Tag Archives: score 2009

NFL

Foster, Arian

Card: Score 2009
Acquired: TTM 2009, Texans Blitz

First off, Score really made some great cards in 2009. This card is an excellent example of great design integrated with current trends. Furthermore Panini really had a nice look to this card and didn’t shirk on the player photo showcasing Arian in his college duds. So when I talked about getting player’s autographs, half of the charge of getting current ones is when it is a player who is a no-name rookie who has a ho-hum first season, (when I get their autograph) and then they crank it after that. Arian Foster is a great example of this.

Foster was near the top of draft boards as a junior, but elected to stay an additional season at Tennessee. Foster was billed as a runningback in the vein of Travis Henry but an injury plagued senior season complicated by an overall bad season for the team, sent Foster’s stock plummeting.  The 2009 draft went by and Foster’s name was not called. Undaunted he signed a free agent contract with the Texans over the Saints- theorizing the Texans, (under his girlfriend’s guidance), gave them the best chance for him to play. By the time the dust settled after training camp, Foster was released and resigned to the team’s practice squad. He’d remain there through most of the Texans’ 2009 season. In the meantime, the team struggled on the ground and especially in the redzone. The Texans attempted a variety of different players including Steve Slaton, Chris Brown and Ryan Moats, but were unable to really get the ground game going. But as Foster was going to the airport on Week 14, he heard on the radio that he was being promoted from the practice squad for the next game and would on special teams against the Titans. Arian would quickly move into the starting lineup as runningback helping the team establish more consistency in its ground game running for 100 yards in each of the contests he started to finish his rookie season.

While I was initially skeptical of his sophomore season in 2010, Foster proved me wrong by breaking the team record in rushing yards opening day cranking out 231 yards on the ground en route to the team’s victory over the Colts. (It would be the second highest rushing effort on opening day in NFL history behind OJ Simpson’s 250 yard effort.)  He continued his attack on the rushing books and has now the longest carry in team history with a 74 yard gallop. He also owns most other team records in the books including touchdowns in a season and rushing yards. At the conclusion of the 2010 season, Foster finished as the league’s leading rusher with 180 yards against the Jags, and was named to his first ProBowl.  Arian also shattered Priest Holmes record for most yards rushing by an undrafted free agent with 1616 yards rushing- and chipped in an additional 600 yards receiving.

Some call Foster eccentric. His middle name is Aquarian. Arian also likes to write poetry and when he scores a touchdown and puts the ball down bowing to the crowd. Admittedly Foster was amazed at how fast things changed for him when he took the starting job in 2010, however he has endured to remain humble about the whole experience.  Below are his stats through the 2010 season.

G 22    Rush 381      Yds  1873    Avg 4.9      Td  19     Lg  74t    |
Rec 74     Yds 697     Avg 9.4    Td  2   lg  50

NFL

Walter, Kevin

Card: Score 2009
Acquired: TTM 2010, Texans Blitz

Kevin Walter was a 7th round pick of the New York Giants back in 2003 out of Eastern Michigan. Unable to make the roster of the Giants the Bengals snapped him up off of waivers. Walter would play primarily on special teams  as his playing time increased over the next 3 seasons.  In 2005, he’d start two games and log 19 receptions for 211 yards for the Bengals.

The offseason would start with Walter being a restricted free agent and the Texans would quickly pay the bargain price of a 7th rounder to get Kevin from the Bengals.  (Being that Walter was from the same draft as Andre Johnson, it is inferred that the Texans really did their homework on wide receivers that year with an unusually deep class at the position.) While 2006 would be more of the same for Walter, he’d quickly work himself up the depth chart in 2007 opposite Andre Johnson with new starting quarterback Matt Schaub in the lineup. As injuries would limit Johnson’s production, Walter would step up and become the primary receiver for the majority of the season logging career highs in all receiving categories. He’d follow 2007 up with a just as productive 2008 making personal career highs in all receiving categories with 60 receptions for 899 yards, 15.0 average, 61 long and 8 touchdowns. As he plowed into 2009, optimism was high that the Texans would have 2 1000 yard receivers, but nagging injuries would limit Walter’s production to 14 games, and he’d log 611 yards and 2 touchdowns. In the offseason, the Texans resigned him insisting he was part of their overall strategy (over rumors that he wanted to sign with the Giants,) to a fairly lucrative contract, and his 2011 was a slight rebound off of his previous season with 5 touchdowns and 621 yards. Walter has experienced exponential growth as a receiver over the past few seasons in Houston and has even been praised by former teammates in Cincinnati. Overall he is considered one of the team’s smarter pickups and is ranked second All time on the Texans’ receiving charts behind Andre Johnson in yards, receptions, and touchdowns by a hair over teammate Owen Daniels. A precise route runner with extremely good hands, Walter is continued to be expected to work opposite Johnson for the foreseeable future.

Score 2009 cards are great. I really like the framing and design of the cards. They lack the perceived border restriction that a lot of cards have, while the design is current and relative with the splattered ink style. The delivery of the important information about the player is clever, yet slightly understated, and the photography is strong.  Something that I’ve never understood is why card companies make high glossy cards, because isn’t the other function of these cards other than collecting them, is to get them signed?  (So the ink never completely set on this card but did dry because of the gloss.) Oh well. Walter is a great sleeper still in many deeper Fantasy Football leagues. If I can I typically take a flyer on him in the latter rounds or even luckier on waivers.

I was told that Walter loves receiving football cards, collecting all his own, and even likes fan art. Below are his statistics through the 2010 season.

G/Gs  121/64      Rec 267      Yds   3387     Avg  12.3       Td 20      Lg  61

 

NFL

Ryans, DeMeco

Card: Score 2009
Acquired: TTM 2009, Texans Blitz

The Texans in 2006 took Mario Williams with the overall #1 pick, but it was their second rounder- DeMeco Ryans that would steal the show. Ryans was taken by the Texans to play MLB after checking in at 6’1″, 236 and ran a 4.65 40 at the top of the 2nd round. He’d be moved from outside linebacker to middle linebacker by the team, where he immediately assumed a leadership role and started calling plays. A head hunter who has great instincts, Ryans was dominant right out of the gate he ended up winning the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year Honors in 2006 with a remarkable campaign  making 156 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 5 pass defensed, and a pick. He’d follow this up with a decisive 2007 and be named AP and to his first ProBowl.  His dominance would continue, and in 2009 he was named to the Pro Bowl again and the Texans offered him a lucrative contract.

DeMeco’s 2010 would be a let down. Injuries would limit the Pro Bowl star to only 6 games, yielding to an Achilles injury that would end his season and would spell the death knell for the Texans’ defense. He’d finish with 54 tackles and 1 forced fumble while the team would collapse even further going 2-7 down the stretch. It’s obvious looking forward that Ryans is the key to the Texans’ defensive plans. As the team moves to his native 3-4 defense and DeMeco continues his rehabilitation, all signs point to go for the young rising star.

G/Gs  70/70      Tac  436      Sac  8.5      Fum  8
Int 2       Yds 17      Avg 8.5        Td   0        Lg 16