Tag Archives: sage 2012

Miller, Lamar ‘Miller Time’

Card: Sage 2012
Acquired: 2017, Ebay

Lamar Miller has moved into white whale territory for me. I have been trying hard to get his autograph for the past few years now. I even went to what I thought was a signing down in Houston that he was doing at a bank. When I arrived after fighting my way through the rain, I found out that he was not going to sign outside items. There is no greater annoyance than an event not posting on their website that outside items are not allowed. I attempted to appeal to Lamar through his Twitter feed but, alas I was out of luck. It was a low point to my collecting- and it did some damage to my interest in making these long distance drives to autograph events around the state.

Lamar played for the Hurricanes from 2010 to 2011. He piled up the numbers in 2011 posting 227 carries for 1272 yards and 9 touchdowns. He also got involved in the passing game, catching 17 passes, and a little bit of time in the return game. He’d be selected by the Miami Dolphins in the 4th round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Lamar worked his way into the starting lineup in 2013, starting 15 games that year. His first impact season came in 2014 when Miller ran for 1099 yards and 8 TDs including a 97 yarder. Over the years, Lamar became more involved in the passing game catching a career high 47 passes in 2015. 

In 2016 the Houston Texans were looking to reload at two workhorse positions, quarterback and runningback. The Texans plucked the two highest rated players from the free agency pool: Brock Osweiler and Lamar Miller on the same day. I was beside myself with the signing of Miller. I knew that he was going to be counted on to replace Arian Foster. When given the choice of getting an Osweiler or Lamar Miller jersey- I didn’t skip a beat in selecting Lamar.  During his first season with the Texans, he carried the ball a career high 268 times, but the Texans essentially ran him into the ground. He finished with 1073 yards on the season in 14 starts. In his crowning moment, the Texans came back for victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Lamar caught a pass and did a 360 spin and dodged 3 would be tacklers en route to the endzone.

2017 was a down year for Lamar. He’d carry the ball 238 times for 888 yards in 13 starts and catch a career high 3 TDs. I am of the opinion that the team’s offensive scheme doesn’t compliment Lamar’s running style. Lamar is a great slasher back. You get him outside the tackles and let him work in open space and he’s pretty amazing. 

In 2018, Lamar earned his first Pro Bowl appearance. Starting 14 contests he put together 973 yards on 210 carries. His 4.6 YPC was his highest since 2014. He’d also become the first RB in NFL history with two 95+ yard TD runs- in his career, as he torched the Tennessee Titans during a pivotal matchup for a 97 yard gallop. Miller also chipped in 163 yards on 25 receptions.

Considered the incumbent back entering 2019, Miller looks to build off of an encouraging 2018 campaign.

Robinson, Keenan (2)

sage12 krobinsonCards:  Sage 2012, Upper Deck 2012
Acquired: IP, Aaron Williams Lone Star Showcase 2015
See Also: Keenan Robinson

The Redskins took the training wheels off Keenan Robinson in 2014 when he replaced longtime starting linebacker London Fletcher. Keenan had 71 tackles (33 assists), 1.5 sacks, 6 TFL, 3 passes defensed, and a fumble recovery in 13 games this last season.  In back to back seasons, Robinson had season ending injuries before the season began, but he took the best from it and decided to play relentlessly- because any day it could all be over. With an increased fire for the game, Robinson had assumed duties as the defensive play caller in the huddle in 2015.

ud12st krobinsonIn 2016 Keenan was surprisingly allowed to sign with the division rival New York Giants. He dressed for all 16 games and started 6 at middle linebacker putting up 79 total tackles and 7 pass deflections. An athletic and speedy defender, Keenan has the speed to keep up with runningbacks and tight ends in pass coverage. He also has the odd honor of picking off Tom Brady twice in his short career.

Robinson was being interviewed off to the side at the Lone Star Showcase. He was very happy to sign anything that anybody had at the event and patiently talked to every fan if they had something to say. The Showcase was fun, but listening to kids participating in the Showcase chide and heckle fans and adults who wanted autographs was a disappointing sight. It’s easy to bite the hand that feeds you if you do not understand that: Simply put, fans dollars are what keep the sport going and fan patronage is what pays for camps for kids.

 

Cousins, Kirk ‘Captain Kirk’

Cards: Leaf Draft 2014, Sage HIT 2014, Upper Deck Star Rookies 2014
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o The Washington Redskins
Sent:  11/16/15     Received: 6/7/16     (204 Days)

Kirk Cousins gets no respect.  While at Michigan State, Cousins played in 45 games, completing 723 passes for 9131 yards and 66 TDs.  He had solid measurables and the stats to back it up as a solid, traditional dropback passer.

The 2012 Draft is shaping up to be one of the best quarterback crops in recent memory.  Among the 11 quarterbacks selected, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III went off the board 1 and 2 overall respectively.  Next was: Ryan Tannehill at #8, Brandon Weeden at #22, Brock Osweiler at #57, Russell Wilson at #75, Nick Foles at #88,  and Kirk Cousins at #102. All of these players saw significant starting playing time or have been named to the Pro Bowl/ AP at their position.  The problem with Cousins, was, he was selected by… The Washington Redskins- who had already selected Robert Griffin III at #2 overall.  Critics were aghast at why the Redskins selected 2 quarterbacks in the 2014 draft.  It turns out that it was a shrewd move by then coach Mike Shanahan.

Unlike Griffin, Cousins was afforded the luxury of honing his skills while sitting on the bench. Griffin was thrust into the fire immediately. Kirk saw mainly scrub duty in 3 games while starting only one game his rookie year.  He’d finish with a 101.6 QB rating, throwing for 466 yards and 4 TDs.  Because of Griffin’s aggressive style of play, (which consequently got him injured,) Cousins saw more starting duty over the next few seasons.

Cousins eventually eclipsed Griffin as the starting quarterback entering the 2015 season. During a memorable game against the Buccaneers, Cousins led the Redskins to the largest comeback in franchise history. After the team came back from a 24-0 deficit to win 31-30, Cousins was caught on camera screaming, “YOU LIKE THAT!”, multiple times. It became a rallying cry for the franchise as they pulled off a division title with a 9-7 record. His 69.8 completion percentage led the NFL and his 29 passing TDs rank second as a single season franchise mark.

Washington in the meantime opted to kick the can down the road on Cousins, opting neither to trade him or to give him a franchise QB contract.  Kirk responded by upping the ante, throwing for almost 5,000 yards- shattering the single season mark he set for the Redskins in the previous year.  When he led the Redskins a tie against the Bengals, he addressed his general manager by saying, “How do you like me now?” – an apparent dig at the team for their current growing contract brouhaha.  To cap things off after the 2016 season, Kirk was named to his first Pro Bowl.

Although teams have again asked the Redskins what price they’d be willing to part from Cousins with, Washington used the franchise tag on him to keep him with the team for the long term.

As it became apparent that Kirk was the man in Washington, and he was responding at a decent click, I went ahead took a shot out to the ‘Skins in 2015. Knowing that I might have missed the bus on this one, I didn’t hold out much hope, especially after watching a lot of successes come back. It wasn’t until about 6 months later I got a response from Kirk. Checking responses on sportscollectors.net in early 2017, it looks as though I was lucky and got in on the last group to get him, as the requests are piling up. Much like some other pros, Kirk started off as a great signer TTM, but as the requests pile up, it’s no surprise that he’d have a hard time responding now.

Really some great photos here from ‘the big 3’ of college cards. While I liked the photos on both the Upper Deck and the Leaf entries both are plagued by annoying design decisions. The Leaf card is original in its execution, almost audacious in the placement of the Leaf Draft logo in the bottom middle of the frame, but the jaggies on the left and right are distracting from the type. I also am not the biggest fan of the typeface used.  The Upper Deck is as usual, full of a lot of bling. The silver is nice and the typeface is grandiose, but it is just too small. His first name, college, and position just basically disappear off the canvas. The silver is nice, and credit should be given to making the STAR ROOKIES label legible in metallic silver.  I like the design of the Sage the best. It’s clean and simple and communicates the player’s name efficiently without any frills.