Tag Archives: new orleans saints

NFL

Haynes, Michael ‘Mike’ (WR)

gday92 mhaynesCards: GameDay 1992, Gameday 1993, Fleer 1995
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent: 12/28    Received:  2/8  (42 days)

Michael Haynes grew up in New Orleans as a Saints fan, so imagine his surprise when he was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 7th round of the 1988 draft. A track man out of Northern Arizona with a powerful second gear, Haynes still ranks in the top 3 on the school charts for the 55 meter dash and the 200 meter dash.  Of his 13 catches in his rookie season, 4 went for touchdowns. The Falcons were mired at the bottom of the NFC West- a frequent whipping boy of the 49ers, Rams, and even the Saints during that period.

flr95 mhaynesIt was in 1990 that things would change under new head coach Jerry Glanville. Glanville brought his fiery brand of football from Houston including the Red Gun offense (a Run ‘N Shoot variant). The Falcons went high octane.  Mike had his best season as a pro in 1991, catching passes from Chris Miller and Billy Joe Tolliver. Among them was a Hail Mary from Tolliver to Haynes to stun the 49ers and kick the door open on the race for the NFC West.

He’d also bedevil his hometown Saints, catching a 50 yard TD during the regular season against them, and a 20 yarder in the playoffs. Haynes finished with a gaudy league leading 22.4 yards per reception, 1122 yards, and 11 touchdowns on just 50 passes.  In 1992 and 1993, Haynes led the NFL in longest reception with 89 and 98 respectively.  Haynes joined the Saints in 1994 and recorded a career high 77 receptions.   Over his 3 seasons in his hometown, Michael had 162 receptions for 2368 yards and 13 touchdowns.  He returned to the Falcons for a swan song in 1997 catching just 12 passes and not starting any contests.

Haynes is a reliable TTM signer and lives in Georgia.

G/GS 147/113     REC428    YDS 6588     AVG 15.4     TD 47    LG 98T

gday93 mhaynes

NFL

Manhart, Cole

sage15 manhart

Card: Sage Hit 2015
Acquired: 2015, Box Break

At 6’6″, 310 it appears on the surface that Cole Manhart possesses the size and weight to play at the next level. With decent footwork pulling and sealing blocks, he also plays whistle to whistle, and is a solid technician in pass protection.  The major question that dogs the former tackle, now center, is the level of competition he faced, as Cole played at little known Nebraska-Kearney.  The reviews are quite mixed on Manhart,  leaving the scouts targeting him as a priority free agent in the 2015 draft.  The Eagles signed him but he finished camp with the Saints. Eventually he landed on the Raiders, and earned a futures contract with the Steelers for 2016.

NFL, WLAF

Carr, Lydell

pswlaf91 lcarrCard: ProSet WLAF 1991
Acquired: 2016, EBay, TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent:  7/7/15      Received:  7/25/2016   (374 days)
Failure: 2013 TTM, C/o Home

Lydell Carr was the lead blocking back in the Sooners Wishbone attack.  Still none the less, he still gained 2,584 yards (5.0 yards per carry) during his time at Oklahoma.  He’d be selected in the 4th round of the 1988 draft by the New Orleans Saints, but injuries would derail his career. After being cut by the Cardinals in 1990, Carr joined the WLAF in 1991.

Starting at fullback, Lydell blocked for both Paul Palmer and Jim Bell while playing for the Barcelona Dragons, and powering the duo to 725 total rushing yards. The short yardage back, Lydell had 8 TDs on a mere 27 carries. After the team failed to win the World Bowl, Lydell was signed by the expansion Ohio Glory in 1992.  Lydell’s contribution was a mere 57 yards on 20 carries and a TD, but he’d help the team to 873 total yards on the ground, and Amir Rasul to second in the league with 572 yards rushing.

I knew Lydell’s nephew (I believe) and he even went to high school and college with me, however I had stopped collecting autographs during that period of my life when I could have probably gotten Lydell. Even with the renewed interest in Lydell’s career (thanks in part to Upper Deck’s 2011 OU set), he’s sporadic through the mail at best, and I have failed to get him on 2 occasions already, so I threw in the towel and just EBayed this one through.

Amazingly though a few months after I had composed this entry, Carr came through with this card signed in a bit over a year- clocking in at a svelte 374 days.

WLAF     Rush 47       Yds  146          Avg 3.1      TD 9      Lg 24
Rec   9        Yds 65        Avg  7.2         TD 0          Lg  17