Tag Archives: New England Patriots

NFL

Gonzalez, Anthony

sco09 agonzalez dor&s09 agonzalez l

Cards: Score 2009, Donruss Rookies & Stars 2009 Longevity
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent:  12/21    Received:  1/15  (25 days)

Anthony was a 1st round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in the 2007 draft.  With a run on receivers early on, Anthony would be the 6th receiver taken off the board with the 32nd selection.  Gonzalez was thrown right into the starting lineup while injuries were taking their toll on future Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison.  Anthony saw 51 targets in 9 starts, catching 37 passes for 576 yards and 3 touchdowns in a solid debut.  In 2008 Gonzalez saw action in all 16 games, starting 2 and notching career highs in virtually every category with 57 receptions for 664 yards, 4 TDs, and a 58 yard long.  As the Colts were counting on Anthony for the 2009 season, he went down in the season opener against Jacksonville.  The worst part about it was a non contact play. He’d be lost for the entirety of the season with a  PCL injury in the right knee.

In 2010, Anthony suffered a high right ankle sprain in regular season opener vs. Houston and missed the next 5 games. He returned to action in Week 8 vs. the Texans, snagging four catches for 55 yards before suffering a torn PCL in his left knee on a hit by Texans safety Bernard Pollard, ending Anthony’s season.

As the Colts crumbled into chaos with a possible career ending injury to starting quarterback Peyton Manning in 2011, the team struggled mightily in his absence.  Anthony suffered from a myriad of injuries, suited up for 8 games, but made no catches. He’d sign as a free agent after the season with the New England Patriots, but didn’t make the team.

Gonzalez soon thereafter enrolled in the Stanford Graduate School of Business and officially moved on from the NFL.

G/GS 40/12     REC 99     YDS 1307       AVG 13.2     TD 7    LG 58

NFL

Vrabel, Mike

ud081st vrabel

Card: Upper Deck 2006  First Edition
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o The Houston Texans
Sent: 10/13          Received: 10/21              (8 days)

Mike Vrabel was a 3rd round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Ohio State in 1997, where he played primarily on special teams and as a backup linebacker. He joined the Patriots in 2001 and became a key contributor to New England’s underrated defense starting at left linebacker. He’d also see time at ROLB and RILB.  Vrabel earned an AP and Pro Bowl nomination for his 2007 season when he made a career high 12.5 sacks, 55 tackles, and 4 forced fumbles.  He played his final two seasons in 2009 and 2010 for the Kansas City Chiefs. Mike also moonlighted as a tight end for the Patriots and Kansas City in goal line situations catching 14 passes for 10 touchdowns.

In 2011, Mike returned to his Alma Mater Ohio State where he was hired as their linebackers coach. He served in 2012 and 2013 as the Buckeyes defensive line coach.  When Bill O’Brien became head coach of the Houston Texans in 2014, Vrabel moved in to serve as the team’s linebackers coach. He received a lot of exposure in 2015 on HBO’s Hard Knocks shaping the team’s chippy middle four, and turned Whitney Mercilus into a double digit sack threat by the end of the season. After the 2015 campaign, the San Fransisco 49ers offered Vrabel their defensive coordinator position, but he declined the offer and remains on the Texans staff for the 2016 season.

G/Gs 206/140    Tac 740      Sac  57.0       Fum  19
Int 11      Yds  73       Avg 7.3       Td 1        Lg 24t
Rec 14      Yds 10      Avg 1.4      Td  10      Lg 2t

NFL

Glenn, Terry (1974-2017)

pp96 tglennCard: Playoff 1996
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o The Texas Revolution
Sent: 6/4     Received: 10/9    (126 days)

Really the credit for this success should go to Brett Reece Jr, who played for the Revolution in 2015. He brokered a deal with me for a few more custom cards of his, and in return he offered help in acquiring his offensive coordinator, Terry Glenn.

Terry Glenn is a Bill Parcells guy. The highest rated receiver taken off the board at the #7 spot by the New England Patriots. He immediately paid dividends catching passes from Drew Bledsoe and racking up a then rookie record 90 receptions, for 1,132 yards and 6TDs. Although the team reached Super Bowl XXXI, they lost to Brett Favre and the Packers 35-21. After the season, Parcells departed for greener pastures as Bill Belichick took the helm. Although Terry was still counted on to be the team’s primary receiver, his numbers became erratic. Still he recorded a career high 1,147 yards in 1999. During that period he’d also catch young Tom Brady’s first TD pass. After an injury riddled 2001 campaign, Terry was traded to the Packers for the small price of 2 4th round picks. Although he put up a respectable 817 yards receiving, Glenn found himself traded again, the the Dallas Cowboys in 2003.

Dallas at the time was a team in search of an identity. The 90’s dynasty was dead and the team was going through a transition with a familiar face in head coach Bill Parcells.   Familiar faces in the wide receiver corps were Antonio Bryant and Joey Galloway, while Tony Romo was barely scraping by as a 3rd stringer behind guys like Quincy Carter, Chad Hutchinson, and Drew Henson. Terry played for the Cowboys over the next six seasons, recording in both 2005 and 2006 1,000+ yards receiving. Injury concerns surfaced in 2007, and his knee kept him sidelined for the whole year. He’d be cut in 2008 due to medical concerns, and retired shortly thereafter.

G/GS 137/127    Rec 593    Yds 8823      Avg 14.9     Td 44   Lg 86t

UPDATE 11/20/17– Terry Glenn died of a car crash early Monday morning in Irving, Tx. Details of the crash were not released. He was only 43 years old.