NFL, University of Texas

Acho, Emmanuel “The Man”

hit12 achoCard: Sage Hit 2012
Acquired: In Person 2/16/2013, Longhorn Neighborhood Foundation Bowling Tournament

Emmanuel Acho was another nice find for me at the LNF Bowling tournament. When I asked him to sign my card, his response was- “Gladly!” SaGe made some strides back to reality with their 2012 set, as many fans were put off by the 2011 cards.  Certainly I was excited to get this one autographed by the former Longhorn.

As a linebacker, Emmanuel is the younger brother of Sam Acho. He clocks in at 6’2″, 238 and had an impressive career playing for the Longhorns racking up 278 tackles, 8 sacks, 41 TFL, and 2 picks. He was considered a find in the 6th round of the 2012 draft for the Browns, but he was injured in training camp and spent the complete season on injured reserve. It is expected that with new coaching blood taking over the franchise in 2013 that Acho will step up and contribute in the Browns linebacking corps.

NFL

Craig, Roger (2)

pset89 craigudldg97 craigflr90 craigpset90 craigflrsi99 craigsco90 craigud91 craig
Cards: Fleer 1990, Upper Deck 1991, Pro Set 1989, Pro Set 1990, Upper Deck Legends 1997, Score 1990, Fleer Sports Illustrated Legends 1999.
Acquired: TTM 2013, C/o Home
Sent: 1/2    Received:  1/7    (5 days)*
*signing fee $5 per card
See also: Roger Craig

Finally. Well the first line is cast and I already hooked a big one in the form of undervalued fullback/ runningback Roger Craig! Sending a check in excess of the fee request, netted me 2 extra autographs plus he was willing to answer the questions that I enclosed.

I’ve been trying to be a bit more wacky about what I ask players when I insert a question into a letter. First it makes me stick out, and second it might give them a good laugh. Roger disclosed to me that if he could’ve played for any other team besides the 49ers, Raiders, and Vikings he played for, he would have played for the Dallas Cowboys. Wow. Now that would’ve blown my mind to have seen him play in the silver and blue at the end of his career.  Back in his college days and his early playing days, Roger liked to sport a mean looking mustache. I asked him if he’d ever grow it back. To my surprise he answered that, “Yes, one day,” it will return and put a little smiley face next to it.  For my final question, I asked him what tree he would be, and he responded that, “He would’ve been an oak tree, because it is a very big and strong tree”.  – A great success in my books, and I was extremely surprised to have gotten it back so quickly. I knew that Roger had a very high response rate and that he was good to TTM fans, but this was a near legendary response from a player who should be in the Hall of Fame. Total class act. I was so jazzed about this one, I really am considering sending out 2nd shots to my favorite TTM successes at some point.

Some great cards here of Roger. It was very difficult to select which ones to send. I might have missed one or two cards, but overall these action shots really represent him well. Really have quickly grown fond of the 1997 Upper Deck Legends issue. The photos are great and they cover some really good players.  I vaguely remember that Roger’s Pro Set 1989 card/shot was so dynamic that it made the box. It’s too bad that Pro Set went up in smoke so quickly. It was the up close action shots like this that put Topps on the ropes early.

NFL

Sanders, Zebrie

Card: Leaf Rookies 2012
Acquired: 2012, Box Breaker

Zebrie Sanders is an absolute man-mountain of a tackle from Florida State, clocking in at 6’5″, 320. (His 50 games played at Florida State are tied for second all-time in the school’s history.) Zebrie had a poor Senior Bowl showing where he got beaten off the edge which sent his stock plummeting.  The Bills grabbed Sanders in the 5th round.  Considered a wonderful set or on-the-move run blocker, Sanders has the tools to excel at either left or right tackle if he can improve his overall explosiveness and anticipate the pass rush better. Still many pundits considered him a project to edge into the lineup and wanted him to put on a bit more weight to his gargantuan frame.  I think it was a good selection, as his ability to play at both positions, will allow him to sneak onto the field each week and get that needed experience, however at the end of the preseason, the Bills felt otherwise and stashed him on IR.

 

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