Tag Archives: tampa bay buccaneers

NFL

Carrier, Mark (WR-2)

Cards: Upper Deck 1992 Bucs Checklist, GameDay 1992, Topps 1990 1000 Yard Club, Action Packed 1990
Acquired: 2019, C/o Home
Sent: 1/2 Received: 1/11 (11 days)
See Also: Mark Carrier WR

Well 2019 is off to a good start with my first official success in Mark Carrier former Bucs, Browns, and Panthers receiver. Along the way with all three franchises he seemed to leave an indelible and respectable mark on each franchise. It wasn’t until 2018 that wide receiver Mike Evans of the Bucs broke Mark’s single season receiving yardage record for the franchise during the last game of the season. A stellar TTM respondent, Mark signs virtually everything- provided you of course don’t confuse him with the defensive back from the same era. As this is the 10th year I’ve been back at the game, I’ve decided to dust off the books and write some of those players who responded to me over the years. Mark was one of those who responded way, way back in 2011, signing a slew of cards for me.

In 2014, Mark announced the Panthers second round pick at the draft. As of this post he is the Director of Player Relations for the team.

A player with a stack of amazing cards, I had wanted to reload and get back to Mark again for a few more that I had overlooked.

Probably my favorite of this stack is the Upper Deck 1992 Buccaneers Checklist. The artwork is just amazing on this card. They just don’t make them like they used to anymore. The bold outline around the card is just right and frames the image in a very classy way. I especially like how Mark’s profile image and him catching the football take precedence over the buccaneers by simple boldness of color.

His 1,000 Yard Club card was like most cards from Topps to me at the time- always at least a distant 3rd or 4th in quality or interest to me. While the look is quite dated, that is part of the charm of this card. The boldness of the yellow combined with the orange and green is typical of design from that era. Still it is a great photo of him and at the time it was the only glossy card that was in each pack.

As usual during this period for the most part, Action Packed set a high bar for others to follow in terms of photo quality. This card was no different, and is an exciting action shot of Mark. Most photos it seemed were also framed from this distance in the set as well in a very comfortable ‘in your face’ distance. I didn’t have this card but when I saw it, I knew it’d look amazing autographed so I picked up one.

The GameDay 1992 card feels like the weakest to me of the group. Maybe because it is the only one with a defender in the image, or the fact that the rules of the card are for only the main subject to be in color, take away from the overall shot, but regardless- this was more of a set need than anything else.

Mark has a pretty solid autograph all the way around. The looping C in his last name really makes his mark go.

NFL

Vitale III, Danny

Card: Sage 2016
Acquired: 2017, Box Breaker

Danny Vitale played college football at Northwestern. There he played slotback and tight end. The hard nosed blocker had 135 receptions for 1427 yards and 11 touchdowns. At 6’2″, 235, Vitale would have had to seriously bulk up to play tight end, so he was classified as a fullback for the 2016 NFL draft.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Dan with their 6th round pick. He did not make the squad, but was resigned soon thereafter to their practice squad. In October of that year the Browns signed Danny off of the Bucs practice squad. Pressed into duty he had 4 receptions for 27 yards in 9 games. He returned in 2017 to the Browns on their practice squad and recorded another 3 receptions for 19 yards. He’d be cut in 2018, and  presently is on the practice squad of the Green Bay Packers.

NFL

Dotson, Santana ‘Sack-Tana’

Cards: Action Packed Rookies 1992, Classic 1992
Acquired: TTM 2012, C/o Home
Sent: 8/24/2012      Received: 5/24/2018   (2094 days)

Santana Dotson marks the new longest TTM wait ever for me, at 5 years, 8 months, and 24 days. To say that I had given up on these a long time ago is an understatement, but when I saw that he was responding to a few fans recently through some boards, it gave me a glimmer of hope. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like waiting years for autographs but this one tasted all the sweeter to get- and the older ones always bring back memories of what I was doing then and there at that time. I’d like to believe that Santana understands the TTM game in this respect, and with that I am glad to finally get his autograph on these two beautiful cards.

I loved the creamsickle orange Bucs uniform. I will always say that every time I get one signed. The Action Packed 1992 Rookies card is pretty nice. Santana is blowing by an offensive lineman, and off the canvas. The card does a pretty good job of showcasing his impressive wingspan. I wasn’t too huge a fan of the Classic brand. They went from absolutely garish cards, to the very plain, no frills 1992 edition shrouded in black. Still, it’s a pretty good looking card. Rarely anymore do you see cards that have a player setting up in stance and this card looks great adorned with his autograph. The unique Baylor paws on the shoulders remind me of the dying days of the SWC.

Santana was one of the last great dinosaurs coming out of Baylor during the final years of the SWC. Back in those days, Baylor almost always had a tenacious defense led by a powerful defensive line. Dotson clocked in at 6’5″, 265, and just wrecked havoc. A consensus All-American in 1991, Dotson had 6 tackles and 5 sacks in one game against Houston that year. Over 41 games at Baylor, he had 193 combined tackles, 30 TFL, 14 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and was a 3 time All-SWC selection. His quickness off the snap and versatility allowed Santana to play outside or kick inside on rushing downs.

1992 was not a particularly good draft for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While they did find some depth and some occasional starters, Dotson stands far and away as their best pick that year- selected in the 5th round.  The Bucs plugged him away at right defensive tackle immediately where he started all 16 games his rookie season. He’d finish the year with 71 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and 10 sacks- a club rookie record. In addition, Santana returned a 42 yard fumble for a TD against the Lions.  While he did not see the same measurement of success over the next 3 seasons in Tampa, Dotson was a nice free agent poach by the Green Bay Packers in 1996. Thus started the second phase of Sack-Tana’s career.

Dotson helped anchor a Green Bay defense that was retooled under the new free agency rules. Playing alongside Reggie White, Sean Jones, and Gilbert Brown, Dotson solidified an already formidable defensive front. He had 26 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, and 158 tackles playing RDT over the next 6 seasons. A fan favorite in Green Bay, he helped the team win Super Bowl XXXI and appear again in Super Bowl XXXII.

Retiring after 2001, Dotson has recently been working diligently to hone his skills as a broadcaster and appears from time to time on sports radio around Milwaukee.  In addition, he sits on the Board of Directors for the Texas Orthopedic Hospital, is a celebrity spokesperson, and has his own foundation to help challenged students succeed. (santanadotson.org)

G/GS  152/129         TAC 334        SAC 49.0        FUM 11
INT 0        YDS 0       AVG -.-     TD 0        LG -.-