Category Archives: NFL

NFL

Babin, Jason

Card: Topps Finest 2004
Acquired: Purchase, Beckett.com 2010

A tweener, (6’3″, 260lb,) Jason Babin was drafted in the first round of the 2004 draft by the Houston Texans from Western Michigan to play defensive end and linebacker in the Texans 3-4 front. (The pick came at some fanfare and a major cost. The Texans had to trade back into the first round and paid a king’s ransom to divisional rival Tennessee to get him.) He’d start all 16 games his rookie season,  with 63 tackles, 4 pass defensed and 4 sacks, but in 2005 the team decided to make him a situational rusher, so he’d start less, and also play less with 12 games and 4 starts. Babin would pull in another 4 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. In 2006 he’d have 5 sacks, but with a new head coach and general manager who had no ties to him- Jason would see himself traded to the Seattle Seahawks for Michael Boulware in 2007. He’d then become a journeyman from there, playing for the Seahawks, Chiefs and Eagles over the next 3 seasons almost seeing himself out of the league.

In 2010 he signed with the Titans and has rejuvenated his career scoring a career  high 12.5 sacks (6th in the NFL). After the Titans beat the Texans in a fairly meaningless game in week 15- the team let him come onto the field to kneel the ball to end the game. Of note, Babin is recognizable for an assortment of tatoos that cover his arms. I bought his card on the cheap off of Beckett when I was attempting to get the autographs of all the Texans’ first round draft choices.

G 82/42      Tac  230   Sac 30    Fum 4   Int 0  Yds -.-    Avg -.-     Td 0    Lg -.-

College Football HoF, NFL

Lomax, Neil

Cards: Topps CL 1985, Score GC 1989, Topps 1987, Score 1989, ProSet 1989
Acquired: In Person 1993, CGA Youth Golf Tournament

Incredibly underrated and forgotten quarterback Neil Lomax lit up the scoreboards during the 1980s for the St. Louis Cardinals. Discovered by then offensive guru Darrell ‘Mouse’ Davis up at Portland State, Neil helped put the school on the map setting offensive passing records in the NCAA.  Lomax would be drafted in the 2nd round of the 1981 draft (,and finish as one of only 2 quarterbacks[ Wade Wilson], to make the Pro Bowl from that draft).

In 8 seasons, he only posted 2 losing records- but finished with a 47-52-2 record. His career highlights would include a 1984 in which he threw for 4614 yards, (which still stands as a team record), and he’d lead the NFL in attempts, completions, and yards averaging 282 yards a game in 1987. An injury in 1989 would curtail his season, and while he’d sit on IR all year, doctors would discover Lomax had an arthritic hip, effectively ending his career. It’s a shame really because if Lomax just had a few more years under his belt, he’d probably be remembered by Cardinals fans as affectionately as Kurt Warner is. (He was at the time of retirement and still over 20 years later, ranked in the top 100 of quarterbacks since 1950.) With the untimely loss of Lomax, the Cardinals would quickly collapse into the doldrums of the NFC East where they’d remain until the emergence of Jake Plummer in 1998.

I met Neil at the CGA Youth Golf Tournament in 1993. He was really flattered by the drawing I did of him and his kids clamored around to look at it to, “Oooh and ahhh”. Neil asked if I had a problem letting his kids hang it up in their room (to which I obviously didn’t) and then signed all of the cards I had brought. An accomplished golfer, Neil is president of the ProMax corporation and has dabbled in coaching. Lomax was inducted into the Oregon Sports HoF in 1993, and the College Football HoF in 1996. He and his family currently reside in Oregon.

G/Gs 108/101    Att 3143   Comp 1817    Yds  22771   Pct 57.6
Td 136     Int 90    Rat 82.7   Lg 93

NFL, usfl

Mack “Attack”, Kevin


Cards: Stadium Club 1992, ProSet 1990, Pacific 1992
Acquired: TTM 2010, C/o The Cleveland Browns
Sent: 1/13  Received: 2/12  ( 30 days)
See Also: Kevin Mack (2)

Kevin Mack was one of the most devastating runningbacks in Tecmo Bowl. He was what we called a ‘popcorn back’ and he was a one man wrecking machine that you dared not tackle alone. If you had the fortune of steering the ‘Mack Attack’ you just had to hit that A button non-stop to pay dirt. As an Oilers fan, Kevin was the last guy I wanted to see. Originally a fullback for the Los Angeles Express of the USFL, Mack would rush for 330 yards and 4 touchdowns in 18 games. The Browns saw something in the former Syracuse back and took him in the 1st round of the supplemental draft for USFL players in 1985. His rookie season was his best, as the team leaned on ‘Mack Truck’ for 1100 yards where he’d play in the Pro Bowl after the season.

In 1986 he had a career high 10 touchdowns and in 1987 he averaged a bit over 60 yards rushing a game. A sturdy short yardage presence, Kevin crushed defensive linemen and linebackers with well-proportioned 6″,  212 pound frame.  Mack would always kill either the Oiler’s playoff hopes or their divisional championship dreams- including a backbreaking rushing touchdown in the waning weeks of 1989. These cards really represent Mack’s downhill running style well and the Stadium Club and ProSet card of him are among my favorites. I sent off for his autograph from the Browns organization and he responded quickly to my request in roughly a month. He currently works in the team’s front office.

G/Gs  99/82    Rush 1291   Yds  5123   Avg 4.0   Td  46   Lg  65 |
Rec 197   Yds  1602    Avg  8.1   Td  8    Lg  44