Tag Archives: draft bust

NFL

Davis, Antone

Gameday 1992, #62

CARDS: Action Packed Rookies 1991
ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o Home
SENT: 12/12/22 RECEIVED: 1/18/23 (37 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Big man-mountain (6’4″, 330), Antone Davis played RT at Tennessee.
  • He and fellow blocking teammate Charles McRae were considered the best offensive lineman in the 1991 NFL Draft.
  • A consensus All-American, and runner up for the Outland Trophy, Davis and McRae were selected back to back during the first round of the 1991 NFL Draft.
  • Needing to address their porous OL, the Eagles traded away two picks to move up and select Antone Davis at #8 overall.
  • After a holdout, Davis had an extremely bumpy baptism by fire playing for the Eagles his rookie year.
  • The remainder of the next 4 years were punctuated by penalties and injury.
  • Following the 1995 season, he was not resigned by the Eagles, and joined the Atlanta Falcons for the 1996 campaign.
  • Davis saw action primarily as a backup the next two seasons, but was released in early ’98.
  • He’d then see time briefly on the off-season roster of the Packers in 1999, before retiring.
Action Packed Rookies 1991, #19

NOTES:

Ugh. Poor Antone. I remember him appearing on MNF in 1991. I think it was his first start after an early injury sidelined him for most of the preseason and some of the year. He got absolutely wrekt by the Redskins front 4 on MNF. Holding calls, false starts, constant pressures, and sacks galore. I felt so terrible for Antone. After his career ended, Davis went into the food service industry. He was also a finalist on the show ‘The Biggest Loser’ a few years back. Antone doesn’t sign often so I thought I’d shoot these two set needs out.

Note that his Action Packed Rookies card shows him with #77 and his Gameday has #78. After he signed his rookie contract he changed his jersey number.

NFL

Klingler, David (2)

1992 Gameday, #48

Cards: GameDay 1992, Skybox Premium 1993, Classic 1992, Upper Deck 1993
Acquired: TTM 2021, C/o Home. 2013, Akron Aquisition.
Sent: 6/29 Received: 7/19 (20 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

See David Klingler

1992 Classic Blister, #2 1993 Upper Deck All-Rookie Team, #31

1993 Skybox Premium, #261

NOTES:

Lo those many years ago I got David TTM via the Bengals and also at Cowboys training camp when he was with the Raiders. I had gotten it into my mind somehow that I had written him at some point in between those dates, but after reconciling my records, realized I had not and had only received an autograph via a bulk purchase that I made back in 2012 or 2013 when my friend was exiting the hobby for a while.

A couple of set needs arose here in the Skybox ‘Colors’ set- one that I had always wanted to collect, but it was too expensive at the time and I was already on my way out of collecting. Other than that the Classic 92 card always looked good with him in his H-Town reds and this Gameday card is a really nice action card set need.

Arena, NFL

Emtman, Steve “The Machine”

Card: Star Pics 1992
Acquired: TTM 1993, Colts Blitz
Failure: TTM 2010, C/o The Spokane Shock

As I was pawing through the stack of autographs I got back in 1992/3, I was disappointed to see that I didn’t get one from Steve. When I flipped the card over later by accident, I noticed the autograph on the back scrawled in ball point pen. Despite this, I was still happy to add “The Machine” to my collection.

Steve Emtman was the #1 pick of the 1992 draft.  An impressive specimen who was the total package, he and overall #2 pick Quentin Coryatt were to be the cornerstone for the future Indianapolis Colts defense. Overall, despite holding the first 2 picks in the draft, this would be another painful round of picks for the Colts as Ashley Ambrose would be the most successful member of the Colts’ draft class. (Of defensive linemen only Joel Steed and Sean Gilbert would be the only ones to make the Pro Bowl from the entire 1992 draft.)

Steve Emtman is difficult to peg, but it’s hard for me to have labeled him a bust. He does qualify certainly as cursed though. I think most teams would have taken him if presented the opportunity. He played far and away at a level above most other college linemen at Washington and won numerous accolades to back it up. All signs pointed up for The Machine as the Colts named him their number one pick.  As the new season dawned Emtman flashed some potential right out of the gate, making his first sack against Cleveland in a 14-3 win. Perhaps in his finest highlight moment, he picked off a Dan Marino pass and returned it 90 yards for a touchdown in a 31-20 win and make another sack, but week 9, blew out his knee- ending his 1992 season on injured reserve. His 1993 would start out just as promising. After 5 games he had a sack and 22 tackles, but once again this time blew out his patellar tendon ending his 1993 season and perhaps his career. Determined to make a comeback Steve returned in 1994 almost a full year later, with his rehabilitation paying off. He played in 4 games, making a fumble recovery and 3 tackles, but unbeknown to most- Emtman had suffered a ruptured disc in his neck in his first game back heroically playing through the pain for the next 3 weeks. Steve finished his third season on the IR.

In 1995, Steve signed with the Miami Dolphins where he started one game, making a sack, a fumble recovery and 10 tackles. 1996 would see Steve start the most games since 1993. He’d see action starting 4 contests making 2 sacks, 2 FF, and 33 tackles.  The Redskins would sign him in 1997 where Steve would suit up for 3 games and make 4 tackles and retire after the season at the age of 27.

Steve after football was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006. He also spent some time coaching defensive line with the AFL’s Spokane Shock and is a successful real estate developer.  I sent off for Steve’s autograph courtesy of the Shock on his Action Packed Rookies card, but it appears that by the time my card had arrived, he was no longer coaching with the team. It has been well over a year now and thus logged as a failure.

G/Gs  50/19     Tac  121  Sac  8.0    Fum   3     Int   1         Yds   90      Avg  90.0      Td   1    Lg  90t