Tag Archives: philadelphia eagles

NFL

Williams, Calvin

scosup90 cwilliamsud92 cwilliams

Cards:  Score Supplemental 1990, Upper Deck 1992
Acquired: TTM 2011, 2015-  C/o Home, C/o Purdue
Sent:  11/8/11  Received: 3/19/15    (1227 days)
Sent: 3/16/15   Received: 3/26/15    (10 days)

The Eagles passing attack during the late 80s was crippled by the declining durability of wide receiver Mike Quick, and the departure of Cris Carter, so they moved to address it. To do so, Philadelphia aggressively went after receivers during the 1990 draft. In addition to selecting Mike Bellamy in round two, and Fred Barnett in round three, the Eagles swooped back in round five and picked Calvin Williams. Williams had one of the better combines that year, and fought had to win a spot in training camp. He performed so well, that he took over Carter’s former starting spot, and set an Eagles rookie record with 9 receiving touchdowns.  His 37 receptions for 602 yards contributed to him earning All-Rookie Honors at the end of the season. A solid redzone threat throughout much of the early part of his career, Calvin again led the Eagles in TDs in both 1992 (7 TDs) and 1993 (10 TDs- a career high).  In 1995, he had a career high 63 receptions and later joined the Baltimore Ravens during the 1996 season.

I spoke to Calvin back in 2011 via SotL (School of the Legends). Back then, SotL billed itself as an online community for fans to talk to, and get advice from NFL players. I had begun to build a reputation on the site as a knowledgeable fan, and began to send out TTM to some of those players. Over those months I had a few conversations with Calvin and decided to shoot a few cards out.

Shortly after declaring a new long wait response, Calvin Williams blows that one out of the water by nearly 3 years. Williams has built an interesting reputation within the TTM community. Not only is Calvin a sporadic signer, he signs only one card, keeps the rest, and frequently switches out the card he sends back with other people who have previously sent requests.  The Score Supplemental was the only card that I sent out back in 2011 that made it back. I was happy with that. In the meantime before that one came back I had sent out a second attempt, but he switched out the Action Packed Rookies 1990 and the GameDay 1992 cards with this – Upper Deck 1992 card. Oh well, still a success in my book.

Calvin was among the leading plaintiffs who sued the NFL and helmet makers for concussion and head related injuries in 2011.  He’s been involved in physical education for quite a few years, and is currently on the Purdue Boilermakers staff.

G/Gs 100/85     Rec 308     Yds 3925    Avg 12.7     Td 35    Lg 80t

 

AAFL, NFL

Milons, Freddie

Card: Bowman Certified 2002
Acquired: 3/27/12, Target Authentic Memorabilia Autograph Edition

So these Target Authentic Memorabilia Autograph Edition cards, well I buy them to feed the beast, since I love to collect autographs. With guys like Matt Ryan, Jim Brown, Michael Vick, and Chris Johnson on the cover, I know that the chances of me getting any of these players in a package are either astronomically non-existent, bordering on false advertising. Still I am happy to get an autograph and a few cards for just 13.00. I pretty much cleared out all the Targets in Central Texas at one point.

Freddie Milons had a stellar career at the University of Alabama. He set the school career receiving record with 152 career catches, and was a valued special teams player. His career 1859 yards ranks second all time on the school charts.

The Philadelphia Eagles took notice, and tabbed him in the 5th round of the 2002 draft. He looked good in the preseason, returning a kickoff 82 yards against the Steelers. Milons though suffered a series of setbacks, and injuries claimed his complete season. Philadelphia traded Freddie before the 2003 season to Pittsburgh, but he did not play a down that year. Freddie hopped over to Baltimore in 2004, and finished the season on the roster of the Bengals. He would be a member of the Bengals through 2005 before being released. After a 2 year hiatus, Freddie was signed by Team Alabama of the All-American Football league, which was to start play in 2008, but the league never got off the ground.

NFL

Polk, Chris

sage12 polkCard: HIT 2013
Acquired: 2014, Box Breaker

Chris was a 3 year starter for the Washington Huskies, and rushed for over 1,400 yards in both 2010 and 2011. With well over 4,000 total career yards, he finished second all time in Huskies history. Considered one of the top prospects of 2012, Chris had good size (5’11” and 222), and toughness between the tackles and displays supurb instincts and vision. He was thought to be a decent second round pick. Polk’s position however, tumbled out of the draft completely when concern about a nagging degenerative shoulder condition arose. He did become the most sought after free agent after the draft concluded,  and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.

He’s been stuck at the back of the runningback rotation, but has shown promise in limited playing time and in special teams situations. In 2013, Chris rushed for 98 yards on 11 carries, and 3 touchdowns, and caught 4 passes for 61 yards and a TD as well.

A great card wasted by a lack of critical endorsements- I’d have thought that Polk had played for Ohio State the way this card looks, since he’s in his Senior Bowl duds. Thankfully the Seattle skyline is displayed in the background, but the name displayed on the front feels like a major faux pas.