Tag Archives: New York Jets

Haslett, Jim

Pro Set 1991 Helmet Card, #9

CARDS: Topps 1982, Topps 1986, Pro Set 1991
ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o Home
SENT: 1/17/22 RECEIVED: 2/7/22 (21 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Jim Haslett played college football at Indiana University of Pennsylvania from 1975-’78.
  • Played LB, DE, and P for the Crimson Hawks.
  • Dominant player who etched his name in the school’s record books.
  • Over 4 years had 35 sacks, 412 tackles, and 13 fumble recoveries.
  • Selected in the 2nd round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.
  • Jim hit the ground running and in his first contest notched a team leading 17 tackles.
  • In rookie year had 2 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries playing at LILB.
  • Alongside fellow Bills players Fred Smerlas and Shane Nelson, they formed the nucleus of the defense’s ‘Bermuda Traingle’ unit.
  • An aggressive player and big hitter, Jim recorded over 100 tackles 5 times in his career.
  • He’d play 7 seasons in Buffalo, starting 86 games posting 7.5 sacks, 11 fumble recoveries, and 6 interceptions.
  • In 1987 he came back for 3 games playing for the New York Jets before moving into the coaching ranks.
  • After three years working for Buffalo University both as a linebackers coach and defensive coordinator, Jim moved up to the spring football league circuit.
  • He’d coach the Sacramento Surge in 1991 and 1992.
  • He parlayed his experience in the World League into a positional coaching job in the NFL with the Raiders as a linebackers coach in 1993.
  • After two years there, Jim spent a year with the Saints as their linebacker coach.
  • It’d be in 1996 that Haslett experienced his first taste of being a defensive coordinator with the Saints where he saw potent results.
  • He’d not be retained by the Saints after they cleaned house in ’97, so he spent the next 3 years as the DC of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
  • The Saints cleaned house again in 2000, and brought Haslett back to be head coach that year.
  • Jim led the Saints to their first playoff win that year.
  • He’d be fired after a tumultuous 2005 season, one in which the team cratered thanks in part to having to relocate temporarily from Hurricane Katrina to San Antonio.
  • Haslett then was defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams from 2006-’08.
  • Jim replaced Scott Linehan as interim head coach in 2008.
  • In 2009, Haslett was head coach of the UFL ’09 Florida Tuskers.
  • From 2010 to ’14 Haslett served as defensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins.
  • After a consulting gig with Penn State in 2015, Jim served as linebackers coach of the Cincinnati Bengals from 2016-’18.
  • That’d lead to an inside linebacking coach gig with the Titans in 2020 and 2021.
  • He then served as head coach of the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL in 2023 finishing with a 7-3 record and a playoff berth.
  • Unfortunately after the league merged with the USFL, the Sea Dragons were not retained.
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N/a7.512
NFL
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69415.60
NFL
WLTPCT
47610.435
NFL
WLTPCT
730.700
UFL
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6001.000
UFL 09

ACCOLADES:

  • NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year 1979
  • IUP Athletics Hall of Fame 1996
  • NFL Coach of the Year 2000
  • UFL09 Coach of the Year 2009
  • College Football Hall of Fame

NOTES:

Jim is one of the many members of the World League pipeline working his way up from the coaching ranks after his playing career ended.

Thomas, Blair (2)

Fleer 1990, #370

CARD: Fleer 1990
ACQUIRED: TTM 2024, C/o Home
SENT: 1/17 RECEIVED: 1/27 (10 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

NOTES:

I always really appreciated Blair’s Fleer 1990 card from his college days. It’s a great shot of him, and as since Fleer has slowly become a set need for me, I decided to send this out to him. As a teenager, I think I liked this image so much I drew a picture of it.

Blair used to be a non-signer. Then he started signing everything TTM. But after a long break, he’s just now down to one per request.

Eatman, Irv

Gameday 1992, #201

CARDS: Pro Set 1989, Score 1990, Gameday 1992
ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o Home
SENT: 5/18/22 RECEIVED: 6/2/22 (15 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Clocking in at 6’6″, 271, big OT Irv Eatman played college ball at UCLA.
  • He was moved to OT in his Senior season after playing DL most of his career at the school.
  • Selected by both the Philadelphia Stars (USFL) and the Kansas City Chiefs (NFL) in the respective drafts for each league.
  • He opted to join the USFL playing for the Birmingham Stars in 1984.
  • In 1986, after the USFL collapsed, Irv took his trench work to the Kansas City Chiefs.
  • Irv saw action at both RT and LT, before a knee injury cost him his starting job in 1990.
  • Eatman signed as a FA with the New York Jets in 1991, helping shore up their OL.
  • 1993 saw Irv return out west playing for the Rams, who needed help on the line after the retirement of Jackie Slater.
  • The next season, he’d play for the Falcons- but only saw action in 4 games.
  • I seem to remember at this point Irv was considered a bit washed up coming into his 13th season.
  • The HOUSTON Oilers signed him in 1995 and I remember not being too enthusiastic about the signing.
  • But much to my surprise I was wrong, Irv came through, and in fact started all final 16 games of his career in 1996 in H-Town.
  • Irv went into coaching starting in1999 coaching with the Packers and Steelers (’00), as an OL coach.
  • In 2001, Irv joined Dick Vermeil’s staff in KC, where he coached the OL through the 2005 season.
  • After coaching for the Raiders in 2006, Irv decided to step away from professional coaching to spend more time with family and raising his son.
  • Since then he’s done a lot of charitable work, and worked in youth sports camps.

ACCOLADES:

  • All USFL All-Star 1984-’86
  • USFL Man of the Year

NOTES:

Irv had some great cards, and with two of them being set needs, I sent these two out. As an added bonus he was also a HOUSTON Oiler.