Kony joined the Cowboys during the 2018 preseason, but was cut.
He’d then sign with the Raiders, but again would be cut before the end of the year.
The next year Kony was selected by and signed with the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL20.
With the season cancelled due to COVID after 5 games, Kony finished with 9 tackles, 2 TFL, and half a sack.
He spent a season then in the CFL with the Argos from 2021 to the end of camp in 2022.
With that it was off for a month with the Vegas Knight Hawks of the IFL.
And then finally another 3 months with the Edmonton Elks before the end of the 2022 season.
NOTES:
Well I had reloaded on Kony after meeting him in person at the Houston Roughnecks team meet and greet for season ticket holders and I was hopeful the league would pick back up in 2021 but unfortunately COVID finished off the XFL20. So I held onto this post and eventually forgot about it.
A few things about Kony. I think if he had found a spot on a team primarily as a situational starter or designated pass rusher, he might’ve stuck around longer at his different stops. It takes a genius of a DC to unlock potential and Kony had plenty of that- as evidenced in his Super Bowl 50 performance when he logged 3 sacks, forced a fumble and made an interception.
I really also relate to the big guy as he has struggled with depression after the loss of his father and sister, and while he was with the Roughnecks, he opened up about it and his battle with it.
CJ Fiedorowicz is a perfect example of sniping talent off of EBay. Before the 2016 season, CJ was relegated to only being known as a solid run blocker- not the sort of things fans go crazy for in an autograph from a tight end, so prices were pretty cheap on this Houston Texans prospect. With the arrival of Brock Osweiler as the starting quarterback in Houston (for better or worse,) CJ saw an immediate boost to his bottom line, becoming Os’ bread and butter. The Texans TE’s as a group went from almost dead last to second in the NFL in targets. In 2016 CJ set career highs across the board as an up and coming player in the league. (One would think that Houston’s offense should feature the tight end to some degree, being that Bill O’Brien’s system is based on the multiple system he ran in New England.) Nonetheless, Fiedorowicz finished 2016 with 54 receptions for 559 yards and 4 TDs. Now his autographed cards have jumped 5-6 dollars each in resale on EBay- not that I care about reselling them.
CJ had a pretty slow start to his NFL career. A third round choice of the Houston Texans in 2014 out of Iowa, the Texans loved his overall size (6’5″, 265) and thought that he could transition to the pro level at least as a inline blocker behind Garrett Graham. While his rookie season left much to be desired, Fiedorowicz scored his first NFL touchdown in a Week 14 25-13 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. He continued a slow but steady improvement in 2015 catching 17 passes. He had a breakout season in 2016 as Brock Osweiler’s safety blanket catching 54 passes for 559 yards and 4 TDs, but a severe concussion that he suffered in 2017 drug down severely on his stats.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
