Tag Archives: score 2009

NFL

Willis, Patrick

Card: Score 2009
Acquired: TTM 2016, C/o Work
Sent: 7/11     Received: 7/30   (19 days)

Patrick Willis played collegiality for Mississippi from 2004 to 2006. Over his final two years at the school, he posted a whopping 265 tackles, 21 sacks, 6 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, and 7 pass deflections.

Considered the complete package entering the 2007 NFL draft, he was drafted 11th overall by the San Fransisco 49ers.  During his career with the ‘9ers, Willis played a combination of middle linebacker and right linebacker through the majority of his starts.  A highly durable linebacker, Patrick earned All Pro and Pro Bowl honors in 5 of his first 7 seasons in the league.  It’s hard to agree on what season serves as Willis’ best year. During his rookie year he had a career high 135 tackles.  Later in 2009, Patrick had 3 interceptions for 33 yards and a TD, and then in 2010 he posted a career high 6 sacks.

After an injury shortened 2014, Patrick elected to retire from the sport after years of wear and tear on his feet.  He went into business where he joined a Silicon Valley startup. I wrote him in 2016 through his company, where he signed this card for me and included a nice metal business card.

G/GS  112/112       TAC  732        SAC  20.5           FUM  5
INT   8         YDS 131         AVG   16.3         TD  2         LG 86T

NFL

Gonzalez, Anthony

sco09 agonzalez dor&s09 agonzalez l

Cards: Score 2009, Donruss Rookies & Stars 2009 Longevity
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent:  12/21    Received:  1/15  (25 days)

Anthony was a 1st round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in the 2007 draft.  With a run on receivers early on, Anthony would be the 6th receiver taken off the board with the 32nd selection.  Gonzalez was thrown right into the starting lineup while injuries were taking their toll on future Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison.  Anthony saw 51 targets in 9 starts, catching 37 passes for 576 yards and 3 touchdowns in a solid debut.  In 2008 Gonzalez saw action in all 16 games, starting 2 and notching career highs in virtually every category with 57 receptions for 664 yards, 4 TDs, and a 58 yard long.  As the Colts were counting on Anthony for the 2009 season, he went down in the season opener against Jacksonville.  The worst part about it was a non contact play. He’d be lost for the entirety of the season with a  PCL injury in the right knee.

In 2010, Anthony suffered a high right ankle sprain in regular season opener vs. Houston and missed the next 5 games. He returned to action in Week 8 vs. the Texans, snagging four catches for 55 yards before suffering a torn PCL in his left knee on a hit by Texans safety Bernard Pollard, ending Anthony’s season.

As the Colts crumbled into chaos with a possible career ending injury to starting quarterback Peyton Manning in 2011, the team struggled mightily in his absence.  Anthony suffered from a myriad of injuries, suited up for 8 games, but made no catches. He’d sign as a free agent after the season with the New England Patriots, but didn’t make the team.

Gonzalez soon thereafter enrolled in the Stanford Graduate School of Business and officially moved on from the NFL.

G/GS 40/12     REC 99     YDS 1307       AVG 13.2     TD 7    LG 58

NFL

Hawk, AJ

sco09 ajhawk ad10 ajhawk

Cards: Score 2009, Adrenalyn 2009
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home
Sent: 10/13        Received: 10/29     (16 days)

AJ Hawk was a member of the 2006 NFL draft which had some storied players in it. Expectations were high for the class and comparisons were drawn between this draft and the 1989 and 1985 classes respectively.  The first surprise of the day was dropped by the Texans who did not draft either Reggie Bush or home town favorite Vince Young, but DE Mario Williams.  After D’Brickshaw Ferguson was taken off the board by the New York Jets, the defensive needy Packers drafted AJ Hawk out of Ohio State with the 5th pick.

AJ played in 51 games at Ohio State collecting 394 tackles (196 solo), 41 stops for a loss, 15½ sacks, seven INTs,  and three forced fumbles.
The colorful Hawk became an instant fan favorite in Green Bay for not only his aggressive style of play but his colorful personality and creative haircuts. His rookie season was outstanding as Hawk finished 3rd in voting for defensive rookie of the year honors after recording 119 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions.  He’d play for the Packers for the next 8 additional seasons- logging 4 additional 100+ tackle seasons.  In 2015 AJ was released from the Packers under amicable terms.  At the time of his departure, Hawk was the franchise’s all-time leading tackler with 1,030 combined tackles. He signed with the Bengals and played in 11 games,  making 16 tackles and a sack.

AJ is a passionate podcaster and web enthusiast. You can visit his website at thehawkcast.com