Tag Archives: New England Patriots

NFL

Martin, Keshawn ‘K-Mart’

Card: Playoff 2012
Acquired: EBay, 2017

Keshawn Martin was quite the enigma. He had respectable numbers at Michigan State as one of Kirk Cousins‘ favorite targets.  K-Mart dabbled in all phases of the game for the Spartans, returning, receiving, rushing, – heck he even threw a pass or 2. He was most dangerous as a speedy return man, evidenced by the 2 punt returns and the kick return he had for a TD. In his Senior season (2011) he had a career high 777 yards on 66 receptions. The Houston Texans needing return and wide receiver help, selected Keshawn in the 4th round of the 2012 NFL draft.

He’d overtake Trindon Holliday in camp and assume return duties. The Texans hoped that Martin would also grow into being a reliable slot receiver along the way. Although Martin’s career was punctuated by some great moments he had a couldn’t crack the starting lineup, because he had a hard time catching passes. It also didn’t help that the Texans went through a quarterback carousel. Martin played for Houston through the 2014 season. In 2015, Houston traded Keshawn to the New England Patriots. He finished his Texans career with 38 receptions, 416 yards, and 3 TDs. As a returner Keshawn had 80 returns for 2001 yards, and 94 punt returns for 858 yards and a TD.

During his lone season with the Patriots, Keshawn saw time in 9 contests catching 24 passes for 269 yards and 2 TDs. Although he was signed to an extension after the season, he’d be released during the final cuts in 2016. He joined the 49ers briefly, later landing on the roster of the Lions in 2017 but as of early 2018 appears to be a free agent.

Really nice card of Keyshawn here. I like the depth of the image, especially the definition to his face.  The design also is very complimentary. I’d give this set high marks. Keyshawn’s autograph is unfortunately pretty terrible and doesn’t compliment the excitement that the card embodies at all.

NFL

Collins, Todd (2)

Cards: GameDay 1992, Classic 1992
Acquired: TTM 2017, C/o Home
Sent:  12/18/17     Received: 1/5/18    (18 days)
See Also: Todd Collins

Todd Collins finished his career at Carson-Newman with 27 games under his belt, 156 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery. He took interceptions of 44 yards and 75 yards to paydirt and earned All-South Atlantic Conference Honors in 1991. A 3rd round pick of the Patriots in 1992, Collins was a nice find and made two Super Bowl appearances- one with the Patriots and later on with the St Louis Rams.

It should be noted that there just wasn’t too many scouting photos of Todd available from his days in college, so both StarPics and Classic ran to the presses with the same image. The GameDay is absolutely stunning. Collins was well regarded for his long frame and it is definitely showcased here with him galloping across the field.

NFL

Ealy, Kony

Card: Topps Turkey Red 2014
Acquired: 2016, Walmart Autographed Memorabilia

Kony Ealy was selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers out of Missouri. He put up solid numbers over 3 years for the Tigers from his DT/DE position, with 96 total tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, 13 passes defended, 1 fumble recovery and 1 interception for 49 yards and a TD.

During his rookie season in 2014, he played in 15 contests rotating out of the lineup on the defensive line. Kony had 4 sacks, 16 total tackles, and a forced fumble. In 2015, he started 9 games and had a career high 3 forced fumbles, 5 sacks, and 32 tackles. He had a decent 2016 as well with 32 tackles, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and an interception.

During the off-season the Patriots traded a second round pick for Ealy, but he struggled to fit into their rotational scheme. He’d be released before the 2017 season began and signed with the New York Jets. The Jets tried him at a variety of places across the line, including at outside linebacker. In 4 starts Ealy finished with 11 tackles, 3 assists, 1 sack, and a pick for 9 yards.