Tag Archives: Donruss Rookies and Stars 2009

Heisman Trophy Winner, NFL, University of Texas

Williams, Ricky “Little Earl” (2)

Cards: Donruss Rookies & Stars 09, UT Upper Deck 2011 MM x2
Acquired: In person, Ricky Williams Tailgate 9/8/2012.
See Also: Ricky Williams, Ricky Williams (3), Ricky Williams (4)

Late in August, I got an email in the evening from the Ricky Williams Foundation.  When I opened it up I couldn’t believe my eyes. The Foundation was holding Ricky’s First Tailgating event, for only a small donation of $25.00. Included in the price was BBQ, beer, games, meeting Ricky, and getting a few autographs.  It was a no brainer for me, and I bought two tickets immediately, so that I could drag Josh along this time. We arrived a bit after twelve, and parking was a hassle because of the pregame stuff going on for New Mexico. After a lot of blind wandering, we located his event that was being treated very low key. The BBQ was great, and eventually we got Ricky’s autograph on a few items. I was really pleased to get him on these 3 cards this time.

Ricky was very friendly with fans and many of them he was happy to speak to or allow to pet his Heisman. He allowed everybody to take photos and grab autographs.  I got to share Ricky’s Heisman with him which is a bit unwieldy. I’d guess the trophy was about 20 pounds or so, and there was some nicks and tears to the foundation of the base. Still it was very kind of him to let me do it, since I have been getting into doing poses with players other than the normal conventional, ‘stand there and smile pose’. Overall I think it was a great PR move by him and his team, and since I had a great time volunteering at a Christian Okoye Foundation event, I volunteered to help Ricky Williams Foundation at other events, if they needed assistance.

A bit about these cards. I really like the treatment that the Rookies & Stars went through for 2009. It still remains one of my favorite modern day sets and this card is exceptional. I got an idea after witnessing a Texans fan at a Mario Williams signing last year toting around jersey card, that I should consider getting a few of them signed. The red cards, are jersey cards and they are absolutely beautiful with it placed right below the player’s image on the card. It’s a very well integrated design, even if they use the type font ‘Birth of a Hero’.

With the UT Upper Deck Monumental Moments cards, we have two cards that frame Williams’ contributions to the history of Texas football.  First
up is the card in which he broke Tony Dorsett’s career rushing record against A&M. It’s not a bad card at all.  The action is framed well and you get the point of the card in its summation of his achievement. The second card, which highlights his school record 350 yard stomping of Iowa State,(which broke the record previously held by Roosevelt Leaks) is an equally nice card with the same warts. It really showcases how hard Ricky as to take down as 4 defenders are frantically in frame trying to catch him. I did have to use the baby powder on both cards to remove the sheen, but it worked like a charm so there was no marker loss there.  I did not like how
they used the ‘fat T’ logo on the right hand side of the card. It feels too University of Tennessee. (Any well minded UT fan would’ve used the combined UT logo to differentiate from the Volunteers.) In the meantime, I had a great time and look forward to going to and or working other events and getting a few more cards signed by Ricky in the future.

NFL

Casey, James (2)


Cards: Score 2009, Donruss Rookies and Stars 2009 (410/999)
Acquired: In person 4/26/2012, 1300 the Zone Texans Draft Party
See also: James Casey

These two cards of James are great examples of good design. They make an otherwise unexciting, in warm-ups and without pads photo shot of James look almost appealing. It certainly was enough for me to want to get them autographed. I met James at the Texans Draft Party in 2011 along with Danieal Manning.  When James autographed them he remarked that I must be a professional because I knew to put talcum powder on the card to dull the sheen on the card. I then told him that I was a big fan, and through Dave, had gotten a lot of autographs from the team in the past on cards I still had. Casey then took an otherwise awkward looking photo with me, and stuck to the book with his interaction. Casey’s autograph in my humble opinion needs some work. It’s a signature, and he needs to juice this one up.

James was moved around on the Texans offense. As a logger jam emerged at Tight End with Owen Daniels, Joel Dreessen, and newcomer Garrett Graham, the Texans liked what they had with Casey’s exceptional hands and straight on blocking. When Vontae Leach left for Baltimore to block for Ray Rice in 2011, the team made the decision to shift Casey to fullback. Casey provided immediate mismatches for teams that looked absolutely baffled when he shifted out of the backfield and out to the flat. He’d rip defenses with 18 receptions for 260 yards a 14.4 yard average including his first professional touchdown this last season in 2011, but he’d also rip his pectoral muscle against the Saints sidelining him for a good portion of the season.
In 2012, the team seems content utilizing him as an H-Back, as he creates many mismatches with his deceptive speed combined with his linebacker size. We didn’t see him much during the preseason, and the Texans with a full docket of weapons and a true fullback blocking up front, are keeping hush hush about how they will sneak Casey into the lineup later in the season for 2012.

NFL

Jackson, Steven “S-Jax”

Cards: Donruss Rookies & Stars 2009, Prestige 2010
Acquired: TTM 2011, C/o The St. Louis Rams
Sent: 11/1   Received:  11/15   (14 days)

Steven Jackson has been a nothing short of a monster runningback since graduating from Oregon State back in 2004 and is second in yards from scrimmage since that time only to LaDanian Tomlinson. A blue chip specimen at 6-2, 240, Jackson can do it all and that is what makes him so dangerous. At the end of his time at Oregon State, Jackson was 2nd all time in career yardage (4545 yards) and scoring (279 points).

Going late in the first round of 2004 (24th), teams were scared off by a knee procedure done at the end of Steven’s senior season, but the Rams in fact traded up to grab him- needing a replacement for their all-world back Marshall Faulk. Behind Faulk his rookie season, Jackson still managed to run for 673 yards, and it has been the only year in his career that he has not rushed for over 1000 yards. A fantasy stud, Jackson has been a solid 4 down back for his team and rarely is off the field, typically only for a breather or due to injury. In 2006, he rushed for a career high 1528 yards, along with 806 yards receiving on 90 receptions and 16 total touchdowns. During the 2010 season Steven crossed the 10,000 yard barrier and at this time, it appears that there is no stopping him rushing towards the record books. Jackson has earned All Pro honors in 2006 and 2009, as well as Pro Bowl honors for 2006, 2009, and 2010.

Glaringly underrated, I drafted Jackson in the bottom of the second round of this season’s fantasy football draft. While injuries have taken a significant toll this season, he has been solid when he has been in the lineup, since the team relies so heavily on him. Typically overlooked possibly because of the Rams record, I was very happy to add S-Jax to my collection in a stunning 14 days via the Rams address on these two cards. Sadly thinking about these two cards it’s entirely possible that they were stamped, as I’ve seen many, many cards recently with almost the same signature. Clearly stamping technology has improved over the last 20 years, but I hope that my suspicions prove to be false. You can also visit his website at: http://www.sj39.com/ .