Tag Archives: ttm football autographs

NFL

Williams, Calvin

scosup90 cwilliamsud92 cwilliams

Cards:  Score Supplemental 1990, Upper Deck 1992
Acquired: TTM 2011, 2015-  C/o Home, C/o Purdue
Sent:  11/8/11  Received: 3/19/15    (1227 days)
Sent: 3/16/15   Received: 3/26/15    (10 days)

The Eagles passing attack during the late 80s was crippled by the declining durability of wide receiver Mike Quick, and the departure of Cris Carter, so they moved to address it. To do so, Philadelphia aggressively went after receivers during the 1990 draft. In addition to selecting Mike Bellamy in round two, and Fred Barnett in round three, the Eagles swooped back in round five and picked Calvin Williams. Williams had one of the better combines that year, and fought had to win a spot in training camp. He performed so well, that he took over Carter’s former starting spot, and set an Eagles rookie record with 9 receiving touchdowns.  His 37 receptions for 602 yards contributed to him earning All-Rookie Honors at the end of the season. A solid redzone threat throughout much of the early part of his career, Calvin again led the Eagles in TDs in both 1992 (7 TDs) and 1993 (10 TDs- a career high).  In 1995, he had a career high 63 receptions and later joined the Baltimore Ravens during the 1996 season.

I spoke to Calvin back in 2011 via SotL (School of the Legends). Back then, SotL billed itself as an online community for fans to talk to, and get advice from NFL players. I had begun to build a reputation on the site as a knowledgeable fan, and began to send out TTM to some of those players. Over those months I had a few conversations with Calvin and decided to shoot a few cards out.

Shortly after declaring a new long wait response, Calvin Williams blows that one out of the water by nearly 3 years. Williams has built an interesting reputation within the TTM community. Not only is Calvin a sporadic signer, he signs only one card, keeps the rest, and frequently switches out the card he sends back with other people who have previously sent requests.  The Score Supplemental was the only card that I sent out back in 2011 that made it back. I was happy with that. In the meantime before that one came back I had sent out a second attempt, but he switched out the Action Packed Rookies 1990 and the GameDay 1992 cards with this – Upper Deck 1992 card. Oh well, still a success in my book.

Calvin was among the leading plaintiffs who sued the NFL and helmet makers for concussion and head related injuries in 2011.  He’s been involved in physical education for quite a few years, and is currently on the Purdue Boilermakers staff.

G/Gs 100/85     Rec 308     Yds 3925    Avg 12.7     Td 35    Lg 80t

 

NFL

Brooks, Bill (2)

pset89 bbrookssco89 bbrookssky92 bbrookssco90 bbrooks

Cards: Score 1990, Score 1989, ProSet 1989, SkyBox 1992
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent:  3/11    Received: 3/22  (11 days)
See also: Bill Brooks

Some really nice cards of Bill Brooks here I just had to get signed. His ProSet 1989/ Score 1989, (virtually the same photo) are seminal classics.  A true testament to the addage that commitment and dedication will pay off, Brooks did not make waves when he arrived at Boston College, but as time wore on he became an impressive future NFL prospect. He finished his collegiate career as the Golden Eagles all time leading receiver with 228 receptions, for 3,579 yards and 32 touchdowns.  Dependable and always giving 100% each game, Brooks has gone on to become undeniably is one of the most popular players in Indianapolis Colts history, with a career on par with fellow 1986 draftee Ernest Givins.  Although his career has taken him to both AFC East rival Buffalo and then later to Washington where he finished his career, Brooks always remained close and kept his home in Indianapolis.

Bill Brooks name is often forgotten outside of Inianapolis. With greats such as Raymond Berry coming before him, and Marvin Harrison, and Reggie Wayne afterwards, -it’s easy to see why the understated Brooks, who played during some of the most arduous years in team history is often forgotten.

 

NFL

Watt, JJ “Swatt” (2)

sco11 jjwattCards: Topps Inspiration 2013, Score 2011
Acquired: TTM 2013, C/o Home
Sent: 8/20 /13   Received: 2/14/14       (174 days)
See Also: JJ Watt

Well you can’t look a gift horse in the mouth. JJ Watt is a great signer through the mail, so much so he receives a mail bag full that he’s rumored to take with him into the off season and into bye weeks to sign. I don’t blame him for short handing his autographs to ‘JJ 99’ at this point, though I fault the fans who abuse his charity, and the companies that own the rights to his autograph signings. I doubted I was going to get the opportunity to get JJ again, in person, so I thought I’d take a stab at him TTM before it was too late. I thought that this one was gone. His response time has really atrophied over the past year and I fully expect that he will peter out of the TTM business in the next few years.

JJ since his rookie season has really cemented himself as an impact player in the league. A fearsome pass rusher and special teamer, Watt is a team leader that leads by example for the Texans. During the playoffs in 2011, Watt intercepted an Andy Dalton throw at the line, and returned it for a touchdown. Over the next season, Watt sparked a revolution on the defensive line, as other players became more aggressive about blocking passes at the line of scrimmage. In 2012, JJ led the NFL with 20.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and an unheard of 16 passes defensed- a number higher than even most defensive backs. Even more impressive was the fact that Watt did this all in a 3-4 alignment. After the season Watt earned NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Pro Bowl, and All Pro Honors.

to12insp jj wattWhile the Texans planned to go deeper into the 2013 playoffs, about everything that could go wrong did for the team, with disastrous results. After winning their first 2 games in exciting comebacks, the team imploded and lost 14 straight. Free agency and injury had stripped the Texans of much needed depth on defense and on the offensive line. The quarterback rotation fell apart, and finally head coach Gary Kubiak had a mild stroke. Still Watt despite facing constant double teams and new schemes specifically designed to frustrate him, was able to come through with another 10.5 sacks and 65 tackles. Again Watt earned NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Pro Bowl and All Pro Honors for his efforts.

The Texans cleaned house after the 2013 season. Even beloved defensive coordinator Wade Philips was sent packing. With a new coordinator in Romeo Crennel joining the staff under rookie head coach Bill O’Brien, and the #1 pick in the 2014 draft, who knows what’s in store for JJ Swatt? A thoughtful and caring individual JJ gives much of his time to charity and to his youngest fans.