Tag Archives: Houston Texans

AAF, CFL, NFL

Daniels, BJ

Card: Topps AAF 2019 Certified
Acquired: 2019, EBay

BJ Daniels has always been an intriguing dual threat quarterback prospect. Playing for the University of South Florida Daniels played for the college from 2008-2012. He took over the starting job for the team in 2009, passing for almost 2000 yards and 14 TDs while rushing for 772 yards and 9 TDs. He averaged 8.7 yards per completion that year. His best year came in 2011, when BJ threw for 2,604 yards and 13 TDs, while rushing for 601 and 6 TDs. Daniels was selected during the 7th round (237th pick) of the 2013 draft by the San Fransisco 49ers.

After being cut by the 49ers, Daniels was claimed by the Seattle Seahawks 2013. He’d spend time on and off their practice squad, and then moved to wide receiver by 2015. Cut again, the Houston Texans claimed Daniels and placed him on their practice squad. With the Texans having issues at QB due to injury, Daniels was able to get into a game near the end of the season in Wildcat situations. He’d run for 6 yards, and pass for 7.

In 2016, BJ was signed by the Giants, but later found himself on the roster of the Bears. He did not make the final cut. Late in 2016, BJ was claimed by the Falcons, who then tried to convert him to runningback. Again he’d find himself cut in 2017.

BJ decided to try his hand at Canadian Football in 2018, signing with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but was cut.

He’d be assigned to the Orlando Apollos of the AAF, however BJ was selected in the second round of the AAF QB draft by the Salt Lake City Stallions. With a strong camp it looked like BJ might get the starting nod going into the regular season, but a freak injury during the preseason contest against Memphis ended his AAF season. He was 5/9 for 40 yards and a TD before the injury.

Daniels was placed on IR, and attended a few team away viewing parties for Stallions fans during the season.

NFL, University of Texas

Foreman, D’Onta (2)

Cards: Panini Contenders 2018, Panini Elite 2017 (08/35), Panini XR Jumbo Materials 2017 (20/49), Panini Prestige 2018, Panini Contenders 2018, Panini Luminance 2018 (018/225), Panini Prestige 2018, Score 2017, Donruss Rookie Phenom 2017, Panini Contenders 2017 Draft Picks
Acquired: EBay 2019, IP 2019, Coop Spring Game Kickoff, Chuck E Cheese, IP 2020, Reliable Automotive Grand Opening Kyle, Tx.
See Also: D’Onta Foreman

I had been dying to get D’onta on a few more cards because not only was he a Longhorn, he was a Houston Texan to boot- with quite a few nice cards. When I heard he was going to be in attendance at the Coop Spring Game Kickoff as part of a triple header with Lil Jordan Humphrey and Charles Omenihu, I knew I had to go. Foreman rarely appears in Austin. I mean why should he really when H-Town is his burg?

Anyway, Foreman has a beautiful signature. He was quite accommodating in person asking me about placement and color on the Jumbo Materials card. I told him to just ink it up. It didn’t matter to me if he got it all over the swatch. That to me made it more authentic. He looks really good. I mean he did get in and play last season despite his devastating injury his rookie season.

As the year wore on I had hoped the team would use him as a secret weapon to Lamar Miller, but D’onta saw limited reps, primarily against the Eagles. He did catch two passes for 28 yards and a TD however. With Alfred Blue finally shipped out to parts unknown (Jacksonville actually), it looked like D’onta would finally step up into the primary backup role behind Lamar Miller in 2019, but the Texans decided to completely reboot at the runningback position.

D’onta ended up getting cut, and eventually signed with the Indianapolis Colts, but later was placed on IR after he tore his biceps, and then subsequently received an injury settlement. Currently Foreman is a free agent.

I then got D’Onta later at a Chuck E Cheese of all places on his Panini Select and the Luminance cards. He was ‘fashionably late’ to the event and despite the decently sized line, he was more than happy to sign these two cards for me. I really like the framing of the Select card, and it has a really nice polish to it. The Luminance card has a slight metal tinge to it, reminiscent of those first few years of Playoff back in the early 90s. While I am not a fan of script typefaces, this one pulls it off nicely.

After not being able to attend an XFL game I really wanted to go to, I reloaded and decided to attend a signing in Kyle that featured Ricky Williams, D’Onta Foreman, Marcus Johnson, and Fozzy Whittaker. I got there plenty early. The crown jewel was this Panini Contenders dual card with Ricky and D’Onta that I got signed. Initially it was in doubt that Ricky would show up. Then it was in doubt that Foreman would show up because he was late. Still I managed to get all the cards signed I wanted to.

My friend Mark, who I meet at some of these events, tossed me a few extras he had of Foreman to get signed. I got scared off because D’Onta looked like he wasn’t in a great mood to sign. I had to badger him to sign the Score 17 card, but Mark sent his kids up and got the Panini cards signed for me to close out the lot.

We all got extremely lucky, as this is the last in person event happened, occurring the weekend before the COVID shutdown affected everybody statewide.

NFL

Ervin, Tyler

Card: Panini Origins 2016
Acquired: 2017, EBay

A really well designed card here of Tyler Ervin. It’s almost- just almost over-designed but I still dig it. Anyway they hadn’t issued numbers yet for players so the double Ott zero goes to Tyler. It takes a bit of Photoshop magic to make these things happen so kudos to the designer who had their hand in this one. About the only thing I don’t like is the silver type of his name gets a little lost in the clouds per say- but otherwise its a gorgeous card. 

The Texans were looking for speed in the 2016 NFL Draft- something they sorely missed as their team aged over the previous few seasons. Ervin was an intriguing prospect to them, so Houston plucked him out in the 4th round. During his time at San Jose State, Tyler established himself as a dangerous return man and a dependable back. On regular occasions he broke school single game and season combined yards from scrimmage records. Ervin finished his Senior year at the school with 1601 yards rushing, and 334 yards receiving. 

The coaching staff in Houston has been patient with the development of Tyler. Injuries have ended both his 2016 and 2017 NFL seasons before they got off the ground. He in fact, was considered on the outside looking in, going towards the 2018 camp, but much to his credit he battled up and into the runningback picture, and returned kicks and punts throughout the season. He’d be cut midway through 2018, with the return of D’Onta Foreman evident.

He’d spent most of the rest of the season with the Baltimore Ravens on their practice squad, and was claimed off of waivers by the Jaguars before the 2019 season, where the team used him occasionally on kick and punt return duties. He was released near the end of the season and picked up by the Green Bay Packers.