Tag Archives: buffalo bills

NFL

Branch, Alan

UD08p BranchCard: Upper Deck 2007 (43/99)
Acquired: 2014, Target Autographed Memorabilia

A dominating run defender in college for the Wolverines, that clocked in at a space eating 6’6″, 325, -Alan Branch was a second round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2007.  Coveted for his positional flexibility, Branch could play defensive tackle, nose, or defensive end (in a 3-4 alignment). In 35 games for Michigan, Alan had 56 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, a pick and 3 forced fumbles.

Branch had trouble cracking the Cardinals starting lineup, and did not see very much starting time until his final season with the team in 2010. During that year, Alan started 3 games and posted 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 27 tackles. In 2011, Alan signed with the Seattle Seahawks, and moved into the starting rotation for the squad.  His stop with the team yielded his best 2 seasons of his career, as he posted 4 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, and 37 tackles, for Seattle as a defensive tackle. He’d sign a contract with the Bills and kick out to defensive end, collecting 21 tackles in 13 starts. He re-upped with the team for 2014 but was arrested for DUI. As many teams in the NFL have taken a very hard line approach to any transgressions, the Bills immediately cut Branch. Alan found a home with the New England Patriots later that year and looks to assume a greater role in the defense in 2015 with the departure of Vince Wolfork.

NFL

Davis, André (2)

ud04 adavisad10 adavisCards: Adrenalyn 2010, Upper Deck Foundations 2003
Acquired: 2013, C/o Home
Sent:  8/15/13    Received:  2/17/15   (555 days)
See Also: André Davis

The new longest wait champion briefly was this response from André Davis at 555 days. Since then amazingly I got another player’s autograph through the mail that was over twice that long. The success percentage for waits over a year is pretty low, so I had easily given up on this one. I think that I sent it to an address in New York, but the response was postmarked from South Carolina.

I really liked these two cards of Davis. The Upper Deck Foundations card has a really nice design, but I really enjoy the Adrenalyn set. – It’s too bad that the set is a virtual card game that doesn’t really place any focus on the card backs.  Still it is a winner because it features Davis in a Texans’ uniform, where he enjoyed some of his finest play outside of Cleveland.

NFL

Manuel, EJ

udst13 ejmanuelCard: Upper Deck Star Rookies 2013
Acquired: 2015 Trade, Spoodog Box Break
Failure: TTM 2013, C/o the Buffalo Bills

I had seen a lot of responses from EJ Manuel during his rookie season so I decided to take a stab at him. I was really disappointed when I didn’t get a response.  I like EJ and I still think he has the tools to succeed at the pro level. There are a lot of haters out there who want to see players do nothing less than fail, whether because it is a draft grade they gave them, they hated the guy at the college level,  or just an impatient member of the pro fan base, people sometimes just have it out for professional players.  Anyway I wrote a very encouraging letter -and never heard back. With the sting of that failure still fresh in my mind, well over a year later, I was talking to Spoodog and he offered me this EJ Manuel and a Marquise Goodwin autograph in exchange for one that I had given him earlier in the day.

It wasn’t until 2011 that EJ Manuel finally took over as the starter for the Florida State Seminoles. He had been battling future pro Christian Ponder at quarterback since he arrived on campus his Freshman year. His senior year was his signature season at FSU, leading the school to a 12-2 record. He threw for 3,392 yards and 23 TDs while rushing for 310 yards and 4 TDs on the ground.

Manuel was taken by the Buffalo Bills in the 2013 NFL Draft with the 15th overall pick. He’d start 10 games over his rookie season for new head coach Doug Marrone, finishing with 1,982 yards passing, 11 TDs, and 186 yards rushing.  In 2014, EJ started 4 games, but during the 4th game against the Houston Texans, Manuel threw an errant pass that was intercepted at the line by defensive lineman JJ Watt and returned 77 yards for a TD. This would be the turning point of the game and the season for Manuel. He’d be benched in favor of Kyle Orton, who as Marrone put it, “Gave the Bills a chance to win now.” With the departure of Marrone after the season, the re-retirement of Kyle Orton, and the hiring of Rex Ryan, it appears that EJ has been given a defacto second chance to lead the Bills.