Category Archives: NFL

NFL

Wells, Jonathan

bow02 jwells
Card: Bowman 2002
Acquired: 2014, Albany Acquisition

Jonathan Wells played for the Ohio Buckeyes, where he ground out 479 carries for 2,381 yards and 27 touchdowns. He’d be taken at the top of round 4 by the then expansion Houston Texans in 2002.  Wells was expected to back up James Allen who had signed as a free agent, but Jonathan ended up getting the start in the Texans first game against the Dallas Cowboys. He finished the season as the Texans leading rusher with 529 yards and 3 TDs.  After a rough 2003, Jonathan rebounded in 2004 with 82 carries for 299 yards and 3 TDs in a crowded backfield. Splitting time at fullback the following season, Wells started 6 games rushing 90 times for 325 yards and a career high 4 TDs to go along with 22 receptions.  The team sunk to a 2-14 record and head coach Dom Capers was relieved of his duties after the season.  With a new regime installed under new head coach Gary Kubiak, Wells was a free agent. At a tryout with Seattle he blew out his calf and decided to put his energy into something else.

Wells had a nice run in Houston and was the franchise’s first career leading rusher. In addition, Jonathan was captain of the special teams 3 years running. Although Wells and fellow rookie QB David Carr were forced into the lineup right from the start behind a horrible offensive line, Jonathan has no regrets. Currently he’s been involved in record label management and is a big Buckeye fan to this day.

G/Gs 60/18   Rush 374     Yds 1167    Avg 3.1     Td 10      Lg 37
Rec  44     Yds 323     Avg 7.3      Td 2      Lg 28

 

NFL

Jeffires, Haywood (5)

gday93 jeffiresgda93 jeffires GBCards: Gameday 1993 Gamebreakers, Gameday 1993, Action Packed 1991, Score 1992.
Acquired: IP 7/11/15, Houston Oilers 25th Anniversary Party
See Also: Haywood Jeffires, Freakwood, Haywood Jeffires (3), Haywood Jeffires (4)

Well the Houston Oilers 25th Anniversary Party got off to a slow start. I expected to be able to recognize a lot of them, but to be kind, it has been a long time.  The first guy I was able to nab was Jeffires. True to form he wore his staple long shirt, and sported an epic grizzly Kimbo Slice beard. He was in an incredibly good mood, and signed these cards for me. Sure I am slowly running out of cards for him to sign, as I won’t pursue the Saints or ‘Tennessee Oilers’ cards of him, but still, he remains one ap91 jeffiressco92 jeffiresof my favorite players in a bizarre footnote of my otaku-like obsession. I shot the breeze a bit with him and shook his hand. I stopped him and said, “I can’t believe your hands are so baby smooth after all these years!” We both laughed heartily about it for a minute. I later told him that if he needed to leave, I could stand in for him and tell people that I was Haywood Jeffires.
Still I am hitting some pretty nice cards here. Somehow this Action Packed 1991 gem slipped through the cracks up to this point. Otherwise, by 1992 I had stopped collecting many of the brands of cards, and in 1993 I was done with the hobby for a while. I did not pick up Score 1992 or Gameday 1993. While Gameday seemed to respect the evolutionary process- Score’s 1992 effort was looking more and more like a children’s activity book. The redeeming quality of this particular Jeffires card is the great action shot, something that as the manufacturers’ solidified their desperate hold on the soft market- began to slide off a precipice and into the sideline/ warmup gutter.

 

NFL

Herron, Dan ‘Boom’

poff12 herronCard:  Playoff Contenders 2012
Acquired: 2014 BB, Target Autographed Memorabilia

Daniel Herron went to Ohio State University, where he had 1,155 yards and 16 TDs on 216 carries in 2010. Among the talented corps of starters who were suspended, culminating in the resignation of longtime coach Jim Tressel – Herron returned to the Buckeyes just in time to rush for 678 yards and 3 TDs during 2011.

He signed with the Bengals after the 2012 draft, but was off and on the roster. Eventually he worked his way onto special teams, where he finished the season with a blocked punt and 4 carries for 5 yards. Dan signed with the Colts in 2013 where he was quickly buried on the depth chart. Of note he made his first NFL catch- a 57 yard reception. In 2014, the Colts were leaning on their runningback by committee approach of Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw, when Bradshaw went down with a season ending injury.

Herron stepped in and took over for Bradshaw racing for a 49 yard TD gallop against the Redskins. It’d be the first of his career. Dan finished with 351 yards on 78 carries, and haul in 21 receptions for 173 yards as the Colts made the playoffs in 2014.