Tag Archives: Tennessee Titans

NFL

O’Donnell, Neil

gday92 o'donnellCards: ProSet 1991, GameDay 1992
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent: 1/2    Received: 1/11  (9 days)

Neil O’Donnell is officially my first response to kick off 2014. He responded in 9 days signing 2 of the cards I sent. The third- a Skybox 1992-1993 ‘Colors’ edition he kept. It’s a shame as it was a nice card, but at the same time I am sometimes flattered when they keep a card or two.

Neil was of a long line of Maryland quarterbacks to make it to the NFL. He was proceeded into the league by noteworthy signalcallers such as: Boomer Esiason, Stan Gelbaugh, Frank Reich, and Mike Tice, while his back up Scott Zolak followed him into the NFL in 1991.  O’Donnell transferred to Maryland at the end of the Henning era in 1986, and split time with him as the starter in 1987. In 1988, Neil became the fulltime starter with young Scott Zolak hot on his heels for the job. An injury, suffered in the Virginia game allowed for an opening to be created, but Zolak could not keep Neil from retaining his starting job through the 1989 season.

pset91 o'donnellIn 1990 Neil O’Donnell was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Drafted in the 3rd round, he’d be the 5th quarterback off the board behind Jeff George (#1 overall), Andre Ware, Peter Tom Willis, and Tom Hodson. It was not considered a very strong position that year and after George and Ware, none of the quarterbacks that were taken were really expected to contribute as long term solutions unless serious investment was taken by those respected franchises.  The Steelers at that time seemed content at quarterback, with Bubby Brister leading the way and Neil riding the bench behind Rick Strom. In 1991, Bubby was injured and missed 8 games. Neil stepped up and delivered, setting the stage for an open quarterback competition in 1992. With new head coach Bill Cowher coming in, Neil took over the starting job and cemented his efforts, with his one and only Pro Bowl appearance.It’d be the 1995 season that O’Donnell was best known for. Powering the team through the playoffs the Steelers faced the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXX. In that game Neil misfired on multiple hot reads, allowing for Larry Brown to pick him off twice, en route to the Cowboys 27-17 victory. O’Donnell’s legacy is unfairly remembered based on that game alone. As a final straw to many Steelers fans, Neil signed with the Jets after the season, eschewing the Steeler organization’s ‘fair’ offer.

Largely, Neil’s next few years were difficult to say the least. Stepping into Rich Kotite’s offense, Neil was injured and the team finished at a lowly 1-15. Kotite was fired and Bill Parcells took over in 1997. Neil fared well under Bill’s guidance, and threw 17 touchdowns to only 7 interceptions. After the season, O’Donnell packed his bags for Cincinnati. While Neil again proved his worth in the pocket, leading the league with only 4 picks in 343 attempts, the Bengals finished at a lowly 2-9 under his direction.

He’d sign immediately with the Titans in 1999 where he’d enter the backup phase of his career, behind Steve McNair. Coach Fisher loves his veteran backups. Crafty, smart, adaptable, and ready to come into a game in a pinch, O’Donnell was a valuable member of the Titans organization. During the team’s Super Bowl run in ’99 Neil stepped in and led the team to a 4-1 record in McNair’s stead. He’d play sparingly over the next few seasons for the Titans, before retiring officially in 2004, after rejecting an offer from the Steelers to return to the organization to mentor young quarterback Ben Rothlisberger. Consequently the Titans organization under Jeff Fisher’s stead employed a scrappy veteran back up with Kerry Collins and Matt Hasslebeck both finding life as a journeyman under the reign of Fish.

O’Donnell lives in the Nashville area. He’s done color commentary for the Titans, but most recently has been involved in stadium turf sales.

G/Gs  125/100       Att  3229    Comp 1865      Yds 21690       Pct 57.8%      Td 120    Int  68      Rat   81.8  |
Rush  215    Yds  446           Avg  2.1      Td 4       Lg   27

NFL, WLAF

Shelton, Richard

psetwlaf91 sheltonCards: Ultimate WLAF 1992, Pro Set WLAF 1991
Acquired: TTM 2012, C/o Home
Sent: 11/16/12     Received: 1/4/14   (419 days)
Failure: TTM 2010, C/o The Tennessee Titans

I had a feeling that I might get something from my old address, I just didn’t expect it to be from so long ago. I had failed previously to get Shelton via the Titans for whom he was a long time scout back in 2010, but armed with his home address I just wasn’t ready to give up yet. With this TTM from 2012 it pushes my successes from that year to nearly 70%.

Richard  was a standout defensive back and punt returner for Liberty. His college totals include 12 picks, 136 tackles, 21 punt returns for 176 yards and a TD.  He was originally taken by the Denver Broncos in the 1989 draft. Unable to make the team Shelton bounced around the league with the Seahawks and Steelers before being drafted by the Montreal Machine of the WLAF in 1991.

ultwlaf92 sheltonRichard had a strong season for the team and became one of the league’s better known success stories along with Chris Mohr and Anthony Parker. He finished 1991 with 28 tackles, 3 interceptions for 65 yards and a TD. He also demonstrated his knack for special teams both on kick returns and punt returns, as Richard became the first player in the league to score a touchdown on a kick return and punt return in the same game. Richard also earned WLAF Player of the Week honors against Birmingham when he picked off a pass and returned it 63 yards for a score and also returned a fumble 25 yards in the Machine’s 23-10 win. After the season Richard earned All World League Second Team Honors, and resigned with Pittsburgh.

In the season finale in 1992 against the Browns, Richard made 3 interceptions for 57 yards and a TD, earning player of the week honors.  The next season in 3 starts he’d have 2 fumble recoveries coming off the bench. After his career ended in 1993, Shelton moved right into coaching and scouting and is currently a scout for the Tennessee Titans organization.

NFL 44/8     Tac  N/a    Sac   0      Fum  4      Int   3     Yds  72      Avg  24.0   Td  1   Lg 57t
WLAF   Tac  28      Sac  N/a    Fum N/a    Int 3    Yds  65    Avg 21.6    Td  1    Lg 63t
Kr 2     Yds 108    Avg 54.0    Td 1    Lg 90t   |
Pr 25   Yds 228    Avg 9.1       Td 1     Lg 67t

NFL

Ramsey, Patrick

Card: Topps Finest 2002
Acquired: 2012, Target Autograph Memorabilia

The Washington Redskins had been struggling for years to find a quarterback for the team, going back to the days post- Mark Rypien. Patrick Ramsey was supposed to be the answer to those woes, and coach Steve Spurrier had him pegged as their pick after the expansion Texans took David Carr with the first pick and the Lions went with Joey Harrington. Ramsey was the 3rd quarterback taken off the board with the 32nd pick of the 1st round during the 2002 draft.

Patrick had a phenomenal career playing for the Tulane Green Wave, helping re-energize the college’s program, and set 20 passing records while with the school.

After being drafted by the Redskins to play in their Fun & Gun offense, Ramsey struggled to maintain the starting job, frequently yielding to backup Danny Wuerfful and Shane Matthews.  Still, Ramsey posted a 2-3 record in the 5 contests he started, leading the league in yards per completion with a 13.2 yard average. In 2003, the offensive line collapsed, and Ramsey was frequently under siege but with a 4-7 starting record and 14 TDs under his belt, it looked as though Patrick was beginning to mature. 2003, however turned out to be head coach Steve Spurrier’s final season in Washington. With Joe Gibbs returning to the franchise in 2004, he brought in Mark Brunell and demoted Ramsey back to second string. Ramsey ended up relieving Brunell during the season, and completed 62.1% of 272 passes. Patrick was named as the starter for 2005, but against the Bears in the opener he suffered a neck injury, and found himself sitting on the bench the remainder of the year. It would be Patrick’s final season in Washington and begin the Jouneyman phase of his career.

Traded to the Jets to provide quarterback competition for incumbent Chad Pennington, he failed to unseat Chad and was cut following the 2006 season. Moving on to the Broncos, Patrick saw limited playing time backing up Jay Cutler through 2009. Ramsey has been on and off rosters since that time as pretty much a camp arm of the Titans, Lions, Saints, Jaguars, Dolphins, and Vikings.