Tag Archives: Denver Broncos

NFL

Mobley, Orson “Big O”

Cards: Topps 1990, Fleer 1990
Acquired: TTM 2012, C/o Home
Sent: 1/25   Received: 2/2  (8 days)

Among the names I love talking to online is Orson Mobley. Not to go all Madden on people, but his name sounds like a big tight end name or somebody who could light you up with a perfectly executed block right underneath the chin. I’ve been following ‘Big O’ (as I affectionately call him), for the past few months on SotL. He’s one of the more engaging NFL alumni on the site and is quite networked on Facebook as well.

Orson was drafted in the 6th round of the 1986 draft from Salem by the Denver Broncos. A bruising TE/H-back, Mobley stood at 6-5, 256 and fit in well with the Broncos play-action passing offense. With pretty decent hands and a nice pop, Orson quickly developed a rapport with starting quarterback John Elway with 23 receptions for 332 yards and his first TD reception in the season finale against the Seattle Seahawks. He’d start 3 games his rookie season. In 1987, Mobley started 6 games and make 16 receptions and a touchdown. 1988 marked career highs in games started for Orson with 9. He’d lodge 21 receptions for 218 yards and 2 tds as a sneaky option inside the redzone. The NFL hastily in 1989 instituted a new drug policy and Orson, along with Leroy Irvin and 11 other players would be suspended 3 games.  Mobley only started 5 games that season, but still managed 17 receptions for 200 yards.

Big O had a great run with the Broncos, but it’d all come to an end as prolific rookie receiver Shannon Sharpe was moved to tight end in 1991. Pacific would make one more card of Orson in 1991, and the back photo featured him doing stretches and yawning right at the camera- which to me sort of sums him up as sort of a genial, personable guy. Mobley over his career would appear in 3 SuperBowls for the Broncos during the 1980s, recording 2 catches for 17 yards against the Giants during SuperBowl XXI in 1986.

Big O lives in the Jacksonville area. Among his more humorous moments, was how Orson won the emergency punter position. At Salem, Mobley had developed quite a reputation for booming kicks. When he arrived at the Broncos, John Elway wanted to have a punt off with him for the job, so after Mobley fired off a couple of huge punts, Elway took a football and threw it instead.

G/Gs 61/31     Rec  84      Yds 1019     Avg 12.1     Td  4    Lg 36

 

 

CFL, NFL, University of Texas

Babers, Rod “Kool Aid” (2)

Cards: Topps Total 2005, UD UT 2011 CC
Acquired: In Person 2012, 1300 The Zone’s Houston Texans Playoff Viewing Party 1/7/12
Previous Post: Babers, Rod “Kool Aid”, Rod Babers (3)

At the University of Texas release party for the Upper Deck University of Texas cards last year, I met Rod who is a host of 1300 The Zone’s “The Afternoon Buffet”. He lamented to the people at UD about them not producing a card of him over the radio, – so I took it upon myself to produce a card for Rod. Off the cuff I had made a front, but had not produced a back due to time and printing constraints, and completely ripped off the UD design, just so that Rod could say he was part of the set.

When I met up with him at the Houston Texans’ Viewing Playoff Party at the Alamo Drafthouse, I asked for his autograph on a few more cards, which he had no problem doing. When I presented him with the custom fake I had made, he beamed and gave me a giant hug. Rod loved the shot from him versus Oklahoma, especially the fact that he was ‘Tebowing’ before it was cool.  Graciously, Rod told me the card truly made his afternoon even if the Texans didn’t win, and I told him that next time we’d meet up I hoped to have his trading card completed with a front and back for him to keep, which he told me I didn’t have to do.

After the Texans’ victory I talked to him a bit more, ribbing him for a few minutes and telling him that defensive lineman JJ Watt‘s interception for a touchdown, was already 1/4th Rod’s total number of picks at UT.  He laughed and stated that Watt was already one up on him in the pros, but he wouldn’t hold it against me since I gave him the custom.

Rod in his playboy way, also jokingly intimated that the card was so nice he was going to carry it around in his wallet, and use it to pick up women, to which I quipped to him, “That I was sure he had no problem with that!”

NFL

Coleman, Marco

Cards:  Action Packed Rookies 1992, Classic 1992, SkyBox 1992
Acquired: TTM 2011, C/o Home
Sent: 11/8   Received: 11/21  (13 days)

Nice acquisition here in the form of 1992 defensive rookie of the year Marco Coleman signing 3 cards in under two weeks. The SkyBox and Classic cards were hilarious as they are taken less than 5 seconds apart. You usually see cards where it is the same photo, but not one a few seconds apart. The Action Packed 1992 Rookies card is stellar though making up for it, as it’s well known I like getting these cards autographed.

Marco Coleman was a dominant linebacker out of college from Georgia Tech. He broke the school record of sacks previously held by sackmaster Pat Swilling (28).  At 6’3, 286, Coleman was considered slow for his position but undersized for defensive end. Certainly he was a forerunner to what is referred to sometimes as a ‘tweener’. The Dolphins needing new blood at the position drafted Marco #12 overall in 1992, and he was the second linebacker off the board behind Quentin Coryatt. Coleman would start both at linebacker and defensive end in his rookie season, finishing with 6 sacks and 84 tackles but after it was all said and done, Marco really took off at defensive end. He’d start there the rest of his career primarily playing on the right side, averaging 5.5 sacks over the next three seasons.
After a 3 year stint with the Chargers from 1996-1998, where he tacked on 9.5 more sacks to his career totals, Marco signed with the Redskins in 1999. Returning to his rookie form, Coleman made 6.5 sacks, 42 tackles and recovered a fumble that he returned 42 yards for a touchdown. He’d top that in 2000 lodging a career high 12 sacks and earning a Pro Bowl berth after being moved to left defensive end.  In 2002, he’d enter the journeyman phase of his career, and play for the Jaguars and Eagles one season a piece, before finishing out his career playing for the Broncos in 2004 and 2005.

G/Gs  207/185     Tac  520    Sac  65.5     Fum 18    Int 1     Yds 2     Avg 2.0      Td  0     Lg 2