Category Archives: NFL

NFL

Yates, Taylor Johnathan “TJ”

Card: Score 2011, Austin American Statesman Sports Page Clipping Dec 12, 2011.
Acquired: TTM 2012, C/o Home
Sent: 4/23       Received:  5/25  (32 days)

As I was sitting at home and heard the name TJ Yates come off the draft board to the Texans in 2011, I glanced up for a second and thought, “Why did they drop a 5th rounder on him? He’s going to be a third stringer behind Schaub and Lienart.” Analysts loved or hated the pick, but one thing was for sure at the conclusion of the Texans 2011 season, I was sure glad to be wrong about TJ Yates in what has become to be the steal of the 5th round of the much ballyhooed 2011 class.

Well TJ was a pretty decently regarded quarterback at North Carolina, but you see we are talking about the Tar Heels- a college that has never had a quarterback from its school start a game at the NFL level, and is more regarded as a powerhouse in basketball than ever in football. Yates wasn’t even technically invited to the combine. They needed a local guy who could sling the rock to the talent at the combine. It was there that TJ raised some eyebrows, making every throw and strike after strike to receiver. This got him on the radar of many scouts, as while marquee quarterbacks such as Newton, Gabbert, and Andy Dalton, did not attend or were limited in their repetitions, Yates did everything they wanted and was on target with his audition at the combine.

Yates started off quietly enough after a prolific career at North Carolina, where at the time of his graduation he held the school records for single season passing yards, and most yards passing (career) with 9,337.   TJ clawed his way onto the Texans depth chart beating out Dan Orlovsky for 3rd string, but fate had something much more in mind for Yates and the Houston Texans in 2011.  The Texans clearly were the lead dog in the division after the sudden fall of the Manning-less Colts. Guided by a rebuilt defense and a strong offense, there appeared to be no stopping the Texans and their destiny as division champs, but then that’s when injury struck the team. With the Texans easily powering by the Buccaneers in week 11, quarterback Matt Schaub took a meaningless dive to get his team out of the shadow of his own endzone. Unfortunately for him, Albert Haynesworth ‘fell’ on his leg during the play causing Matt to be lost for the season with a Lins Franc injury. Matt Leinart stepped in, and played well in the first half of the next contest against the Jags, but he too would succumb to injury, so the Texans turned to young TJ Yates- their 3rd string quarterback to lead the charge for the remainder of the season.

He’d take the reins over for the team and lead the Texans into the postseason for the first time in the team’s 10 year existence, clenching the division in exciting fashion by driving the team down the field on the final drive against the Bengals to throw a last second strike to Kevin Walter, and then later help the team win its first playoff game against the Bengals again 31-10.  While the Texans did lose the next contest against the Ravens in Baltimore, all things considered, the Texans and Yates were able to make the best of the season. He’d finish with 949 yards, 3 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 61.4% completions, and an 80.4 quarterback rating in 2011.

Going into 2012 it appears that the Texans backup job is now comfortably in Yates hands, as the team opted not to resign Leinart or make any splashes in the free agent market. I saw Yates address on Sportscollectors.net and immediately wrote him a letter, including the newspaper clipping of him beating the Bengals during that exciting contest to clinch the division on December 11th, and a card. He signed both in a bit over 30 days, and thanked me for writing him on the clipping. Class act!

 

NFL, University of Texas

Young, Selvin

Card: SP 2008
Acquired:4/9/12, Target Authentic Memorabilia Autograph Edition

Selvin Young joins a string of recent UT starting backs, (dating back to Priest Holmes) who made it good in the NFL.  Selvin struck me as an under the radar player, and with his 5-11, 207 frame, he was slightly undersized to be an every down back. Deceptively speedy, he ran a 4.58 40, but could really cut on a dime and explode which was really his best attribute. As a backup to Cedric Benson his rookie season, he split time as the primary kick/punt returner for the Longhorns. Young started in the 2005 championship over the Trojans, and finished his career with 3,060 all purpose yards and 29 touchdowns at UT.

Selvin was not taken in the 2007 draft and elected to go with the Denver Broncos, – a team that employed a zone blocking system, and really appealed to his strengths as a one-cut runner. He’d work his way into the lineup spelling time for former Bill Travis Henry as well as a 3rd down back, finishing his rookie season with 729 yards and a 5.2 YPC in 8 starts. His numbers led all AFC rookies in rushing yardage. It was an incredible rise for the young rookie, but a herniated disc, (similar to what had troubled former Texan Steve Slaton,) and a torn groin muscle sidelined him for much of 2008. In 2009 it was determined that Selvin needed more time to rehab his neck injury, and with the Broncos now sporting a full stable of runningbacks, -Denver opted to give Selvin an injury settlement. He has not been signed since, but from what I saw on Twitter, he continues to work out and claims now to be 100% rehabilitated.

Great card actually. I really like the super close up on the threads, and overall its a superior effort by SP. I was really happy to get this card, as I had hoped that the UT Upper Deck set would have spotlighted Young, but in the end, it was the luck of the draw from the Target Memorabilia Collection that got me this one. The best part about it is I was just talking about him at the Orange-White Scrimmage!

G/Gs 23/13    Rush 201    Yds 1032    Td 2     Lg 50   |   Rec  38   Yds 247   Avg  6.5   Td 0

CFL, NFL, WLAF

Goetz, Ron


Cards: ProSet WLAF 1991, Wild Card WLAF 1992
Acquired: TTM 2012, C/o Home
Sent: 5/29     Received: 6/7      (9 days)

Finally knocked out another elusive member of one of the WLAF European squads in Ron Goetz, linebacker for the Barcelona Dragons in 1991 and 1992. Goetz, played at the University of Minnesota where he got a reputation as a linebacker with a motor that never quit. Originally when he arrived at the institution he was a runningback, but got converted to linebacker by the end of his Freshman campaign. By his senior season in 1989, Ron had made quite a name for himself receiving All-Big Ten honors recording 68 tackles and 2 picks, – one of which he returned for a game winning touchdown against the University of Wisconsin.
This was good enough to receive attention from NFL scouts and the Minnesota Vikings drafted him in the 12th round of the 1990 draft.  Though he did not make the team, the WLAF’s Barcelona Dragons made him their first pick at linebacker in 1991. Goetz did not disappoint. Playing at inside linebacker for the Dragons,  Ron led the league at linebacker with 4 interceptions on the team’s exceptional defense that helped propel the team to World Bowl I against the London Monarchs.  Although the team did lose the game 21-7, they were able to claim the division title outright in 1992, with again stellar defensive play keying the way. Ron had 2 sacks and 3 picks for the Dragons that season, but the league reorganized after the year and did not return until 1995.  Goetz returned stateside, but stayed North of the border, first signing with Ottawa Rough Riders in 1993, and then the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1994.  He’d remain with Saskatchewan through 1997 and retire back to Minnesota where he lives today.

Tac N/a     Sac  3     Fum       Int  7     Yds 33      Avg 4.7       Td 0     lg  26