Category Archives: NFL

NFL

Cody, Shaun

Card: Topps Heritage 2006
Acquired: TTM 2009, Texans Blitz

At 6’4″, 306 Shaun Cody was a member of  USC, originally drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2005 draft.  A 4 year starter for the Trojans, he was a consensus All- American and had 21 sacks, 8 blocked field goals and 31.5 total tackles for losses for the team.  The Lions slotted him in at defensive tackle but he’d only start 11 games over 4 years, unable to scale the team’s depth chart playing under 3 different defensive coaches.  Detroit would expose him during free agency in 2009 and the Texans would sign him to play left defensive tackle with Travis Johnson on the way out. In those 2 seasons for the Texans Shaun has made .5 sacks, 1 pass defensed, and 33 tackles.

After the Texans decided to blow up their defense and shift back to the 3-4, new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is adamant that he can rotate Shaun Cody in at nose tackle as an undersized speed rusher (in the model of Jay Ratliff from Dallas), and has gone so far as to sign him to a 2 year extension in 2011.  A high motor lineman with a fast first step, the hope is Shaun’s best days are still ahead of him,  but he needs to continue to bulk up and improve on his fundamentals. At the time of this post he was being employed in a platoon with Earl Mitchell.

Shaun has a tattoo of ‘SC’ on his bicep that is in the same typography as USC. While it was rumored that this was a tribute to his former Alma Mater, it indeed has been reported it is merely an abbreviation of his name.

NFL, WLAF

Graham, Jeff

Card: ProSet WLAF 1991
Acquired: TTM 2011, C/o Work
Sent: 7/20  Received: 7/27  (7 days)

At the time of his graduation from Cal State -Long Beach in 1989, quarterback Jeff Graham owned virtually all of the 49ers passing records with 8080 passing yards and 42 touchdown passes, along with a school single game 515 yards passing.  During the 1989 draft, Jeff would be taken by the Green Bay Packers in the 4th round.  He’d return in 1990 to finish his degree in criminology from his Alma Mater.
Scouring the free agent waiver wire for a quarterback to back up Todd Hammel in New York, the Knights would sign Jeff with just 10 days for him to prepare for the regular season. Graham, much like Stan Gelbaugh in London would come off the bench in game one and not relinquish the starting job for the remainder of the season. What was more amazing was the fact that Graham did this while constantly under fire suffering 62 sacks in only 10 games. (Prorated over an entire 16 game schedule, that would have been roughly 90 sacks.) In the end, Graham still posted an impressive season with 2407 yards and 8 touchdowns, while setting a league record with 414 passing yards against Montreal.  Jeff’s gaudy 15.3 YPC and 8.9 YPA would also lead the WLAF while he rushed for 6 touchdowns.  He would not return to the Knights for 1992, with Reggie Slack and Brent Pease in camp.

Graham signed with the Chargers in 1991, Seahawks 1992-1994, and Oakland in 1995, as an emergency quarterback. He would see no regular season playing time for any of the franchises and retire after his stint with the Raiders. Since that time Jeff returned to college earning his masters at Colorado State. In 2006, Graham was inducted into the California State Long Beach Hall of Fame and is currently practicing law in the LA area. Below are his WLAF statistics.

G 9/10    Att 272  Comp 157   Yds 2407   Pct 57.7    Td 8   Int 8   Rat 84.6  |
Rush 46   Yds 140   Avg 3.0   Td 6   Lg 24

Arena, College Football HoF, NFL, wfl

White, Danny


Card: Photo Memorabilia
Acquired: Austin City Wide Garage Sale 1996

Danny White was originally a 3rd round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 1974 (during the heyday of Tom Landry) after graduating from Arizona State but opted to play for the Memphis Southmen in the WFL.  After winning All WFL honors after the season, he’d sign with the Cowboys in 1975 as backup to Roger Staubach and the team’s punter. When Staubach finally retired in 1980, White would have to be one of the many bearers of the Staubach legacy. He’d get in more trouble by siding with owners during the strike shortened 1984 season, finally culminating in a quarterback controversy with Gary Hogeboom. White would continuously battle back, posting a 62-30 record as a starter for the Cowboys during the 80s, but while the team was a perennial playoff contender through a great deal of the decade, fans typically remember only what you’ve done for them lately. An injury plagued 1988, coupled by the team’s woeful 3-13 record would lead to Tom Landry’s dismissal after Jerry Jones purchased the franchise. White would retire in 1989 shortly before the franchise drafted Troy Aikman to lead them into the Cowboys’ “Second Golden Age”.

Danny White has never truly gotten his due, perhaps in part because he had to follow up Roger Staubach, or that his touchdown (5.3) to interception (4.3) were uncomfortably close. White also was only named to the Pro Bowl 1 year- in 1982 where he did double duty as starting quarterback and punter.

Danny went right into coaching for the AFL with the Arizona Rattlers from 1992-2004, and the Utah Blaze from 2005-2008. His Rattlers would always contend for the title, winning Arena BowlVIII and XI and is currently involved in public speaking. His 141-65 record with the Rattlers is 2nd all-time in AFL history and he was inducted into the AFL HoF in 2002. Arizona would later honor him with the “Sportsman of the Century” award and in 1997 he was inducted into the College Football HoF.

G/Gs 166/92    Att 2950   Comp 1761     Yds 21959    Pct 59.7     Td 155     Int 132     Rat 81.7
Rush 159     Yds   482    Avg  3.0     Td 8     Lg   48
P  610           Yds  24509     Avg 40.2      Blk 5    Lg   73