Category Archives: ufl

NFL, NFLE, Super Bowl MVP, ufl, usfl

Williams, Doug

sco89 dwilliamsCard: Score 1989
Acquired: Trade 2013
Failure: TTM 2010, C/o The Buccaneers

One of the first Super Bowls I vividly remember watching was Super Bowl XXII between the Denver Broncos and the Washington Redskins. After spotting John Elway and the Broncos 10 points, Doug Williams came onto the field and guided the Redskins to 42 unanswered points. It was the first time a black quarterback had started in the Super Bowl, -and people were making a big deal about it, but as a kid this didn’t really seem to be the biggest storyline. The best thing to me about the game was Williams’ receivers, Clark, Monk, and Sanders who had really great celebrations. I wasn’t really aware of what Williams had been through to that point to get him to the Super Bowl, little less win and become its MVP. Really it’s pretty legendary.

Well, Doug Williams’ career started way, way back in 1978 when he was drafted out of Grambling State by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he was under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Joe Gibbs for that one season. Although his numbers were pretty atrocious, especially his completion percentage early on, Doug showed marked improvement every season from 37.6 in 1978, to 53.2 in 1982. As the team progressed into the playoffs for the first two times in the team’s history, Williams got embroiled in a contract dispute with owner Hugh Culverhouse after the 1982 season.  Unable to reach terms with the Bucs, Doug bolted for the upstart USFL in 1983. Some would say that the Buccaneers were cursed after Williams left, as they slipped into the doldrums of the NFC Central where they’d languish for nearly 15 years going through a revolving door of quarterbacks (13) that included names such as Steve DeBerg, Vinny Testaverde, Craig Erickson, Chris Chandler, Steve Young, and Trent Dilfer, before they got it right and then later won the Super Bowl in 2001. (Note that both Young and Dilfer also won the Super Bowl after leaving Tampa, and Young was also MVP. Ironically Chandler and DeBerg showed up on the same team but did not win for the Falcons.)

Doug was selected by the Oklahoma Outlaws. He then moved on to play for Arizona when it merged with Oklahoma as the USFL began imploding the next season.  The team didn’t make the playoffs either season, and Williams’ penchant for being an inconsistent passer began to take hold in the media once again. He finished his career in the USFL and it appeared that Williams career was at a standstill as a starter, but an old friend had a roster spot for him on the Washington Redskins- Joe Gibbs.

With Joe Theismann’s career winding down in Washington, the Redskins needed new blood behind Jay Schroeder at quarterback. Familiar with Doug all the way back from his brief stay in Tampa, Gibbs nabbed Williams off the street in 1986. While Doug didn’t really see any playing time that season, it’d be in 1987 that he’d cement his legacy as a historical quarterback of the modern era. Taking over for the injured Schroeder that season, Williams commanded the team and the offense with 11 touchdowns to only 5 picks. He’d also set a then NFL record with the most yards passing in the Redskins’ Super Bowl victory over the Broncos, a game that he won MVP honors for. With Schroeder leaving the Redskins the following season for the Raiders, Doug took over as uncontested starter for the Redskins, but unfortunately Doug could not stay injury free. Instead, he became backup to the next quarterback to win a Super Bowl for the Redskins, Mark Rypien. He retired after the 1989 season, due to lingering back issues. Despite his limited playing time for the Redskins, and 5-9 starting record, Doug is considered legendary by many of the Washington faithful. He was inducted into the Washington Redskins Ring of Fame, and was named one of the team’s 80 greatest players.

Williams jumped into coaching and front office roles with equal vigor, enjoying stops at the US Naval Academy (1994), Scottish Claymores (1995), Jacksonville Jaguars (1995-1996), Morehouse College (1997), Grambling (1998-2003), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2004-2010), Virginia Destroyers (2010-2011), and then returned to become head coach at Grambling where he has remained through 2012.  It’s very easy to say that Williams legacy as the first black starting quarterback in the modern era cemented leadership roles for future players such as Warren Moon and Randall Cunningham and on into the modern era of quarterbacks today.

G/Gs 88/81   Att 2501     Comp 1240    Yds 16998     Pct 49.5      Td  100    Int 93     Rat 69.4  |
Rush 220     Yds 884      Avg  4.0       Td  15    Lg 29

 

 

CFL, NFL, ufl

Green, Ahman

poff01 greenTNTUFL11 Green

Cards: Playoff Contenders 2001, Top Notch UFL 2011
Acquired: TTM 2013, C/o The Green Bay Packers
Sent: 5/3  Received: 8/29  (118 days)

Among the pantheon of runningbacks that the Green Bay Packers have had in their storied history with guys like Paul Hornug and Jim Taylor, Ahman Green sits atop the top spot for the franchise with a surprising 8,322 career rushing yards. A prolific runner for the franchise at the stroke of the millennium, Green’s career began playing ball for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in college ranks. A local kid, Ahman chose Nebraska over such suitors as Notre Dame in 1995 and immediately ran for a freshman record 1,086 yards en route to a National Championship. In his final crowning moment at the school, he led Nebraska to another championship as he tallied an Orange Bowl record 209 yards on the ground. He declared for the NFL draft soon thereafter, but not before etching 3,880 career rushing yards into the annuls of Cornhusker fame.

At 6’0″, 215, Ahman only managed somehow a 3rd round mark by the Seattle Seahawks. Who knows why he was taken so low? Plenty of guys came off the board before him including Curtis Enis and John Avery. Still Green was seldom relied on by the Seahawks early on who were still basking in the glow of the 3rd rebirth of Ricky Watters.  He’d bide his time with his elite speed returning kicks, until head coach Mike Holmgren drafted Shaun Alexander. With Alexander and Watters in camp, the Seahawks elected to trade Ahman to the Holmgren’s former team- the Green Bay Packers.

It’d be in Green Bay, in an offense led by Brett Favre and with incumbent Dorsey Levens ailing, Ahman got his chance to really be a shining member of a great supporting cast. He’d record his first of 5 consecutive 1,000+ yard rushing seasons on the frozen tundra of Lambeau. From 2001-2004 Green earned Pro Bowl honors, and in ’03 and ’04, had the NFLs longest carry of the season from 98 and 90 yards.  With injuries limiting his production in 2005 to only 5 games, Ahman recovered nicely for 2006 to run for 1059 yards in 14 games. He’d be left unprotected heading into 2007, and sign with the Houston Texans.

The signing was considered either the biggest risk or the biggest coup of free agency and the Texans rolled out the red carpet money to get Ahman.  Despite visiting with Denver, Ahman felt most comfortable moving to Houston and being reunited with his former head coach in GB, Mike Sherman, who was offensive coordinator. The Texans desperately got a home run hitter at runningback, as injuries had ended Dominack Davis’ promising career. Things never quite seemed to take off for Ahman in Houston. (Green kept a professional lid on it, but behind the scenes he had a bad relationship with GM Rick Smith who accused Ahman of goldbricking.) It didn’t help either that injury also limited him to a combined 6 games in his 2 year stint there.  He’d be cut after the 2008 season. Ahman still had the desire to play, returning to the Packers for one final hurrah in 2009.

In 2010 the UFL was injecting new talent into the league to fill seats. The Omaha Nighthawks were the newest team on the block and with Ahman being a hometown kid, he was really a slam dunk to help fill the stands alongside Jeff Garcia while he mentored Maurice Clarett. Ahman would run for 253 yards that season. While really never officially retiring, he hasn’t played a down since, last surfacing briefly with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL. He has from time to time indicated that his fire still burns for the sport and still wants to play. Green used to suffer from hyperhidrosis- or overactive sweat glands. His propensity to over sweat was blamed on more than one occasion for his fumbling issues, to which he wore black elbow guards during his time in Green Bay to keep the sweat from getting the ball too wet. Ahman finished his career with 37 fumbles in 2506 combined touches (1/67).

As of 2013 Ahman Green is a part owner of the indoor football Green Bay Blizzard. He also has dabbled in broadcasting and appears regularly at Green Bay alumni events. Green is also an unabashed Batman fan and has been seen at a few comic conventions dressed up as the Dark Knight.

NFL   G/Gs  148/97     Rush  2056    Yds 9205     Avg 4.5    Td  60   Lg 98t   |
Rec 378  Yds 2883    Avg 7.6    Td 14   Lg 53  |
Kr  72    Yds 1634    Avg 22.7    Td 0    Lg 57

UFL  Rush 68    Yds 253   Avg 3.7   Td 0    Lg 27
Rec 8     Yds 50      Avg 6.3    Td 0   Lg  13

NFL, ufl

Gray, Keith

tnt11-grayCard: TNT UFL 2011
Acquired: TTM 2013, C/o Home
Sent: 6/22    Received: 6/27   (5 days)

A physical offensive lineman who played collegiality at Connecticut from 2005-2008, Keith Gray was a free agent signee of the Carolina Panthers in 2009, and on the practice squad of the Indianapolis Colts in 2010. He joined the Florida Tuskers of the UFL in 2010, and was then traded to the Hartford Colonials (formerly the New York Sentinels) in exchange for defensive tackle Bryan Save in the league’s first ever trade that year.  With the flexibility to play both guard and center, Gray was a valued contributor to the Colonials offense helping pave the way for the offense led by quarterback Josh McNown, and bruising runningbacks Lorenzo Booker and Andre Dixon. All in all Hartford rolled up 2593 yards in 2010, with 903 of it coming on the ground and an additional 1690 through the air, and a lot of credit up front with their prolific offense should go to the guys in the trenches, like Keith. Things were definitely moving in a positive direction for the team, but the organization as a whole- that being the UFL- was not. Bills had not been paid, and the rent was sky high at the Colonials facility. Head coach Chris Palmer, broke ranks with the league as soon as he could and landed a job back in the NFL as the offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans. In the meantime, Jerry Glanville was brought in to replace Palmer under much fanfare, but the Colonials, -under the most financial duress, -folded, and Keith was a free agent.

Keith moved to Texas and focused on family life. In the meantime I had tracked him down through Facebook and offered him a card, but I honestly had a lot of things that went off the rails for me personally, along with a player who had agreed to respond to me after I sent him my customs, that never did.  It made me really gun shy about the project. A few weeks ago though I finally buckled down and got back to the UFL and AFL cards that I had done, and with a few extra dollars in my pocket, went ahead and printed a few for my portfolio. I also remembered Keith and my promise and sent him some to keep. In a short 5 days he responded, writing me a touching note discussing about how he was a trading card collector as a kid, thanking me for the cards, how they are a great keepsake, and how they’ve sparked a fire in him to keep going.

For all the Peyton Manning’s and Brett Favre’s I get TTM, it’s these types of responses in the end, that mean more than anything I could ever wish for.