Tag Archives: baltimore ravens

NFL

Boyle, Nick

leaf15 nboyle

Card: Leaf Draft 2015
Acquired: 2015, Box Breaker

Nick Boyle was pushed into action as a Freshman and took control of the tight end position for the Delaware Hens. A well decorated player, Boyle was named All-CAA in both his Junior (2013) and Senior (2014) seasons. With his size and frame (6’3″,  268) he could develop into a pretty solid every down tight end at the NFL level. He already has proven hands, but needs to work on squaring up his blocking for the NFL level.

After the departure of Owen Daniels and Dennis Pitta’s back to back season ending injuries, Baltimore looked to reboot at the position. The team selected Maxx Williams early on and then came back to select the sure-handed Boyle in the bottom of Round 5 in the 2015 NFL Draft.  In his rookie season he caught 18 passes for 153 yards. He will face an uphill climb matching those numbers in 2016, as he was suspended for the first 10 games of the season for performance enhancing drugs.

NFL

Huff, Michael (2)

pp06 mhuffCards: Press Pass Big Numbers 2006
Acquired: IP, Aaron Williams Lone Star Showcase 2015
See Also: Michael Huff

I attended the Aaron Williams Lone Star Showcase in 2015, and was really happy to knock out Michael Huff in person- as opposed to the box breaker. He signed this really nice Big Numbers card for me from Press Pass. Although Press Pass had some uneven releases, sometimes I really appreciated their audacity, especially with simple die cuts like this one.

Huff looks like he’s starting to settle into the retired life. He lives in Austin and is a regular visitor to UT sporting events. For all that Vince Young meant to the Longhorns offense, Michael Huff was all that for the defense, pacing the team with 12 tackles, a TFL and a fumble recovery in UT’s victory over USC. In 2015, he was inducted into the Texas Longhorn Athletics Hall of Honor.

NFL, NFLE, XFL

Croel, Mike

aprks91 croelCards: Pro Set 1992 RotY, Action Packed Rookies 1991, Star Pics 1991
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent: 3/13   Received: 4/21  (39 days)

A short list player that I had wanted for some time, Mike Croel played collegiately at Nebraska. Mike played on some of the most dominating defensive Cornhusker teams during the late 80s and early 90s.

After being gashed on defense in 1990 the Broncos took a very defensive minded approach to their 1991 draft. It was a pretty good draft for Denver. Mike Croel was drafted in the first round with the 4th overall pick. Alongside Croel, Keith Traylor (3rd),  and Kenny Walker (8th) also made the roster.

pset92 croel royDuring the heyday of the trading card market right before things started to implode with the slow death of Pro Set in 1993, you could find trading cards everywhere and everybody was getting in on it. Not only were you able to find the cards in the local convenient stores like 7-11, but you could get them at places like… Michael’s, the Arts and Crafts store. I impulse bought a pack or two of the 1992 Pro Set standing in line there, and got this Mike Croel Defensive Rookie of the Year card in the pack.

He’d play RILB his rookie season. Blitzing from the inside, Mike recorded 10 sacks and 84 tackles in 10 games. This’d be good for 1991 Defensive Rookie of the Year Honors.  In 1992 he’d switch to LOLB, and in 1993 return a Brett Favre interception 22 yards for a TD against Green Bay in the opener. As the Broncos transitioned to a 4-3 Croel, played his final season in 1994 with the franchise at LLB. He joined his former head coach Dan Reeves in New York in 1995, and then made a pit stop with the Ravens in 1996.

stpi91 mcroelReturning in 1998 he played Spring ball with the Rhein Fire of the NFLE, before heading back to the United States to join the Seahawks for that year.

Mike again briefly popped up on the football radar playing for the XFL of the Los Angeles Xtreme in 2001. He was the first trade in the shortlived league- going from Las Vegas to LA for linebacker Joseph Tuipala. Croel retired soon thereafter before playing a down for the league.  Since then he’s dabbled in coaching and is a successful graphic designer in California.

NFL 102/84      Tac 412     Sac 24.0     Fum  6
Int 2       Yds  38      Avg  19.0     Td 1     Lg 22

NFLE     Tac  N/a     Sac  6.0       Fum N/a
Int  0        Yds  0        Avg -.-       Td 0      Lg -.-