Monday Morning Quarterback #54 Rob Johnson 1999 Collector's Edge

In this ongoing series of posts I am going to feature cards from my fantasy football player collection, specifically the 117 quarterbacks I've had on my team's roster since 1980. I have one selected card for each player in my All-Time Flyers binder. Through the years I've tried to use as many different card varieties as possible while holding on to my preference which is: a card issued in a year I owned the player showing him in the proper team uni in a vertical format. Card availability and my whims have had a big impact on that standard as we will see. 

NFL Info: The Jaguars took Rob Johnson in the 4th round out of USC in 1995. He sat on their bench behind Mark Brunell for three seasons before moving on to Buffalo and there he was an on again-off again starter for four years. He led the Bills to a playoff berth in 1999. Often injured he battled Doug Flutie for playing time during tenure there. He finished his career with a couple of bench-warming years in other places. He currently coaches high school football in California.

Fantasy Impact: I had Johnson rostered for a time in 1999. With Steve Young starting and a rookie named Manning waiting his turn I never had the need to use Johnson.

The Card: very busy, gold foil enhanced front. Pretty nice picture of Johnson running for his life (which he did a lot of). But there is just too much 'stuff' here. Two logos, two wordmarks, two bars containing the player's name....it's all too much. Add in the big clunky team logo boz and it's just a mess. I actually like the back more with it's simple stat lines and bare minimum vitals. But every football card has to include the player's college, don't you think?

Like Johnson on my roster in '99 this card is here to fill a spot, nothing more.

Monday Morning Quarterback #15 1993 Collector's Edge Phil Simms

In this ongoing series of posts I am going to feature cards from my fantasy football player collection, specifically the 117 quarterbacks I've had on my team's roster since 1980. I have one selected card for each player in my All-Time Flyers binder. Through the years I've tried to use as many different card varieties as possible while holding on to my preference which is: a card issued in a year I owned the player showing him in the proper team uni in a vertical format. Card availability and my whims have had a big impact on that standard as we will see. 

NFL Info: Phil Simms was drafted in the first round by the Giants out of Morehead State in 1979. He played for 14 seasons. He was MVP of Super Bowl XXI, leading the Giants to a 39–20 victory over the Broncos. In that game he set the record for highest completion percentage in a Super Bowl, going 22 for 25 He made the Pro Bowl in 1985 and 1993.

After his playing career he moved into the broadcasting booth and has done quite well. He's worked for ESPN, NBC and got some assignments outside of football including the Olympics with those networks. He currently works for CBS and Showtime. He's the lead color man on CBS' AFC team alongside Jim Nantz.

Fantasy Angle: Not much in my history concerning Phil Simms. I picked him up on waivers in 1985 but never used him as Neil Lomax and Vince Ferragamo carried me to an 8-4-1 record that season. He was never a huge TD guy and back in the day we were a TD points only league so Simms wasn't a particularly hot item.

The Card: Collector's Edge was a brand during the 1990s when every day seemed to bring out a new set. I remember seeing them at card shows, usually in the 10 cent star binders and boxes. This '93 design was typical of the brand. Not bad actually, big clear action picture of the front, blue marbleized border with a team helmet. The back uses a different shot but the stats are limited. I never cared for incomplete stats on cards. I'd prefer using either the previous year's numbers or the whole career. Putting the past four seasons there seems silly. I have no idea what the stamped number signifies. The '93 First Edition' logo makes me think that this was Collector's Choice initial offering. I'm not going to bother to look that up.