Tag Archives: gameday 1992

NFL

Jeffires, Haywood “Freakwood” (3)

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pset90 jeffiresCard: GameDay 1992, Upper Deck Team MVP 1992, Score 2012, Pro Set 1990, Playoff 1993, Fleer 1990 Update, Pacific 1992.

Acquired: 11/23/2012, Fiterman Autograph Event, Fan Fest 2013
See Also: Haywood Jeffires, Haywood Jeffires (2) 

I try to get Freakwood’s autograph whenever I can. I think he understands how elusive he is in the TTM world, and this allows him to charge a few bucks whenever he does show up. He used to be an immense rarity out there signing but over the past few years has been making his way around to conventions more and more. I still have a few more cards of his I’d love to get signed, and whether or not it’s at the 610 Fan Fest or through a paid signing like the Fiterman event, he’s still an Oiler legend in my book. I even had a jersey of his. I always felt like Jeffires has never gotten his due, from leading the AFC in receptions from 1990 to 1992, to helping the Oilers make the playoffs 7 seasons in a row, I think that people always talked down poff93 jeffiresabout the team and players on that offense
because they played in the Run ‘N Shoot. The Oilers after the 1993 season imploded, and while Jeffires somehow made the Probowl that season, his numbers were clearly in the decline. Over the years he had a friendly rivalry with Ernest Givins, and by 1995, only trailed him in receptions on the career list for the Oilers. For the 3rd consecutive season, he was placed on waivers as the team worked to put him under the salary cap, but with new signee Willie Davis receiving a big contract to play with the team- Jeffires decided to entertain suitors. Kansas City, Jacksonville, and New Orleans all made a play for the former Oiler, but in the end he’d finish his career in New Orleans. Jeffires suffered a season ending knee injury that year, and then was placed on waivers by the team. He ended up on the Bears but did not make the roster of the 1996 team. He has fond memories of playing for the Oilers, and doesn’t hold any hard feelings towards the fans, and it’s certainly odd for me when I see cards of Jeffires in a New Orleans outfit. I remember at the time it made me particularly sore, since he was one of my favorite players, so I can certainly relate to those fans who chagrin at Favre in a Jets jersey, Simpson in a 49er uniform, or Namath putting on a Rams helmet.
gday92 jeffiresJeffires was a late addition to the 2013 Fan Fest- So late that he was not advertised on 610’s website. The people at Clutch City Promotions though were kind enough to fill us in on the Texas Autograph Club boards of his attendance, so I was sure to pull from my collection the remainder of what I had. Fan Fest was low key this year as there was no way they could top the names from last year. This allowed for easy access to many players, and in case of Jeffries, have 4 or 5 micro conversations about football. We talked about a wide range of topics. The first was his wear. At every event he always wears a turtleneck or long sleeve shirt. His handlers laughed for a second as he told me that he thinks it’s just a thing between him and the other members of the Astrodome club because of its porous condition, it was a hard place to play. He loved the Pacific 92 card, since it showcased him in Warren’s biggest game- a 527 yard masterful performance against the Chiefs. Jeffires did not like the departure of the Oilers from Houston. He and many of the veteran members of the HOUSTON Oilers really felt that the league screwed up by letting the team leave Houston. He also felt that the team records should’ve stayed in Houston and cited the example of the Browns. This surprised me as I have always maintained that sentiment. We also discussed Drew Hill in those conversations, and Jeffires told me, “That he lived a great life.” Haywood and I also briefly discussed his impersonator, – something that he was unaware of.

jeffiresBy the end of the day I had acquired 6 more autographs of Jeffires to which I was at a point where I believe that if he ever sees me again at a convention, he may just recognize me. I got every card that I had hoped to get signed, plus nearly every ‘scrub’ card that I had left in reserve. With these autographs, Jeffires moves probably near the top of my list of autographs from a single player in my collection. There are some incredible cards in this group, including the Team MVP card from Upper Deck’s 1992 release. Absolutely beautiful art. As mentioned previously the Pacific 1992 card is a nice one, not only because of its significance but also because of the dynamic pose caught in the shot. The Gameday card was an incredible shot as well, but more so because of its verticle design. Score in its 2012 set did a re-release of some of their 1990 players in that year’s design.

Although Jeffires was on the phone from time to time during the event, he was good to his fans, always stopped what he was doing, and waited until the short conversation was over before signing the card, talking to the fan, flashing a smile or taking a photograph and moving on.

 

 

NFL

Green, Jacob

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Cards: Action Packed 1990, Action Packed 1991, Action Packed All Madden 1991, GameDay 1992, SkyBox 1992, ProSet 1989
Acquired: In Person 5/19, 610 Houston Fan Fest 2013

Wow, not really sure what to say here other than Jacob Green: A man of few words. At the Fan Fest, I love to pepper players with questions. Green seemed so low key, it was almost distant, and his answers consisted of: “I think so.” “Yes.” “Thanks.” That sort of thing. I tried really hard to engage him, but in the end I felt that he might be uncomfortable or not really happy to be there. Still he signed 6 cards for me. Of all the participants at the Fan Fest in 2013, Green probably had the most underrated resume. At the time of his retirement in 1993, Jacob Green was only behind Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White, and Richard Dent on the All-time sack list.

A first round choice of the Seahawks way back in 1980 out of Texas A&M, Green was the 10th overall choice of the draft after Seattle traded up to grab him. While playing for the Aggies, Green set the school’s record for most career sacks with 37 (since surpassed by Aaron Wallace).  While sacks weren’t tracked until 1982, it didn’t stop him from actually sacking anybody for Seattle. In his rookie season Jacob posted 6.5 sacks and 58 tackles. He followed his rookie campaign up with a dominating 1981 season, notching another 12 sacks and 74 tackles before it became an official statistic. In 1983, Green posted a career high 16 sacks, while in 1985, he had 92 tackles. Over his 12 seasons with the Seahawks, Jacob posted double digit sacks 6 times, and narrowly missed the mark by 1 sack in two other years. He joined the 49ers in 1992, just in time to help the team win his only Super Bowl, but injuries only allowed him to play two games. Jacob retired in 1993.

A popular member of the Seahawks, Jacob is the team’s all time leading sacker and turnover maker at fumbles. His 176 games started ranks 3rd on the franchise only behind Steve Largent and Walter Jones, and Jacob was named to the Seahawks’ 35th Anniversary team.

G/Gs 180/176    Tac 716   Sac 116   Fum 17
Int 3     Yds  90    Avg 30.0    Td 2   Lg 73t

NFL

Slaughter, Webster

gday92 slaughterCard: GameDay 1992
Acquired: 11/23/2012, Fiterman Autograph Event
Failure: TTM 2010, C/o Home

Webster Slaughter was one of the players on the Browns that I loathed and hated the most when he played against the Oilers back in the 80’s. I also equally respected him for his skills and ability to take the ball to the house when it counted most. Many times when I turned on the TV and saw him line up against the Oilers Man to Man defense in the days of Schottenheimer versus Glanville, I’d see Slaughter take a wobbly pass out of the air from Kosar, and streak up the sidelines leaving either Patrick Allen or Steve Brown in his dust.

The Browns made him their second round choice of the 1986 draft out of San Diego State. The draft was notable with having some consistent receivers in it. Tim McGee and Ernest Givins were taken off the board a few picks before Slaughter’s card was rushed to the podium by the Browns, while Hassan Jones and John Taylor were taken afterwards. Slaughter was taken under the recommendation of HoF Brown WR Paul Warfield, whom was acting as a non-defacto scout for the franchise at the time. With deceptive speed and an amazing frame (6’0″, 175) Slaughter quickly found a bond with quarterback Bernie Kosar. The two formed a great duo to keep teams honest against the run when the ground and pound would come to a halt.

His best season came in 1989 with the Browns. Slaughter had a career high 1236 yards, averaged a franchise high 19 yards per reception, and 6 touchdowns, one of which went for 97 yards against the Bears.  Against the Oilers that year he had a 77 yard and an 80 yard touchdown en route to a 184 yard performance.

Webster became embroiled in a contract dispute with the Browns- something he had done with frequency as early as 1988. Unhappy with second year head coach Bill Belichick’s offensive system, Slaughter held out. Although Plan B was the current status quo, Slaughter felt he was a top dollar receiver and wanted to be paid like it. Unable to negotiate with the Browns, he sued the team and became a landmark plantiff that helped bring about the retooled Free Agency System that went into effect during the 1992 season. With the Oilers hunting for a replacement to departed Drew Hill, they immediately snapped up Webster to go alongside Curtis Duncan, Haywood Jeffires, and Ernest Givins in their Run ‘N Shoot receiving corps. That season as he worked into the lineup, Slaughter spent the majority of his time fielding punts.

He’d earn Pro Bowl honors for his 1993 season, starting in 14 games (904 yards, 77 receptions and 5 touchdowns). Slaughter was content with the Oilers, but with the departure of Warren Moon after the 1993 season and the team rebuilding, Webster knew it was a matter of time before he was done in Houston. While his numbers in 1994 were slightly down, the team opted not to resign him. Instead Webster made a move to KC, turning down richer suitors to play for his former head coach in Cleveland, Marty Schottenheimer. While the reunion would last only one season, Slaughter managed to average 15.4 YPR on 34 catches and 4 touchdowns with quarterback Steve Bono at the helm. He’d sign with the Jets in 1996, but the horrendous team finished at a dismal 1-15.  After a season out of the game, Webster played for the Chargers, closing out his career in 1998. He dabbled with playing again as late as 2001 with the Redskins, but finally embraced retirement fully.

Slaughter is a difficult player to obtain TTM. He’s another guy I sent to, and failed miserably to get an autograph from. It is now common knowledge that Webster refuses to sign TTM because he does not want to confirm his address. I was more than happy to pay to get this elusive member of the Browns and Oilers finally into the collection, but still have quite a few more that I’d like to get autographed at a later date since he has so many great cards. Webster is a fairly popular member of the Cleveland Browns and has been seen at many alumni functions.

G/Gs 162/127   Rec 563     Yds 8111     Avg  14.4     Td   44     Lg 97t
Pr  38     Yds 256     Avg  6.7      Td 0     Lg 20