Playoffs??!!??!!!

I’ve been running low on card money of late, so i’ve been dime box digging.  This can be fun and frightening as well.  You find things you blocked out due to bad memories or traumatic events that should never be brought up again.  Now, I present the 1994 Playoff Redskins cards.  The scans are crappy and i apologize for that, but so were the Redskins in 1993.  I like to think that i am a die hard fan and can name players from different generations and teams…but i have absolutely no freakin idea who Rick Hamilton is.  Kind of looks like a special teams guy?  Don’t know and don’t care.  I do remember that the ’93 team was terrible and amassed a total of 4 wins and finished 5th.  Yes, 5th.  That means that the Arizona Phoenix Cardinals finished with a better record.  Remember when the Phoenix Cardinals were in the NFC East?  Geography is a bitch!  But so are owners that move franchises to other cities.

Ernest Byner was pretty tough year and ‘…hung in there.  He had 23 carries for 105 yard and 1TD.’  That’s what the back of his card says.  My man Ricky Sanders worked through a tough 638 yards.  Nearly every one of these cards say something about a tough year, yet they are in a set called Playoff.  Such a misnomer.

94 PL Ernest Byner Ricky Sanders

Here’s that Hamilton guys card.  He’s wearing LaVar Arrington’s number and running with splayed thumbs.  Better watch out, those things will get broken on you.  Frank Wycheck was a decent Tight End that had his better years with the Oilers and Titans.  Wikipedia says he tested positive for steroids…remember all the fuss about the steroid era in football?  Me neither.

94 PL Frank Wychek Rick Hamilton

Jeezy Creezy this guy.  I dropped so much money on this kids card.  At this point, i’m hoping his political career leads him to a Presidential election or possibly VP so i can sell his stuff on ebay and get my lost dollars back.  Actually, I don’t really think that.  If he politics like he played football, this country will be set back to the Bush era overnight.  Shuler had so much hope and yielded next to nothing.  I realize that being a professional athlete is a very special thing and few men and women get to be in that position…a position i’ve never even come close to touching, being a sports fan is such a soul crushing activity though and we have to put the blame on our sad demeanor at work on Mondays.

94 PL Heath Shuler

Top 12 All Time Redskins: Gary Clark

Clark5

Next up on my list of all time favorite Redskins is Gary Clark, not that super cool Rock/Blues/Hip Hop/Soul singer from Texas.  No, it’s the diminutive, but physically talented wide receiver from the glory days of the Redskins.  The history of the franchise is littered with small receivers and he was one of the best, playing with the Redskins from 1985 to 1992 and being named an All Pro in three of those 8 seasons.  He was also a member of the Super Bowl XXII and XXVI winning teams and a member of the ’70 Greatest Redskins’.  Quite an accomplishment for a guy that was a second round supplemental draft from the defunct USFL.

89 S Gary Clark

As a kid i remember Gary Clark flying down the sidelines and he always seemed to catch a bomb from Jay Schroeder, Doug Williams or Mark Rypien.  A burner in my mind and someone that had a similar playing style to another fave of mine, Santana Moss.

Never thought i would say this, but I really miss the high five…especially the kind where you jump.

Clark was also known for his toughness and superior blocking ability that led to him being named to the All-Madden team numerous times.  Gotta love a receiver that is willing to go all out even when his number isn’t called…but that was what those Redskins teams were all about thanks to Joe Gibbs leadership.  The trio of receivers at the time of the Redskins dominance were these guys, Ricky Sanders, Gary Clark and Art Monk.  One is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and i believe Gary Clark should be as well…although he won’t make it.  At least he has made the top 10 of my all time list, that is pretty impressive.

Clark-Sanders-Monk

Looking at Clarks Wikipedia page, he was the first receiver in history to catch at least 50 passes in his first 10 NFL seasons…pretty amazing.  In fact, the only other receivers to achieve this in their career are Marvin Harrison and Torry Holt.  Impressive no less.  Here is another link to his biography by Hogs.net that is a little more in depth than i’ve gone.

superbowl92-04

Apparently Clark is going to coach a Lingerie football team, so that’s a thing.  Good luck with that Mr. Clark.  Regardless of your coaching decisions, you will always be a favorite of mine and thank you for your time with my Washington Redskins…never mind the Cardinals and Dolphins seasons.

#10 – Gary Clark

#11 – Brian Orakpo

#12 – The Hogs