NFL

Daniels, Owen (2)


Card: Prestige 2010, Score 2010
Acquired: In Person 12/6/2011, Go Texans Store
See also: Daniels, Owen

While I was in Houston getting Mario Williams and JJ Watt at the Community Player of the Month event, I figured if I might be able to square away another name while I was down there. It came down to Owen Daniels and Jacoby Jones, but with me having frozen to death outside for JJ and Mario, I opted for Owen knowing that the line would be queued inside the store.  Following another fan to the Go Texans store in Reliant Stadium during rush hour I got to the store a few minutes after the event began and surprisingly was able to get him twice.

The first time I came around I was a bit too starstruck and just honestly didn’t know what to say to Owen. The event was definitely more intimate than the cattle call of the Whataburger event and it was just an awkward exchange. I told him I’d come around again, and when I finally did  I told him that I was happy the team was able to lock him up for a few years, and that I consider him bionic because of his 3 knee surgeries. Daniels was very gracious and looked me in the eye after knocking on wood (about the knee surgeries), and thanked me for driving from Austin to visit him that day.

Looking at these cards, I liked where Score was going with their look from 2009 to 2010, but they totally lost it in ’11. Still the thing I can appreciate most about this set is its level of coverage of players as there seems to be a nice balance of offense and defense. I wasn’t too enthusiastic about the lineup of Prestige cards. The Texans’ logo looks like it’s about to attack Owen’s shoulder and the metal look has been done and over done along with that annoying fade. I do however like this card in particular as it seems well suited for the set, especially Owen’s pose silhouetted against the design and certainly the autograph took well enough.

Daniels in 2011 is off to his best season since 2008 when he recorded 70 receptions. After a slow week 1, Owen has recorded at least 3 receptions in each contest through week 13 of 2011.  He’d have season highs in week 5 against the Raiders with 7 receptions for 89 yards.  An integral weapon to the Texans play action system, Daniels also serves as the team’s emergency quarterback.

NFL, University of Texas

Erxleben, Russell


 

Card: UT Upper Deck 2011, UT Upper Deck 2011 AA
Acquired: TTM 2011, C/o Home
Sent: 11/30   Received: 12/10  (10 days)

Russell Erxleben was an amazing kicker and punter in college for the University of Texas kicking an NCAA record 67 yard field goal in 1977.  He’d be named All American 1976-1978 and also set a Texas single season record, averaging 46.6 yards a punt.  After graduating from UT, the New Orleans Saints made Russell their #1 pick in 1979 where he’d play double duty again as a punter and kicker. Oddly the team utilized him sparingly as a kicker over his career but he averaged a bit over 40 yards a punt in his 5 seasons with the Saints punting 279 times, including a club record 89 in 1980. In 1982 Erxleben had a career high 43.0 yard average on 46 punts. He’d be cut in 1983, and play as a scab in 1987 on the Lions for one contest, but subsequently retire after the season.

Unfortunately Russell’s name has never been able to shake his lofty draft status, since he was the second highest drafted kicker in NFL history. Erxleben was also convicted of securities fraud in 1999, and but was released in 2005. He currently is retired and living near Dripping Springs, Texas, and enjoys watching his son follow in his footsteps as a kicking specialist with- Texas Tech.

Somebody was cutting corners on these cards with that weak blur in the background of Erxleben’s set card. Didn’t you guys learn how to make proper masks in Photoshop? As far as autographs go, Russell has a fairly pedestrian one, as it lacks the boldness of an autograph but belies the subtlety of a signature. I rubbed the film significantly on the surface of the card so that it could take the autograph better, and it appears for the most part that it worked as there is only a little ink loss from the bubbling. Erxleben makes the first TTM success from the UT Upper Deck 2011 set, signing these 2 cards in 10 days. I look forward to many more in the future and this is a great way to get fans interested and aligned with particular college interests.

 

NFL

Watt, J.J.

Card: Sage Hit 2011
Acquired:  In Person 12/6/11, Whataburger Community Player of the Month

So I nailed down the Houston Texans #1 pick from 2011 along with Mario Williams at a freezing player of the month event at Whataburger in Sugarland. Despite the fact that I earned a migraine from the event and drove some 400 miles today round trip, it was totally worth it, even if this card was probably one of the worst I have seen in a while.  SaGe 2011 lacks any logos of any sort, or even players in pads for that matter and marks a painful fall from grace for this product. Of course the day after I open a box of Score 2011 and find a JJ Watt rookie card among the set which far and above would’ve been better to autograph than this one.

JJ Watt played tight end at Central Michigan before transferring to Wisconsin in 2008. After redshirting for a season, Watt came into his own and won the Ronnie Lott award in 2010. His career totals at Wisconsin included 106 tackles, a whopping 36.5 TFL, 11.5 sacks, and 4 FF. Watt was pegged early on as being targed by the Houston Texans as their #1 pick. A sound fundamentalist with a motor that doesn’t quit, JJ was tabbed at #11 by the Texans after an impressive combine that saw him finish in the top 5 in every category for his position.

New defensive coordinator Wade Phillips had plans for the Texans. After shifting the team to a 3-4 defense, he’d add Watt, and move incumbent defensive end Mario Williams to outside linebacker. The move paid off and Watt became an immediate starter. With a near 6’6″, 290 frame JJ was a threat right out of the gate recording 5 tackles in his first contest against Indianapolis. He’d block his first field goal against the Dolphins in Week 2, and his first sack on Drew Brees (NO) in Week 3. In Week 12, JJ recorded a career high 7 tackles versus the Jaguars, and sacked Blaine Gabbert twice. As Watt’s 2011 season continues, it appears that the young rookie is already beginning to pay dividends on the selection with the Texans sitting amongst the top 5 in defense.

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