:

When I first started watching NBC football during golden era the 80s, Ahmad Rashad had the smoothest delivery behind the desk back at the studio. Initially, I didn’t even know he played football! I felt like he and Bob Costas had extremely similar styles of commentary and announcing that I was very comfortable with. For a while there Rashad was married to Phylicia Ayers-Allen (Rashad)- who is an actress most notably known for being the mom on the Cosby Show.

Rashad is also a huge basketball fan, announcer, desk host, and player. He even got into a preseason game at the age of 40 playing for the Philadelphia 76ers scoring 2 points!

He remains a Vikings and Minnesota legend to this day.

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NFL

Choice, Tashard

Score 2009, #80
Upper Deck Heroes 2008, #193
Upper Deck Heroes 2008, #194

CARDS: Score 2009, Upper Deck Football Legends 2009 A, Upper Deck Football Legends 2008 B
ACQUIRED: TTM 2021, C/o Work
SENT: 1/13 RECEIVED: 2/7 (25 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • A 4th round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2008.
  • Tashard’s college resume included 697 rushes for 3,465 yards and 28 TDs, to go along with 41 receptions for 288 yards.
  • Battled with fellow rookie Felix Jones to back up Marion Barber at RB.
  • Finished rookie year with 92 carries for 472 yards and 2 TDs.
  • Became firmly entrenched as the 3rd string back behind Jones and Barber in 2009, but saw workload again increase due to injuries to both of them.
  • Had 64 carries for 349 yards and 3 TDs- including a career high 66 tard long and a healthy 5.5 yards per carry.
  • Again, off the bench in 2010, Choice had 66 carries for 243 yards and 3 TDs.
  • In 2011, Choice dealt with nagging injuries, and after a bit of bad luck, watched DeMarco Murray supplant him on the depth chart, and ultimately make Tashard expendable.
  • Cut by the Cowboys, Choice spent the next two seasons as an emergency RB with the Redskins, Bills, and Colts.
  • Went into coaching in 2016, joining the Cowboys as an intern.
  • Later in 2017 was added to North Texas’ coaching staff as a graduate assistant, and then later as a RB coach.
  • In 2019, coached RBs at his alma mater, Georgia Tech.
  • Landed the RBs job at the University of Texas.

NOTES:

I took a shot at Tashard right after he was hired at the University of Texas to coach their runningbacks in 2022, which created a small frenzy of TTM activity after he signed my cards.

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College Football HoF, NFL

Spiller, CJ

Panini Rookies & Stars 2013, #12

CARDS: Panini Prestige 2015, Score 2010, Panini Rookies & Stars 2013
ACQUIRED: TTM 2020, C/o Work
SENT: 10/17 RECEIVED: 10/26 (9 days)

Panini Prestige 2015, #145
Score 2010, #315

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • CJ Spiller played RB for Clemson from 2006-09.
  • Ran for 1,212 yards and 12 TDs his Senior season, accumulating 3,547 total yards on the ground over his 4 years with the Tigers.
  • Also displayed explosive skills as a kick returner and punt returner accumulating 8 TDs.
  • Was selected 9th overall in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.
  • Spiller quickly ascended the depth chart, surpassing both Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch in the lineup.
  • Rookie season was considered a disappointment, but still managed to produce his share of highlights with a 95 yard KR TD.
  • It’d be in 2012, CJ really came into his own, running for a career high 1244 yards and 6 TDs on 207 carries.
  • He’d also catch 43 passes for 459 yards and 2 TDs including a 66 yarder.
  • CJ followed up 2012 with a solid ’13 outing, posting 933 yards on 202 carries.
  • Unfortunately injuries derailed the remainder of his career, as over the next 4 years, he’d be limited to just 7 starts in 29 contests.
  • After his time in Buffalo concluded, CJ hopped over to New Orleans.
  • He’d catch an 80 yard TD that season- Marking QB Drew Brees 400th passing TD.
  • Released in 2016, Spiller saw some playing time with the Seahawks and Jets that season.
  • In his final season with the Chiefs, Spiller was an emergency back for the team, and was literally on and off the roster multiple times throughout 2017.
  • After a few years off, Spiller went into coaching.
  • As of 2022 he’s a RB coach at his Alma Mater, Clemson.

ACCOLADES:

  • College Football Hall of Fame
  • Pro Bowl 2012
  • Jersey Retired #28 (Clemson)

NOTES:

While CJ’s career in the pros was limited, he had moments of absolute breathtaking electricity. The pass he caught from Drew Brees (for Brees 400th TD), sparked some laughs, embarrassment, and controversy. It came in OT against the Dallas Cowboys and was the first play from scrimmage, as OT rules end games if a team scores on the first possession.

Two late card set additions that I like here from Panini in both the 2015 Prestige set and the Rookies & Stars set (2013). I really like how the Prestige set is very minimal, although I’m not a huge fan of the transitioned edges. The focus is on the player and the name. That’s it. Pretty classy.

The Rookies & Stars set from 2013 was something I got into late. I loved the 2009 and 2010 set, but I absolutely hated the 2011 and ’12 sets. That caused me to take my time checking out this set. One of my big complaints about cards is that it doesn’t feel as though they are proud of their designs. They just don’t showcase them on the sides of the box. Spiller’s card is top notch in this set and I like the design and look as it’s pretty unique.

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