Tag Archives: Atlanta Falcons

NFL

Case, Scott

Cards: ProSet 1989, ProSet 1990, Action Packed 1990, Action Packed 1991
Acquired: TTM 2018, C/o Home
Sent: 7/9    Received:  7/19      (10 days)

Scott case played JC ball at tiny NE Oklahoma A&M in Miami, OK before catching on with the Sooners. He played for the Norsemen from 1980 to 1981 earning JC All-American Honors (’81). He joined Oklahoma in 1982. There he quickly cemented himself as the starting cornerback and had 2 interceptions that year. In 1983, Scott jumped to Free Safety and tied a school record with 8 interceptions that year. He’d be drafted in the second round of the 1984 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.

A headhunter in the secondary at corner, Case developed a reputation as a reckless ballhawk, and an aggressive enforcer at the line of scrimmage. In 1988, he had a career high 10 interceptions, earning him his only Pro Bowl berth. 

With the arrival of Jerry Glanville in 1990, Case moved to free safety and saw his tackle numbers explode and in both 1990 and 1991 he posted 160+ tackles on the season, and 100+ tackles through 1993. While there were some spectacular names that came and went through the secondary, Case’s consistent presence allowed him to move up the career stat charts to finish second in tackles (946) and fourth in interceptions (30).

After 11 seasons with the Falcons, Scott joined the Cowboys in 1995 where he played one final season under his college coach from Oklahoma, Barry Switzer. Case at long last earned his due and won Super Bowl XXX, retiring after the season.

As of 2018, Scott lives in Georgia and owns a construction company. He is very good to the TTM community and signed these 4 cards for me in no time flat. 

Scott’s first cards appeared during the big boom of collecting during the late 80s. (After his 10 interception season, nobody could really ignore him anymore.) All the major brands (Topps, Score, and ProSet) put out cards of Scott in his glory. Thankfully the Falcons hadn’t made the jump to black yet, and there were a few cards that existed of him in the old school red uniform. Sifting through the piles of cards that I had available, I came across these 4 that really stood out to me. My favorite is either the Action Packed 1990 card or his ProSet 1989 card, as their photos stood out a bit more than the others. Scott has a nice autograph, and it is complimented well by his choice of marker and strength of signature.

G/GSTACSACFUMINTYDSAVGTDLG
178/1249607.57302678.9147
NFL, Super Bowl MVP

Rypien, Mark (2)

Card: Action Packed 1990
Acquired: TTM 2016, C/o Home
Sent: 12/12/16    Received:  1/3/17  (22  days)
See Also:  Mark Rypien

The first success I got in calendar 2017, Mark Rypien was kind enough to sign 1 of 3 cards I sent him. He inscribed the one card with Super Bowl XXVI MVP, which I thought was still cool.  Rypien’s family drips with athleticism.  His daughter has carried on in his footsteps and is a quarterback in the Lingerie Football League, while his Nephew, Brett is a starting quarterback for Boise St.

In 2014 the Washington Redskins inducted Mark into their Ring of Fame. Rypien spent eight seasons with the Redskins. From 1986 to 1993 he started 72 games for the Redskins, completing 1,244 passes for 15,928 yards and 101 touchdowns. Modestly, Rypien dedicated his enshrinement to his teammates and the 55,000 or so fans that showed up every week to cheer on the team during his magical 1991 Super Bowl and MVP run.

NFL

Sanu, Mohamed

Card: Topps Strata Clear Cut 2012
Acquired: 2017, EBay

Rutgers is not exactly known as a football factory in college circles, so when a guy like Mohamed Sanu gets selected, you have to cheer for the underdog. Other people didn’t feel that way, as somebody called up Mohamed on draft day and pranked him into thinking that he’d been taken in the first round by the Bengals. Things worked out though as Cincinnati selected Mohamed in the 3rd round of the draft instead.

Mohamed had an amazing run as a Junior playing for the Scarlet Knights, posting 115 receptions for 1206 yards and 7 TDs.  In his 3 years at Rutgers, Sanu had 210 receptions for 2263 yards and 12 TDs. He also saw a decent amount of time rushing the ball, recording 125 attempts for 653 yards and 9 TDs.

He’d play for the Bengals from 2012 to 2015. Mohamed’s best season came in 2014 when he caught 56 receptions for 790 yards and 5 TDs- including a 76 yard bomb. Somehow he got lost in the rotation in his final year in Cinci. He’d sign as a free agent with Atlanta in 2016. He’d start 15 games and catch 59 balls for 653 yards and 4 TDs. During the playoffs he’d post 11 receptions for 121 yards and 2 TDs helping the Falcons reach the Super Bowl.

He’s a sneaky pick up late in drafts that pretty much everybody is aware of now. In 2017, Sanu caught 67 passes for 703 yards and 5 TDs, and in 2018 is on pace to near or eclipse those number by the close of the season.