CARD: TNT XFL 2023 ACQUIRED: IP 2024, San Antonio Brahmas v Arlington Renegades
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
Salvatore Cannella played TE/WR at Auburn from 2017-’19.
Oft used at the majority ground and pound school, he provided mismatches with his unusual size (6’5″, 228), speed, and hands.
He finished his college career with 25 catches for 330 yards and 5 TDs.
Undrafted, Sal played in 2020 for the TSL Generals of the Spring Football League.
He put in his all catching 5 passes for 66 yards and a TD in the Spring League Championship Game.
After a workout with the Colts, he played for the Generals again in 2021.
This led to short stints with a mini-camp at Chicago, and on the off season roster of the Dolphins that year.
The TSL retooled as the USFL, and Sal found himself as the second TE off the board in the positional phase of the league’s draft by the New Orleans Breakers in 2022.
Sal had a great season, catching 34 passes for 368 yards and a TD.
Shortly thereafter he spent roughly a month on the Packers offseason roster.
Cannella was a huge defection for the USFL, when he was drafted and signed by the Arlington Renegades of the XFL in 2023.
He finished second in receiving among TEs with 42 receptions for 415 yards, and was a key cog in the Renegades XFL Championship victory.
After offseason stints with both the Seahawks and Vikings, he resigned with the Renegades for the ’24 campaign.
Sal concluded the season with 53 catches for 497 yards and 6 TDs.
He joined the Bucs for the offseason, but didn’t make the squad.
ACCOLADES:
All USFL Team 2022
All XFL 2023
NOTES:
A little over a week before the game, I went ahead and created and ordered cards of Sal and Luis Perez. (I wasn’t going to be caught flat footed like the previous season.) I was pretty happy with the results.
When I went to the game, I arrived at my normal seats. The players were doing warmups and I flagged down Sal. He looked genuinely touched that I made a card of him and that it was of such high production value. Sal signed the card, and I let him keep the extras I had as thanks.
CARD: Upper Deck USFL 2023 ACQUIRED: IP 2024, San Antonio Brahmas v Birmingham Stallions
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
CJ Marable played college ball at Arkansas State in 2016, but after seeing little time on the field, transferred to Coastal Carolina.
In 3 years playing for the Chanticleers, he ran for 2691 yards on 491 carries scoring 29 TDs.
He also was a solid receiving option catching 84 passes for 703 yards and 12 TDs.
Signed as an UDFA by the Bears, he’d be waived at the end of camp.
Selected in the 28th round of the 2022 USFL Draft by the Birmingham Stallions.
Solid debut rushing 102 times for 401 yards and 5 TDs, while catching 20 passes for 161 yards for Birmingham.
After being waived by the Patriots, he’d return to the Stallions for 2023, catching 28 passes for 235 yards and 2 TDs, while rushing for 524 yards on 118 carries (2 TDs).
In his 3rd season with the Stallions, CJ rushed 80 times for 293 yards (4 TD) and caught 10 passes for 45 yards.
Birmingham Stallions (8-0) v San Antonio Brahmas (6-2), 5/25/24 CJ MARABLE R 2 YDS 17 AVG 8.5 TD 0 LG 11 REC 1 YDS 2 AVG 2.0 TD 0 LG 2
ACCOLADES:
USFL Player of the Week 2022 (Week 5)
NOTES:
I didn’t hold out much hope getting any Stallions autographs after the Brahmas game. They had just suffered their first loss in over a year and they looked bushwhacked and tired. Still you have to hand it to them that they are happy to have fans. I was able to waive him over, and he kindly signed 3 cards including this 1/499. The other two I sent to my friends Joe and Mark (Mark’s Signing Bonus). CJ has a great big autograph, and I love it.
I thought I’d push it a bit further and ask him for his glove, to which he responded, “For a true fan, I got you bruh.” Big win. Getting back to basics: This is how a league really courts fans.
I had gotten Jeff at Dallas Cowboys training camp so long ago, I figured it was time to get him on the remaining cards I had. The Action Packed 1992 was a great dual signature candidate, since both players remain decent signers through the mail, and it’s a great card to boot.
I was surprised that Gameday didn’t have a 1992 card of him, but the Topps Stadium Club fit in nicely as a nice c-tier card to get autographed.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
