NFL, Super Bowl MVP

Manning, Eli

dor&s09 emanningCards: Donruss Rookies & Stars 2009, Donruss Rookies & Stars 2010.
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent: 5/27   Received:  6/18      (24 days)

Less than a week after wrapping up the crown jewel of in person autographs for 2015, lo and behold, the arrival of Eli Manning TTM. I had seen a lot of recent successes for the enigmatic signer and decided to take a stab.  Eli Manning actually first garnered my attention when he was at Ole Miss. I was working on Tecmo Fiesta Bowl for a front end- that the programmer later dropped off the face of the Earth on, and input Manning’s out of sight abilities. (He was basically Dan Marino from Tecmo Bowl playing with a bunch of scrubs.) I knew he was going to be a good player in the pros. It also helped that he’s the son of former quarterback Archie Manning, and the younger brother of Peyton Manning.

Originally the #1 overall choice of the San Diego Chargers in 2004, Manning refused to play for the team due to organizational differences. It was rumored that the elder Archie did not want his son to play for a perennial loser or for defensive mided coach Marty Schottenheimer– but in reality, the Chargers had orchestrated a trade with the Giants well before the draft, if New York could wrangle in QB Philip Rivers and toss in a few picks to quickly rebuild the moribund Charger franchise. While the Mannings took a lot of flak from fans and the press for their percieved behavior,  it was fait accompli between the Giants and Chargers.  As Manning got off to a rocky start his rookie season, with 6 TDs to 9 picks, and 48.9 completion percentage, San Diego appeared to have made the better deal and Giants fans were murmuring, but once Manning established himself as the starter, he became one of the league’s ironmen under center starting 167 straight games, through the 2014 season. In 9 of his next 10 seasons, he attempted more than 500 passes.

dor&s10 emanningManning came of age in 2007, leading the Giants to a Super Bowl win (XLII) over the previously undefeated New England Patriots, 17-14. He’d be named MVP after going 19/34 for 255 yards, with 2 TDs and a pick.  The season ending victory was a bittersweet culmination of sorts for the Giants and Manning. He had been maligned in the media,  by fans, management, and even by former teammate Tiki Barber.  In 2011, the Giants repeated again as Super Bowl Champions over the Patriots, this time 21-17. Eli took home his second MVP trophy after going 30/40 for 296 yards and a TD. Although his numbers took a precipitous slide in 2013 as he led the league for the 3rd time in his career in interceptions, Eli’s numbers recovered nicely to form in 2014.

Manning holds many Giants’, NFL, and postseason records. He is considered one of the most clutch quarterbacks in the league (NFL record 15 4th quarter TDs and 8 game winning drives in a season in 2011).

 

Arena

Johnson, DJ

tntafl14 djjohnsonCard: TNT AFL Talons 2014
Acquired: IP 5/17/14, San Antonio Talons vs. New Orleans Voodoo

DJ was a local product from Austin I met at the Talons ticket party in the back of the Lion & The Rose in San Antonio. At the time I sat down and talked to him I did not have a card for him, but we shared our experiences from Austin, how its grown at an astronomical rate, and the increasing commute times. Like many of the other players there at the event, he did not let on that he wanted a card made of him. At the start of the season, DJ was not suiting up, but as injuries mounted, the team leaned on him to play more and more.

I caught DJ after the Voodoo game. He was sitting in a row for the autograph session with Doug Pierce and a couple of other guys. I shoved my way up and said, “Austin guy right? Hey I got these cards I made of you.” His eyes got really big and Doug reached over and started asking why I didn’t have one of him too, so I slapped his on the table too. The players were really excited and created quite a stir.

An AFL rookie in 2014, DJ played for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2010 as he tallied 3 interceptions, 43 tackles, 2 TFL and 4 PBU. In 2011, he earned 83 tackles, 3 FF, 2 picks, 5 TFL, and 3 PBU, following it up with a stellar Senior campaign in which he had 90 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, and 5 PBU. DJ’s had 14 tackles in his final game at the Mineke Car Care Bowl.

 

CFL, NFL, WLAF

Brown, Marlon ‘Spacedog’

psetwlaf91 mbrownCards: ProSet WLAF 1991, ProSet WLAF 1991 World Bowl, Ultimate WLAF 1992.
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent: 5/15    Received: 6/8  (24 days)

Marlon Brown is a member of the deep 1989 NFL class. He was a 12th round pick of the Cleveland Browns after setting the Memphis school record with 19 sacks. His career highlights include a 4 sack performance against Louisville, which garnered him Associated Press Defensive Player of the Week Honors in 1987.   Brown joined the British Columbia Lions of the CFL in 1990 as a defensive end, recording 3 sacks and 7 tackles.

pset91 mbrown WBWith the unveiling of the WLAF in 1991, the London Monarchs selected Brown with the 4th overall pick among linebackers in the inaugural positional draft.  A key component to the Monarchs’ WLAF title run in 1991 and top rated defense, Marlon Brown finished on the All-World League Second Team.  Spacedog had 42 tackles and 7.5 sacks. His 5.5 sacks in a 22-7 win over North American rival New York-New Jersey stand as a single game league record, and he was named player of the week.  In World Bowl I, Marlon also contributed a sack in the Monarchs 21-0 shutout of the Dragons.

Marlon was traded after the season concluded. His fortunes basically went from first to worst, as he’d join the Ohio Glory. He finished his career in the WLAF as a member of the New York-New Jersey Knights.

ultwlaf92 mbrownFrom time to time I network with other collectors about the hobby. I’ve always admired Mark’s Signing Bonus. As a respected collector, I think he is a wonderful resource who cares about TTM and autographs as much as I do. I finally worked around to asking him about a few player successes he had, chief among them- Marlon. (I had emailed a lead  before, but it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.)  Mark kindly helped me out and before I knew it, Spacedog had responded and included a nice note asking for a copy of his WLAF Ultimate 1992 card.

Marlon barely has even noticed that almost 25 years have passed. He’s still in pretty good physical shape and runs his own trucking business out of Memphis that keeps him on the road a good portion of his time.

CFL   G  5     Tac  7      Sac   3.0    Fum N/a
Int  0     Yds 0     Avg -.-      Td 0     Lg -.-

WLAF         Tac  42     Sac 7.5      Fum  N/a
Int  0      Yds 0    Avg -.-       Td 0      Lg -.-

 

Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.