Tag Archives: New York Giants

NFL

Miller, Blake

Card: Wild Card 1991
Acquired: 2017

It’s a small world. My family had been harassing me about getting a new insurance agent for a while, so I decided to take my father-in-law’s advice and check out his insurance agent at State Farm. It turned out that it was none other than Blake Miller, former offensive lineman. He came up to work to pitch me on life insurance and other amenities that State Farm offered and we ended up talking about football and the upcoming Super Bowl. He was cheering on the Patriots because he was a former member of the team.  We then talked about the good old days of football. I told him that I was a football enthusiast and autograph card collector and he dropped this bad boy out to me in the mail. (He was really amazed at the depth of knowledge I had for many of his former teammates from that era- especially the early 1990s Patriots.)

Blake Miller played for LSU in college. He was a two year starter and letterman for the Tigers at center. A 7th round pick of the New England Patriots in 1991, he started a career high 5 games for the Detroit Lions in 1992 (played in 12), before finishing his career with the New York Giants in 1993. Post NFL, and pre-insurance, Blake climbed the coaching ranks. A seasoned positional coach, he saw fruitful stints at Rice, Texas State, and Northwestern State.

NFL

Coprich, Marshaun

sage16_coprich

Card: Sage 2016
Acquired: 2016, Box Break

Marshaun Coprich is an interesting prospect whose behavior off the field marred a solid college football career.  A productive player for ISU, Marshaun had gaudy numbers for the Redbirds, running for over 5,200 yards in his four years for the university. Unfortunately he got busted for selling marijuana, and although he was a first time offender, prospective NFL teams look down badly enough on users.  While he is small (5’8″), he clocks in at a solid 207.

Coprich was considered by teams who were looking for him to make things happen in space, to be a change of pace back on 3rd downs, or be relied upon to create mismatches splitting outside.  There have been some comparisons to guys like Darren Sproles, but scouts are a bit more conservative, saying Marshaun is more like Jacquizz Rodgers.  Going undrafted, the Indianapolis Colts took a very long and hard look at him during private workouts in the offseason, but he ended up signing with the Giants. He did not make the team and later was signed to the BC Lions practice squad.

NFL

Reeves, Dan (1944-2022)

Cards: ProSet 1989, ProSet 1990, ProSet 1992
Acquired: TTM 2017, C/o Home
Sent: 12/9    Received: 12/19   (10 days)

Dan Reeves has had a long and successful NFL career as both a coach and a player. The soft spoken quarterback went undrafted out of South Carolina in 1965. While with the Gamecocks, Reeves posted 2561 yards passing along with 16 touchdowns to 20 interceptions. He also rushed for 815 yards on 359 carries. The Cowboys liked Dan’s versatility enough that they signed him and converted him to runningback. He’d play with the Cowboys for 7 seasons from 1965-1972. His best season came in 1966 when Dan led the NFL with 16 total touchdowns. He also had a career high 175 carries for 757 yards, and 41 receptions for 557 yards. After a pretty solid followup season in 1967 (603 yards on 173 carries, 39 receptions for 490 yards, and 11 total touchdowns) Dan would see his playing time decrease thanks in part to a lingering knee injury.

In 1972 Reeves joined Tom Landry‘s staff as an assistant coach. A coveted member of the Dallas staff, Dan attracted the attention of the Denver Broncos who hired him as their head coach in 1981. At the time the move made waves as Reeves was the youngest coach in league history.  He was given sweeping powers at the time and made shrewd moves that changed the landscape of the NFL. Reeves brought winning ways back to Denver during his 12 years coaching for the Broncos. He identified numerous talent and fostered his own coaching tree. He engineered the trade that brought John Elway to Denver, and the Broncos made 3 Super Bowl appearances under his watch.  After a tumultuous 1992, Dan would be fired but quickly found a home with the New York Giants in 1993.

Reeves brought many of his former Denver castoffs to New York and rebuilt the franchise from the ashes of the Ray Handley debacle. He earned Coach of the Year honors for leading the Giants to an 11-5 record.  Dan coached with the Giants through the 1996 season.

Dan again found a new coaching job with the Atlanta Falcons. After a 7-9 campaign in 1997, he’d lead the team to new heights with a 14-2 record, with the Falcons making their first Super Bowl appearance in 1998, and Reeves again earning Coach of the Year Honors. He’d resign from the Falcons job in 2003, but his name came up constantly over the next 5-7 years for various vacancies.

In 2005 Reeves acted as a consultant for the Houston Texans. With the team showing poorly, Dan sat in the owners booth with owner Bob McNair to provide feedback on the coaching and overall organization. After the season concluded with a 2-14 mark, the franchise cleared house. While I would’ve been happy with Reeves coming in as head coach, the franchise opted for Gary Kubiak instead and hired General Manager Rick Smith. This laid the foundation for the Texans to get to a level of respectability in the NFL.

Since that time, Reeves has toyed with the idea of returning to the NFL, acting as a consultant briefly with Georgia State, flirting with the Cowboys as a consultant, and interviewing for the 49ers OC job in 2010.  He briefly dabbled in broadcasting and is very personable with his fans.

I never really considered getting Dan’s autograph until I came across his ProSet 1992 issue. It’s a great and poignant photo showcasing what a classy guy Dan is.

G/GS 100/39    RUSH 535     YDS 1990     AVG 3.7       TD 25    LG 67
REC 129     YDS 1693       AVG 13.1       TD 17      LG 60

W  190      L 165     T 2     PCT .535

UPDATE

1/1/2022- Dan Reeves passed away early in the morning on New Years, surrounded by friends and family at the age of 77 due to complications from a long illness.