Shaquelle Evans played for the Bruins of UCLA from 2011 to 2013, and Notre Dame in 2010. In 2012 he had 60 receptions for 877 yards and 3 TDs. He followed that up with 47 receptions for 709 yards and 9 TDs in 2013. Evans was selected in the 2014 NFL Draft by the New York Jets in the 4th round. He blew out his shoulder before he even finished training camp and spent 2014 on IR. Subsequently in 2015 he’d be waived in final cut downs.
Shaq was quickly snapped up by the Jaguars and spent the next year with the franchise on their practice squad. After a short stint on the Patriots in 2016, he joined the Cowboys in January of 2017, but later was suspended for violating the league’s drug policy.
In January of 2018, Evans joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL and caught 50 passes for 785 yards in his rookie year with the team. He followed that up with an equally impressive 2019 catching 108 balls for 1334 yards and 5 TDs.
Braxton Berrios played 4 years for the Miami Hurricanes from 2014 to 2017 at wide receiver and punt returner. His best year came as a Senior, when he logged 55 receptions for 679 yards and 9 TDs. He finished at Miami with 100 receptions for 1175 yards and 14 TDs, to go along with 47 punt returns for 488 yards and a TD. He’d be selected in the 6th round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots with the idea of grooming him into the next slot receiving sensation.
With Julian Edelman, Philip Dorsett, Chris Hogan pretty much set at the starting spots, and Cordarrelle Patterson, Eric Decker, Kenny Britt, Malcolm Mitchell, and Jordan Matthews battling it out for scraps it looked like Berrios might the rookie caught looking in. As the preseason progressed however, the smoke cleared, and with Matthews, Mitchell, and Britt, all leaving the team before the end of the preseason, it looked like Braxton might stand a dark horse chance of making the roster and having a real impact. Injuries too impacted Braxton’s tape during the preseason- and ultimately he’d end his rookie season on IR. He’d be cut after training camp in 2019, but quickly scooped up by the New York Jets. On the season he’d make 6 catches for 115 yards including a 69 yard long, while returning kicks (4 for 48 yards) and punts (21 for 240 yards) for the Jets.
OK. Gotta give Panini credit on this card. It is a really nice one. Braxton’s face is really clear in this image, and colors are all spot on. A highly slanted autograph with really pronounced ‘B’s, Braxton’s autograph even compliments this canvas well.
Cards: Score 1990, ProSet 1991, Topps Stadium Club Members Choice 1992, GameDay 1992, SkyBox 1992 Acquired: TTM 2018, C/o Home Sent: 10/10 Received: 10/29 (19 days) See Also: John Friesz
I had gotten John way, way back through the Chargers back in 1992, and always had hoped to come back around and get these remaining cards signed by him. He had some really nice and unique images and canvases to work with over the years, and he had a bunch of them.
His GameDay card was something I didn’t even know that really existed. I bought a box of the set in 2017, and was really charmed by this card. It was really what set me into action to go ahead and seek him out for a second pass at some autographs. It’s a pretty well framed shot, despite the slight blur on his left hand.
For some reason, his Score 1990 rookie was somewhat of a rare find initially. I think between myself and my friend Josh we opened 2 or 3 boxes and I just ran across one of these cards. So few players can get away with wearing yellow like this, but John looks pretty solid in that action shot, which represented his earliest rookie card. John’s Stadium Club and Pro Set cards make me feel like I should understand why he won the starting QB job over Billy Joe Tolliver in SD. They both seem to convey this sense of leadership that he has on his almost strained face.
I wasn’t too big a fan of Topps Stadium Club. Their 1991 set had a soft entry into the market, but they really played it up for 1992, and while I sparingly get them autographed, I really liked this card- even the hokey ‘Members Choice’ banner. It’s a really clear, high resolution image, and even John barking out an audible at the line of scrimmage looks impressive.
His Pro Set 1991 card was a part of the update set that was done later, and back then I was just too nervous to risk sending out his ProSet rookie card- little less from the 1991 update set. It’s a great picture, even if Friesz’s throwing motion looks a bit awkward in this image.
As a set I really liked Skybox 1992. It was a well designed and exciting foray into an already burgeoning football card market. (Skybox was able to weather the market longer, and was later purchased by Marvel if I’m correct, and then eventually dissolved when the market completely came apart.) This was one of the few Skybox cards however that didn’t really excite me. The framing of John just seems too perfect while the image itself at just the right distance. Note that neither of his hands or feet are visible, making this shot somewhat unappealing.
John turned around my greedy request in less than 30 days. A friend to the TTM community, John is a solid responder through the mail from Idaho, and graciously signed these 5 cards for me.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
