Hobby Breakdown: NFC Championship Game

Sunday's NFC Championship Game is a clash of the Titans, no doubt. The Saints are 13-3 and the number 1 seed, the Vikings are 12-4, playing away, and are the number 2 seed. The story is more about Drew Brees vs Brett Favre, though I want to look at it from a hobby standpoint. Im going to go position by position and talk about who has the most to gain this weekend. The Saints may be the better team in terms of record, but are the Vikings a better team in the hobby?

Quarterback

Starter: Drew Brees
Team: Saints
Rookie Year: 2001 (Chargers)
Best Rookie Card: 2001 Bowman Chrome Auto, 2001 Playoff Contenders Auto (tie)
Avg Sell Value For That Card: $400
Autos Usually Sell For: $70
Commentary: Brees has the advantage because he has autographed rookie cards. However, outside of his rookies, his auto can sell for as little as 36 bucks. I think he is one of the more undervalued players in the league, but a win on Sunday could vault his values into a higher value bracket.

Starter: Brett Favre
Team: Vikings
Rookie Year: 1991
Best Rookie Card: 1991 Wild Card 1000 Stripe
Avg Sell Value For That Card: $900
Autos Usually Sell For $150+
Commentary: I know the 1000 stripe is a ridiculously expensive card, but it is so rare that it is hard to even find on eBay. In addition, there are fakes, so im not even sure it can be counted. The regular 1991 Stadium Club RCs sell for very little, so I guess the playing field is even there. Favre has accomplished everything there is to accomplish, so the only room for improvement is in his Vikings cards.

Advantage: Tie

Running Back

Starter: Reggie Bush
Team: Saints
Rookie Year: 2006
Best Rookie Card: 2006 Exquisite Collection
Avg Sell Value For That Card: $600
Autos Usually Sell For: $40
Commentary: Bush was one of the most hyped up players coming out of college, and his cards reflected that. They still hold a ton of value in the rookies, but other than that, he has nothing. He has underperformed on the field as well, but a good game on Sunday can be huge for his values.

Starter: Adrian Peterson
Team: Vikings
Rookie Year: 2007
Best Rookie Card: 2007 Exquisite Collection
Avg Sell Value For That Card: $1100
Autos Usually Sell For: $150
Commentary: Peterson is the biggest star in the hobby, even more so than Manning or Favre. His cards are very sought after, especially the 2007 ones, and his performance still leaves room for more improvement. Its rare that a Running Back can out value the QBs, but in this case, the throngs of Vikings fans have made it so.

Advantage: Vikings

Wide Receiver

Starter: Marques Colston
Team: Saints
Rookie Year: 2006
Best Rookie Card: 2006 Exquisite Collection
Avg Sell Value For That Card: $75
Autos Usually Sell For: Under $10
Commentary: Colston is a good receiver on the field, but doesn’t have much of a following in the hobby. Like many good wide receivers, he is very underappreciated, and a good game probably wouldn’t help much.

Starter: Sidney Rice

Team: Vikings
Rookie Year: 2007
Best Rookie Card: 2007 Exquisite Collection
Avg Sell Value For That Card: $140
Autos Usually Sell For: $20
Commentary: Rice's cards have spiked this year, and its all because of some amazing games. If he does have another game like he did against the Cowboys, he may become one of the most valuable WRs in the hobby.

Advantage: Vikings

Tight End

Starter: Jeremy Shockey
Team: Saints
Rookie Year: 2002 (Giants)
Best Rookie Card: 2002 Playoff Contenders
Avg Sell Value For That Card: $42
Autos Usually Sell For: $15
Commentary: Shockey's mouth gained him a following as a Giant, but his performance forced him to a position with New Orleans. He has had somewhat of a resurgence, but not much. I hated this guy when he was a Giant, and I have a feeling I will hate him that much more on Sunday.

Starter: Visanthe Shiancoe
Team: Vikings
Rookie Year: 2003 (Giants)
Best Rookie Card: 2003 SP Authentic
Average Sell Value For That Card: $10
Autos Usually Sell For: N/A
Commentary: Shiancoe had his second good year in a row with Minnesota, but his cards have done little to nothing. He hasn’t even had an auto recently, and that isnt a bad thing. You can pick up his SPA autos for cheap, and if he has a great game on Sunday, that may not be the case anymore.

Advantage: Saints

Wild Card Player

Starter: Robert Meachem
Position: WR
Rookie Year: 2007
Best Rookie Card: 2007 Exquisite Collection
Average Sell Value For That Card: $50
Autos Usually Sell For: Under $10
Commentary: Meachem finally had an okay year for the Saints, and the people hoarding his cards have responded. As a player with a large college following, he continues to have value regardless of performance. If he does well on Sunday, we could see an explosion.

Starter: Jared Allen
Position: Defensive End
Rookie Year: 2004 (Chiefs)
Best Rookie Card: 2006 SP Authentic (Non-auto)
Average Sell Value For That Card: $20
Autos Usually Sell For: $60
Commentary: Allen has a humongous Minnesota following, and that following pays enormous prices for certified autos in Vikings uniform. His autos out of UD Black and UD Philadelphia have commanded $100 and $40 respectively, on top of the 40 bucks his first certified auto usually gets out of 2005 Score.

Advantage: Vikings

Overall

The Saints and Vikings are dangerous teams, but the Vikings definitely have more hobby power. Although Minnesota is the underdog come Sunday, they still have a pretty good shot just because of the team they have. However, they are going to have to contend with one of the best players in the game in Drew Brees, so who knows what could happen. A 51-50 win for the Saints is not out of the question.

Advantage: Vikings

Divisional Round Royal Rumble: Favre's Purple Reign

What a weekend it was for me, as I got to see one of the best played Vikings games in the last ten years. Its been a long time since 2000's 41-0 loss to the Giants, and even longer since the 1998 biggest disappointment of my young sports fandom. Here are some thoughts.

Vikings/Cowboys

Look out New Orleans, the Vikings are looking like they did in the middle of the season, especially through the air and on the defensive line. After the defense throttled Romo a team record six times, there was little he was going to be able to do to get things to a manageable point. I never would have guessed that he wouldnt have been able to put up a TD, but its exciting to think that a team like the Vikings could stop him. Minnesota has struggled on defense in the latter part of the season, and to think that they stopped the hottest team in the league is amazing. Not only that, but Sidney Rice is quickly cementing himself as one of the best receivers in the game, evidenced by the crazy catches made yesterday for over 140 yards and 3 TDs.

Chargers/Jets

I cant believe this was the closest game of the weekend, and I am even more shocked that the Jets came out on top. Shonn Greene looks like a stud to say the least, and the Jets' defense looks menacing. The Chargers didnt lose on those two elements though, as Nate Kaeding cost them the tie and the win in his first game with three missed kicks ever. I still think the Jets are going to get their asses kicked next week, but who didnt say that this week. I think its also worth mentioning that Shonn Greene's last two games have been unbelievable, and it may have been in the best interest of the Jets to have played him a little more behind Jones and Washington. I dont think that will be an issue next year.

Saints/Cardinals

Drew Brees is like the LeBron James of the NFL, he is amazingly good and makes everyone around him that much better. Hell, even Reggie Bush got into the action too, and that doesnt happen very often. Also, without Boldin to draw coverage away from Fitz and Breaston, the Cards looked flat, especially when Rev Warner didnt look like he had prayed hard enough that night before. In all intensive purposes, the Saints looked poised to be the Champs this year, and if they continue to play the way they did on Saturday, it will be very tough to beat them.

Colts/Ravens

I thought this was going to be the closest game of the weekend, but instead it looked very much like a Colts game usually does. Manning takes control, and the Defense mops up any spills. To hold Flacco, Rice and Mason to under 7 points is a feat in itself, and if we end up with a Colts/Saints Super Bowl, things could get pretty ugly. I do think that Reggie Wayne will need to play like he did at the beginning to have a chance at a championship, because on Saturday, he didnt look like the Reggie Wayne we know and love.

PREVIEWS FOR NEXT WEEK

Vikings/Saints

Oh how I loathe these games. Tons of build up for the Vikings team and they always screw the pooch. I do think they have the best shot of any team in the NFC to beat the Saints, especially after the Cowboy massacre. Remember, the Cowboys beat the Saints at home during the season, and the Saints just beat the Cardinals who killed the Vikings on the road. Luckily for Minnesota, they are on turf again, indoors, where the Purple has cleaned up all year. We will see what Brees can do, as the Vikings defense will leave it up to him. I still say the Vikes come out on top, but its going to be a slug it out win.

Colts/Jets

Even though Revis may be one of the best cover corners in the league, the Colts should make due with the rest of the Jets' defense. That, and I have a feeling that Indy's D will make Sanchez their bitch. Its rare that you see a rookie QB do well in these games, especially against a team as good as the Colts. Should be a pretty big win for Manning, and Dallas Clark is going to go nuts. Just watch.

I sincerely hope I can have another good weekend next week, as so far, I have yet to see the Vikings in a super bowl. Either way, the games should be great, and we should get to see a great super bowl no matter who is in it. How amazing would it be to see a Favre/Manning showdown? That would be epic.

Super Bowl Fallout Reaches That Annoying Level In The Hobby

Thanks to a simple designation of MVP, that I think should have gone to Harrison, Santonio Holmes' cards have taken a VERY significant jump. Personally, I think he had one good drive that ended up with a great catch, but Harrison's rumblin railroad of an interception return at the end of the half turned a tie game into a 10 point lead. That was the game right there, and one of the craziest plays in super bowl history, not to mention the sheer athleticism displayed by a 300 pound defensive player.

Regardless of what I think, Holmes SPAs have jumped close to, if not more than 100 dollars, and the rest of his cards have taken a similar jump. Its funny, because its almost like people dont understand that he really isnt THAT good of a receiver (yet), and that Hines Ward is still the poster boy in Pittsburgh. Next year it will be more of the same, crippling the receiving core of my fantasy teams with game after game of 3 catches for 40 yards, then when I bench him, getting 5 catches for 140 and 2 TDs.

The bandwagon in this industry is a fickle cart of living in the moment idiot buyers and smart collectors who comb their common auto pile for a good piece to capatilize on. Its almost so stupid that its funny.

Today Is The Saddest Day Of The Year

The end of the NFL season is today. So begins 8 months of an absolute football-less barren wasteland. Although today's Super Bowl should be a good time to watch, I am now left with only the draft until September. That sucks.

As for the cards, we still have Ultimate and Exquisite left on the block, but even that is pretty sparse until July when the 2009 products hit their stride. Man, at least my wallet will love me for a while.

I do have Baseball season to look foward to, for sure, but as you all well know, the NFL is my sport.

Today, I have the Steelers pretty much destroying the Cardinals for my prediction, but I have also said that for every one of the Cardinals' playoff games. I really hope that Fitz gets a title, as he is a Minnesotan who I have watched play as far back as his High School days with Holy Angels.

Im going to predict 27-14 Steelers, as their ridiculous Defense only needs to worry about the passing game, and the Cardinals D will have their hands full with Willie Parker, Hines Ward, and a driven Ben Roethlisberger wanting to improve on his awful performance during his first Bowl win.

January Box Buster's Club: SPA Delayed Yet Again.....

Word from DA Cardworld is that SP Authentic has been delayed a 2nd time. That is the bad news. The good news is that this time it was only delayed 2 days. So barring a trifecta of delays, SP Authentic should be shipping out on Friday. I will keep you all updated on when the boxes should be here once I get the info.

In the mean time, for those of you involved don't forget to check out the February Box Buster's List for the 1 box of 2008 National Treasures. To make sure you keep your reserved spot in the monthly breaks make sure your payments is in before February 1st.

For those of you who might be looking for some other box breakers, we have two loyal readers of SCU that run their own blogs and are doing two interesting breaks you might be interested in participating in.

1. I am Joe Collector (busting 4 boxes of Topps Mayo)

2. HoustonCardCollector (bustin 200 packs of mostly retail, but there may be a bonus....read below)

For $9 you can get a random team that would get you all the cards of that team from 200 packs of retail (with less than a handful of hobby packs), but the real deal with this is that the purchase is getting him an entry into a SuperBowl Board over at Blowout Cards. He will have one entry which randomly assigns him a numbers for the Steelers and Cardinals, and if he matches the last number of each of their scores at the end of the different quarters he could win some big prizes that would be busted for all those participating....for instance say he gets assigned Steelers 7 and Cardinals 0....if the score at the end of the 1st quarter is Steelers 7 Cardinals 0 (or 7-10 or 17-10, etc.) then he wins the prize for the 1st quarter...and so on and so forth. The killer is this, check out the prizes

1st quarter- 08 Leaf Limited Box, 08 Leaf R&S Box, 08 Gridiron Gear Box, 08 Sports Legends Box, 06 & 07 Playoffs NFL Set
Halftime- Case of 2006 National Treasures (4 boxes)
3rd quarter- Case of 2007 Upper Deck Hobby (12 boxes)
Final Score- $3000 shopping spree to Blowout

Obviously the break could end up being a ridiculous steal (and I am guessing that if he won the prizes there may be a courtesy payment to cover shipping required, but I didn't see that addressed) as there is always the possibility of running the board. (Also if the spots don't fill up on Blowout he could be randomly assigned extra slots increasing the chances for prizes)...

Just thought you all might be interested in checking out some of the other breaks going down around the blogosphere. I will keep you updated on the SP Authentic as I find out more information.