Tag Archives: detroit lions

NFL

Forsett, Justin

Card: Score Signatures 2010
Acquired: COMC, 2020

I had been wanting Justin Forsett for sometime on a few cards, but being that he doesn’t sign through the mail from what I saw, so I put him on my list to pick up a certified of when the price was right. With COVID in full swing, COMC ran an aggressive sale on their inventory, so I was able to get Justin with a stack of other autographs that I was after. -I just didn’t expect this gem of a Score 2010 to appear.

Not to mention that Justin was a hero to me for shoring up my lineup during his rookie year in my fantasy league. I grabbed him with two to three games left in the season, and he provided me with a win to help propel me towards the championship in 2009. Later as a brief member of the Houston Texans he blew past the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day in a very memorable game.

Justin had a pretty decent 4 years at Cal playing for the Golden Bears from 2004-2007. He rushed 567 times for 3220 yards and 26 TDs, and caught 41 passes for 386 yards and a TD. Despite his solid output at Cal, Forsett was not selected until the 7th round of the 2008 NFL Draft, and bounced on and off the roster of the Seahawks and Colts. Returning back to the Seahawks in 2009, he played in all 16 games, posting up 619 yards on 114 carries, scoring 4 times, and catching 41 passes. He’d spend the next two years with the team, as his playing time slowly dwindled. Eventually Forsett was allowed to walk after the 2011 season.

Justin signed with the Houston Texans in 2012. With Arian Foster the primary back in the lineup, Ben Tate and Forsett would fight over playing time as his backup. As a great change of pace, Forsett rushed 63 times for 374 yards and an 81 yard TD against the Lions. Disappointingly, he didn’t resign with the Texans after the season, electing to spend 2013 with the Jaguars.

Justin’s final act in the NFL was primarily with the Baltimore Ravens. He’d earn his only Pro Bowl nod in 2014 rushing 235 times for 1266 yards and 8 touchdowns, catching 44 passes for 263 yards as a replacement for Ray Rice. An injury plagued 2015 saw his numbers dip. In 10 games, his numbers dropped to 641 yards on 151 carries. He’d be released during the 2016 season, spending time with the Lions and the Broncos.

Forsett retired in 2017. An inventor, he’s come up with quite a few successful ideas, attracting former NFL players as investors.

NFL G/GsRUSHYDSAVGTDLG
122/3782038904.71981T
RECYDSAVGTDLG
21013516.4147
CFL, NFL

Clark, Robert

Cards: Skybox 1992, GameDay 1992, ProSet 1990
Acquired: TTM 2020, C/o Home
Sent: 4/21 Received: 6/11 (51 days)

The holder of 34 individual player records at WR for North Carolina Central at the time of his departure in 1986, Robert Clark was a 10th round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 1987. He’d make the squad, and play for the team in both 87 and 88, finishing with 22 receptions for 283 yards and 2 TDs, but couldn’t crack the starting lineup, thanks in part to an injury he sustained his rookie season.

In 1989 the Lions were fully committed to their Silver Stretch offense, so they needed 4 wide receivers to make that happen. They’d run out and sign Robert as an unconditional free agent, and he’d step right into the starting lineup posting a gaudy 18.2 receiving average, as he finished second on the team with 748 yards on 41 receptions.

Robert finished second on the team with 52 receptions and led the squad with 8 TD receptions in 1990. In 1991, Robert continued his consistent production, setting a career single game high catching 10 passes for 143 yards against the Packers, where 9 of 10 of those receptions went for first downs. He’d conclude the 1991 season with 47 catches for 640 yards and 6 TDs.

A precise route runner who is quick in traffic, Clark was fearless over the middle, but could also turn on the jets when it counted- particularly against division opponents. Over his time in Detroit, Robert started 45 of 46 contests. He’d then spend one largely forgettable season with the Dolphins in 1992, catching just 3 passes for 52 yards.

As the CFL invaded the USA in 1993, Robert joined the league playing for the Toronto Argonauts. He immediately established himself as one of the top dogs in the CFL, leading wide receivers at the midway point in receptions and yardage. On the season, Clark finished with 50 receptions for 900 yards and 3 TDs. He’d then spend his next two final seasons with the Baltimore Stallions helping the team win the CFL championship.

I have always been a friend to the Run N Shoot system, partially due to my Houston roots, so I was very happy to get his autograph on these cards, especially considering he’s such a rare signer.

NFL G/GsRECYDSAVGTDLG
67/45165264416.01869
CFL G/GsRECYDSAVGTDLG
89159117.9564
Arena, NFL, WLAF

Lockett, Dannie ‘Danny’

Cards: ProSet 1991 Defensive MVP, ProSet WLAF 1991 Defensive MVP, ProSet WLAF 1991, Ultimate World League 1992, Ultimate World League 1992 League Leader, Wild Card World League 1992
Acquired: TTM 2020, C/o Home*
Failure: TTM 2020, C/o Home
Sent: 7/28 Received: 8/11 (14 days)
* Fee Enclosed

Danny Lockett represents the defensive crown jewel of the big 3 World League sets. He appeared no less than 6 times across ProSet, Ultimate, and Wild Card. Even with his personal information and unique name, he was still difficult to track down, but after much sleuthing, talking to a few connected people, and thanks to the power of social media, I finally was able to find and connect with Danny. I offered him a signing fee of 10.00 per card to ensure that these cards would get signed, and he kindly did so, whipping them around in two weeks time. (It is unknown whether the spelling of his name was an error- or a nickname- or if over the years he’s moved towards Dannie, but for purposes of this post, we will call him Danny.)

Danny played college ball at Arizona where he saw his time at outside linebacker in 1985 and 1986. He earned PAC-10 honors in 1986 when he led the way with 12 sacks, and 15 tackles for loss.

A 5th round pick of the Detroit Lions in 1987, Danny played for the Lions through 1988- a year in which he posted 17 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery.

He’d attend training camp with the New York Jets in 1991 but did not make the squad.

Lockett was then selected in the second round of the 1991 World League of American Football positional draft by the London Monarchs. where he’d go on to have a banner year for the team, as they won World Bowl I over the Barcelona Dragons.

Danny finished in a 3 way tie for Defensive MVP Honors. He’d set multiple league marks along the way, most notably for Most Sacks in a season (13.5), and most consecutive games with at least 2 sacks (10 in first 5 games).

Among his most impactful performances were in the first game against the Knights (3 sacks), and 4 tackles and a fumble recovery in the Monarchs World Bowl I victory.

On the season, Dannie had 74 total tackles, 13.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries.

It should be noted that Lockett helped the Monarchs lead the league with an astounding 53 sacks- or 5.3 sacks a game.

This card used the same photo as the ProSet 1991 Series II Defensive MVP subset card.

He returned to the Monarchs for the 1992 season, however the team stumbled out of the gate finishing with a dismal 2-7-1 record. Although Lockett’s numbers were also down, he still had some memorable moments, including scoring 2 touchdowns (interception and fumble) in a Week 9 thumping of the Montreal Machine.

With the World League reorganizing after the 1992 season, Danny like many players was immediately absorbed into the stateside Arena football league system that was taking off.

Danny played the next 5 seasons in Arena Football for 5 different franchises. He saw the most success in 1993 with the Detroit Drive, finishing with 50 total tackles, 8 sacks, 9 pass breakups and 2 fumble recoveries, and an interception. Over the next 4 seasons, Lockett played for the Massachusetts Marauders, Orlando Predators, Connecticut Coyotes, the ill-fated Texas Terror, and finally the Milwaukee Mustangs.

NFL– G/GSTACSACFUM
29/1N/a2.02.0
INTYDSAVGTDLG
00-.-0-.-
WLAFTACSACFUM
N/aN/aN/a
* websites incorrectly show that Danny had back to back 14 sack seasons playing in the WL
INTYDSAVGTDLG
11414.0114T
ARENA– G/GSTACSACFUM
10217.53
INTYDSAVGTDLG
273.51N/a