Examining Potential 2010 Rookie Targets

Sometimes its tough to pick a target for the year, especially when your team doesn’t have a discernable rookie that will be a huge factor during the season. Last year, I was lucky to be able to chase Percy Harvin on his way to eventually being named rookie of the year, but this year it isnt so cut an dry without a Vikings first round pick. I know that most of you out there are starting to begin your chase for cards, so here is who I would chase and who I would stay away from.

The Top Offensive Picks

Sam Bradford - I wouldn’t touch Sam Bradford right now, as he is not worth the money that some people are paying. He may eventually be a great QB, but the Rams are so terrible, he should end up very much like Stafford. That is, he should end up like Stafford if he gets signed in time. Because he may not start from day one, and because he will most like have a myriad of problems without a good receiving corps, he is a no go.

Tim Tebow - If you buy Tim Tebow right now, you must have a few screws loose. His value is so ridiculous based on his college career, that I don’t even think I would spend someone else's money on him. In fact, if I go to the rookie premiere events this week, I wont even bother looking for him because there are much better uses for my time. Per early reports he is number 4 on the depth chart, and though Denver wont be able to keep him there for long, he isnt going to play for a long time. If he does end up on the field in the distant future, I am almost positive he will not be effective.

CJ Spiller - Spiller has the biggest opportunity of anyone at the top of the draft, mainly because of how much he will play. The problem is that Buffalo's offensive line has the effectiveness equal to Marshawn Lynch's english speaking skills. This will hinder Spiller tremendously, and he will most likely end up more like Laurence Maroney than Maurice Jones-Drew when all is said and done. Watch out.

Dez Bryant - Its tough to deny that Bryant has the skills to be a great receiver, and playing in Dallas sure helps that cause. His prices are astronomical right now, and he easily could live up to them after being surrounded by Romo, Austin, and Williams. I would give him a good shot at the ROY if he can keep his head on straight, but then again, who wants a WR that isnt all about themselves? Their job is to be a ball hawk, so a me-first attitude can help in a lot of situations.

Demaryous Thomas - I have this gut feeling that he will turn out to be this year's Hey-Bey. He was a big reach over both Benn and Bryant, so Im not sure if I would even waste any time on him. Orton really has a lot of expectations to fufill, which could work in his favor without a true number one in Denver anymore. However, with the additions of him and Eric Decker, they may end up battling for reps if production falters for either one.

Ryan Mathews - This is a guy I would chase, he looks like he is going to have a great situation in San Diego when he gets there. A good QB, a good offensive line, and Darren Sproles. If you are a charger fan, you are happy they picked him, though you are sad that his prices are inflated due to the Peterson effect. Ryan Mathews is a sleeper for ROY, and as time moves on, he should end up being the best RB in the class. That’s my prediction.

Jahvid Best - See CJ Spiller's predicament, because Best is going to have a similar challenge. The Lions are just a terrible team and their offensive line is not where it needs to be. However, he will have more reps due to Kevin Smith's injury, but im not sure if it will matter all that much. Its tough to be a good running back when your team has more three and outs than anyone else in the league.

Jimmy Clausen - I like Clausen a lot, and I was pissed when the Vikings passed on him TWICE. He was projected as a top 5 pick, but teams didn’t think it was worth passing on a lot of the amazing defensive talents in the draft. I think Clausen will have the biggest impact of any of the rookie QBs in the first few years, only because Carolina is the best team with a new QB. The Panthers tore it up the last few weeks of the season and I think they will have a better year this year despite losing Julius Peppers. They play in a weaker division than I would expect, and Matt Moore doesn’t look like he is primed for a long run as their QB. Clausen could get on the field this year, and I have a feeling he will be effective as soon as he is handed the reigns.

Colt McCoy - McCoy is more NFL ready than Tebow in my opinion, but like St Louis, the Browns are horrid. He has nobody to throw to even if they let him play, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Browns pick number 1 next year and take a QB again. Stay away from McCoy for that reason.

Sleeper Offensive Players to Watch

Toby Gerhart - As a Vikings player, he will have a huge following. As a Vikings player he will also be limited in his carries and role in the offense. He was selected to replace Chester Taylor, but I think a combination of Percy Harvin and Peterson will fill the role initially. He will get touches, but not a major amount until next year. Gerhart was a beast in college, but lost stock because of a less than stellar 40 time and because he didn’t have a big program on jersey. He may have been second in the Heisman voting, but im not sure what kind of success he will have, especially if Favre retires.

Jonathan Dwyer - Same situation, but in Pittsburgh. Dwyer has Rashard Mendenhall to compete with, and as a later round pick, they don’t have much invested in him. Yet, with all Steelers guys, they always find a way to be good, so don’t count him out. His stuff will probably be cheap, so its not going to be a big investment to buy in.

Eric Decker - I like Decker a lot, and think he can be a good number 2 receiver in the pros. I definitely think he could end up being better than Thomas, but it will all depend on who plays QB. Decker's stuff wont go for shit, so again, it may be worth it to buy a few cards just because.

Ben Tate - Slaton has fumblitis, and was hurt last year, which means that Tate will get some reps. I mean, look at who they ran with last year. Brown? Cmon. Tate has a lot of upside, but his stuff is high because of where he played in college. I think if he shows initial promise, it’s a good idea to buy in. He plays for a good team with a good line, so he may be this year's LeSean McCoy.

Golden Tate - WRs always have a shot, but they are never worth very much unless they are named Jerry Rice. Tate will have a great shot in Seattle, mainly because of lack of options not named Houshmanzadeh. Tate showed flashes of brilliance in College and was a projected first rounder. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up being Carroll's number 2.

Ill be doing the normal Rookie Battle Royales again this year with focus on these guys, so check in as we get closer to the season for more updates.

More Details Emerging on the 2010 NFL Rookie Premiere

Ive gotten a few emails over the last day or so explaining that there is going to be a very public focus to the rookie premiere this year, mostly centered on spreading word on the hobby. I assume that between now and friday, each company will make an announcement that reveals their event that is open to the public.

Yesterday, Panini announced that they are going to be taking over a Wal Mart in Oxnard, CA with 15 of the players from the premiere. They will be doing pack wars, signing autographs, and im sure giving away lots of prizes. Personally, Ill decide whether or not to make the trip once I figure out the schedule to the event, as well as determine if the baby is going to cooperate at home with my wife, so who knows. I would much rather spend my time at a local shop like previous years rather than a freaking Wal Mart, but I am guessing that they just need the space for all the people that are going to come. Too bad they couldnt find a way to spread the wealth among the shops in the area, because I know a few of them could definitely use the people. Besides, for a company that has spent so much time stroking the nervous necks of the shop owners, they sure did take it in the complete opposite direction.

On Sunday, there is also an event scheduled at Santa Monica High School, which probably is Upper Deck's thing, though not as many details have been announced. I have an email into Upper Deck for more info, we will see what they say.

That leaves Thursday or Saturday for Topps, but they may also be jumping on with Upper Deck. If you are an autograph hound like myself, I think it may be in your best interest to keep checking back, there are a lot of details yet to be hammered out. This may be your chance to get early autographs of the 2010 Rookies, and you do not want to miss out if you live in or near LA.

Ill keep you updated as my sources update me, maybe ill just pay a reporter who is already going to be there like Beckett will to get my coverage.

Question on Topps Rookie Premiere Autos

Now that Topps is back, I am curious about a few things. Aside from the obvious questions about whether or not sticker autos are going to continue to be the focus of their brands, and whether Triple Threads is finally going to get an overhaul, I want to know if they are going to start a fight against cards like this or this.

Basically, over the last year, Topps rookie premiere autographs have become one of the biggest source of fake autos in the business. In fact, the fakes have become so prevalent, that real ones have become the super-minority in the market. Look at this search - almost every one of these cards is fake. PSA has even started grading the fakes as real! At that point it becomes obvious that very few people have even a clue as to what is happening. When it comes to this type of situation, there is almost no way a buyer can tell the authenticity of the card they are buying without being an expert.

A few months ago, before Topps left and re-entered the market, they promised that every one of the Rookie Premiere autos would now be serially numbered in their sets to prevent fraudulent cards from being sold. It didnt at all help any existing situation, but it was a start. Then when they left the Football market, things were put on the back burner. Now that they are back, I want to know if they are going to hold true to their promise.

See, Rookie Premiere autographs are some of the most quickly produced cards on the market. Although the design is determined months before the rookie premiere in May, the signing and printing of the cards is completed in a matter of hours. First the players arrive and head straight to the Topps photo area the night before Topps' day at the premiere. After the photos are taken, the pre-designed template is photoshopped over the picture and sent to a local LA printer. There, the cards are printed, cut and sent back to Topps before they hit the field the next morning. The players sign as many of the cards as possible during the station to station schedule, and Topps supposedly then destroys all extras. Obviously, that didnt happen, or we wouldnt have this problem. Now, this is saying that every one of these fake cards is coming straight from Topps back door as we have seen a few times with other sets. It could also be a printer problem, as I could easily see Kevin Burge and his associates paying that local printer to print more cards.

If the previous problem is addressed as Topps had declared, it will be even easier to determine the fakes that dont look like a five year old with pen signed all the cards. Who knows though, we may still have problems if Topps doesnt hold true to their end of the bargain.

Its Fake Season: Do YOU Have Your Hunting License?

I dont know what it is about March, maybe its the spring thaw or the ending of the cabin fever that winter forces in the cold areas of the country, but Fake Season is upon us. Dont get me wrong, every season is technically fake season, but things get kind of crazy in March for some reason. Everywhere I turn, more and more ridiculous fakes are popping up. The difference with most fakes and this one, is that PSA isnt grading them as authentic.

I have covered this maybe a hundred times, and each time I just cant understand how PSA markets themselves as an "Autograph Authority" when it is so easy to slip fakes past the goalie. What makes this instance such a money shot to the face, is that its not one that looks even REMOTELY close to a real one! Who in their right fucking mind would think this was real unless you bought it and got had, or are selling it to make money? Obviously, PSA didnt even bother checking any resource or they would see that this card looks closer to the signature of my 85 year old grandmother than Peterson, Johnson, Lynch or Ginn. What a fucking joke.

Just remember, just because its in a holder, doesnt mean its real. The real ones go for close to a thousand bucks now because the fakes VASTLY outnumber the reals. In fact, im having a tough time trying to find a real one to use on this post. Thats how tough it is to find one that is legit.

Ive also added a new golden rule of Topps:

STAY AWAY FROM ALL ROOKIE PREMIERE CARDS UNLESS YOU SAW IT PULLED FROM THE PACK.

How Long Before The Scams Look Perfect?

Its been close to six months since the fake rookie premiere autographs have swarmed the net, and I have to admit, its getting a little bit harder to tell which are fake and which are real. PSA has already taken to grading the fakes as real, which means that they A) cannot or will not disqualify a fake B) believe the actual cards to be real and C) dont care because they make money.

Thats not all.

Take a look at some of the Rookie Premieres that have already started popping up on the net. Adrian Peterson, a favorite target of these ass hats, has remained closer to fake than real, but Calvin Johnson is getting more closer to real than fake.

This is an early fake that looks like a 5 year old with a crayon.

This is a more recent fake that looks closer to real.

This one is real.

Notice the progression, things arent as obvious anymore. This situation is VERY bad, and it looks to be getting worse. Even the price has dropped considerably because no informed collector is willing to take a chance anymore. These used to sell for hundreds, now they can sell as low as 150.

The lesson is, if the autograph (compared side by side with a certified one) doesnt match up 100%, stay away. Look at tilt of the signature, start and stop points, and pen thickness. Also look at the rest of the sales, if there are a ton that are up, why believe that seller is the one guy who has sold 100 Peterson red inks in the last 30 days. Its just not feasible.

Remember, if you dont watch your own ass on these things, no one is going to do it for you. I am always happy to help with any questions you have.

Questionable RPA Now Has Slab?

I saw this on eBay yesterday and something just doesnt look right. Im sure that the slab was real at one point, as the registry on it says that the number refers to a Peterson red that was graded a 10. The problem is, the autograph just looks off, and it could just be Peterson's oft messy sig. However, when you look at the real RPAs, I begin to question the authenticity of this card.

The other thing is that I wonder how long it will take for the fake RPAs to be slabbed as real and then sold as such. We know they are very obviously fake, but all it takes is a bad day for one of the HUMAN people to arbitrarily assign a real cert to one of these.

You be the judge:

Join The Cause

A big focus of this blog lately has been to highlight scams that are happening around the hobby, mainly with the fake Topps rookie premiere autos that have spread like a disease. Topps has yet to respond to any emails, despite the number of people who have contacted them in response to this site. This means that as long as eBay is making money off these auctions, and as long as people continue to buy them, they are here to stay. Sadly.

Here are some ways to protect yourself, as most of these cards are pretty big investments. Basically, if any of these red flags are present, stay away and just wait for the next one.

1. Seller has MANY rookie premiere autos or questionable cards up for sale that all look the same. Most of the time, these cards come up for sale through sellers that have basically made a living selling them. That will leave hundreds of cards in their possession to sell, many of them looking signed by the same person. If you see this pop up, its time to investigate before bidding. If you are about to buy a rookie premiere, this should be step number one, and the link to do so is right under the seller's name in the auction. Actually, this isnt a bad idea with any questionable card.

2. Seller has MANY red ink RPAs for sale. Ever since the inception of these cards, the red ink variations have been the toughest to pull. Usually around 10 or so copies of the cards are signed in red ink, which leaves very few of these cards to actually pop up for sale. Unfortunately, this has changed recently, as the red inks are a favorite of these douchebags due to their value. Although its possible for someone to sell their collection of red inks, that comes once a year at most. If you see an auction block full of duals and quad red inks, stay away.

3. Seller's cards are signed in THICK markers. Staedler pens, which are used to sign these cards, are becoming harder and harder to find. Most of the time they are also pretty expensive to purchase. This leads to the sellers trying to use the wrong pens, or just being to stupid to use the right ones. Staedler pens leave razor sharp lines that are very distinguishable, and you can easily tell when someone has butchered a fake with a fine point sharpie. Again, this is something that can be seen in the seller's auction listings, because many should have the same lines in the sigs.

4. Autographs on the cards don’t look right. It can be tough sometimes to determine which autos look real, but most of the time, you can find PSA or BGS graded copies to compare the autos to. Look for the slant of the letters, the connection of the lines, even stop and start points on the sig. If they are different, something is up.

5. The players sold by the seller are always the top of the class. I have seen that during the sales of these cards, SOME of the weird players from the premiere sometimes get fakes, but the top guys ALWAYS are a focus for obvious reasons. If the guy has twenty rookie premiere autos for sale, and all of them are Calvin Johnson, Adrian Peterson, and Matt Ryan, a flag should be applied.

6. Price is low. Most quad red ink autos sell at around 400 for the good players, these are selling at around 200. Obviously, its rare that a price would drop 50% for any card without circumstance, so be sure to pay attention to ending price on the cards. If they usually are ending lower than they should, its for a reason.

Guys, in all reality, if people would just do their research, this could all be avoided. Im not saying they should come here, but they should go on eBay and look around to compare notes on other legit sales. The fact is that people in this world are generally ignorant and would rather live in their own world than spend their money with people who actually deserve it. If they had the tools, they would use them, but as we have seen around here lately, using smarts to apply to a sale is very rare.

Its Going To Be A Long Couple Of Months...

Over the next few months, there will be 10-15 products that will have post premiere stuff, but are still before the start of the NFL season. If you consider that august is the preseason start and september is when things get going, there are quite a few chances for you to pick up NFL uni stuff from your draft target (if you have one), or new stuff from last year's target. With 10-15 products coming out, which one is the first one to be worth your time?

Elite looks to be next on the calendar for Donini products, and I guarantee you that this is not the first product to be worth your time. Although you get 4 hits per box and one auto usually, the cards are usually just Prestige Chrome. The only redeeming part of Elite is the Passing the Torch Autos, which are astronomical pulls for a good one. Add in that the checklist is as bad as Prestige for the RC autos, and you have a really bad situation for box breaks. See, before the premiere, there is not as many seeding schemes that favor the guys who were there. Most of the time, you will end up with a second day pick or free agent as your box hit, rather than a premiere guy as your box hit. For 100 bucks, you can bet your ass that you would be better served to wait.

Then you move onto Heroes and Philadelphia for UD, which in my opinion are good sets, but not necessarily the top of the pile for RC auto collectors. The difference between Heroes and Philadelphia and the other products from Donini, is that both the UD products will have on card elements, with Philadelphia being the best of the three based on the info we got from the premiere. Philadelphia is the product featuring the players' crazy inscriptions that really have not been present before on a card. Instead of just a plain sticker on a rookie card, these will feature more than I have ever thought could be possible. That alone puts UD head and shoulders above Donini. Now, most of you know I am partial to UD in terms of design, creativity, and pretty much everything, and this is why. They take things like a normal autograph, and make it better than one would expect. I used to think that stickers were okay as long as they were done well, but this puts things in a different light. Stickers are still fine, but they will never compete with stuff like inscribed nicknames on card.

Yet, Im not sure that Philadelphia is that one product you should hold your breath for, as I am not a fan of retro sets. It will be the best of the few that have come out pre-premiere, but SPA and Exquisite will still be king. Of course, who wants to wait six months before buying anything? In that vein, you may want to wait for Topps Chrome to come out, as long as it doesn’t have those awful stickers all over the curved auto space. That would suck. At around 60 bucks a box for base RC cards that are actually worth a little bit, you really cant go wrong with buying a couple. Since I started collecting, Chrome and Finest RCs have been my cards each year to get, and that has continued. One of my favorite Peterson cards is still the Chrome auto I have, despite the fact that my Exquisite is a clearly better card. Its just my personal and nostalgic connection to chrome, and that looks to be continuing this year.

I think as collectors, we need to start coming to terms with the fact that 100 bucks for a box with 3 hits and an auto isnt worth it any more in this economy. I know that I can no longer justify buying boxes when I can buy the singles I WANT for less than the price of a break. Much like millions of people in America, my disposable income has been cut, and I no longer have the means to bust and bust. Add in the fact that there are really only 5 products each year that I look forward to, on a calendar of 25+, and you should see the problem. Right now, my products are SPA, Exquisite, NT, Topps Chrome, and Leaf Limited, yet last year many of the Donini products let me down. For the first year in 3, I did not buy any Limited, it just wasn’t as good in huge base box form. I don’t have the money to buy a box of Exquisite or NT, but we have busted a few of each on the site. Chrome I bought about 5 boxes over the course of the year, and SPA I bought 2. This year could be drastically different, though group breaks on the site could change that.

Even though Beckett seems to think that the blogs are cesspools of misinformation and are only good for connecting with other collectors, I think that the commentary is necessary for people looking to plan out their year. I read what they said about early SAGE offerings, and I definitely don’t agree with any of their coverage on products so far. They tend to set a horrible expectation that these products will hold through the year, though every single fucking person knows they wont. Don’t waste your time on Prestige or Elite, and watch yourself on Classics. Absolute is usually pretty fun to bust, so you may want to wait for that. As for UD, Philadelphia will be great as a popular retro set, however it may not hold its value on the rookie side of things. Early sets rarely do, hopefully this will be an exception. If last year's calendar is any indication of the longevity of sets, SPA will be the first bang of the year, and it wont come until December. Ultimate, NT and Exquisite will come at the end as well, and those are the only ones to REALLY hold the year in the minds of collectors. Keep that in mind.

Another View From The NFL Rookie Premiere

Over the last few days I have had the pleasure of working with Mike and Mitch of Extra Innings Sports Cards for coverage of the NFL Rookie Premiere. Mike was nice enough to sit down with me for a few minutes on Sunday and discuss the goings on from the weekend, and just like with my impressions after talking to Gregg Kohn, it seems like the weekend was a huge success.

I am going to focus on a few things, mainly the players’ interaction with the people there, as well as some neat tidbits from Mike. Before I move on, I want to talk about how great Mike and Mitch are, and give them another plug for their shop. Upon reading SCU for the first time, Mike emailed me and wanted to see if I wanted to attend his shop's event and possibly win a spot at the Premiere yesterday. He wasnt sure if he could get me in any other way, but thought he would try. Both Mike and Mitch were sympathetic to SCU's situation, and were out to help. I honestly couldnt believe they wanted to help, but thats the kind of guys they are. Eventually they just tried to get me on their team's list, but were told I was not allowed on the Premises. So, despite their best intentions, I couldnt be there, so they did the next best thing. Mike offered to take some stuff to the event on my behalf, and I came back with autos from the three guys I am targeting from this class (pics are included in the post). Ill say right now, these two gentlemen have made my year so far, its nice to see there are people out there who actually care.

Moving on to the event, Mike said he couldnt have had a better time. He and his shop's employees were there as part of the Panini team, and had on field access to the players there. The first words out of his mouth when asked about the players there, were "for 22 year old millionaires, they were some of the nicest guys there." He talked about how much fun the players were having this year, especially with the different articles they had to make “used.” If you asked them to run a few steps, they ran a route, if you asked them to wear in a jersey they went and tackled a friend across the field. “It was a very positive atmosphere, and you could feel it,” he said.

Most of us who have a negative view of this event probably think that the jerseys are slipped on and off, and most of the time that is true. This year, for people like Mark Sanchez and others, a few second werent enough to designate something as used by the players. Mike specifically recalled Sanchez’s objection to calling something ‘event used’ unless it was dirtied some how. He would drag cleats across the grass, spike footballs and really get the props broken in. I was glad to hear that, and so was Mike to see it first hand.

Mike also specifically remembered guys like Jason Smith and Tyson Jackson, saying that they were some of the best players to be around at the event, cracking jokes and talking shit. At one point, Smith actually went at it with Tyson Jackson of the Chiefs at mid field as a "preview of 2009." Nice.



The event was done in shifts, where four or five rookies came to the station at a time, and went through the requests of the company. For Panini, most of the players had ten or so jerseys to put on, seven footballs to play with and 3 pairs of cleats. For the top guys there, it was 10 home and 10 away jerseys, plus having to sign all the on card offerings like the NT Pen Pals set, and the manupatches. I am glad to hear that Panini is focusing a lot on hard signed products just like Upper Deck. They also signed nameplates and helmets according to the Panini schedule I obtained from Jeff (not associated with EI Sports Cards), another person who was there, as well as many other personal autos for the workers at the tent. Per the schedule, each player wore around 30-50 articles of clothing, and signed about 600-650 cards and stickers. Mike made it a point to say that even the last group, who had been there all day in the heat, signed beautifully without objection.

Mike also talked about Matt Stafford, as Mitch had mentioned how out of place he seemed at all the events of the weekend, including the pre-party at the hotel, and the nights at the bars. Per the people around him at the event, he was just too nice a guy, a southern gent, even when asked about a Georgia Tech loss during the last season and last game of his college career.

So, all politics aside, I am beyond happy with Mike's report. I will put that much more of a stake into this year knowing that the players actually question why their shoes are being cut up instead of given to needy families, knowing that they want to make sure that the stuff is "used," and knowing that even at the end of the day, they still wanted to be there for the fans.

One thing stuck out to me, as Mike talked about a special guest of the shop. He was a younger kid, and was a child of a person they knew. He was a huge SC fan, and was unfortunately stuck in the stands for most of the day due to security. Luckily for him, Mark Sanchez and Patrick Turner didn’t hesitate to go sit and talk to him and make him feel important for a full half hour. Kudos to them on that.

With that, ill end it there. However, if you are anywhere close to LA and looking for a shop, PLEASE go check out Extra Innings Sports Cards on Washington Blvd in Culver City. It is worth any trip you make, as Mike could be the nicest shop owner I have ever meant. After hearing some stories, Mitch is cut from the same cloth, even driving product out to customers who cant or wont make the drive. Tell them you read about their store here, so at least I know that I can somehow pay them back for the amazing opportunities this past weekend.

SCU Reports: The 2009 NFL Rookie Premiere With Gregg Kohn Of Upper Deck

Over the last few days, I have spent a lot of time covering the politics of the Rookie Premiere access, but now I have some info on the goings on of the event itself. Gregg Kohn, product manager of UD Football, graciously spent some time informing me of what happened, and based on our conversation, my respect for the 2009 class has gone through the roof.

First some background. Since the early part of the decade, the top NFL rookies have gathered each year in Los Angeles to run through the routes for the first time in their full gear. Also since the early part of the decade, there have been swatches from jerseys obtained at the event put into the cards we buy throughout the card season. Most people automatically assume that the jerseys they get are one of two things: game used (they are not) or the jersey in the picture (they are not). In reality, the jerseys are worn for a matter of seconds, and the jerseys in the picture are kept by people at the event. Really, as long as you know this, there wont be any surprises, so I wont talk about it much more. What you may not know, is that the event is the sole reason we have cards for the year at all, so its a big give and take with the collectors. Again, I am not going to focus on this, the NFL had their chance for that and epically failed.

Instead, I am going to focus on a few other things, mainly the players, and some great stuff that is coming down the pipeline for UD. Before I move on, I want to thank Gregg again for the wonderful help he has given to this blog. He is one of the only people I have met that appreciates the role blogs play in the hobby media.

Moving on to the event, Gregg said he had a great time with a great class. He said that it was one of the best classes they had invited to event, and there was not a primadonna in the group. He mentioned that EVERYONE was happy to be there, and more than willing to overparticipate on what was asked. He also mentioned that a lot of the players were very happy to sign their stuff, and most wanted some of the cards to take home with them. They brought quite a bit of product with them to get hard signed for the sets, and that will include 10 of 12 sets with elements of hard signed cards, and more than half at ALL on card.

Mainly, they were trying to focus on getting more for you, the collector, which includes things like player inscriptions, as well as other newer ideas that really havent had a place in the past days of the hobby. He also commented that the many of the guys, including Darrius Heyward-Bey in particular, were determined to sign their full name regardless of how they felt about signing cards. As a kid, Heyward-Bey hated give up autos and told Gregg he would be signing everything the same.

Many of you also wanted to know about throwbacks and other jerseys that players may have worn, and there were players that needed to wear them due to depleated inventory at the jersey manufacturers, or for a nice touch in general. So, for instance, Crabtree wore some Jerry Rice stuff, Tyson Jackson wore some Derrick Thomas stuff, and a few of the Giants even got to wear some Mark Bavaro stuff. Gregg said that they players actually like this a lot, and Josh Freeman even wanted to keep the awesome Warren Sapp throwback they used. Of course, that means if you see a weird letter in your card, don’t worry.

Gregg specifically remembered Jason Smith and his wonderful and addictive personality, saying that he was one of the best players to be around at the event, cracking jokes and talking shit. He also mentioned that Brandon Pettigrew of the Lions was great, and that he may have been the biggest tight end ever. People like Aaron Curry were also gigantic, but somewhat reserved as well, which was funny to hear. Gregg even agreed that Beanie Wells was surprisingly big for his stature, and would not like to take a hit from that tank at full speed.

Gregg explained that the event was done in shifts, where four or five rookies came to the station at a time, and went through the requests of the company. For Upper Deck, they tried to keep them in teams or at least with their buddies, at least to keep things easy. They wore around the expected amount of jerseys, enough to fill the 2009 products, but it was definitely not as many as you would expect.

So, all politics with the NFL aside, I am thouroughly impressed with Gregg's report. I will put that much more of a stake into this year knowing that the players have fun doing the events of the weekend, even the Touchdown Dance competition and the trampoline jumps for pictures. After we finished talking about the event, Gregg and I were in agreement that it was tough to think ahead a few years and know that a few of these guys wont be playing anymore. He said they were a great group of guys to spend a weekend with, and wished them the best in 2009.

As for UD products, it looks like it is going to be another banner year. SPA will be back and better than ever with an unprecedented 10 auto rookie patches per case. For the other boxes, you will either get a jumbo signed patch of a rookie or possibly veteran, or one of the new authentic dynasties cards that focus on the teams of each decade. Gregg didnt mention the letters, but they could still be included.

Philadelphia looks like it is going to be a huge success, as we have seen in the galleries from the weekend, and you can imagine that the cards are going to be beautiful. He specifically mentioned jumbo inserts that were hard signed, as well as the mini signatures we would come to expect as a staple of many retro products. There will also be a National Chicle insert set with autographed parallels, many of which were signed during the weekend.

When it comes to 2009 Ultimate Collection Football, Gregg said that they were going to go back to the non-relic versions of the RC Autos. He also said they are tossing around an idea similar to USA baseball where the players will be asked a question to answer along with their sig. That should be interesting, as the USA cards were immensely popular.

These products will accompany Heroes and Draft which should be on shelves very shortly, both of which look great. Heroes will have all hard signed cards, and you can thank the weekend for those.

With that I want to give ANOTHER special thanks to Gregg and to Brandon Miller for their work on this blog and the rookie premiere, their participation is always a treat for me. Both have a standing invitation to come back whenever he wants. Also, sorry to Lindsey who is the brains behind UD design work. I referred to her in a previous as a guy, she is actually quite the contrary. Thanks!

My Blog Bat Around: Growing Pains

When I first discovered blogging, I was immediately turned on by the fact that I could finally say whatever I wanted, when I wanted. I would no longer have to put up with any 12 year olds on the BMB who disagree just to disagree, and if I wanted to swim against the current I could without a problem. Being an English major in school, I loved to write, especially informal pieces about things I love. What better excursion could there be than blogging about cards?

The problem started out that I had a lot of pent up anger ready to fire at those I was angry at, and not many people willing to listen. I wasn’t experienced at building a site, and the community we have now was relatively small at the time. After the Exquisite fiasco of last year, the subject I wanted to focus on had a springboard and a purpose. The problem was, the perpetrators I chose conflicted with the owner of the place I was going to use to disseminate my site. That was a problem as you could imagine, and I was banned shortly after my site was mentioned on the board.

Much to their chagrin, many people started reading from my presence on the board, some out of hate, others out of support. I finally had an audience, and I was more than happy to preach to their waiting ears. Ill tell you, I had so much fun the first few months doing the blog, I barely cared that my video on youtube had more views than the site. Then, at that time, it was about having fun and if people were pissed, they were pissed. Some times you have to crack the eggs to make an omelette.

As the months started to pass, more people joined the blog community, which led to more people coming to the blog. Mario helped out quite a bit by promoting SCU on the directory he had started, and the sitemeter at the bottom of the page started to grow. You can imagine that more haters also started reading, including some with more hatred than I have for Beckett. They started to make the blog their toilet for comment diarrhea, but most of the time SCU wsa for like minded people to myself.

Somewhere around that time, internet views of the media evil empire started to change, as more people came on board with SCU, which made me take on a new purpose for blogging too. Instead of doing it to have fun, my purpose became to discredit, defame, and change the mindset away from previous paradigms that had plagued the hobby. I wanted to change people's mind, and I was going to have fun doing it. I, in fact, did have a blast sticking it to the 'man' and even acquired some interesting visitors in the process. Top dogs from UD, Donruss, and other companies started to read the blog, including many of the people I despised at Teenage Sports Card Life and Love Magazine. To know that there were people listening, though few, was exhilerating, and I continued my quest to be at the forefront of their mind when planning for the future.

This continued, as well as my love for blogging, well past the 100,000 visitor and 1 year anniversary of the site, up until Tuesday of this week. Im going to elaborate in case you are not in the know. On Monday, I was approved for Media access to the NFL rookie premiere at the LA Coliseum, making it my best day as a blogger, ever. Finally, I had made enough progress to be able to move past my humble beginnings as an outlet from a heavily censored message board to an actual hobby media member. My success was short lived as less than 24 hours later, my credentials were revoked in a blanket decision to not allow bloggers and media members like me. I immediately got on the horn and started finding out why things had done a complete 180, but didn’t get very far. The NFL could not comment on who had made the decision, but reps at NFL Players there made my assumptions rise that someone had requested this be the case. I talked to a few industry people close to the event, and all of them had said that this type of revokation had NEVER happened before. They also hinted to me that there was more that was going on - typical. When I talked to my main source, whom I have never spoken about on this blog, they mentioned that there were people in the industry who had made it clear to the NFL that I was not to be allowed at the event. Apparently, this was done on behalf of people who disliked my mission in life, and that they had made a mistake blabbing about it to sympathic industry people to their interests. I wanted to find out who, but it was pretty clear that it could be a number of people, with two at the top of the list.

So, instead of going to the event with the intent of providing coverage for you guys, I am now sitting at home this Saturday because certain people in this hobby function like the cast of Mean Girls. If you think that I regret my past trangressions against the brass of the hobby, you are completely wrong. I would never trade my stances for access to an event. Nor do I regret anything. I would do it all the same.

To answer the question of why do I blog, the answer is simple. Its part of who I am.

List Of Players Attending the 2009 NFL Rookie Premiere

Here the official list of the players to be present at the 2009 NFL Rookie Premiere:



Ramses Barden - Giants
Rhett Bomar - Giants
Kenny Britt - Titans
Andre Brown - Giants
Donald Brown - Colts
Deon Butler - Seattle
Glen Coffee - Niners
Michael Crabtree - Niners
Aaron Curry - Seahawks
Nate Davis - Niners
Josh Freeman - Bucs
Shonn Green - Jets
Percy Harvin - Vikings
Darrius Heyward Bey - Raiders
Juaquin Iglesias - Bears
Tyson Jackson - Chiefs
Jeremy Maclin - Eagles
Mohammed Massaquoi - Browns
LeSean McCoy - Eagles
Stephen McGee - Cowboys
Knowshon Moreno - Broncos
Hakeem Nicks - Giants
Brandon Pettigrew - Lions
Javon Ringer - Titans
Brian Robiskie - Browns
Mark Sanchez - Jets
Jason Smith - Rams
Matthew Stafford - Lions
Brandon Tate - Pats
Mike Thomas - Jags
Patrick Turner - Dolphins
Mike Wallace - Steelers
Chris Wells - Cards
Pat White - Dolphins
Derrick Williams - Lions

Interesting list, I definitely see all the players that SHOULD be there, are there. I also see some head scratchers, but those are always a given each year. Some notable exceptions are missing, mainly some of the QBs you would normally expect to see, and some of the defense guys like Maualunga. Either way, hopefully I can be there to cover it for SCU. Things are in the works, ill keep you all posted.

Here is the release:

TOP DRAFT PICKS MAKE DEBUT IN LOS ANGELES AT THE
2009 REEBOK NFL PLAYERS ROOKIE PREMIERE
PRESENTED BY EA SPORTS™

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.

May 11, 2009 – LOS ANGELES – Top players from the 2009 NFL rookie class will gather in Los Angeles for the Reebok NFL PLAYERS Rookie Premiere Presented by EA SPORTS beginning Thursday, May 14. This unique event provides trading card companies Panini America, Topps and The Upper Deck Company with the opportunity to photograph rookie players for the first time in their official team jerseys.

Other official event sponsors include Reebok, EA SPORTS, Pepsi and Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. The photo shoots will take place at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

“This is a one-of-a-kind event that brings together some of the top rookies in the 2009 class for the first time,” NFL PLAYERS Chief Operating Officer Andrew Feffer said. “It is a unique opportunity to showcase these players to our partners as interesting and compelling personalities, features that are at the core of the NFL PLAYERS brand.”

In addition to the trading card photo shoots, rookies will visit a local hobby shop and take part in media appearances and corporate hospitality events during their four days in Los Angeles. For the fifth consecutive year, Pepsi will also be on hand to capture footage for their season-long Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week and Rookie of the Year promotions.

In its 13th year, the Reebok NFL PLAYERS Rookie Premiere Presented by EA SPORTS is an official event of NFL PLAYERS.

Thanks again to all the people over at NFL Players, your help has been invaluable and much appreciated.

Your Primer For Pre-Rookie Premiere Products

In the next few weeks, we should be getting our first taste of licensed NFL products with the 2009 RCs. Before you go nuts, keep a few things in mind when you are buying. Also, do not, under any circumstances, forget that post RC premiere NFL uni cards are less than 3 months away.

The first thing you need to remember is that when you buy, remember that the value of these cards will only hold as long as they did last year. That means when you buy UD draft boxes, understand that the stuff in the boxes should be sold off as quickly as possible. Same with Prestige. I can tell you right now that after the first box of Classics hit the shelf, I didn’t even let another thought into my head about these products. The cards themselves will hold more value than any unlicensed cards, but they surely will not live up to the main release products. I would be especially careful with the new Bowman offering, as there will most likely be 2-4 other Bowman products for collectors to get later in the year. If you buy Stafford and Moreno at 80-100, expect a 20-40% decrease in the price after the season starts.

The second thing you need to remember, is that some products are a much better value buy than others. That means that its better to buy Donini Elite rather than Donini prestige. Plus, with content and price about where it was last year, you can expect to pay a lot up front for both. Its better to choose the products you know will hold through the year. Here is my pre-premiere ladder:

1. Donini Elite
2. UD Draft
3. Donini Prestige
4. UD Icons
5. UD Heroes
6. Bowman DP
100. any unlicensed products

The elite, although college jersey pictures, seems to hold better than most, mainly because of the baseball equivalents being popular, and also the brand being around for a long time. The cards usually don’t look that bad, and they can be numbered quite low. The one caviat to all of this is all UD products will be on card, so you may just want to go for those. However, many have been pushed back, so they may coicide with RC premiere cards.

Lastly, don’t go prospecting with these sets unless you are going to sell RIGHT AWAY. Believe it or not, people do end up making quite a bit of money buying cases and flipping the content on these, but that doesn’t mean it will work out that way for you. I would say pick your guy(s) and get a few things. Hopefully you will choose wisely enough that the player will be great and you wont lose much, or the player is cheap to begin with and it wouldn’t matter if he sucked it up.

First Look: 2009 Donruss Classics Football

(Click To Enlarge)

Okay, this is where the meat and potatoes are, as this is the preview for the first post RC premier set of 2009. The problem is that it hasnt changed at all from last year, and is actually a downgrade in my opinion. The floating swatches are back, as we see here, and it seems like there just arent any resources to make these products good. Im hoping this is just sell sheet junk and that the actual cards are much better.

I think that this set has potential, but so did LCM last year. I am praying that football cards make it through 2009, as it doesnt look too good right now. Thats just my opinion though.

Suggestion For 2009 Football Products

Listen, I know that I am not going to be able to stop card companies from using Event Used "Relics" in their cards, so I have given that up. The thing with event used, is that they could literally give a rookie a jersey that is covered in patches and logos, and really, we wouldnt know any different. It could be that easy, and the cards would look exactly the same. On top of all that, the jersey would only be worn for as long as it takes the player to put it on and pull it off. That is what event used is, and I hate it. There is no connection to a game, and there sure is no connection to a player. Dont believe me? Here is a great article that describes what happens at the rookie premiere.

Dont get me wrong, I think that the rookie premiere is a great thing. It gets us pics of the RCs for card releases, and is a great time for the companies to get on card autos and to stock up on their stickers to use. Without the RC premiere, our card year would suck. Yet, as with every good idea in this hobby, there is a ridiculously bad thing that goes along with it.

The event used "relics" are bad, but the event used footballs are the worst fucking idea that has ever graced the windows of relic cards. Basically, a guy from UD, DLP, and Topps, on their specific day, stands by a tent and throws football after football at the RCs, they catch them and throw them back. Thats it. Fucking insaneulous.

Just for some background, I am against game used ball cards in general. They are just stupid, unless they have an autograph ON THE RELIC. In my mind, the ball is the least important piece of memorabilia in the game itself, with helmets, pants, jerseys, shoes and even gloves, all above it. They use so many balls, it takes the aura away. With event used balls, you are so far down the totem pole, that you are in the dirt the totem pole is buried in for stability. Plus, with all the fucking relics that come out in a year for a specific player, is there really a need to use the balls?

DLP uses them more than anyone. They are public enemy number one with these testicles of the card industry. Absolute, Gridiron Gear, among others, all have ball relics in the MAIN hits for the product. That sucks the sweaty sac of the Bills' backup left tackle. Ditch it for good.

In a perfect world, we would be satisfied with RC autos until they got some game used shit from the first few games. Everyone plays in pre-season, even Brock Lesnar, so dont think that there wont be anything. At least that way, we get some player important stuff that can actually be considered a "relic."

First Look: 2009 UD Draft Football

Well, its that time of year already, and UD draft already has their products for the 2009 draft locked and loaded. Last year I talked about UD draft as a scaled up version of Press Poop and SAGE, and this year, it doesn’t seem all that different. The main upgrade is it seems that there will be a few more current player autos and the design looks a hell of a lot better. Gregg mentions that the product will feature 5 on card autos per box, and for an early product, that is pretty huge. Will it ever be as good as the first product after the RC premiere? No, it wont, but I would definitely advocate this product over the alternatives to satisfy your urges until July comes around.

If you remember the design abortion that was Topps Rookie Progression, you know exactly what I mean.

The Boys Are Back In Town

What time is it?

…GAME TIME.

Well, kind of. Football is back, *THANK YOU GOD*, and I am fucking excited. In fact, I watched some lame ass game between the Saints and Cardinals just to get my fix. That all ends tonight when a seemingly better Vikings team takes on the Seahawks. Yeah, All Day probably wont play, or if he does, the exploding shoelaces wont be laced up. But that doesn’t mean there isnt anything to watch for. In fact, this is prime time for prospecting, as many of those guys you get as box hits will be on display. Here are some players to watch and see:

Darren McFadden and JaMarcus Russell - These guys will be playing, but Russell probably wont play for long. Instead he will spend most of the time on the bench contemplating why his parents gave him such an awful name. McFadden, on the other hand, should be on display to see what he can do much like All Day was last year. If he does well, expect his cards to rise to even more inflated prices, despite it only being pre-season. The people who buy then are not prospectors, but idiots. I expect McFadden to have ten carries and maybe one or two runs broken for long yardage. Again, this is preseason, so this wont transfer. Its basically a glorified scrimmage.

Felix Jones, Jonathan Stewart and Rashard Mendenhall - I have a feeling these guys will have better years than McFadden because they are playing behind more polished teams. Outside of McFadden and Russell, I can barely name more than a few guys on the squad. I have said before that Felix Jones is the guy to collect, but his prices are so high that I am cancelling that. Im guessing all three have pretty good pre-seasons.


Matt Ryan, Brian Brohm, and John Booty - All of these guys are playing on teams with QB drama. Now that Favre is gone, thank god again, Brohm has potential to see the field this year behind a good team. Rodgers may not perform and you can guess that Packer fans will call for heads to roll if he sucks. Ryan, on the other hand, shouldn’t start, but he probably will make it on to the field by week 4. This never, EVER works, unless your name is Peyton Manning, who still managed to suck his first few years. Preseason will be a good place to watch and see what potential he has. Last but not least, Booty is on a team with 4 QBs, 2 of which are inconsequential. I want to see him in a pro-style offense and see if he can work some magic with the scrubs of the scrubs. Frerotte and Bollinger are worthless journeymen who are on this team because Jackson cant stay on the field. I would expect one of them to be gone if Booty does well.

Domique Rogers-Cromartie, Tyrell Johnson, and Calais Campbell - These defensive guys were at the top coming into the draft. Most of them will play pretty early, and I would expect that all of them will be pretty good. Keep on the look out as these guys wont have many, if any cards, and it might be wise to jump on them if they are cheap and playing well.

Vernon Gholston, Chris Long, and Glenn Dorsey - These guys will probably be very good, with Gholston as the highest bust potential. All three will play from the beginning, which means you might want to get the cards now. Chris Long will be the best of the three, so make sure you have some of him saved up, he wont be around much after this year.

Calvin Johnson, Trent Edwards, Selvin Young and Kolby Smith -Calvin was ok for the lions last year, but I think they are expecting more this year. Same with Edwards. Now, as for Selvin and Kolby, they better show some good things to justify those prices. Need I remind you that Selvin's SPAs have approached $250 a piece? God, people are stupid.

So, with that, pull up a comfy chair and some popcorn, and get ready for some football. Yes its only pre-season, but for card people this is a good time to see your guys in action before they ride the pine for the year.

UD Makes Premier a Premiere Set

Per case, you will get at least 1 auto of one of these guys:

Adrian Peterson
Barry Sanders
Ben Roethlisberger
Brett Favre
Dan Marino
Jerry Rice
Eli Manning
Jim Brown
Joe Montana
Joe Namath
John Elway
Ladainian Tomlinson
Peyton Manning
Terry Bradshaw
Tom Brady
Tony Romo

Well, thats pretty good, not great, but good. Some of the guys on the list shouldnt be there, but its a good list like the Basketball one.

The good thing is that they are also including 4 autos of this list of guys per case:

Matt Ryan
Darren McFadden
Chad Henne
Rashard Mendenhall
Brian Brohm
Felix Jones
Joe Flacco
Jonathan Stewart

That is huge. HUGE. For a premium product and a long list of guys at the RC premiere, this is a great way to fix it. This means that for 5/10 boxes for a case, you will pull a pretty good auto. But, that still leaves 5 boxes that are going to probably be total crap. Who knows though, we could have another product like UD Black Basketball where the cases are fucking loaded.

Either way, its a good start to a premium product season.

Poll Results Discussion w/ Contest

After a long time, the poll about the axing of products is over. Ill make sure to shorten it next time so we dont have it sitting there for a long ass time.

Anyways, I agree mostly with what people selected. SAGE, as a brand, should be axed along with Press Poop - so I am not surprised that the overpriced and overhyped DECADEnce was the top vote getter. I hate printing plates in general, but to have a set based around print plates from fucking gross SAGE sets is fucking ludicrious at that price. Who cares if you pull a Reggie Bush, it aint going to look pretty, and it aint going to be worth shit.

I was suprised that Playoff NFL Playoffs set didnt get more votes, I think its a set that is pretty worthless. You get a bunch of cards that you will never need, and all you want is that bonus pack where you can try to make up the $70 cost of the box. Chances are, you wont.

As for Topps CoSigners, I was shocked that more people didnt vote for it. For 120 bucks you got three autos on two cards, one of which was guaranteed to be David Clowney, XCVIILX. It is a set built on awful parallels and I really hoped it would go away (it will be back for sure). Who thinks of plaid and says, "That is a great name for a parallel!" I guess thats what you get when you parallel the shit out of all your products.

Bowman Sterling was the one product I would support keeping if they lowered the price and took out three fourths of the players they featured. Jesus, with this set you get barely nothing for what you pay. I can only imagine what this shit fest will be like with 40 players at the RC Premiere.

New poll will be up soon, dont forget to vote.

Secondly, a little contest for everyone. Post your answer for the next poll and the percentage you think it will get. For the person who guesses the most popular answer and is closest to the percentage, they will win this Steve Smith 2 color patch card numbered to 50. If you are a baseball guy, ill find something comparable to give you. Your answer must be posted by Wednesday of this week at midnight. After that, you will not be eligible. Tell your buddies.

2008 Rookie Premiere

The rookie premiere is set. Now we can all rest easy that the patches and jerseys in our cards will be ready for production. This list is bigger than last year, so there will be a few more Antonio Pittmans and Chad Jacksons. Yay.

Here is a list of the rookies attending the Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles (*= no one should care):

Donnie Avery - St. Louis, WR*
Earl Bennett - Chicago, WR*
John David Booty - Minnesota, QB (YES! Booty call!)
Brian Brohm - Green Bay, QB
Andre Caldwell - Cincinnati, WR*
Jamaal Charles - Kansas City, RB*
Glenn Dorsey - Kansas City, DT
Early Doucet III - Arizona, WR
Harry Douglas - Atlanta, WR*
Joe Flacco - Baltimore, QB
Matt Forte - Chicago, RB
James Hardy - Buffalo, WR
Chad Henne - Miami, QB
DeSean Jackson - Philadelphia, WR
Dexter Jackson - Tampa Bay, WR
Chris Johnson - Tennessee, RB*
Felix Jones - Dallas, RB
Dustin Keller - New York Jets, TE*
Malcolm Kelly - Washington, WR*
Jake Long - Miami, T
Mario Manningham - New York Giants, WR
Darren McFadden - Oakland, RB
Rashard Mendenhall - Pittsburgh, RB
Jordy Nelson, Green Bay, WR*
Kevin O'Connell - New England, QB*
Ray Rice - Baltimore, RB
Eddie Royal - Denver, WR*
Matt Ryan - Atlanta, QB
Jerome Simpson - Cincinnati, WR*
Steve Slaton - Houston, RB *
Kevin Smith - Detroit, RB *
Jonathan Stewart - Carolina, RB
Limas Sweed - Pittsburgh, WR
Devin Thomas - Washington, WR

DeSean Jackson will also be doing a signing at the Beverly Hills Card Shop, so I might go check both of these out. Expect my OWN behind the scenes report if I do. You can bet your ass I will be counting jerseys worn.