Tag Archives: kansas city chiefs

College Football HoF, NFL

Spiller, CJ

Panini Rookies & Stars 2013, #12

CARDS: Panini Prestige 2015, Score 2010, Panini Rookies & Stars 2013
ACQUIRED: TTM 2020, C/o Work
SENT: 10/17 RECEIVED: 10/26 (9 days)

Panini Prestige 2015, #145
Score 2010, #315

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • CJ Spiller played RB for Clemson from 2006-09.
  • Ran for 1,212 yards and 12 TDs his Senior season, accumulating 3,547 total yards on the ground over his 4 years with the Tigers.
  • Also displayed explosive skills as a kick returner and punt returner accumulating 8 TDs.
  • Was selected 9th overall in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.
  • Spiller quickly ascended the depth chart, surpassing both Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch in the lineup.
  • Rookie season was considered a disappointment, but still managed to produce his share of highlights with a 95 yard KR TD.
  • It’d be in 2012, CJ really came into his own, running for a career high 1244 yards and 6 TDs on 207 carries.
  • He’d also catch 43 passes for 459 yards and 2 TDs including a 66 yarder.
  • CJ followed up 2012 with a solid ’13 outing, posting 933 yards on 202 carries.
  • Unfortunately injuries derailed the remainder of his career, as over the next 4 years, he’d be limited to just 7 starts in 29 contests.
  • After his time in Buffalo concluded, CJ hopped over to New Orleans.
  • He’d catch an 80 yard TD that season- Marking QB Drew Brees 400th passing TD.
  • Released in 2016, Spiller saw some playing time with the Seahawks and Jets that season.
  • In his final season with the Chiefs, Spiller was an emergency back for the team, and was literally on and off the roster multiple times throughout 2017.
  • After a few years off, Spiller went into coaching.
  • As of 2022 he’s a RB coach at his Alma Mater, Clemson.

ACCOLADES:

  • College Football Hall of Fame
  • Pro Bowl 2012
  • Jersey Retired #28 (Clemson)

NOTES:

While CJ’s career in the pros was limited, he had moments of absolute breathtaking electricity. The pass he caught from Drew Brees (for Brees 400th TD), sparked some laughs, embarrassment, and controversy. It came in OT against the Dallas Cowboys and was the first play from scrimmage, as OT rules end games if a team scores on the first possession.

Two late card set additions that I like here from Panini in both the 2015 Prestige set and the Rookies & Stars set (2013). I really like how the Prestige set is very minimal, although I’m not a huge fan of the transitioned edges. The focus is on the player and the name. That’s it. Pretty classy.

The Rookies & Stars set from 2013 was something I got into late. I loved the 2009 and 2010 set, but I absolutely hated the 2011 and ’12 sets. That caused me to take my time checking out this set. One of my big complaints about cards is that it doesn’t feel as though they are proud of their designs. They just don’t showcase them on the sides of the box. Spiller’s card is top notch in this set and I like the design and look as it’s pretty unique.

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NFL

Hill, Tyreek

Panini Luminance 2018, #14

CARDS: Panini Luminance 2018, Panini Luminance 2018 Flash, Panini Chronicles 2020
ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o Charity*
SENT: 4/13 RECEIVED: 4/22 (9 days)
* Donation Enclosed

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Tyreek Hill faced an up and down college career starting as a track man at Gardena Jr College in 2012.
  • He’d become a hot prospect and eventually end up at Oklahoma State in 2014.
  • Dismissed from the Cowboys late in the year, he enrolled at West Alabama in 2015.
  • A versatile athlete, as a return man, receiver, and runningback, Hill displays a unique combination of skills, hands, and speed that made him an intriguing prospect.
  • He was selected in the 5th round of the 2016 NFL Draft as a WR by the Kansas City Chiefs, due to his dismissal from the OKC football team.
  • In Tyreek’s rookie year, he saw extensive time on special teams, where he led the league in punt return yards (592), average (15.2) and TDs (2).
  • He also had 14 kick returns for 384 yards and an 86 yard TD.
  • With the emergence of QB Pat Mahomes in KC, Hill became his go to bomb catcher in 2017.
  • Tyreek spent the next 5 years in KC raking in roughly 6,100 yards receiving and 49 TDs.
  • In 2022, Hill was traded in the middle of the night to the Miami Dolphins.
  • Despite detractors and naysayers, saying Hill was dependent on Mahomes for his numbers, Tyreek went on to have the best season of his career with 1710 yards receiving on 119 catches for Miami.
  • In 6 seasons, Hill has over 10k All-purpose yards, with 3 of those years over 1750 yards.
Panini Chronicles 2020, #48
Panini Luminance 2018, #30

ACCOLADES:

  • Pro Bowl 2016-’22
  • All-Pro 2016, ’18, ’20, ’22

NOTES:

Tyreek Hill suffers from the ‘too good to be true syndrome’. Knowing these could be ghost signed I went ahead and sent these three out to get autographed. Just couldn’t miss out on getting him since he’s such a good player- with great cards to boot. After I got these back I got a ton of mail asking me if I thought these were legit or to enjoy my ‘fake’ autographs.

This is not the first time this has happened to me. On a previous occasion I got spammed by people who were upset because I got Joe Montana back TTM. They too thought it was too good to be true and that it was fake. It turns out that it’s now his standard autograph. No one calls them autopens or ghost signed anymore.

The same goes for Tyreek. While the cards I have are a departure from his original autograph, if you look at his more recent *certified* autographs, these are now the standard.

Panini Luminance has become a ‘late’ favorite of mine, even though it is from 2018. A bit disappointed that the insert card didn’t pick up his autograph better, and also that the cut out action pose is from the base card I also have autographed, but still glad to add them to the collection. Tyreek was a class act enough to toss in a Panini Chronicles as well, and all for the sweet, sweet donation of 20 bucks.

NFL, XFL

Bostic, James

Topps XFL 2001, #3

CARDS: Topps XFL 2001, Topps XFL 2001 Gridiron Gear
ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o Home
SENT: 6/14 RECEIVED: 6/29 (15 days)
FAILURE: TTM 2019, C/o Home

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • James Bostic played RB for three years at Auburn from 1991-’93.
  • Had a really solid ’93 campaign rushing 199 times for 1206 yards and 12 TDs.
  • Parlayed his performance into a 3rd round selection of the Los Angeles Rams in 1994.
  • Didn’t see any playing time, buried on the depth chart until being cut during training camp in ’95.
  • Spent ’96 on IR with the Packers and ’97 out of football.
  • In 1998, spent training camp with the Chiefs, then went to the practice squad of the Dolphins, before joining the Eagles roster.
  • Spent ’99 with the Eagles, working primarily on special teams, but still managed to gain 19 yards on 5 carries.
  • Out of football in 2000, reemerged in 2001 with the XFL with the Birmingham Bolts.
  • Ran hard for the team carrying the rock a league leading 153 times.
  • Had both a 50+ yard run and reception- the only player in the XFL to achieve such a feat.
  • Lives in Florida and works as a police officer.
Topps 2001 Gridiron Gear, #NNO

NOTES:

James had 14 cards over his career. It’s interesting to note because the vast majority of them appeared in 1994 (11). Then after 6 years, he pops back up in 2001 with 3 more XFL cards. I was super eager to get James on these cards. I was pretty disappointed to send him his XFL promo card and never see that again back in 2019, little less to the same address that I saw a success from later. In the interim I had reloaded and had gotten really lucky, picking up this patch card of him that I later sent to him as well.

XFL 2001

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