Tag Archives: Houston Oilers

CFL, NFL, usfl

Ellis, Ricky “Hollywood”

Card: BK 2009
Acquired: In Person 2011, Christian Okoye Foundation Skills Clinic

I met Ricky at the Christian Okoye Foundation Skills Camp in 2011. He was running drills with kids and giving them pep talks on life. Keenly aware possibly of the value and rarity of his card from the Topps 1985 USFL set, he had his own card printed that he gave to the kids. As I was wandering around taking photos of the different drills and kids, I was able to finagle a card and autograph off of him. We talked at length about NCAA corruption and how the history of the franchises he had played for had been erased.
When one kid refused to play as a ‘skin’ when the boys played were scrimmaging, the child came over to sit on the bleachers to pout with his father. Ricky noticed that the boy was not playing and literally came over to drag him back in. The child went ahead and scored a touchdown and made an interception during the scrimmage. An excitable and electric personality, it’s no surprise that Ellis is President of NFL Alumni Association in Southern California.

After graduating from Cal State Fullerton, Ricky would be signed by the British Columbia Lions of the CFL in 1978.  He’d then make the jump to the USFL. Ricky would play in the USFL in 1983, where he’d establish himself as one of future NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young‘s primary targets on the Los Angeles Express.  During the 1983 season, he’d make 69 receptions for 719 yards and 6 touchdowns. In 1984, Ricky would make 25 receptions for 191 yards and a touchdown.  Among Ricky’s fondest memories of playing in the USFL was after a game against Bobby Hebert‘s Michigan Panthers, they’d head south to face the Tampa Bay Bandits, but were given a week off in between games. He spent the whole week jet skiing and started the game against the Bandits with sore hamstrings. Before the USFL imploded Ricky signed with the Houston Oilers and retired after the 1985 season.  He also at some point also played for the Seattle Seahawks.

As Ricky and I talked he lamented about how his history was being erased. The Astrodome and the Oilers were gone, Kingdome in Seattle imploded and the jerseys changed, the USFL of course long gone, and his college killing the football program there because of costs. After his NFL career Ricky has also spent time teaching, being a motivational speaker and a parole agent.

Below are Ricky’s USFL statistics:

GP 36    Rec 94     Yds  907     Avg   9.6     Td  7

 

NFL

Carlson, Cody “Commander Cody”

Card: Upper Deck 1992
Acquired: In Person 1993, Houston Oilers Training Camp
Pending: Failure 2010, C/o Home

Cody Carlson was one of the most prolific passers coming out of Baylor University in Waco, Texas during the mid 80s when the team was watchable during its heyday in the Southwestern Conference. Cody would own virtually all of the passing records of the Bears before leaving in 1987. He was selected out of the 3rd round of the 1987 draft to compete with incumbent starter Warren Moon. (Most people do not remember that Warren during his early tenure with the Oilers, had a contentious relationship with then head coach Jerry Glanville and that Moon’s touchdown to interception ratio was pretty atrocious.)  Initially as a competitor, Cody wanted to start, but as Moon became entrenched as the starter, Carlson turned his focus towards being prepared for when the Oilers needed him to step up.

It would be with the 1987 season that Warren would finally get his numbers under control, and Carlson would peg down the backup job behind Moon but would not play in a game that season. In 1988 Cody would get to start 5 games. He’d perform well, leading the team to a 3-2 record in relief for the injured Moon. His 3 wins would be critical in helping the team reach the playoffs that season. In 1989 Cody would play primarily mop up duty in 6 games attempting 31 passes.  In 1990 Carlson playing against Pittsburgh during the season finale calmly guided the team on 22/29 passing, 247 yards, and 3 touchdowns in the team’s 34-14 victory. The game would allow the team to make the playoffs again, and although the Oilers would get rocked the next week against the Bengals in the playoffs, Carlson would return as Warren Moon’s insurance policy in 1991.  In 1992 Carlson would play in 11 games in relief of Warren, throwing for career highs in yards (1710) and touchdowns (9), including a Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions where he threw for 338 yards and a touchdown.  Once again due to the combined quarterbacking of Moon and Carlson- the Oilers would make the playoffs.  In the offseason, the team failed to trade Cody to Detroit for Andre Ware, so Bud instead re-upped Carlson’s contract. In 1993, Cody got his chance to start while Moon was struggling, but after an impressive start against New England, Cody was injured, -and Moon played lights out the rest of the season. Owner Bud Adams threw the gauntlet however- stating the team would be broken up after the season, (despite the team winning its second division title and making the playoffs for the last 5 seasons) and he did just that by trading Warren Moon to Minnesota after Houston lost another heart breaker in the playoffs.

Cody became the starter in 1994, but he’d separated his shoulder in the first game. He would not return till game 4. He’d beat the Bengals, but against the Steelers the next week be injured again blowing out his knee. Carlson’s injury it turned out was a career ender. As frustration mounted in Houston, and Moon continued to succeed (now in Minnesota) Carlson unfairly became the target of criticism, because minus the disastrous 1994 season- Carlson had a sparkling 10-4 record as a starter.  After the team bounced to a 1-9 record, head coach Jack Pardee resigned, and interim head coach Jeff Fisher decided he was going in a new direction at quarterback and with the offense- thus signaling the end to the Commander’s career by 1995 when the team told him that he couldn’t play anymore because of his knee.

Among the stranger things, Joseph R. Gannascoli (who played the gay mobster in “The Sopranos”) claims that Cody Carlson is who brought Gannascoli to acting, as he was a heavy gambler and lost a $60k bet on the Oilers/ Steelers game that Carlson started back in 1990. The loss forced Gannascoli to sell his restaurant and move to Los Angeles to pursue acting.  Since football Cody has written a book or two and resides in Austin, Texas. I wrote him last year and sent him a few cards and gave him a recommendation on a great Mexican restaurant in town, but he has not responded to my request. I was pretty disappointed and kept delaying this post hoping that I’d get a reply- since I am a huge Oilers fan.

G/Gs   45/19      Att   659      Comp  370     Yds  4469      Pct   56.1
Td  21    Int   28      Rat  70.0

 

NFL

Everett, Jim


Cards: ProSet 1990, Score 1990 HG, Pacific 1991
Acquired: TTM c/o Work
Sent: 5/5   Received: 5/18   (13 days)

Unabashedly, I am a huge Jim Everett fan, and in my mind he was one of the most unheralded quarterbacks from the ‘New Bronze Age’ of football. After Bo Jackson and Tony Casillas both came off the board in the 1986 draft, the Oilers under head coach Jerry Glanville decided to take the #1 quarterback Jim Everett with the third overall pick to compete with incumbent Warren Moon who at this stage of his career was still adjusting to the NFL game. Unable to get Jim signed to a contract the Oilers traded Jim away to the Los Angeles Rams, in exchange for defensive end William Fuller, offensive lineman Kent Hill, two #1 picks (1987 and 1988) and a 5th rounder. The picks later became Haywood Jeffires, Sean Jones (via trade), and Spencer Tillman. The trade henceforth became known as “The Jim Everett Trade” -and it was actually a really good deal for both teams in the end, providing a catalyst for both teams to make the playoffs for years to come.

Playing for John Robinson, Everett started 5 games his rookie season and won 3 of those contests throwing for 8 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. After a somewhat rough sophomore season, adjusting to new offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese’s system, Jim took the NFC West by storm in 1988 throwing for 3964  yards and 31 touchdowns (- to only 18 picks) and posted a 89.2 qb rating. The Rams finished 10-6 under Jim’s leadership and Jim led the NFL in TD throws. In 1989, Everett would again have another banner year, breaking the team record for passing yardage in a season with 4,310 yards and have 29 touchdowns. His quarterback rating of 90.6 in the NFC would be second to only Joe Montana and during this heyday the Rams were the only team in the NFC that could go toe to toe offensively with the 49er juggernaut. Jim’s 1989 campaign also saw him lead the league with 29 touchdown throws.  The Rams entered the playoffs as a wild card at 11-5 and battled their way up to the NFC Championship game against the 49ers. They’d lose 30-3, but the worst part about it was, the 49ers exposed the Rams offensive line scheme and Everett had his cage badly rattled.

Other teams dissected the 49ers defensive plan and the Rams were just not be able to adjust quickly enough. Under ownership with notoriously tight purse strings, the team made very few free agency moves and many recent draft choices had not panned out. The offensive line was aging, starting running back Greg Bell signed Plan B with the Raiders -It was not a good time for the Rams in 1991, as they would slip to a 5-11 record with 4 losses by 4 points or less, including 1 in overtime. Jim still managed to post a 23-17 Td to Int ratio.  After the departure of head coach John Robinson in 1992, offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese and Jim would leave soon after the 1993 season.  Jim finished his career as the Rams #1 consecutive starter at quarterback and 10th all time at 91 games. Ernie went on to transform Troy Aikman and the Dallas Cowboys offense, while Jim would be traded to the New Orleans Saints for a 7th round pick.  Jim left the Rams as the franchise’s all time leading passer in yards and second in touchdown throws. Under charges that they had intentionally been playing ‘bad football’ and holding back merchandise to make it appear that their sales were suffering- the Rams left for St. Louis after the conclusion of the 1994 season.

It would be odd for me to flip on TV during those years and see Jim playing for the Saints, but he wore the colors well and New Orleans had been hungry for a strong armed quarterback since Bobby Herbert had left in 1992. He’d play respectably well for the Saints over the next 3 seasons, before playing one final season as a backup in 1997 for the San Diego Chargers. Jim since retirement has returned to SoCal where he has begun his own asset management business. I had been after Jim’s autograph for sometime and even posted on Fanmail.biz looking for it. I was disappointed when somebody contacted me to try to sell me the autograph. Undeterred I was able to locate his company’s address via the internet and get his autograph on the same day as John Robinson’s in a flat 13 days.

This Score 1990 Hot Gun card subset was one of my favorites to look at with its clean edges and neat looking clouds, it was a Photoshop marvel for its time. Over the past few years, I have really tried to get this subset, along with Score 1990’s “Ground Force” signed as they are some of my favorite superhero inspiring cards. Pro Set of course delivered with solid accuracy and setting the bar for other companies to try to outdo. Pacific on the other hand was late to the game only beginning to publish football cards in 1991. There were some interesting elements of the card set, including white borders and vertical type, but despite these innovations, I perceived their set as an expensive and generic one, -only a step up from Topps which was bringing up the rear on quality. The diagonal highlight on the player name also didn’t help and probably would have been better served without it and the type in black. Immortalized in Tecmo Super Bowl Jim was a dangerous quarterback and on the Super Nintendo version under his guidance of the Saints, he was a great clock manager who always found a way to win. I also have his Starting Lineup figurine somewhere as well.

Jim Everett is also known for his on air assault of radio of TV personality Jim Rome in 1994, stemming from the Rams loss to the 49ers in the championship game from the 1989 season. Rome had been calling Everett “Chris” in reference to female tennis player Chris Everett for years and Jim was tired of hearing it. When Everett arrived at the studio to do what he thought was an upbeat interview about the Saints with Roy Firestone, he was shocked to learn he’d been coyly tabbed to go on screen with Rome. As they came on the air, Everett said sternly not to call him ‘Chris’, but Rome persisted causing Everett to jump out of his chair and throw Rome to the ground. It was so sudden that many people to this day claim that it was perhaps staged, however Everett himself has gone on the record numerous times to validate that he was indeed frustrated with Rome’s antics. Understandably, if you are Jim and people remember you for that, -sure you might be amused, but if you are Jim Rome, you probably don’t want to talk about it ever again.

See for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HNgqQVHI_8

G/Gs  158/153     Att  4923      Comp 2841      Yds   34837
Td  203          Int  175           Rat  78.6