Tag Archives: philadelphia eagles

NFL, University of Texas

Feller, Happy

utud11 feller
Cards: UT UD 2011, UT UD 2011 NC
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Work
Sent:  10/19  Received: 10/23    (4 days)

With a name like Happy Feller, you might as well be predispositioned to be positive about things.  He joined the Longhorns Hall of Honor in 2014, after being a part of two national championship teams for the University of Texas. While there he set Southwest Conference records for both touchbacks and point after attempts. His 55 yard field goal against UCLA  in his senior year was a school record at the time as well.

utud11 feller 6970Feller went on to play in the NFL for 3 seasons.  A 4th round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, he’d beat out Mark Moseley in training camp to secure the kicking job.

The Eagles were perennial losers at the time. Head coach Jerry Williams was fired and replaced by interim coach Ed Khayat. Khayat brought New Orleans placekicker Tom Dempsey in and put him on the taxi squad. With an accomplished kicker like Dempsey breathing down his neck, Feller began to question his ability. His game ultimately suffered.  Happy played in 1972 and 1973 for the New Orleans Saints, but a quadriceps injury slowed him down.

After football,  Happy founded TeleDynamics, which specializes in wholesale electronics. He signed these 2 cards for me in a very short 4 days. On the letter he wrote next to my salutation, “My pleasure!” It’s always great when you can tell that a player really is just as happy and excited to sign for you as you are.

G  21       XPA 28        XPM 27        FGA  16        FGM   50       PCT  37.2%

NFL

Campbell, Jesse

pset91 jcampbell stpi91 jcampbell aprks91 jcampbell sco91 jcampbell
Cards: ProSet 1991, StarPics 1991, Action Packed Rookies 1991, Score 1991.
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Work
Sent:  7/30  Received: 10/10    (72 days)

A second round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles out of NC State, Jesse Campbell was a 3 year starter and 1st Team All ACC Member for the Wolfpack, notching 7 interceptions, 187 tackles, and 5 sacks over his career.  A fearsome hitter, Campbell also forced an impressive 15 fumbles punishing receivers and runners alike with a linebacker’s abandon.   He’d sustain a knee cartilage injury before making it to the regular season and spend his first season on IR.

In 1992 the Eagles were going in a new direction under head coach Rich Kotite and defensive coordinator Bud Carson. While Campbell was given ample time to impress in camp, it became a numbers game, and Carson’s defense requires safeties that can cover and places a premium on cornerbacks. Jesse was cut when the Eagles opted to resign corner Eric Allen.  He’d sign with the rival New York Giants and push his way into a starting job by 1994.  Campbell played with the Giants through 1996, before finishing out his career with the Redskins over the next two years, retiring in 1999.

He’s dabbled in coaching and is currently involved in school administration.

G/GS  92/61     TAC  304       SAC 0       FUM 3
INT 7     YDS 28      AVG 4.0    TD 0      LG 14

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.