CARDS: Topps XFL 2020, Sage 2015, Panini Prestige 2015 ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o The Washington Commanders SENT: 8/22/22 RECEIVED: 4/1/23 (222 days) FAILURE: TTM 2020, C/o The Washington Football Club
No clue as to why I didn’t get the cards I sent out in 2020 back from Taylor. He was signing at a really good click and I guess that’s the luck of the draw right? I reloaded and waited until a better time- which appeared in 2022. He became sort of a folk hero for the Commanders over the last few years, but the team opted not to resign him after the ’22 season, so he packed his bags and headed out for Atlanta. I figured these cards were lost as well but eventually they made their way back to me.
Taylor has seen stops with the Texans, Panthers and Washington since his time as a rookie in Minnesota. In 2020 he joined the XFL and was widely expected to be a star in the young league, but got beat to the punch by Jordan Ta’Amu. Despite not seeing almost any playing time in the XFL 20, Taylor is considered one of the more ‘famous’ success stories of that league.
He went into HS coaching where he built an incredible resume, winning 7 HS State Championships between Northwestern and Miami Central.
In 2022, returned home to the Hurricanes, where he now serves as the school’s Director of High School Relations.
NOTES:
Roland Smith was a name I’d been after for a while, but after he started receiving hate mail, he stopped signing shortly before I sent out to him in 2015. I thought I’d take a shot in the dark to him once he moved to the Hurricanes and it worked out nicely.
This card is confusing, because the image subject feels like its more the Thunder player as opposed to Roland who’s barely on the card. In fact for the longest time I thought that Roland was a member of the Thunder. It also doesn’t help that fellow DB Irvin Smith has an almost identical card photo, same last name, and appears just two cards previously in the set.
Gary had some great cards from back in the day. The Razorback stuck around just long enough to get into Pro Set, Action Packed, and Gameday sets, as well as Skybox. He had some really great action shots too. -It had been roughly 5 or 6 years since I had gotten him last so I had to come back and grab him on a few more.
Pro Set 1989, #356
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
