Tag Archives: ttm football autograph

NFL

Edwards, Trent

Cards: Playoff Prestige 2009, Score 2009, Donruss Rookies & Stars 2009
Acquired: TTM 2018, C/o Home
Sent: 11/7   Received: 11/23   (16 days)

Trent Edwards played for the Stanford Cardinal from 2003-2006.  He’d post 5429 yards on 487 of 865 passing, for 36 TDs to 33 interceptions over his time there and be selected in the 3rd round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. He surprisingly started  for  9 games his rookie year for the Bills and threw for 1630 yards on 151 of 269 passing. While his TD to INT ratio (7 to 8) was troubling, all signs pointed to up for the young signal caller.  Against the Dolphins, he’d notch a career high 4 TDs in a 38-17 win.  

In 2008, Trent came out red hot as he won his first 5 of 6 overall, but a concussion that he suffered during a week 5 loss to the Cardinals was said to have contributed towards his long term struggles the rest of the year as the Bills lost the next 6 of 8 to finish 7-9 overall. After struggling through part of the 2009 season due to injuries, a porous offensive line, and inconsistency- it appeared that the Trent Edwards experiment was on its back 9.  

Although he opened 2010 as the starter for the Bills, Trent’s time with the team was short.  He’d be cut after the second game in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick. 

Claimed off of waivers by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Trent would back up David Garrard at quarterback. He’d see some playtime as an injury substitution, but lose both his games against the Titans, and later against the Houston Texans. After failing to catch on with the Oakland Raiders in 2011, Trent joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012 and completed 2 of 2 passes for 14 yards- but this would be the final NFL action he’d see in his career. He’d spend the next year or so bouncing on and off the rosters of the Bears and the Raiders (again) before finally deciding to hang up the cleats in 2014.

Trent has some really nice looking cards, and the Rookies and Stars and Score are some of my favorites to get signed. He has a solid autograph that really goes over nicely on these cards. I like the Playoff Prestige when lined up next to the Score card, as they are obviously from the same sequence of shots.

Trent is now involved with helping to make the game more high tech investing in and being a part of a firm that creates VR head set technology for quarterbacks to view their complete 360 surroundings. 

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AAF, NFL

Lanning, Joel

Card: Topps AAF 2019
Acquired: TTM 2019, C/o Home
Sent: 5/13 Received: 6/3 (21 days)

Joel Lanning was originally a quarterback at Iowa State from 2015-2017. He was a dual threat for the Cyclones both on the ground and through the air. In 2017, Lanning switched to middle linebacker and worked his way up to the starting lineup! He ended up leading the team in total tackles with 114, picked off a pass, and had a fumble recovery. He also was called upon to run the Wildcat for the Cyclones. With the bulk of his stats on offense coming in 2015 and 2016, Joel finished his college career 209/366 (57.1%) 2584 yards, 20 TDs to 7 interceptions. He also rushed 255 times for 983 yards and 17 TDs.

Joel was a free agent signee of the Dallas Cowboys in 2018 but did not make the final squad. An intriguing prospect nonetheless, Lanning later signed with the AAF that year and was a starter on the San Antonio Commanders defense until the league folded. -He recorded 28 tackles.

I had gotten Joel’s autograph previously at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Signing, but this Topps card missed out on that signing by just a few days. After getting the entire set, I doubled down attempting to flag down any Commanders player through Twitter to stop by the visitors end zone, but the league folded before I could get them to show up. It was fairly easy to track Joel down TTM and he signed this card in no time flat.

Heisman Trophy Winner, NFL

Griffin, Robert ‘RGIII’

Cards: Upper Deck College Football Heroes 1991
Acquired: TTM 2018, C/o The Baltimore Ravens
Sent:  4/19  Received: 10/19  (183  days)

I remembered two years ago when RGIII took a pitstop in Cleveland. I noted that he signed a few cards TTM for fans via the team facilities. I missed out on getting his autograph earlier in 2018 when he opened a Dick’s Sporting Goods in Waco-  and that one I was kicking myself over.  Spoodog gave me this giant box of cards, and in it was a set of College Football Heroes Robert Griffin cards. Since these beauties really stood out, I said, “Why not?” I decided to shoot out this beautiful card of his to Baltimore and give it a shot.

A few days before I got this back I started seeing some activity/ returns from him and was cautiously optimistic, so when I opened this letter and got this beautiful autograph, I was quite happy. This is a great looking card accented by a perfectly placed autograph.

Robert Griffin is the gem in the crown of the Baylor Bears sports program. He had a storied career playing in Waco, really putting the forgotten about sports program back on the map from 2008-2011. Under the tutelage of Art Briles, he matured as a passer, while displaying incredible speed slashing up defenses -and pulling rabbits out of his hat while in the pocket. Shattering many long held single, season, and career records for the school, it was his 2011 season that earned him the Heisman Trophy for his efforts. RGIII finished with 4293 yards, on 402/291 (72.4%), with 37 TDs to just 6 interceptions. He also rushed the ball 161 times for 699 yards and 10 TDs. 

Pushing himself into the conversation as the #1 overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft, Griffin was selected by the Washington Redskins (who traded away a king’s ransom to select him) at the #2 overall spot. Robert had an overall solid rookie season, leading the Redskins to the playoffs. He’d throw for 3200 yards flat with 20 TDs to 5 interceptions, but it’d be on the ground he’d carve up and frustrate opposing offenses. RGIII finished with a rookie QB record 815 yards on 120 carries- going in for 7 TDs including an improbable 76 yard long. His 815 yards, 76 yard long, and 7 TDs would all be rookie QB records. RGIII also led the NFL with a 6.8 yards per carry average. Robert won the Rookie of the Year Honors and was named to the Pro Bowl.

It’d be during the playoffs that he’d push himself a bit too much. Trying to heroically play through a  knee injury against the Seahawks Griffin ended up tearing both his LCL and ACL. He was able to recover in time for the 2013 season but experienced Sophomore jitters. Then he got caught in a QB controversy with Kirk Cousins in 2014 and by 2016, Griffin, was unceremoniously cut.

Snatched up by the Browns, it was expected he’d rejuvenate his career there with Cleveland, but with little tools to work with RGIII struggled in his lone season there. He’d win one game as starter, while posting a line of 87 completions (59.2%) for 886 yards, 2 TDs and 3 interceptions. Robert also rushed 31 times for 190 yards and 2 TDs. Again cut after the season, RGIII was eventually signed by the Baltimore Ravens after a long free agency period. By then RGIII was being treated as an afterthought.

But in the feel good NFL story of the 2018 year, Griffin forced his way into the conversation in Baltimore. After the franchise selected Lamar Thomas- the heir apparent to Joe Flacco, it was thought that the Ravens- a franchise notorious for carrying only 2 QBs would not keep RGIII. Griffin had a spectacular preseason and made the final roster for 2019.