Tag Archives: Houston Texans

NFL

Barwin, Connor (2) ‘Kramer’

dor&s09 cbarwinCards: Donruss Rookies & Stars 2009, Donruss Gridiron 2009, Topps 2012
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o The Philadelphia Eagles
Sent:  9/22/15     Received: 2/5/16   (136 days)
See Also: Connor Barwin

A lesson in patience, Connor Barwin sports a near perfect response rate through Sportscollectors.net.  To get a better feel for when players respond, I always look at the date that they sign. Do they clump their signings around bye weeks? Do they sign after the season/ before the season? These are things to consider to properly understand your time frame for a response. I know Barwin is a stellar signer, and after a slightly longer than expected wait, the autographs rolled in.

do09 cbarwinWhile Barwin was playing in Houston in 2010, he blew out his ankle during the season opener against Indianapolis. He was in so much pain that it was really sad when they carted him from the field.  Later it was revealed that he was lost for the season. It struck me so deeply that I opened a Twitter account to wish him well and sent my first tweet to him. He recovered from his injury, and was converted to linebacker.

Connor had a banner year in 2011 under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, setting a personal best with 11.5 sacks.  Barwin frequently made a mess of the Jaguars, breaking the team record with 4 sacks in one game against Jacksonville.  2012 was a contract year for Barwin, and largely a down one if you consider only sacks.  The Texans hoped to resign him, but wanted to do so at a hometown discount.

to12 cbarwinUnderstanding his value, Barwin signed with the Eagles as a free agent in 2013. Ever gracious, Connor took out a legendary full page ad in the Houston Chronicle thanking the team, the fans, and even Blaine Gabbert (quarterback for Jacksonville at the time) for his time with the Texans.  Barwin has become a fixture in the Eagles defense.. He’d earn his first AP nomination in 2014 after recording 14.5 sacks, and followed that up in 2015 with another 7.

Considered the MVP of the defense, big things are expected of Barwin under new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz in 2016.

 

NFL

Vrabel, Mike

ud081st vrabel

Card: Upper Deck 2006  First Edition
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o The Houston Texans
Sent: 10/13          Received: 10/21              (8 days)

Mike Vrabel was a 3rd round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Ohio State in 1997, where he played primarily on special teams and as a backup linebacker. He joined the Patriots in 2001 and became a key contributor to New England’s underrated defense starting at left linebacker. He’d also see time at ROLB and RILB.  Vrabel earned an AP and Pro Bowl nomination for his 2007 season when he made a career high 12.5 sacks, 55 tackles, and 4 forced fumbles.  He played his final two seasons in 2009 and 2010 for the Kansas City Chiefs. Mike also moonlighted as a tight end for the Patriots and Kansas City in goal line situations catching 14 passes for 10 touchdowns.

In 2011, Mike returned to his Alma Mater Ohio State where he was hired as their linebackers coach. He served in 2012 and 2013 as the Buckeyes defensive line coach.  When Bill O’Brien became head coach of the Houston Texans in 2014, Vrabel moved in to serve as the team’s linebackers coach. He received a lot of exposure in 2015 on HBO’s Hard Knocks shaping the team’s chippy middle four, and turned Whitney Mercilus into a double digit sack threat by the end of the season. After the 2015 campaign, the San Fransisco 49ers offered Vrabel their defensive coordinator position, but he declined the offer and remains on the Texans staff for the 2016 season.

G/Gs 206/140    Tac 740      Sac  57.0       Fum  19
Int 11      Yds  73       Avg 7.3       Td 1        Lg 24t
Rec 14      Yds 10      Avg 1.4      Td  10      Lg 2t

NFL

Griffin, Ryan

mem griffinCards: Crown Royale 2013 Silver (#139/199), Crown Royale 2013 Red (#14/99), Panini Black 2013 (#019/399), Photo Memorabilia.
Acquired: IP 7/16/15, Houston Texans Battle Red Stampede Tour

pabl13 griffinAn intriguing member of the Houston Texans, Ryan Griffin has shown flashes of promise in his limited playing time since he joined the Texans in 2013.  The Texans love drafting tight ends and Griffin found himself buried behind Owen Daniels and Garrett Graham. With Daniels going down after the 5th game, Griffin saw more active playing time behind Graham.  When Griffin was out there, he provided a respectable option for the Texans’ ragged quarterback rotation.  Viewed as a poor-man’s Daniels,  Griffin logged 19 receptions (on 28 targets) for 244 yards, scoring his first professional TD against the Arizona Cardinals.


cr13 griffin RAs the Texans cleaned house after the 2013 season and new coach Bill O’Brien bringing in his multiple offensive system, Daniels was allowed to sign via free agency with the Ravens. Graham was elevated to starter and Griffin was relegated to third string again behind new arrival CJ Fiedorciwz. Still Griffin started 2 games and made 10 receptions. He scored his second professional TD in the Texans 45-21 blow out of the Tennessee Titans.
While the selection of Griffin and Brandon Brooks met with a collective disappointed sigh from the autograph community- I relished it, because it ensured that the event would still be a draw for the true fans.  I quickly bought out what Ryan Griffin cards I could and prepared for the event the following month.  It was really difficult to locate cards of him that were not already autographed, or were of Ryan Griffin (QB Tulane). In the end I paid more for unautographed cards, but that’s just what a true type of collector I am.
cr13 griffin SThe players were really accommodating at the event. They signed a multiple for me and threw in the photographed memorabilia to boot. While Academy didn’t hand out numbers for the event beforehand, it wasn’t necessary. There were just not that many people there.  Overall everything went well, and I was able to talk to some fellow fans as well while I waited.

Both of these cards really hit the mark pretty well. I like the Crown Royale a lot- even if it is a bit over the top. The set in general integrates the crown icon and design very well into the player image. Overall, it’s a very nice presentation and as a bonus, the scans came out even better than the actual cards.  The Panini Black is okay. Again I am just not a huge fan of blasting a card brand across the card, but still it is a solid image.  Ryan has a pretty solid autograph. There are some nice loops in the name and its angular slant gives it an exciting feel.