Tag Archives: pittsburgh steelers

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

Johnson, Jerrod

tntufl11 jjohnsonCards: TNT UFL 2011
Acquired: IP, Aaron Williams Lone Star Showcase 2015

I was a big fan of the United Football League, before all the dirt came out about them not paying their players, and developed a set of cards for the league. As word got around of my work, a few players contacted me and asked for their cards, so I expanded the set from roughly 50 to 100 cards.  Included in the set were 12 or so rookies who were selected by the league during the first ever sports Twitter draft.

After Josh McCown had bolted back to the NFL as one of the UFL’s success stories, new Hartford Colonial’s coach Jerry Glanville assembled an impressive coaching staff and selected Jerrod Johnson with the first overall pick of the 2011 UFL Draft. Johnson planned to sign with the league, but with dark financial clouds brewing, Jerrod signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. Soon thereafter, the Colonials owner assumed control of the Virginia Destroyers, and the league contracted Hartford.  Jerrod saw time on various rosters around the NFL (Eagles, Steelers) and Arena (Rattlers) leagues. He then returned to the UFL in 2012 suiting up for the Sacramento Mountain Lions. Johnson threw for 321 yards, completing 25 of 59 passes with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. He also ran for 12 yards in 6 attempts.  This led him back to the NFL, where he ws on the offseason and practice rosters of the Seahawks and Bears through the 2014 season. Later Jerrod signed with the Montreal Alouettes.

Jerrod liked the custom that I did of him, and when I said the #1 pick of the UFL in 2011, he remarked, “The man knows!” Jerrod was one of the many attendees at the Lone Star Showcase. Working with the kids at quarterback you could tell he got a lot of enjoyment out of giving back. Although it was a pretty hot day, the event was well run and players were kind and accomodating to fans of all ages.

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.