Tag Archives: ttm autograph

NFL

Barrow, Micheal

Cards: ProSet 1993, GameDay 1993
Acquired: TTM 2016, C/o Home
Sent: 5/24/16             Received: 10/2/17  (420 days)
Failure: 2010, C/o University of Miami

Micheal Barrow played for the Miami Hurricanes in college.  A fearsome and instinctive linebacker, Micheal posted 420 combined tackles, 7 sacks, and 3 interceptions for 5 years, earning first-team All-America Honors in 1992.

New defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan wanted some new blood and speed at the linebacker position in Houston.  He made smarmy remarks about incumbent MLB Al Smith being too big and slow after watching film of the previous season.  Micheal was actually a surprise selection by the Oilers in the 2nd round of the 1993 NFL Draft. The team was bursting at talent at linebacker with Joe Bowden, Lamar Lathon, Eddie Robinson, Smith, and free agent signee Wilber Marshall.

During his rookie year he’d hone his skills behind Al Smith at middle linebacker- who had no intention of giving up his spot. The Oilers acknowledged as much and moved Barrow to RLB in 1994. He’d play for the Oilers through the 1996 season.  Micheal’s most complete season in Houston occurred that year as he posted 67 tackles, 6 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles.

Micheal signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Carolina Panthers in 1997.  He picked up right where he left off in Houston recording 68 tackles, 8.5 sacks (career high), and 3 forced fumbles. After solid play through the 1999 season, Micheal signed with the New York Giants as a free agent.

Among the pantheon of free agent signings in the history of the franchise, Barrow’s signing wasn’t met with much fanfare, however he’d go down as one of Big Blue’s most savvy moves. Plugging Barrow in at middle linebacker, Micheal played 5 strong seasons in NY. His best season for the franchise came in 2003 when he posted a career high 109 tackles.  After a knee injury ended his one and done season with the Redskins before it even began, Barrow played 2 games in 2005 with the Dallas Cowboys before retiring.

Micheal quickly went into coaching scaling the high school ranks and landing at his Alma Mater Miami where he was linebackers coach for the Hurricanes from 2007-2013.  In 2015, Micheal joined Pete Carroll’s staff in Seattle as the team’s linebacker’s coach, and in 2017 was promoted to assistant head coach to keep potential suitors away.

Finally, another mythic Houston Oiler down. I had tried Barrow way back in 2010 via the Hurricanes, but failed miserably.  This request too, I had given up hope on, but after a very long wait, Micheal signed these two cards for me via the Seahawks.

G/GS  172/153      TAC  1125     SAC 43.0      FUM  22
INT 2       YDS 17        AVG  8.5     TD  0       LG  10

 

NFL, WLAF

Rouen, Tom


Cards: Wild Card WLAF 1992, Topps 1994
Acquired: TTM 2017, C/o Home
Sent: 7/11    Received: 8/21    (41 days)

In 1989 Tom earned first team All-Big Eight and consensus All-American honors at Colorado, with a 45.9 yard average per punt and 43.9 yard net- leading the nation.  In 1990 he earned second team honors as he ranked fourth in the conference with 54 punts and a 40.8 yard average. After going unselected in the NFL draft, he bounced around training camps before ultimately signing with the WLAF.

Like Chris Mohr before him, Tom made the best of his one year stint in the league, punting 48 times for 1,992 yards and a 41.5 yard average, playing for the Ohio Glory. He also boomed an 85 yard punt and had 14 kicks downed within the 20 yard line. For his efforts he was named to the All-World League squad.

He’d bide his time but eventually sign with an NFL team in 1993, replacing tenured punter Mike Horan in Denver.  Rouen went on to play for the Broncos for the next 8 seasons. During that period he’d etch his name into the team’s record books and earn All-Pro Honors once in 1994.  In 2002, he had a whirlwind tour of the league. Cut by the Broncos, Tom signed and was cut by the Giants and then was subsequently picked up by Pittsburgh.  Afterwards he spent his next two NFL seasons (2003-2004) in Seattle.  Rouen still wanted to play and saw action in the training camps of Carolina and back to Seattle (both 2005). Later he’d attempt one last shot with the 49ers in 2006, but failed to unseat incumbent Andy Lee.

Tom is a member of the Denver Broncos 50th Anniversary Team. Technically it appears that Tom is the last man standing from the WLAF- as Chris Mohr retired the previous season.

WLAF  10/0      P  48        YDS 1992         LG 85     BLK   0
NFL   188/0       P  810     YDS  35189     LG 76     BLK   9

NFL

Cushing, Brian (2) ‘B Cush’

Cards: Upper Deck Draft Edition 2009, Score 2010, Score 2010 AP
Acquired:  TTM 2017. C/o Home (?)
Sent: 5/15      Received: 8/21     (97 days)
Failure: TTM 2013, C/o Home
See Also:  Brian Cushing

For a couple of years there- well like the last 5 or so, I had been wanting to get Brian Cushing on a few more of his cards.  I had been hot on his trail after he showed up to film a commercial on the high school field that Drew Brees played on- literally a block from me. I didn’t know about it until he posted it on his twitter a day later- leaving me kicking myself, and packing a Houston Texans box of cards to always keep in my card for such future emergencies.  I fired off these cards to him in Houston, but by that point he moved to a new place. A few fans later that told me that Brian showed up once a year like clockwork to sign for a bank promotion in Houston, but I never had any luck with that event ever getting posted.

Thankfully enough a fellow collector really felt for me after I got screwed over by Just Greg on Sportscollectors.net. Greg felt that because I had asked him how much he had wanted dollarwise to help me get a few autographs, that I was essentially calling him greedy, so he decided not to help me. I felt that Greg had a more passive aggressive objective: Offer me help to get players I need, and then get some satisfaction by denying me the help he offered. Regardless, his behavior was pretty weak and it left me very disappointed in another member of the hobby.

Moving on, my friend had just gotten Brian’s autograph, so I shot these out as fast as possible to his questionable home address. A few months later, these beauties -postmarked from the Texans temporary training camp in WV came back to me with his autograph penned on all the cards.  The success gave me quite a charge, as it was the first one for Brian on the boards I track since early 2013.

I really liked his 2010 Score All Pro card. It’s a really well designed card, and while the AP is loathe to admit that they still honor his nomination.  While the 2010 base issue is a slight variant on the 2009 set, I enjoyed the deconstructive effect and design of the cards.

Brian picked up where he left off in 2010 with a All Pro worthy 2011 as he switched to an inside linebacker position in the Texans front under new defensive coordinator Wade Philips. In 16 games Cush had 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, 4 sacks and 81 tackles as the team zoomed up the defensive charts. The team named Brian their MVP.

Brian’s 2012 was also off to an equally fast start with 22 tackles and an interception through 5 contests- but a dirty crack back block by Jets guard Matt Slauson ended his season. He’d rehab his ACL and return for 2013. A little more than a year after his injury, Cushing was injured again on a low block from KC runningback Jamaal Charles.  It was a gruesome injury as B Cush blew out his LCL and broke his leg.  The defense collapsed without Cushing in the lineup and the coaching staff was fired after the season.

Still you have to hand it to Cushing. He returned again from injury in 2014. Is he a cyborg? Is he bionic? I’m not sure but he picked up 41 tackles, a sack, and 1 forced fumble in 14 games playing under new defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel.   Already at that point, cat calls had begun for Cushing to step aside for new blood, but the linebacker remains defiant. During the 2015 preseason, Brian was brought national attention because of his intensity on display during the Texans appearance on Hard Knocks. He’d then back it up with 63 tackles in 2015- his first full 16 game slate in about 4 years.

Cush recorded his 638th tackle during the 3rd quarter of the Texans/ Colts tilt in 2016 to break the franchise’s all-time tackle mark previously held by DeMeco Ryans. Brian also was the Texans 2016 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award Nominee.  Despite the Twitter banter going around his bland statistics over the past few years, Brian is well respected by pundits and coaches around the league. Deep analysis reveals that he was quite the secret weapon on the Texans defense in 2016. He ranked 5th among ILB with an 11.5 percent run stop percentage, and first among linebackers in yards per coverage snap with only 111 yards allowed.  (I posted these facts on Twitter, and was surprised to see his wife liked it.)

All signs still pointed to go for the ageless Cushing in 2017, as he got to try his game under promoted defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel, but he was suspended for a second drug infraction early in the season. Brian rejoined the Texans 10 games later, and explained that the banned substance he was suspended for was for mental health.