Tag Archives: action packed rookies 1991

NFL, NFLE

Barnett, Tim

Card: Action Packed Rookies 1991
Acquired: TTM 1992, C/o The Kansas City Chiefs

Tim Barnett is a cousin of Philadelphia Eagles receiver Fred Barnett, who went to Jackson State. The Chiefs would take him in the third round of the 1991 draft hoping to improve their wide receiver corps which already had the superior rushing game in Christian Okoye and Barry Word. In his rookie season Tim started 8 games, making an impressive 41 catches for 564 yards and 5 touchdowns. He’d start to really come about in 1992, starting only 3 games but establishing himself as a long range threat (18.4 yard average on 24 catches) with a long 77 yard touchdown reception. Tim helped the Chiefs advance in the playoffs that year- catching a critical touchdown pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs from Joe Montana. 1993  saw another decrease in playing time once again, with Tim starting no games, however he quietly accumulated 17 receptions and a touchdown.

Unfortunately the young Barnett had been building up a rap sheet in his spare time as well for domestic assault and was on two year’s probation for misdemeanor assault and battery, -once even for pistol whipping his wife. On June 14th, 1994 Tim Barnett exposed himself and grabbed a 14 year old girl at a motel in Milwaukee. Kansas City considered Barnett toxic and immediately granted him his release. Later it was revealed that the victim had made the story up in hopes of getting a settlement out of Barnett, but the damage had already been done.

Barnett later played in the NFLE for the Scotland Claymores in 1995. He’d have a steady season with 21 receptions for 298 yards and 3 touchdowns, while the team slumped to a 2-8 record under 3 head coaches.

G/Gs 44/11   Rec 82   Yds 1188  Avg 14.5  Td 10  Lg 77T

NFL

Scott, Todd

Card: Action Packed Rookies 1991
Acquired: TTM 1992, C/o The Minnesota Vikings

Todd Scott was a Galveston, Tx native who wasn’t recruited locally- so he went out of the state to Louisiana-Lafayette where he’d make an impact playing football in that tiny community. He’d rank first in career punt return yardage with 553 (10th nationally all time) and played in the Blue-Gray game in 1990.

The Vikings, needing to train a protege to veteran Joey Browner took a flyer on the young player in the 6th round of the 1991 draft. Scott started just one game in 1991 and made 33 tackles, but in 1992 he’d start all 16 games after Browner left via free agency, making 5 interceptions and 73 tackles. (These marks would be career highs.) Todd was also named to the Pro Bowl that season as well. In 1994 Scott earned All-Madden team honors, but found himself on the  street in 1995, playing for both the New York Jets for 10 games and Tampa Bay for 1 contest. He’d continue to play in Tampa Bay briefly in 1996 and then Kansas City in 1997 where he retired after a few injury plagued years.

A really intelligent player in coverage Scott is most well known by Minnesota fans for a pick 6 he made against the Bears in 1992. Scott backed off runningback Neal Anderson to give quarterback Jim Harbaugh the impression that he was going to allow for a big reception out of the backfield. Harbaugh bit, audibled, and Scott returned the interception for 35 yards and a touchdown.

Most recently in 2010, Scott was inducted into the Lousiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajun’s Hall of Fame.

G/Gs 84/55      Tac 265     Sac 1   Fum 2
Int 7     Yds 105      Avg 15.0     Td  1   Lg 35T

NFL

Harlow, Pat

Cards: Action Packed 1992, Action Packed Rookies 1991
Acquired: TTM 1992, 1993 Patriots Blitz

In a world where snail mail was king and the internet was still in its infancy, I used to camp by the mailbox waiting to see what came. An autograph kept the mail interesting, and was like receiving a present every day of the year- or whenever I got one. Case in point, I sent off bulk to the Patriots in 1992 and after a few months wait got a stack of autographs back from the team. (I’d send another bulk load later that they’d go ahead and kindly fulfill the next season as well.)

Originally the fourth best defensive lineman on the USC Trojans squad, Pat Harlow would make the switch to offensive tackle and make an immediate impact. At 6″7′, 295, Pat Harlow was drafted from USC by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 1991 draft (which at first was a highly maligned draft, but in retrospect was obviously not on talent with the 1989 draft, rather it was ‘respectable’.)

The pick was originally part of the blockbuster Herschel Walker trade. With the first two tackles off the board in Charles McRae and Antone Davis, Pat Harlow would be the third Tackle taken in the first round by New England. Offensive line however would not be where the depth was in this draft as only one lineman, (Erik Williams– Dallas, Rd.3) from this draft would ever to make the ProBowl.

An aggressive offensive lineman with the desire to finish off the block downfield, the knock on Pat was his relative lack of playing experience at the position. This was viewed by Patriots’ management actually as an advantage as his full potential hadn’t been completely tapped. Harlow went on to play respectably from 1991-1995, starting 64 games.

Pat was traded to the Raiders for a second round pick in 1996, and moved to left tackle, (uncomfortably) where he ended his career prematurely in 1998 due to back injuries at the age of 29.