I had tried BJ a few times already without any luck- even delaying posting his original post for a few months hoping I’d get a success back, but no dice. Every once in a while I pull out my stack of failures that were RTSed by the mailman and go through them. I decided to take a closer look at Daniels’ address. I knew he worked at USF but the address was off by just a bit, so I tweaked it and tried again. A bit over two months later he sent me back the autographs and a really nice note on USF stationary thanking me for being a fan.
A combine freak and athlete, he set the record for lineman with a 37″ verticle.
Blake was selected in the 4th round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
With a carousel of injuries to the OL, Freeland saw action in 10 games his rookie season primarily as a swing tackle.
NOTES:
The prevailing winds in Indianapolis are that Blake was sorta thrown into the fire his rookie campaign. He’s got the athleticism, but just needs to work on his technique.
In 1986, John Rienstra (OL) was a first round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Temple.
With exceptional mobility and strength, he was well suited for the Steelers trap run game.
Injuries hampered his first 3 seasons in the NFL until the 1989 season, where John established himself as a starter in 14 contests.
He signed as a Plan B free agent with the Cleveland Browns in 1991.
Started all 16 games for the first time in his career that year at LG.
Retired after the 1992 NFL season due to injury (rotator cuff).
NOTES:
Rienstra was a fearsome OL, who left it all on the field in some 7 injury riddled seasons of play, and 20 some odd scars from his playing days. He earned his nickname for his hard charging style of play, and preference to go for defenders throats. A collegiate power lifter- Rienstra at his peak lifted some 785 pounds.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
