Tag Archives: kansas city chiefs

NFL, NFLE

Moses, J.J.

sp2003 mosesud03 mosesCards:Acquired: IP 4/25/2013, 1300 The Zone Texans Draft Party. IP 9/1/2013, Houston Texans Kemah Boardwark Kickoff
See Also: Texans Ambassadors
Failure: TTM 2013, C/o The Houston Texans Ambassador Program

JJ Moses is another great rags to riches story from the halls of NFLE.  JJ was a burner at wide receiver for the Iowa State Cyclones from 1997-2000. Over his time at Iowa State Moses was a multipurpose monster recording 82 receptions for 1226 yards and 4 touchdowns, 73 carries for 405 yards and 3 TDs, 43 kickoffs for 950 yards and 45 punts for 411 yards. In addition, his efforts for the 2000 season earned JJ MVP honors from the school. Going undrafted, possibly due to his tiny size (5-6, 179,) Moses got into the NFL through helping another friend out with a tryout. He got the attention of the Chiefs scouts, was signed to a free agent contract, and named to the practice squad in 2001 thanks to a great preseason performance, that earned him the adoration of fans.

mem13 jj mosesThe Chiefs allocated JJ out to the Scottish Claymores of the NFLE in 2002. He was a jack of all trades for the team there and led the league in punt return yards. Returning to the NFL, JJ soon found himself on the roster of the Green Bay Packers that year. The Packers put him back at PR and KR on a limited basis, but he really didn’t see the field until 2003. Moses signed as a free agent with the young Houston Texans, -a team one year out of expansion status. It’d be here that he’d see his greatest success averaging 23.1 yards on 58 kick returns and 6.8 yards on 36 punt returns in 2003. His 1336 yards returning were a team record. He’d almost duplicate those numbers in 2004, with a 22.1 yard average on 59 kick returns, and 309 yards on 36 punt returns in 2004. After the season the team drafted speedster KR Jerome Mathis. Unfortunately it’d be the end of the Cinderella run for JJ. He’d get one final season in with the Arizona Cardinals, and then retire after the 2005 season. JJ however finished as the team’s all-time leader in punt and kick off return yardage.

ud03 moses BFGJJ has been pretty lucky since then to have survived the game in one piece due to his diminutive size.  He was also lucky not to fumble it as often as many little guys do. Still guys like JJ are the young faces of the Houston Texans franchise in the early years that really made you cheer on the underdog. I have met JJ now on two occasions. During the Houston Texans 2013 Draft Party in Austin, he was a last minute substitute for linebacker Darryl Sharpton. I could tell that many fans were a bit disappointed, but I knew who he was and as a fan from the beginning, I was very excited. When Brooks Reed and JJ arrived, I called out JJ’s name, much to his excitement. He and I briefly reminisced about the NFLE and his time with the Claymores. I did not have a card at the time for him to sign. Still I was very happy to have met him, and after signing his team provided postcard, he offered to sign any additional cards I had TTM via the Houston Texans.  I sent out the cards within 2 weeks and waited…. and waited… and waited…

leaf2003 mosesI didn’t expect to run into him at the Kickoff at Kemah. I knew the team was sending Ambassadors, but it was really the luck of the draw on the 3 that they’d send. So when I heard JJ was going to be at the event, I pulled out 4 of the 5 cards that I had sent to him earlier and bought duplicates of just in case.  When I finally got up to JJ, I introduced myself as ‘The Superfan from Austin’. He remembered me, but when I chided him about not signing the cards, he told me that he never got them. As Jamie and ND jeered him for ‘taking my cards’ JJ signed all 4, asked me where I got them from, and signed the Ambassadors card with “To Superfan”. We had a good laugh. I hope that he returns again next year to Austin for the draft, as I still have one more card of him. Unfortunately they never made a NFLE card so maybe I’ll kick the tires on making him one.

He currently lives in the Houston area and is a popular member of the Texans Ambassadors Club. In addition to his duties he’s also a motivational speaker, has spent time in radio, and is a devout Christian.

mosesmoses

G  34    Kr  128      Yds 2904       Avg 22.7      Lg 70      Td 0    |
PR  84         Yds  605       Avg  7.2       Td 0        lg 40

NFL

Lewis, Albert

to86 a lewisCard: Topps 1987
Acquired: Canton Acquisition, 2012

Albert Lewis was part of a fearsome secondary and special teams for the Kansas City Chiefs. With breathtaking speed for his size, Lewis could have easily been an wide receiver with his far reaching talents. Paired with Kevin Ross, Lewis and him made an impressive duo that shut down opponents passing games and frustrated receivers week in and week out. Lewis’ physical play and speed allowed him to handle both man to man and zone coverages with ease.  Jerry Rice, arguably the greatest receiver of All-time called Lewis, his most difficult opponent.  Still the Hall of Fame eludes Albert, since it seems to view the work of the secondary with some disdain.

A 3rd round pick out of Grambling in 1983 by the Kansas City Chiefs, Albert spent 11 fine seasons as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. He started 128 games recording 4.5 sacks, 38 picks for 329 yards, 555 tackles, and 7 FF. Deciding to go younger at the position, Albert signed with the Raiders in 1994, starting an additional 61 games for LA/ Oakland retiring after the 1998 season.

G/Gs 225/189    Tac 797       Sac  12.5      Fum  13      Int  42     Yds 403    Avg 9.6      Td  1   Lg 74t

 

NFL

Arnold, Jim

sco90 arnoldflr91 arnoldCards: Fleer 1991, Score 1990
Acquired: Canton Acquisition, 2012

Jim Arnold played college ball at Vanderbilt for the Commodores and then made his way to Kansas City in 1983. He’d punt 98 times in 1984 and 93 times in 1985, probably setting the NFL record for most punts in consecutive seasons. Jim surprisingly was cut by the Chiefs in 1986, but was snapped up by the  Lions later in the season, playing in 7 games, cementing his legacy as the starter.  Jim then proceeded to place himself on top of many career punting marks in the Lions record books. Throughout his career, Arnold established himself as a good punter with a consistent, strong, accurate leg. He earned Pro Bowl nominations in both 1988 and 1989. He also has the team record for punts in a season with 97 in 1988. His 39.6 yard net punting average in 1987, is the highest in recorded NFL history.  During Jim’s eight seasons with the franchise, he punted more times (536) and for more yards (22,893) than any other punter in team history.  In 1994, he finished out his career playing in 12 games for the Miami Dolphins and then retired.

At the time of his retirement Arnold was ranked in the NFL top 10 for career punts and yards. He is a very active member of the SotL site. (Since the restructuring of School of the Legends, I am not sure of his activity, since I no longer go to the website.) Arnold made waves when he joined the NFL concussion lawsuit in 2012.

G  174      P    866    Yds  36637      Avg   42.3       Lg  71       Blk 5