Drafted out of tiny New Hampshire in the 5th round of the 1992 draft by the New England Patriots to play linebacker, Dwayne Sabb has had quite an interesting and lively career. He’d play for the Patriots initially through the 1996 season. A good backup for the team, he’d start 24 games over 5 seasons making 7 sacks, 3 picks, 92 tackles and 3 fumbles. After he left New England he’d sign with the Chargers for the 1997 season, but not make the squad. In 1998 he signed with Buffalo and had the same result.
Sabb would sit out a few seasons until the XFL arrived. He’d sign with the New York/New Jersey Hitmen in 2001 and would be one of the league’s leaders in sacks before it folded at the end of the season. He’d finish the season with 26 tackles and 4 sacks for the team. Dwayne afterwards would spend the remainder of his career in the Arena leagues playing fullback and linebacker for the New Jersey Gladiators in 2001 and 2002. After a moderately successful time there, he’d play one season for the Buffalo Destroyers (2003) and Philadelphia Soul in 2004 before retiring.
Card: StarPics 1992
Acquired: In Person, Houston Oilers Training Camp 1992
Bernard “Big Daf” Dafney was a popular player at the University of Tennesee- scoring a touchdown on a trick play (‘fumblerooskie’) against Mississippi State where he gallopped for 32 yards. A verified man-mountain who had the physical size to translate to the next level (6’5″, 325), Dafney played in the Senior Bowl in 1992 before being drafted by the Houston Oilers in the 9th round. The Houston Oilers had an imposing and established offensive line and while Bernard played well in training camp, he wasn’t able to crack the lineup and was cut after training camp. He’d be signed by the Vikings, and remained with the team from 1992 through the 1994 season before continuing his journeyman career playing for the Cardinals, Steelers and Ravens and Panthers, before retiring in 1997. Bernard would take what he learned and apply it to coaching starting at the high school level, where he had a passion for teaching and learning seeing some time with two local campuses- before he was sadly struck down by a heart attack in 2006.
Card: StarPics 1992
Acquired: Dallas Cowboys Training Camp 1993
As you see on the 1992 StarPics card, Darren Woodson was originally an outside linebacker, but his skill set determined that he was a better fit at the safety position. With the emergence of Darren Woodson at safety, James Washington became expendable. That’s a tall thing to say considering James Washington’s performance for the Cowboys over the past few seasons had been exceptional- but Woodson was up to the tall order, both being a great hitter and well rounded in coverage. In 1993 he’d set a team record for defensive backs with 155 tackles from his strong safety position. Frequently he’d line up in a linebacker position (sometimes called ‘elephant’ at the college level) and unfairly cover the slot receiver. He’d be named AP in 1994, 1995 and 1996, the ProBowl from 1994 to 1998, was a SuperBowl Champion 3 times and over 12 seasons he’d become Dallas’ all-time combined leading tackler with 1350 tackles. With the retirement of Darren Woodson in 2004 (due to injury) Dallas’ secondary collapsed. In 2006 a rumored comeback was in the works, but with the Cowboys unable to make the playoffs he remained in retirement. Since football Darren has been involved with ESPN and provides honest commentary about the Dallas Cowboys. Listed below is also a nice highlight reel of Darren’s hits and picks.
