Tag Archives: new orleans saints

NFL

Walsh, Steve

Card: Score 1990
Acquired: In Person 1990, Dallas Cowboys Training Camp

When Troy Aikman was selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the overall #1 pick in 1989, it didn’t take them long to make waves by grabbing Steve Walsh with their supplemental #1 pick soon thereafter, as Walsh was Dallas’ head coach Jimmy Johnson‘s quarterback at Miami. Walsh and Aikman duked it out for much of the season with Walsh (,not Aikman,) winning the lone game for the team that year- a snoozer against the Washington Redskins. The victory however didn’t figure into the team’s decision to keep him, and Walsh ended up being traded for a few draft choices to the New Orleans Saints after training camp in 1990.  The Saints, were looking to play hardball with encumbent quarterback Bobby Herbert. As Herbert returned to the lineup, Walsh saw his time decrease, but Walsh ended up having the his best season of his career there playing for the Saints a year later in 1991, starting 7 games and throwing for 11 touchdowns to 6 interceptions. After a forgettable 1992 and 1993 though, Walsh was sent packing and signed with the Chicago Bears where he was reuntied with an old familiar coach- Dave Wannastedt, the former defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys. He’d take over as backup quarterback under Erik Kramer (who happened to be replacing Jim Harbaugh). Kramer would be injured and Walsh would run the show, under a well-managed, albeit conservative game plan, helping shepherd the Bears into the playoffs with a 9-7 record. He’d throw for 2,000+ yards and 10 touchdowns starting 11 games that season for the Bears, but with the 1994 season out of the way, he inexplicably would not start another game in Chicago or throw for anymore touchdowns in his career. After a forgettable 1996 with the Rams, Walsh played 1997 and 1998 with the Buccaneers throwing 4 more picks, before closing out his career with the Colts in 1999 with 2 more and retire. Since football, Walsh has gotten involved at the high school level and coaches football in Florida.

G/Gs  80/38     Att 1317    Comp 713   Yds 7875   Pct 54.1%   Td 40   Int  50  Rat  66.4

NFL, Pro Football HoF

Taylor, Jim (1935-2018)

Card: Topps 1965
Acquired: In Person 1993, (Signing fee)

One of the best rushing fullbacks in the NFL’s history before the AFL merger, Jim Taylor was drafted in 1958 by the Green Bay Packers after winning the MVP honors of the NCAA Senior Bowl. Jim would be overshadowed by teammates Bart Starr and Jim Hornug, and NFL rushing champion Jim Brown, but Taylor would win the rushing record in 1962 -the only season Jim Brown failed to. Taylor was a winner of the NFL championship in 1961 and 1962.  He’d later score the first rushing touchdown in SuperBowl I enroute to the team’s victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. A 6 time All Pro selection and 5 time Pro Bowl selection, Jim was a member of the 1960s All Decade team. Taylor was also a durable, brutal hitter, who was quite effective out of the backfield on swing passes (and made 1,000 yard seasons on a 14 game schedule regularly).In his final season in the league in 1967 he’d be traded to the expansion New Orleans Saints – retiring at season’s end.  Jim was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976 and his most outstanding memory of playing was being named the league MVP in 1962. Taylor has also been inducted into the Wisconsin and Packers HoF. Recently Jim was named the best player in NFL history to wear the #31. Josh and I drove downtown to the Austin Convention Center where there was a card show where Taylor was at. We were two of the first people there and Jim gave me a big handshake where he almost crushed my fingers. Taylor was selected by the Green Bay Packers to announce their 2nd round draft choice in 2011.

G 132   Att 1941    Yds 8597    Avg 4.4   Td 83   lg 84    |   Rec 225   Yds 1756    Avg 7.8   Td 10   lg 41

UPDATE: 10/13/18- Jim Taylor passed away early on Saturday morning at the age of 83.

CFL, NFL

Tolliver, Billy Joe

Cards: ProSet 1989,Action Packed Rookies 1990,Action Packed 1991,Upper Deck 1991,Topps 1990,GameDay 1992,Score 1990
Acquired: In Person 1993, CGA Youth Golf Tournament

A real tender moment in my autograph collecting- Billy Joe Tolliver, Browning Nagle and Steve Bartkowski were palling around really early in the morning, -I’d guess around 7:45AM and I was basically the only fan on the course. They actually saw me and started talking to me. Maybe it was because I just walked up onto the green and didn’t know my golf etiquette, but they absolutely loved the drawings I did of each one of them. Billy Joe and I started talking and he offered let me ride along with them to the next hole. How could I say no (especially comparing this in retrospect to my experiences with John Elway)? Tolliver the previous season had a hail mary pass against the 49ers, and we discussed how exciting and amazing the play was. Billy Joe just told me he tried to put it up to his favorite game maker (Michael Haynes) and he just got lucky. He also shared that it was his favorite moment (up to that point of his young career).

In the waning days of the Southwestern Conference, Texas Tech started really establishing itself with a dominating offense. Billy Joe Tolliver was the renaissance man that would be the genesis in the long line of record setting quarterbacks at Lubbock. Gifted with a cannon for an arm Tolliver would be drafted in the 3rd round of the 1989 draft by the San Diego Chargers, who traded a lion’s share to the Giants to get him. Expected to be the quarterback of the team’s future, he was thrust right into a quarterback competition between David Archer and Mark Malone. In the end the team traded the Bears for Jim McMahon and he and Tolliver would battle the rest of the season for the starting gig. San Diego was a tough place to play after the departure of Dan Fouts, with an eternal revolving door at quarterback (13 starting quarterbacks from 1987-1991).  By 1990 Tolliver was firmly entrenched as the number one quarterback in San Diego- but was inexplicably benched in favor of Mark Vlasic. He’d quickly be renamed starter but was benched again at the end of the season for another ‘quarterback of the future’ –John Friesz. Friesz would be named the starter for the 1991 season and Tolliver would find himself traded to the Atlanta Falcons for a 5th round pick. Overall the Tolliver legacy in San Diego would surely be considered a ‘wash’.

It was an interesting situation in Atlanta to say the least for Tolliver playing under the Red Gun offense with injury prone starter Chris Miller and 3rd stringer distraction Brett Favre behind him. It was during the 1991 season Billy Joe would get some playing time in and make the Hail Mary pass against the 49ers and have a respectable finish to the season. In 1992, Farve would be sent packing to Green Bay for as coach Jerry Glanville stated, “To save him (Farve) from himself.” Tolliver would be in the starting role in 1992 after Chris Miller was injured and out for the season but would finish with literally average results (5Tds, 5ints, 55% completions and a 70.5 qb rating). The next season, he’d once again be backup to Chris Miller and Bobby Herbert. With Miller injured again, Tolliver would be the main backup again and would see some playing time in 7 games. After the 1993 season he would not be resigned.  Playing in Atlanta was met with mixed results. Extreme highs (the Hail Mary) punctuated by big lows (arguments on the sidelines with Jerry Glanville and blowout losses).

When the 1994 season began, Tolliver was still looking for a job but was signed to be a 3rd string quarterback on the struggling Houston Oilers. By mid-season Billy would be the starter and would finish with another 7 starts under his belt splitting time with Bucky Richardson. He would be a free agent again and this time pursue a job in the fledgling CFL USA signed by the Shreveport Pirates for their final season in 1995. Returning again to the NFL Tolliver would go back to the Falcons, this time backing up Herbert and Browning Nagle at quarterback. He’d play sparingly through 1996 and be released mid-season in 1997, but would then be signed by the Kansas City Chiefs who needed an injury replacement. Tolliver would be cut in mid 1998. Billy Joe would return to the NFC South, going to the New Orleans Saints under Mike Ditka in 1999. He’d remain on and off the team roster through 2000. In 2001 Tolliver would be signed by Green Bay- remarkably with former friend and quarterback Brett Favre, where Billy Joe would retire shortly after losing the backup quarterback job to Doug Pederson.

Overall looking at Billy Joe Tolliver’s career, one could almost state that he had some of the best agents or was one of the best third string quarterbacks to play the position. The definition of a journeyman, Tolliver would play for no more than 7 teams, starting at some point during his career for at least 6 of them over a 12 season career. Since football, Billy Joe has remained extremely active. He was inducted by the Red Raiders into their Hall of Honor in 2002. An athletic competitor at heart- Billy Joe Tolliver is considered a great golfer frequently winning sports amateur golf competitions on a regular basis and in 2010 he beat Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo for the championship. Billy Joe was treated kindly by the Tecmo gods, who rewarded him with an amazing 81 in passing speed for his cannon of an arm.

G/Gs  74/42  Att  1707    Comp 891    Yds 10760     Pct 52.2%       Td 59   Int 64   Lg 82T  Rat 67.7