Tag Archives: St. Louis Rams

NFL

Gurley, Todd

sage15 gurleyCard: Sage 2015 (212/250)
Acquired: Twitter Promotion 2015, C/o SA-GE Collectibles

I had never won a promotion before through Twitter, but when SA-GE Collectibles announced a giveaway, I had to take a shot downfield. SA-GE was looking to see fans player collections, so I emptied my binder of all my SA-GE autographed cards and sent them a photo. Pretty soon thereafter I was followed by a few copycats, but the message had been sent, and I made an impression. A few weeks later I received 2 cards. I thought that I’d get an Alfred Blue card, but lo and behold I received this awesome Todd Gurley card along with a really nicely designed Anthony Harris card. After thanking SA-GE for the card, I was spammed by a few interested buyers, but I’m not in it to sell it.

I had been following Todd Gurley for a while. On my long drives to Houston for Texans signings, I had listened to pundits talk about how good he was and his numbers spoke volumes.  Although injuries derided his 2013 and partially his 2014 campaign, Todd graded out rightfully so with a first round grade.  In 3 years at Georgia, Todd rushed for 3285 yards on 510 carries with 36 TDs.  Considered a rare blend of speed and power, Gurley would have been the #1 overall pick if not for an ACL injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the 2014 campaign and through the combine.

The St. Louis Rams looking for that bell cow back selected Gurley with the 10th overall pick of the 2015 draft.  Todd got on the field near the end of September against the Steelers, and had his first bust out game against the Cardinals the following week rushing for 146 yards on 19 carries- the first of four straight 100 yard games. He scored his first TD against the Browns on 10/25 and finished with 1,106 yards on 226 carries and 10 TDs, propelling Gurley to the Pro Bowl and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Honors.

NFL

Walker, Darius

sco07 dwalkerCard: Score 2007
Acquired: 2014, Albany Acquisition

Darius Walker was a solid runningback at Notre Dame from 2004-2006. Clocking in at 5’11”, 205, Walker ran for 3,249 yards and 17 touchdowns, but also was a great receiver out of the backfield, setting the school mark for runningbacks with 56 catches in 2006. He declared after his Junior season, but after a subpar combine, was not drafted. Walker was in the process of signing with the Chicago Bears, when he had a change of heart and signed with the Texans. Darius felt he had a better chance of making the Texans roster, after the sudden injury retirement of Dominick Davis/ Williams the previous season.

Hoping that Ahman Green was the answer, the Texans signed him to a contract, but injuries limited his effectiveness.  In the end Ron Dayne ended up with the lion’s share of the carries and the yards. Darius finally saw game action in week 13 and helped the team go 3-1 down the stretch. During week 16, Walker rushed for a career high 86 yards on 10 carries, and his first professional touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

He’d join the St. Louis Rams in 2008, but was unable to secure a spot on the squad. With Green back on IR the Texans resigned Walker during the season, but he wouldn’t see time on the field. Darius also spent time with the Broncos and Cowboys in 2009. He’s spent time as a sideline reporter and as analyst for Fox.

I had forgotten about Walker. He was the poor man’s Arian Foster to me, but much rougher. I was pretty disappointed after he signed with the Rams, and hoped he was going to be our long term answer at runningback.  Although he saw action in 4 games, he ran well and did not put the rock on the ground. With the glut of backs out there looking for jobs, Walker always seemed lost in every roster’s number game.

G/Gs     4/2       Rush   58     Yds  264      Td   1        Lg   41    |       Rec  13       Yds  81       Avg 6.2     Td 0      Lg  9

NFL

Washington, Chauncey

Card: Bowman 2008
Acquired: 4/9/12, Target Authentic Memorabilia Autograph Edition

Chauncey Washington spelled Reggie Bush and Lendale White for the USC Trojans during their championship runs, but had academic and injury issues that limited his usage.  His final year for the Trojans, Chauncey ran for over 900 yards and was selected in the 2008 draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 7th round. The dodgy tailback finished his career at USC with 1778 rushing yards, and led the Trojans in rushing both in 2006 and 2007.

Chauncey has been all over NFL  practice rosters since then, spending time with the Cowboys, Jets, Rams, and again back to the Cowboys. Over that time he’s garnered roughly 30 yards from scrimmage. Currently he is a free agent.