Hello out there. I haven’t picked up too many cards lately…been super busy at work. This part of my job is a little tough, the deadlines. They tend to linger on for a while and when you’re on a project like this there are multiple versions of deadlines. At this job, i have to deal with the city as well as clients and consultants. Luckily for me, i’m fairy new to this project type so i don’t have to deal with city people too much. Portland is known in the region to have one of the slower forms of public government and gettin’ shit done…but then again, it is the city where young people go to retire. So, speaking of deadlines…
Kirk is on a deadline of sorts…or maybe it’s the Redskins that are on the deadline. I’m on record as a Cousins supporter and a guy that would love to see him be a Redskin for a long long time. Not sure how the team ownership and pseudo GM feel about that though. I really do hope they get a long term contract done with Kurt Kirk soon. I don’t think he will excel at another place, like oh…maybe San Francisco as much as he does in DC Hyattsville.
Now, i say it’s deadline, but it’s really a soft deadline. One that will probably come and go without much notice. From what i’ve read, both sides are more than content in doing a year to year franchise tag contract. Not sure if that puts the team in the best situation as he will make a ton of cash and potentially bind the team and keep them from paying other players…and young stars on the team.
Don’t get me wrong, i’m not against anyone getting their cash and if anybody deserves to milk their team for all the cash they can, it’s Cousins. He’s always been tied to RGIII for good or bad and i think he’s made a great name for himself, but you always feel like he’s being compared to the electric rookie year Griffin had…even though Cousins has far exceeded Robert’s career trajectory since then.
I’m meandering here…so i’m just gonna post some cards and a music video at the end like i do. Here’s a Jordan Reed card that has serial numbers on it.
Gonna miss this guys, DJacc. Sure hope he does well in Tampa though…so glad he didn’t go back to Philly or Dallas or New York…would of loved to see him go home and play for the Rams along with McVay and Garcon. I might just had to follow the Rams if that was the case.
Last card is a Kerrigan card. It’s a basic card. No serial numbers, No fractators, No autos and No fake jersey. Just a picture of a guy going to work and doing work every. single. game. You know he hasn’t missed a game in his 6 year career! 96 games and no misses…and he’s had some tough, nagging injuries along the way. Solid guy that isn’t represented nearly enough on this blog…i gotta fix that.
That’s all i got.
for today’s music, i’m just gonna go ahead and post this week old Kendrick Lamar video…Humble. Like Kerrigan and all those guys that go to work every day and do their work with out the fan fare or self promotion…Like Captain Kirk.
I’ve been avoiding just about anything and everything Redskins on this blog since my team lost to the Giants a few weeks ago. It was a tough loss to a division rival, a game that would have propelled the Redskins in to the 2016 playoffs. Not to mention to a team that had a topless boating trip planned for South Beach the following day…no respect. After seeing how some of the teams that made the playoffs and ended up losing, i can’t help but imagine what could have happened. You know, the Washington Redskins were the last team to beat the Green Bay Packers. It’s true! In hindsight, that game was most likely the penultimate moment for the Redskins season as they put up 42 points on a Sunday night game. A game under the lights which they have been miserable with the past forever seasons…Clearly, though, it was one of the lowest points for the Green Bay Packers…they were crushed by the Titans a week before…so you could go with either game i guess, but the Pack haven’t lost since and i would be quite happy for them to win two more games.
The off season for the Redskins has begun early as it does most seasons. But instead of everyone cracking jokes about the Redskins winning the offseason, the talk is how everything is falling apart. They lost a brilliant young mind in Sean McVay. He was the OC for an explosive offense at times and is now the head coach for the Rams of Los Angeles…taking Joe Barry along with him to be an assistant defensive coach. Honestly, i don’t think any Redskins fan is upset about the Barry loss…but McVay is a tough one. Happy he was able to get a HC job, the youngest ever, but he has a huge task ahead of him. Luckily he has Bum Phillips son to help coach the defense…a defense that will see this guy next year.
The other big news for the offseason is whether or not the Redskins will/want to sign Kirk Cousins to a long term deal. Personally, i really hope they do. It’s been 20 years since the franchise has had a QB that has put up the numbers KC has in consecutive seasons. Granted, he’s not perfect, but he is a top QB and i would argue a franchise QB that you build around.
That said, if what i’m reading…and it’s all speculation at this point…but if they give him the franchise tag and attempt to trade him, they could get a really nice haul of picks in return. Not to mention the nearly $30million of cap space they have going in to next year. They could be well placed to rebuild quickly with young talented players. Maybe a certain receiver could maybe get healthy and maybe make an impact in his second season…maybe.
Really hope this kid pans out…i’m getting a ton of his cards and the price is falling on them. That could be due to his lack of playing though. Buy low kids!
It would be seen as a season of rebuilding, but could possibly turn out to be the starting point of something really great. The defense needs a significant amount of help and could use a great defensive coordinator, whomever that turns out to be…so many names, some good some bad. Plus, if you are able to move Cousins, you would end up saving a $20+ Million investment in one player. Who knows, maybe you already have your future QB on the roster anyways…
This card is really beautiful in person by the way…the scan does not do it justice…but neither does that signature!
if i have to live through years of rebuilding again, i’m gonna need to get my pacemaker hooked up to a clapper…clap on. Love El-P
cause after this year the price ain’t going down!”
These words were uttered by the lyrically inclined, Mos Def…or Yasin Bey.
The value of rookie cards have been a part of non-card collectors for many years and often referenced in pop culture. Maybe not necessarily the value of a card, but the understanding that rookie cards generally carry a significantly greater value or general demand over non rookie cards.
I’ve never been a gambler, nor have i been a prospector. I’m a collector, a team collector. A team collector of an NFL franchise that has not been great for a few years and are faced with a high draft pick each year in the Spring NFL draft. Typically a high NFL draft, assuming an offensive player or skilled defensive player will have valuable rookie cards. When they are drafted by the Redskins, i have a collectors obligation to pick them up. Typically, the sooner the better for me. Problem is though, you never know how a guy is going to pan out in his athletic career. Case in point, this guy.
In 2012, i bought way too many boxes of football cars in hopes of pulling ONE…just ONE autographed RGIII card. Never. Not once did i have my wish granted…ironically though, i did manage to pull two Kirk Cousins cards that year. At the time, i was slightly disappointed…that’s what it came to, i was disappointed to have a back up guy, not the main guys autograph, i mean c’mon man RGIII was the future! As you may be able to tell from the card above, he is a distant memory for all Redskins fans now and something the Cleveland Browns are forced to deal with. Now, don’t get me wrong i have some great memories, some not so great ones too, but the drama with this guy…not to mention the fragility with which he played. Point is, you have to be patient and know when to strike on these young guys. I think i’ve learned my lesson a bit and have managed to make a few good pick ups from the past couple of card shows with Kim. Here are the few top Redskins rookies and cards with autographs.
I’ve written about this guy a lot. The main reason is that i’m feeling like he may be another Malcolm Kelly or Devin Thomas or Michael Westbrook or Rod Gardner or…you get the idea. A highly touted rookie WR that isn’t able to meet the expectations.
Doctson has missed most of the season and who knows what the future will bring. With the lull in his playing this year though, it’s time to swoop in and pick up some autos.
I’ve been able to pick up a few for less than $5 each. Not bad for a first round draft pick, skilled position player autograph and or jersey.
Another guy that i’ve been putting together a nice collection of is Nate Sudfeld. A back up QB…worked well last time, why not try again! I don’t believe Nate has suited up for any regular season games this season, which is great because that means Cousins has played great and has been healthy. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Kirk Cousins and hope the Redskins can sign him to a long term contract and hope that he is the long term answer. But you need a backup and a good backup at that. Worst case, he gets traded and stars somewhere else and i’m able to flip these guys for more Redskins.
The digital camoflauge is always something cool to see on a card. The autograph of Nate though…it needs some work. I think these kids are asked to initial the stickers, not autograph them…oy!
Next rookie that i haven’t really started my pursuit of but need to step it up a bit is Su’A Cravens. He was a huge fan of Sean Taylor as a young’n and his play in some respects reflects the same intensity that Sean had. Su’A is an intense young man that hits hard and plays with enough intensity to become playmaker in the future, so now is the time to strike if you ask me!
Last kid for the night is Keith Marshall. A rookie running back from the University of UGA…or Georgia. Don’t know much about this kid since he was injured in the preseason and has been on IR all season…you can never have enough RB’s, especially the fast ones which i believe he is.
I’m thinking of posting some Bowman cards i’ve picked up recently after i do some research on the nicer cards i pulled.
Hope you enjoyed the cards today.
Here for your viewing pleasure…Pharoahe Monche, Mos Def and Nate Dogg…OH NO!!
Trade up for the second best QB coming out of the draft and take another one in the 4th round…who could of seen a QB controversy with that kind of drafting?
As i’ve always said, I cheer for the burgundy and gold and whomever wears the helmet. I just want my team to win, so here we go for the remainder of the season with KCI.
I still love you Robert, plus I have way too many of your cards for you to fail…like this card that is camouflaged.
I stopped by Marv’s table over the weekend to go through his nickel box of football cards and ended up buying 100 cards for a whopping $4. Thanks for the deal Marv!
As I was going through the cards, i kept pulling QB’s and thinking to myself…’what in the hell is going on here!’ I’ve seen the charts and understand the numbers of QB’s that the Redskins have had since their last Super Bowl winning QB, Mark Rypien…but DAMN! To see it through a card collector’s eyes was a little overwhelming and as a fan, quite disappointing. It’s no wonder why the Redskins have had so little success in the past 20+ seasons. I realize it doesn’t begin and end with the QB, but that’s one major part of the ‘Why’.
Here’s one group starting with Rypien. Shuler…ugghhh…and Frerotte. Gus actually had a pretty good NFL career and saw some success with the Minnesota Vikings as well as the Redskins. Just not enough to be a franchise QB
The next group included Brad Johnson. He had varying degrees of success before and after his Redskins career and nearly got the Redskins to the NFC Championship game in 1999…but not close enough. Jeff George was a freaking disaster and appeared visibly unaffected by his inability to complete a pass to one of his teammates. Todd Husak…i don’t even remember him…
Now for the really dark days. Sage Rosenfels never got a start for the Redskins and i’m not sure if he had any games played in the NFL and I don’t really care to look it up. Patrick Ramsey. The poor kid. I was really excited when the Redskins drafted him and thought he could be a franchise QB…unfortunately, the team around him, especially the O Line was terrible and he got knocked around like a punching bag which hindered his career as it would anyone. Tim Hasselbeck. The thing i know about him is that he’s one of the generalist talking heads at ESPN and his wife is quite obnoxious, although cute, but still obnoxious.
Brighter days are ahead with this next group. Brunell led the Redskins to the playoffs in 2005, well not really because he was terrible and could barely complete a pass. That team made the playoff because of the defense and the running of Clinton Portis. Insert Jason Campbell. I really, really thought he would be the guy and was extremely excited about him starting at QB. But, similar to Ramsey, he was in a very unstable environment which ended up stunting his growth. You can’t expect a guy to learn a new offense every season of his career and have any ounce of success. He has bounced around the past few years and never really gotten a fair shot a starting job. I’m hoping he can be the guy in Cleveland this year. The Browns have done a great job of rebuilding their franchise and I think he can perform better than Weeden at this point. Palmer…that’s it.
Here is a list of the men that have taken a snap from center since Mark Rypien was injured and eventually released from the Redskins in 1994.
Rich Gannon – 4 games
Cary Conklin – 2 games
Heath Shuler – 13 games
John Friesz – 4 games
Gus Frerotte – 49 games
Jeff Hostetler – 3 games
Trent Green – 14 games
Brad Johnson – 27 games
Jeff George – 7 games
Tony Banks – 14 games
Shane Matthews – 7 games
Patrick Ramsey – 24 games
Danny Wuerffel – 4 games
Tim Hasselbeck – 5 games
Mark Brunell – 33 games
Jason Campbell – 52 games
Todd Collins – 3 games
Donovan McNabb – 13 games
Rex Grossman – 16 games
John Beck – 3 games
RG3 – 15 games
Kirk Cousins – 1 game
That’s 20 QB’s that have bridged the gap between Rypien and Griffin. This hopefully makes it clear why us Redskins fans are so overly infatuated with Robert Griffin III. He’s brought some stability to a very unstable position…now, if he can stay healthy…but, if he can’t? I will take my chances with Kirk Cousins…or at least welcome a first rounder or two for Captain Kirk next season.
A busted box of Topps Magic Football has been sitting on my stack of cards for some time now just waiting to get judged, and now is the time.
Magic was something that i got into (cards, not tricks) a couple of years ago on a whim at Target during a deodorant shopping event. I saw a blaster box just sitting there and thought it would be a cool purchase and was hooked from that point on. I loved the retro look and the college unis on simple borders. Loved it so much so that i ended up buy a few more boxes from Target but never completing the set or buying any hobby packs. The following year, 2010 i wanted to pick up a hobby box to see if i still had a crush on these pieces of cardboard and sure enough, the love was there. I loved the photography and simple borders as well as the card stock. Although i do love shiny cards, i am a sucker for matte finish stuff that is done well. Again, i bought a bunch of cards, but couldn’t be bothered with completing the set…just wanted the few Redskins and any hits i could pull. Now, in 2011, it got a little tricky…and extremely annoying. Magic had become a set that i was tuned in to on when it would be dropping and where i could pick up some good packs. BUT, as Topps likes to do sometimes, they changed the rules, moved the goal posts and upset this collector. The only way to get a box of Magic was to purchase them from their online store and pay their exorbitant shipping fees, which was about the same price as the box itself if i remember correctly. SCREW THAT, no thanks. I was able to pick up a few singles from COMC and ebay but no packs, since they weren’t really issuing those this year. I never really found out why Topps decided this was a good idea, but would love to hear the reasoning if someone can help?
After the previous years experience, i had pretty much forgotten about the Magic cards and moved on with my life as we do with Topps at times. Until, i saw they were going to be releasing a new set and boxes that you can purchase at a store…holy crap! You mean i can buy cards from a store and not online only? Normally i wouldn’t be so snotty about this, as i am totally cool with purchasing online, i just don’t want my only options to be online purchases. Takes away from the fun of busting packs on a Wednesday afternoon after work.
So here is my take on the 2012 version of Topps Magic.
Card Design: 4 of 5
In keeping with the simple style, Topps has again followed through with the same KISS theme. Minimal information is on the front, but you get the basics; name, position, conference, team helmet, and a whole bunch of stars that make no sense to me. The banners blends in nicely with the border and unfolds to reveal the critical information like a scroll with an oversized shield.
The backs are nice and include some fun little facts with the Magical Memoranda. You don’t get your typical stats, but they tend to highlight some important information and single game stats for your FYI. As usual, nice card stock and the lovely matte finish. The matte finish is nice in a world of glossy cards. They have become the rarity in the hobby for the most part, save for the vintage inspired sets.
Photography: 5 of 5
The thing that i am most drawn to this set about is the photography. They have HDR’d the crap out of the photos and really over processed them, but i think it works well for these and tends to give the players a greater level of detail and grit. My wife is a photographer and she tends to stay away from over processing as it always looks…you guessed it, over processed. When you are doing family portraits or architectural photography it can become a distraction, but for professional athletes it works well.
Look at the intensity in those eyes!
Hits: 4 of 5
The hits with this brand are minimal, which is fine with me. I believe collectors get too hot and heavy about the hits. If that is your thing, this set isn’t for you. If you are OK with getting a nice auto or two than you may be happy with Magic. I ended up pulling 2 autographs and a redemption card. So, it’s not just Panini that is slapping me with redemption cards, Topps does it too. I’ve stated my thoughts on the redemption card here before and thought about it a little more. Still don’t like it, but maybe it’s not that bad…assuming you actually get the card. There have been times when i forgot about my redemption cards and come home to a manilla envelope. It’s like a little slice of cardboard heaven when you get one you weren’t really expecting.
There are a couple of subsets in the cards as well. Nothing to exciting. As a matter of fact, i must say that the Charismatic Combos is not only a weak insert, but a terrible name. Charismatic Combos, christ that’s terrible.
The ultra mini cards are cool, but a little too mini for my man hands. If i don’t get these in some penny sleeves quick they will have rounded corners.
There are also the Supernatural Stars, which are not that existential or starry either galactically or professionally.
Magic also has the Magical Moments inserts which makes sense, because it’s Magic. Drew Brees is on a 3 Mile Island. Cute.
I do like the Enchantment cards, especially the one that i pulled…big smiley face for the RG3.
There were also these other good looking young running backs that have some nice upside to their careers.
One of the autos i pulled was a Kaepernick. The HDR affect does his tats some serious justice although his auto is crazy sloppy. An odd thing about this card is the photoshop flub with his hands. It looks like the photo editor cloned his left hand over the football…kind of a crappy job for a big time player. Let’s try harder next time Mr. Topps Photoshop editor.
Review
Overall, i do like these cards a lot. They are simple and clean and the photos are nice. It’s a basic card and the price point isn’t too excessive for what you get. I haven’t decided if i am going to build the set, i did manage to get quite a bit of unique cards and minimal doubles, so i will see how i feel about it. I do hope that Topps issues these cards again next year and does not do the online only thing.
Here are a couple of the Redskins cards i pulled from the box. Funny that they decided to include Jabar Gaffney since he wasn’t on the team this year and he is wearing RG3’s number. Technically, there are two Redskin cards with a player wearing number 10.
It’s been a while since I’ve been to a card show and since my last post, so I will tackle both in one post this evening!
Each month, we have a show at Mall 205 here in the Portland area. Not sure why they do these things in a strip mall, but that’s how they do it up here I guess. Maybe they pick up residual traffic from mall shoppers? I don’t know. It provides a great opportunity for me to get new deodorant at Target, some new kicks at the Famous Footwear (remember that name…) and chase it all down with a slice of pizza from the place no longer called pizza schmizza although it still looks like a pizza schmizza.
As of late, I’ve been on a purging phase and have managed to get rid of a bunch of CD’s at the local Everyday Music and have some cash for the card shows. So, I had a slightly bigger budget than normal for this trip…the excitement builds. In general, I don’t go to these shows with goals or objectives because I tend to look for the same stuff and hit up the same tables. This time though I really wanted to pick up some new Robinson Cano and Rickey Henderson cards along with any shiny new Redskins cards I didn’t already have. I was only successful with the latter goal.
Having gone to these shows for the past couple of years now, I’ve developed a rapport with a few of the guys and gravitate to their tables first. My first stop is always Tom. Somehow he manages to have some new Redskin stuff for me each time at fantastic prices. He’s always personable and friendly as well as having a tremendous amount of great cards. In my visit with him, he pulls out this triple auto card with RGIII on it that I can only manage to drool over. No idea how much it was and really didn’t want to know…it was too much for me, but a beautiful card no less. I walked away with a new orange Kerrigan card and a serial numbered Fred Davis along with a couple other items.
After Tom’s table, I typically just move down the line knowing the other tables I want to visit will have some good stuff for me. I worked down the line and ran into a new guy, Greg who had some nice stuff to offer. He dropped a Kirk Cousins auto Prizm and Alfred Morris in front of me…$10…why, yes, thank you.
The next couple of items I picked up came from a couple of different tables at good prices…can’t go wrong with any RGIII in my mind.
One table I visited was very interesting. The guy was selling DVD’s, comics and had a box of cards with a really nice and shiny Derek Jeter on top…so I stopped to take a peek. His sign said ‘this box $1 each’, but he tells me that if I buy 5 cards or more, I can have them for 50cents each…hmmm. If I buy 4 cards, that will be $4 but if I buy 5…it will set me back $2.50. I used to be really good at math and from what I can recall it was in my best interest to max out my purchase at this guys table. Unfortunately, I only managed to pick up 5 items. 4 Jeters and my only Rickey Henderson of the show.
As I worked my way to one of my new favorite table, for some reason I have never asked for the guys name…but I always spend a good amount of money on his stuff. He always has great stuff and gives you a nice deal…plus he’s really cool. I was sifting through his 50% off box when I heard some loud cursing. I turned to see some kid darting out of the aforementioned Famous Footwear with some new Nike kicks in his hand. The kid was fast, but I can see that corporate check on those sneaks a mile away.
THE KID WAS HELLA FAST!
He was being chased out of the mall by Paul Blart’s slimmer brother, well, slightly slimmer and Segway-less. This mall cop had no chance, but it was a valiant effort. I should have offered him a slice of my Hawaiian pizza, they were on sale that day…daily special.
Anyways, back to marked down cardboard. Homeboy hooked me up with some RGIII goodies along with an Aldrick Robinson auto and a Ryan Torain auto that I’ve passed up many times. At least I can cross it off my imaginary list.
Last stop before my wife kills me for being late. New table, friendly guy and great cards that were marked down to 80% off. 80% off! Why in the hell would I pay retail when I can get great cards for 80% off! The guy had a few boxes of nice serial numbered cards with Clinton Portis and Santana Moss cards that I could use for my PC. Unfortunately most of the cards were in their previous teams kits, but still guys I loved to watch.
All in all, a great show that included great deals, food and a petty crime. Can’t beat that at all. I ended up staying under my budget and walked out a happy guy…plus it was sunny and warm on a March day in Portland, Oregon. Life is good
One last thing, I couldn’t help but notice this sign and think of The Chronicles of Fuji.
I am finally getting around to opening the boxes that have been sitting on my desk for a while now and wanted to start with one of my favorites. Panini’s Contenders. I have always enjoyed the design of these cards and their quality. The simplicity and continuity of the cards each year with the ticket on the sidebar and singular player focus is something that I enjoy in a card. In general, I think Panini does a nice job on their card designs and this set is no different. Contenders is in their 20th year now, which i initially had no idea they were around this long until I remembered the flip box I still have from the first year with Barry Sanders on the inside cover…memories. They used to make the boxes much nicer back then…now it’s just a small box with lots of cards in them.
Now for the review…
Card Design 4 of 5
As i said in the intro, i really like the consistent design. Each card has the basic player information on the front with the name, team, position and player number. Contenders goes a step further with the name of the stadium and years the player has been a pro which is kind of a cool feature you either don’t find on a card or only find on the back. Panini has also managed to incorporate the teams colors in the left bar ‘tickets’. I personally like the Redskins cards, but am partial to the Burgundy and Gold on cards…I think it makes them punch really nicely. What’s up with Carolina Panthers and their 1984 Trapper Keeper font? I’m glad they finally decided to dump it and go with something more contemporary.
One design piece that i don’t think is that successful is the ‘super graphic’ last name ghosted in the background with a very subtle shadow line. My problem with this is that they already have the players full name on the card, so adding the last name again is simply redundant and unnecessary in my opinion. I would also like to have seen the team logo on the top right be a little larger and the helmet on the ticket gone…or maybe this could be where the larger logo occurs. It’s just a little redundant to these eyes.
Contenders does a nice job on their subsets and have continued with the die-cut love fest. The Rookie of the Year Contenders are quite nice and the die cut works well here as they fit nicely in my gentle, yet manly grasp. These types of die cuts don’t work well in sleeves or top loaders and always seems to lean to one side or another.
Another subset is the MVP Contenders and are really nice looking. The die-cut and supergraphic MVP font work very well, even though none of the guys i pulled had any real shot at winning the MVP, it’s still a nice subset for player collectors.
Photography 4 of 5
Panini has managed to gather full length photos of each of the player for the majority of the cards, keeping their knees, ankles and feet in tact! Football cards tend to be overcropped these days so it’s nice to see a full body shot of the player on his card. Each photo is crisp and there is no clutter with unnecessary background action…just the player for whom the card is representing. The photos on the back are a simple blow up of the one on the front of the card. Kind of wish they would use a different photo, maybe a portrait shot or something…different.
Hits 4 of 5
The box advertises 5 autos per box and that is pretty much what you get. I happened to get what i believe is an extra auto with the dreaded redemption card, an Alshon Jeffrey Rookie Ticket RPS. As i’ve stated in the past, i really hate redemption cards. I understand why they do it and that it just needs to be done sometimes…it’s just disappointing to have to wait months for your hit. Sometimes a guy just needs a hit.
The second pack I opened in this box had an awesomely shiny Redskins rookie card Autograph numbered 66/99…Kirk Cousins. I was really hoping for the other rookie Redskins QB, but this guy might end up being the guy…somewhere. I believe i have 5 Cousins autos now…and zero RG3 autos…FML! Here’s a fun fact. No matter what orientation you lay the card out, the serial number always says 66/99…fun with sixes and nines you kinky freaks!
The other autos in the box weren’t that spectacular and quite frankly i think the kids these days seriously need to work on their penmanship. They are probably signing hundreds of items, but the Chris Polk auto is just begging to be forged by a man of lesser character.
I got a kicker auto, that’s a little weird. Zeurlein had a great season, but he’s still a kicker. I’m just really i didn’t pull yet another Dontari Poe auto!
The Bucs and the Cardinals guys are not on my radar, if anyone has an idea who they are or just needs them for a PC, let me know. Otherwise they are ebay bound.
This Panini product seems to give you a good number of autos, but nothing spectacular.
Review
All in all i am pretty happy with the box. I managed to get quite a few Redskins, no RG3, but i did pull a serial numbered Kirk Cousins auto. By the way, i used to write just like Captain Kirk when i was in the 5th grade. At least his auto is clean and legible…looking at you Chris Polk! Contenders is a box that i tend to buy each year and will continue to do so…but one a year is more than enough for me. The cards are great and you get a good amount of inserts, I just don’t know if the price justifies the cards you pull and their value.
This years subsets look great as usual. I mentioned the MVP Contenders and the Rookie of the Year Contenders, but the subset I love is the Rookie Stallion cards…the name is a little…um…weird. But the photos are great and i love the layout and use of fonts.
Not too crazy about the Legendary Champion cards, nice idea and great player selection, just don’t love the design.
Here are the Redskins from the box!
That’s it folks. I have a couple more breaks to cover and i will be caught up! Hope you enjoy the reviews.
It’s a sad day in our house as the Redskins season has come to a sad ending…At the end of the day, the big difference was an unhealthy RG3. He lead the team all season and did everything he could the last 7 weeks, but it just was not enough. It’s always tough to lose a game when your leader is injured as you are filled with the what ifs…Although the season ended in a manner that I am not happy about, the 20123 season was filled with hope and a very bright future. There were lots of ups and downs and the a ton of players got some playing time due to some major injuries. I am very excited to see what 2013 has to offer. The Redskins will have all the guys back and healthy, hopefully including Robert Griffin III…pending the MRI tomorrow morning.
One of my favorite Redskins, Brian Orakpo, was injured in the game agains the Rams early on which led to plenty of playing time for Rob Jackson and Perry Riley. Here’s hoping Rak can get his shoulder back to full strength in the off season and come back strong in September. The card below was part of a blaster box I picked up at Target last week and decided to open before today’s game. It is one of my favorite cards or Rak’s…although this photo is very similar to his Topps issued card. I’ve always loved his passion for the game and this card definitely captures that.
Roy Helu Jr. is another guy that missed the year due to injury with an achilles injury. Assuming good health, he will be a great compliment to Alfred ‘the butcher’ Morris next year. You can never have enough running backs and his speed will be a nice addition to the Redskins running game.
In Pierre Garcon’s first season, he had some huge game changing plays and showed off his #1 Receiver ability. Although he had to deal with injury allyear he still managed to step up down the stretch run and play big during the 7 game winning streak. Here’s hoping he too can get healthy and come back full strength next season to dominate for 16 games. The Garcon card below is one of the reasons i don’t care for the Gridiron design by Panini. I have seen a ton of great hits online from this product, but their base cards tend to be cluttered with too much ‘stuff’ in the background. If i didn’t know any better, i would have thought this was a Redskins team card rather than a Garcon card. You can clearly see Fred Davis and Adam Gettis on the card celebrating with Petite Waiter (see Tony Kornheiser for reference) would be nice to see him isolated on his own card.
The last guy that i am curious about is Kirk Cousins. Right now, there is no telling what to expect from RGIII’s injury and if he will miss any games next year. If he needs any type of surgery, i hope he consults Adrian Peterson prior to getting cut on or rehabbing. Next season will also be his second year in the system and he appears to be a quick learner and smart QB…exactly what you need for a backup, especially if they have to start a few games. The two cards below have been sitting around my collection for a couple of weeks now. I managed to pick up his Score autograph the Saturday before the Ravens game for a nice price. His cards have since gone up in value and anticipation that he will get a chance one day.
Although i am filled with dissapointment right now, all Redskins fans should look back on this season and be proud and excited about the future…there is a lot to build on and a lot that needs to be addressed, but the foundation is definitely there. As always Hail to the Redskins!
With the season over, future posts will be directed towards cards that i purchase and my opinions on their design, content and price. Baseball cards are coming out soon too, so that should be fun to explore and review. -HTTR!
