Tag Archives: pinnacle 1995

NFL

Robertson, Marcus (2)

wcard91 robertsonpac94 robertson
Cards: Wild Card 1991, Pinnacle 1994, Gameday 1994, Pacific
1995
Acquired: IP 7/11/15, Houston Oilers 25th Anniversary Party
See Also: Marcus Robertson

gday94 mrobertsonA dynamic defensive back who changed the Houston Oilers secondary when he became a fixture in 1993, Marcus Robertson was a mystery at the Anniversary Party. One of the guys who was with me got his autograph on a helmet and I immediately recognized his unique signature.  Marcus was very impressed by this Wild Card 1991 card of him. He made sure to show it to all his friends and teammates. Marcus was all smiles and thanked me for being a fan and sticking through it with the Oilers all those years.

pin94 robertsonPretty much ugly cards all around here.  The Pinnacle entry is just… all the worst combined into one card. A horrible font that’s barely readable in gold and then a really bad card back that is just too busy. It’s just impossible to read anything. GameDay continued its slow and minimal evolution into nothingness and by 1995 the brand had been completely reabsorbed into Fleer. Sure, I appreciated the tall boy entry as some of their sets are my favorites, but this one was almost too simple.

I found out about this event through Texas Autograph Club. While there was a person kind enough to put event information up there, when I asked for more information about the event, one of the regulars decided to belittle me, and tell me to do the work myself if I wanted to know. It really turned me off the site, because it was just a simple question.

 

NFL

Mirer, Rick

Card: Pinnacle 1995
Acquired: Canton Acquisition 2012

Rick Mirer was a record setting quarterback for Notre Dame who virtually rewrote all the record books during his time there. The much ballyhooed quarterback was selected second in the 1993 draft behind equally touted quarterback Drew Bledsoe. Bill Walsh before the draft even called Rick, “The next Joe Montana”. While it became obvious early that Bledsoe would play in an almost workmanlike fashion for the Patriots, Mirer set the world on fire his rookie season starting all 16 games and setting rookie passer records for attempts (486), completions (274) and  yards (2833). He also demonstrated a knack for finding the endzone with his legs, scoring 3 touchdowns on 343 yards rushing.  

The first sign of trouble was that Mirer was coached only on a handful of plays each game. If he couldn’t find an open receiver, he was instructed to do what he saw was best or tuck it in and run, and at first it appeared that the horserace between Bledsoe and Mirer was too close to call. Over the next three seasons, the Seahawks struggled mightily on offense, so in 1997 they opted to trade Mirer and a 4th rounder to Chicago for the Bears first round draft choice.

The Bears anointed Mirer the starter immediately in Chicago, but Mirer had a fatal flaw that teams had now caught onto. Mirer favored throwing to the right side of the field. Teams regularly stacked defenses to the right against him.  He threw 6 picks to zero touchdowns in his only season in the windy city. He requested to be cut by the team after the season, and found himself on the offseason roster of the Packers behind Brett Favre. The Packers then traded him to the Jets who were thin at quarterback after an injury to Vinny Testaverde. Rick got his first sustainable time under center really since he played for Seattle putting up a bit over 1000 yards and 5 touchdowns, posting a 2-4 record.

Steve Mariucci brought Mirer then to San Fransisco in 2000. He played respectably in mop up time behind Jeff Garcia throwing for a touchdown and 126 yards.  Again Rick moved, this time across the bay to Oakland in 2002. He’d see his last time under center in 2003 for the Raiders throwing for 1,263 yards and 3 touchdowns, before signing with the Lions in 2004 and retiring soon thereafter. 

Rick has spent his time after football coaching Pop Warner and owns a winery (Mirror Wine Company) in Napa, Florida.

G/Gs  80/68     Att  2043    Comp 1088    Yds  11969    Pct   53.3    Td 50     Int  76   Rat 63.5 |
Rush  242   Yds   1130     Avg  4.7    Td  9   Lg 33