Tag Archives: New York Giants

NFL

Calloway, Chris

Cards: Action Packed Rookies 1990, Topps Metal 1996
Acquired: TTM 2011, C/o Home
Sent:  9/2  Received: 10/7   (35 days*)
*Slight delay. Forwarded from old address.

Chris Calloway is another receiver from the Great Blue of Michigan, who played opposite of blue chip prospect Greg McMurtry, finishing with 8 touchdown receptions.  At 5’10”, 189 it was thought that the speedster may have been a bit small, but the Steelers pulled the trigger on him in the 4th round of the 1990 draft.  He’d make 10 receptions his rookie season and 15 in 1991, but would find himself on the street in 1992.

Calloway would find a home with the New York Giants who liked his speed, route running, and willingness to do the dirty work. Calloway would continue to build slowly off of his previous seasons with 335 yards receiving, endearing him to Giants fans. Chris in fact his first 6 seasons saw career highs in receptions and yards every season.  After a slight dip in 1996- Chris would peak with 848 yards receiving and 8 touchdowns in 1997. 1998 was a career high in catches for Calloway with 62.  Chris signed with Atlanta in 1999 and start 6 games, making 314 yards receiving. He’d then play one final season in New England starting 2 games in 2000 before retiring in 2001.  At the end of his career, Chris ranked 7th on the Giants receptions list with 334 catches. Among receivers Chris reminds me a lot of former Houston Oilers wideout Curtis Duncan. Since retirement, Calloway has not forgotten about football and avidly wants to get into coaching or scouting. He lives in the Altanta area and is also a member of SotL.

Well this is the first one I got back TTM after moving with my forwarding address on it. I’m assuming it went back to my old address in California from Chris’ place in Georgia then came back to me here in Texas in a round about sort of way. Still I am happy to add him to my collection. Chris’ Action Packed Rookies card from 1990 was another example of Hi-Pro Marketing doing their due diligence at the time as this would be one of the earliest of his rookie cards by 4 or 5 years. His Topps Finest gives you a good idea of what the card industry was doing during the late 90s as it was losing traction and attempting to feel out its market. Using a similar metal process to Playoff, Topps produced this shiny metal format for a while, before returning to a much more flat style. I was surprised that the card also took the ink as well as it did.  Here are Chris’ final statistics:

G/Gs  158/96    Rec  386      Yds 5497       Avg 14.2       Td 30       Lg 68

NFL

Carr, David

Card: PressPass 2002
Acquired: Purchase 2010, Beckett.com

In an attempt to catch up on the Texans, I purchased all of their first round draft choices certified autographs through Beckett.com. While I shrug typically at the practice of doing so because it lacks the element of the memory or the hunt, it does help me put my memories of the team in perspective- some 9 seasons after they became a franchise.

I remember when the draft came that season. I was living high on the hog as a stockbroker and the Texans had the #1 card simply because they were an expansion team in 2002. As the draft approached two names surfaced- David Carr and Drew Henson.  Henson opted to play for the Yankees and bowed out practically leaving Carr as the defacto #1 quarterback in the draft after he had an outstanding career at Fresno State. When the name surfaced, I literally said, “Who?” Looking back now at this draft- it was just disastrous on the offensive side of the ball. Only one quarterback out of this draft- David Garrard, has made the ProBowl (and that is because everybody else bowed out in 2009). In the end, Clinton Portis would be the biggest name to come out of the offensive side of the draft.

Here’s the thing and retrospect is a bitch, the Texans should’ve been looking elsewhere than quarterback. Just because you draft #1 doesn’t mean you get the best player at any position and then you have to weigh in the talent as far as how they’d compete against the rest of the league. It’s just this- you can be the best at your position, but still be not that good when you get on the big stage, because the player position you came in with wasn’t that great.

I have a lot of empathy for David Carr. He had to shoulder the burden of being the Texans franchise #1 overall pick. Playing for an expansion team, for a city that was ‘quality’ football playoff starved can put a lot of pressure on a young guy. Carr was likable enough, with good moral character and was quite trainable. The problem was he was picked apart and scouts didn’t like the mechanics of his throwing arm or his questionable arm strength. Furthermore being quite trainable can be a double-edged sword because you can be trained to do really bad things.

Well the Texans first game started out great. David Carr and the team silenced all critics stunning the league with a 19-10 victory over their cross-state rival Dallas Cowboys. It was only the second time in NFL history an expansion team came out of the gates with a victory. After that it wasn’t so great as the team skidded to a 4-12 record. The greatest problem was a twofold issue. Carr was sacked way too much because of a pourous offensive line, (setting an NFL record with an astounding 72 sacks), and he was holding onto the ball way too long. His stats weren’t great and he was expected to improve. While 2003 was a marginal improvement Carr would be injured starting only 12 games that season. In 2004 Carr finally started turning the corner, setting career highs in all passing categories and had a respectable 83.5 quarterback rating working with young wide receiver Andre Johnson. The team went 7-9 and hopes were high. The sacks problem though re-emerged and Carr went down 49 times.  At some point the coaching staff decided the problem wasn’t the offensive line- rather it was David Carr’s awareness, and in a Pavlovian like move they installed a buzzer in practice that would sound to remind Carr that he needed to throw the ball if he held it longer than 4 seconds. This probably made Carr more skittish and was only putting a band-aid over the Texans’ gaping wound- the offensive line, as in 2005 David suffered the wrath of 68 more sacks. (I really questioned this because Carr was an avid scrambler who put up some 1100 yards rushing in his career in Houston.) The team regressed to a 2-14 record and the complete staff was fired from Houston. With the arrival of new coach Gary Kubiak and general manager Rick Smith, the Texans were again at the helm of the draft in 2006. The consensus was that the Texans would take Reggie Bush or maybe even hometown hero quarterback Vince Young. The Texans did neither, placing their confidence in David Carr for an additional season and drafted Mario Williams, but Kubiak let Carr know he was on a short leash. Carr’s final season in Houston would be something on TV full of effort but error prone and after 5 seasons, the writing was on the wall that Carr was no longer the franchise’s quarterback as his work ethic then became a source of scrutiny. With a trade to Atlanta the Texans grabbed Matt Schaub and Carr was asked to take a salary cut to play backup. Balking at the move, the Texans outright cut Carr from the team. His tenure in Houston was over.

Carr would become a journeyman, playing for the Carolina Panthers in 2007 and the Giants in 2008 and 2009. In 2010 he signed with the 49ers where he was the only quarterback under contract after the dismissal of Mike Singletary and his staff, and the hiring of Jim Harbaugh. During the 2011 offseason the 9ers would let him walk and he’d re-sign with the Giants.

Carr’s career since Houston has been largely in mop up duty and fairly ignorable. Despite his impressive 2009 spot work (behind encumbent Eli Manning) in New York, it remains to be seen what the future holds for David Carr.  I do sometimes wonder how David’s career would have turned out if he wasn’t under the microscope in Houston and I hope for the best for him. When I see the worst picks of all time, I fret when Carr is considered a ‘bust’, because what choice did he or this franchise have?

Of note, Carr has a penchant of wearing  a glove on one hand to help him grip the ball better in cold weather, on the advisement of former quarterback Jim McMahon. It’s undetermined whether or not this actually benefitted David, as he fumbled  21 times in 2002, 17 times in 2005 and 16 in 2006.  That means during roughly some 2500 snaps Carr has fumbled once in every 27 times he touched the ball. During the team’s 7-9 run Carr had a bet that as long as the Texans couldn’t win two games in a row he’d keep growing his hair longer and was named one of ‘People’s Sexiest Men Alive’ that year.  His number has also since been retired by his college, Fresno State.

G/Gs 92/79     Att  2264   Comp 1351     Yds 14433    Pct 59.7     Td 65      Int 71    Rat 74.9
Rush 302    Yds 1331     Avg  4.4    Td  9

College Football HoF, Heisman Trophy Winner, NFL, usfl

Walker, Herschel

Cards: Action Packed 1991, Action Packed Rookies 1992, Pro Set 1991 Heisman Heroes, Score 1989, Score 1990 Ground Force
Acquired: In Person 1994, 1997, Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp, Dallas Cowboys Training Camp.  TTM, 2011. C/o Home
Sent: 1/13/11    Received: 7/5/11  (173 days)

Herschel Walker? In my estimates of some of the great runningbacks in football, I would say I was enthralled by Herschel Walker. I knew who Herschel was before I even watched football. A record breaking machine for the Georgia Bulldogs in college, Walker would be a 3 time All American and win the Heisman in 1982. Herschel was a shrewd businessman, and realized that with the advent of the upstart USFL he could effectively carve his own destiny and make more money off of endorsements. Plus without rules regarding underclassmen, Herschel could declare for the USFL draft as a Junior- something he couldn’t do in the NFL. With that being said, Walker would be drafted by the New Jersey Generals of the USFL in 1983.  He’d go on to crush opposing defenses winning the rushing title in both 1983 and 1985 before the league dissolved. In the meantime however, the Dallas Cowboys waited, dropping a 5th round choice on Walker suspecting it would just be a matter of time.

Herschel would join the Cowboys in 1987, and go onto etch his name into the Cowboys faithful minds for years to come not only for his incredible play of which he’d earn ProBowl berths in 1987 and 1988 – but for what would later come to be known as “The Trade”.

The Minnesota Vikings believed they needed one more piece in order to get to the SuperBowl, and in 1989 the Cowboys were looking to rebound from a 3-13 season. Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones found the offer from the Vikings too good to pass up. Without going into details the final totals were astounding. The Vikings would trade the Cowboys 5 players, and 8 draft choices – including 3 first round choices over the next 3 years. Minnesota in return got Walker, 2 3rd round choices, a 5 round choice and a 10th round choice. The implications were far reaching and would set the foundation for the Cowboys championship runs. Looking back in retrospect, it’s hard not to see that Herschel took the trade hard. In the end he was treated as a commodity and his Viking tenure was filled with pressure as being the hailed savior of the franchise.

Walker had just come off a 1500 + yard season rushing for the Cowboys and the Vikings were struggling on the ground.  Inexplicably the Vikings really couldn’t figure out the right way to use Herschel even though he was utilized on kick returns and also as a running back, – he became the butt of jokes in Minnesota. After a failed suicide attempt (by carbon monoxide poisoning) the writing was on the wall for the franchise, and by 1992 the Vikings cut Walker.

Immediately the Eagles came calling with fans hailing Walker as their savior. Walker would not disappoint rushing for over a 1000 yards for the Eagles and posting another 200 plus yards receiving in 1992- his best rushing effort since leaving Dallas. Walker would stay with Philadelphia another 2 years afterwards where I’d get his autograph in West Chester at Eagles training camp that year.

Walker would sign in 1995 with the Giants as a free agent and play one non-descrpit season there before returning home to the Cowboys in 1996. The Cowboys would put him to use as a fullback his final two seasons, where I’d get his autograph in 1997 at Berger stadium (next to Michael Irvin), before he retired.

One wonders how Herschel would have been remembered if he did not go to the USFL or if Michael Irvin was traded to the Los Angeles Raiders instead (as was originally rumored). Combining his numbers from his years in the USFL with his NFL numbers, Walker ranks 5th all time on the rushing list. Herschel also holds the all time record for rushing yards in a football season with 2411 yards. In 1999 he was inducted into the College Football HoF, is widely regarded as the best runningback in the history of college football, had his number retired at Georgia and wrote an autobiography. One of my favorite athletes, (-and easily my favorite Cowboy,) I even owned Herschel’s Starting Lineup figurine. If you played the original Tecmo Bowl, all you could do with the Cowboys is run with Herschel, and that gave you a leg up on the puny Colts. The 1991 offering of Tecmo Super Bowl endeared him to us as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. Despite his popularity Walker has remained a stalwart TTM signer, and I got his autographs on the Pro Set 1991 Heisman Heroes, Score 1990 Ground Force, and Score 1989 cards in 173 days.

Herschel at the time of his retirement minus his USFL numbers, was ranked 3rd in total yards from scrimmage with 18,168 combined yards rushing, receiving, and kick returning. Including his USFL numbers, Walker would hold the combined yards from scrimmage number with an additional 7,115 yards. He is also one of a select few players to have a touchdown rushing, receiving and kick returning, all of over 90 yards.

Walker is a through and through athlete. He remains in peak physical shape, and has over the years participated in the Winter Olympics, is a 5th degree blackbelt, and recently taken up mixed martial arts winning by TKO his first two matches.

NFL
G/Gs  187/138   Att 1954   Yds  8225    Avg 4.2   Td  61    Lg 91 |
Rec 512    Yds  4859     Avg  9.5    Td  21   Lg  93 |
Kr  215    Yds 5084     Avg  23.6    Td   2    Lg  94