Card: TNT AFL 2011
Acquired: In person, 3/1/14  Talons Season Ticket Party

Of all the players that the San Antonio Talons signed in 2014, I was most excited about PJ Berry. I had created a demo card of PJ back in 2011, when I was planning to do one shots of all the team’s best players in the AFL. While the project quickly broke down because of real life stuff, I always had it somewhat on the backburner. The cards are like nothing on the market, and that to me is very exciting. So to come back to this project and find that AFL players like it and some are even asking me for some is very flattering. When the Talons signed PJ I tweeted him a copy of his card. He really liked it a lot and retweeted it to his masses.  I told him I’d see him soon to have it autographed. Lo and behold at the Talons event, when the players swarmed me to look at my cards, they started shouting, “PJ! PJ! He’s got your card! Come see this!” As PJ came over I told him that I was a man of my word and here I was to get my card autographed. He shook my hand and made a good scene of it, and told me that he wasn’t Superman right now, -just Clark Kent.

PJ has quickly established himself as one of the most electrifying players in the AFL.  In his rookie season for Bossier-Shreveport, he recorded 118 receptions for 1,352 yards and 33 touchdowns. He also had 65 kick returns for 1,171 yards and 2 touchdowns to add to his totals in 2010.  While he’d be beaten out for rookie of the year honors by Rod Windsor, Berry was named AFL Ironman of the Year in 2011, after he set the league season record for all purpose yardage with 3,752 yards from scrimmage and kick returns (100) with the New Orleans Voodoo. Another fine season in Pittsburgh in 2012 with 1,282 yards and a franchise record 2,024 yards kick returning earned Berry his second consecutive Ironman award, but he’d have a down year in 2013, before being assigned to the San Antonio Talons for 2014.

Berry also played for the South Georgia Wildcats of AFL2 in 2008 where he was known as an explosive and dangerous kick returner, demonstrated by his 6 TDs during that season.  Its a shame really that PJ hasn’t been able to catch onto an NFL roster. He was given a tryout with the Saints in 2011 after he record breaking season, but because of New Orleans depth, PJ was unable to make the team. Still PJ is considered a budding star of the AFL at this time and he is considered my biggest catch of the league to date.