Archive for Football

When we first announced that there would be a 2011 Upper Deck Exquisite Football set at the 2012 Las Vegas Industry Summit, the room buzzed with excitement. And there was plenty to be excited about as Certified Diamond Dealers in attendance enjoyed seeing the return of UD Black and the new Exquisite Dimensions autograph cards. And now as we get closer to launch, more and more hard-signed autograph cards are arriving here each week. Take a look at a small portion of cards recently received in.

We are bringing out the best patches of the year to use with the ultra-premium Exquisite Football set.

Patch swatches are significantly larger than the 2010 Upper Deck Exquisite Football product.

And with bigger patches, come more colorful swatches!

Look for autographs of legendary players like Jerry Rice!

Charles White has a particularly beautiful signature. Fight on!

And this Rocket Ismail Book Mark card features a beautiful painted image of the playmaker for Notre Dame in action.

Gold paint pen on some of the rookie autographs really make the hard-signed signatures "pop!"

The inclusion of inscription autographs help provide for some compelling chase for collectors.

As more autograph content arrives, we look forward to sharing a release date for this product in the near future. Look for more galleries on 2011 Upper Deck Exquisite Football in the future leading up to the pack out of the product where we will share a HUGE preview on the UD Facebook page.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Share
Comments (2)

The new College Mascot patch cards found in 2012 Upper Deck Football have been white hot in the secondary market and more than a few collectors have made the decision to put this set together. We put together a set and grabbed the guys who built the product to talk about what components made it work so well with collectors and what fans can expect to see with these cards in the future.

Additionally, we also scanned all the cards so you could check them out for yourself and decide which ones you are going to chase. And remember to check out the short print list on these cards by clicking HERE.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share
Comments (1)

The draft is over, but the foil is still flying as football fans crack more and more packs of 2012 Upper Deck Football. And in their quest to find some of the most sought after rookies of the season, they are also scoring some great autograph cards as well. The always popular Letterman autograph cards are all numbered, but the autographed Star Rookie and 1993 SP parallel cards are not. We wanted to share some short print groupings with fans who are working on putting these sets together.

Star Rookie Autograph Parallels

Group A: Combine to fall at 1:415 packs

Alfonzo Dennard
Brandon Thompson
Brandon Weeden
Case Keenum
Chandler Harnish
Courtney Upshaw
Doug Martin
Dwayne Allen
Jeff Fuller
Kellen Moore
Kirk Cousins
Luke Kuechly
Marquis Maze
Melvin Ingram
Michael Floyd
Mohamed Sanu
Nick Foles
Nick Toon
Quinton Coples
Robert Griffin III
Russell Wilson
Ryan Broyles
Ryan Tannehill
Trent Richardson

Group B: Combine to fall at 1:57 packs

A.J. Jenkins
Alameda Ta’amu
Alfred Morris
Alshon Jeffery
Andre Branch
B.J. Cunningham
Bernard Pierce
Bobby Rainey
Bobby Wagner
Brandon Bolden
Brian Quick
Brian Reader
Brock Osweiler
Cliff Harris
Coby Fleener
Cyrus Gray
Da’Jon McNight
Dan Herron
Dan Persa
David Molk
David Paulson
Davin Meggett
Derek Moye
DeVier Posey
Devon Wylie
Dominique Davis
Dont’a Hightower
Dontari Poe
Dre Kirkpatrick
Dwight Jones
Edwin Baker
Eric Page
Foswhitt Whittaker
Gerell Robinson
Greg Childs
Isaiah Pead
Jamell Fleming
Janoris Jenkins
Jared Crick
Jarius Wright
Jarrett Boykin
Jermaine Kearse
Joe Adams
Jonathan Martin
Jordan Jefferson
Jordan White
Josh Chapman
Junior Hemingway
Kendall Wright
Keshawn Martin
Ladarius Green
LaMichael James
Lennon Creer
Marc Tyler
Marvin Jones
Marvin McNutt
Matt Kalil
Michael Brockers
Michael Egnew
Mike Willie
Orson Charles
Pat Edwards
Riley Reiff
Rishard Matthews
Ronnell Lewis
Ronnie Hillman
Rueben Randle
Ryan Lindley
Stephen Hill
Stephfon Green
T.J. Graham
Tauren Poole
Travis Benjamin
Tyler Shoemaker
Vontaze Burfict
Whitney Mercilus

Group C: Combine to fall at 1:25 packs

Amini Silatolu
Antwon Bailey
Audie Cole
Billy Winn
Bobby Massie
Bradie Ewing
Brandon Carswell
Brian Linthicum
Bryce Beall
Cam Johnson
Casey Hayward
Chris Galippo
Cody Johnson
Coryell Judie
Darius Hanks
David Molk
David Paulson
Devon Wylie
Donnie Fletcher
Duane Bennett
Eddie Whitley
Emil Igwenagu
Evan Rodriguez
George Iloka
Harrison Smith
Jake Bequette
Jamell Fleming
James-Michael Johnson
Jarrett Lee
Jason Ford
Jayron Hosley
Jeremy Ebert
Jermaine Thomas
Jerry Franklin
Joe Looney
Josh Norman
Keenan Robinson
Keith Tandy
Kelechi Osemele
Kendall Reyes
Kentrell Lockett
Kevin Koger
Kyle Wilber
Laron Byrd
Lavasier Tuinei
Lavonte David
Leonard Johnson
Levy Adcock
Lucas Nix
Markelle Martin
Marshall Lobbestael
Micanor Regis
Mike Daniels
Mike Martin
Mychal Kendricks
Nelson Rosario
Nigel Bradham
Rhett Ellison
Robert Blanton
Rodney Stewart
Ryan Steed
Shaun Prater
Shea McClellin
Stephen Garcia
Stephon Gilmore
Tank Carder
Thomas Mayo
Tim Benford
Tony Dye
Travis Lewis
Trenton Robinson
Trevor Guyton
Tyler Hansen
Vontaze Burfict
William Vlachos
Winston Guy

1993 SP Autograph Parallels

Group A: Combine to fall at 1:9,041 packs

Antonio Freeman
Danny Wuerffel
Drew Brees
Eric Metcalf
Herman Moore
Jason White
Roger Staubach
Roman Gabriel
Ron Dayne
Steve Young
Troy Aikman
Ty Detmer

Group B: Combine to fall at 1:1,270 packs

Alshon Jeffery
Bo Jackson
Bob Lilly
Brandon Weeden
Dave Casper
Dwayne Allen
Floyd Little
Gino Torretta
Jeff Fuller
Johnny Rodgers
Justin Blackmon
Kellen Winslow Sr.
Kendall Wright
Kirk Cousins
LaMichael James
Lawrence Taylor
Marques Colston
Michael Floyd
Mohamed Sanu
Nick Foles
Nick Toon
Ozzie Newsome
Quinton Coples
Randy White
Robert Griffin III
Rueben Randle
Ryan Tannehill
Thurman Thomas
Trent Richardson
Warren Moon

Group C: Combine to fall at 1:455 packs

Alameda Ta’amu
Alfonzo Dennard
B.J. Cunningham
Bernard Pierce
Brandon Bolden
Brandon Thompson
Brian Quick
Brock Osweiler
Case Keenum
Chandler Harnish
Courtney Upshaw
Cyrus Gray
Dan Herron
Davin Meggett
DeVier Posey
Doug Martin
Dre Kirkpatrick
Dwight Jones
Eric Page
Gerell Robinson
Greg Childs
Isaiah Pead
Jared Crick
Jarius Wright
Jarrett Boykin
Jermaine Kearse
Joe Adams
Kellen Moore
Keshawn Martin
Luke Kuechly
Marc Tyler
Marquis Maze
Marvin Jones
Marvin McNutt
Melvin Ingram
Michael Egnew
Rishard Matthews
Ronnie Hillman
Russell Wilson
Ryan Broyles
Ryan Lindley
Stephen Hill
Tauren Poole

Worthy of note, the Ultimate Collection hard-signed rookie autograph cards are not numbered, but they were all produced at roughly the same quantity falling at 1:case. Additionally there is a Tim Tebow ten-card insert set that is available exclusively retail fat packs where there are three short-printed cards:

Card #TT-10 is considered uncommon
Card #TT-7 is considered rare
Card #TT-4 is considered super rare

Tebow fans can find a special 10-card insert of the football legend in retail fat packs of 2012 Upper Deck Football. Some cards are short printed to add to the value of the completed set.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share
Categories : Football
Comments (1)

For years we have heard excuse after excuse as to why college football will never move to a playoff system. Most fans believed we would see pigs flying before we saw a playoff system in college football. Fianlly it seems like college football fans growing disdain for the current BCS format has led to what will be a historic change to the game; a +1 game. At long last it seems we are going to have the much sought after playoff that would allow the two top teams to actually go head to head for the right to be called National Champion. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s a huge step in the right direction. It means even more for fans of teams that have been directly influenced by the old system. 

At this point it appears the BCS has zeroed in on a four-team playoff format. In the current format, human and computer polls select the top two teams in the rankings to play in one game for the national championship. The new system would feature the top four teams playing in two semifinal games, with the winners playing each other for the championship. There are a number of variations to this format under consideration, but the four-team playoff format is the basis for all of them. A popular option is to have the semifinal games take the place at two of the major BCS bowls (Rose, Orange, Fiesta, Sugar). This is appealing because in theory it leaves room for the system to one day expand to an eight-team playoff with semifinal games held at each of the BCS bowl sites. Anything that allows the BCS to preserve their very lucrative BCS bowl format is probably very appealing to the BCS and NCAA. 

I went to a small college in California; the University of San Diego. They have a lower level 1-AA football program most known for being the first head coaching spot of John Harbaugh. I love following my Toreros because for a lower division team we are pretty darn good, but I wanted a team to follow at the highest level. As a result I root for the University of Southern California Trojans. I consider them my local team since they are the closest 1-A team I can root for. San Diego State is much closer, but since my school plays them in other sports I couldn’t bring myself to root for them in football. USC fans know very well how bad the old BCS system can be. The 2003-2004 season is one of the greatest examples of how it failed college football fans. Despite having suffered only one loss, the Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush led Trojans were shut out of the championship game. The did however go on the claim an AP National Championship victory even though they did not play in the BCS title game. Even more amazing was the fact that three head coaches voted them number one in the coaches’ poll over BCS champion LSU despite a contractual obligation that requires coaches to vote the winner of the BCS title game number one at the end of the season. That tells you how bad things were that year, and there are multiple examples where most humans believe the computers got it wrong. 

If a playoff had existed in 2003, the Leinart-led Trojans would have had a shot to hoise the BCS trophy.

Personally I believe a six or eight team playoff will be the best option as four teams doesn’t totally fix the issue. One popular criticism of a playoff system is that it just moves the controversy further down the rankings. Now instead of arguing whether the third ranked team should be in the title game, we will be left with arguing whether the fifth or sixth ranked teams deserved to be in the four team playoff. It’s better than the third ranked team getting shut out, but it’s still a problem. Unfortunately the only way to truly make this a playoff situation that will make every fan happy is if we move to a playoff like the I-AA college football teams have. And is it just me, or is it just weird that the lesser league has a better playoff format? 

Despite playing at a lower division school than many of his fellow 2012 draft picks, Brian Quick and Appalachian State were able to prove their worth in a full playoff format.

I am an advocate of a six or eight team playoff because I believe it moves the controversy far enough down the rankings that we are no longer debating about true national title contenders. With a four team playoff it’s still very reasonable to argue that a top five team is a national title contender. There will probably be years where that fifth team is a very good team that many people will argue should get a playoff berth. With a larger playoff that controversy is moved down to the bottom half of the top ten where teams are less obvious contenders. You can argue a strong team in the middle of the top ten should play for the national title. It’s hard to make that same argument as convincingly for a two or three loss team barely in the top ten. With six or eight teams in, all the undefeated and strong one loss teams that should be in will get in. This should help make controversies more uncommon than they are now. Every year we would likely end up with a good mix of top BCS conference teams as well as one to three non-BCS teams. We would finally be able to see whether teams like Boise State can compete with traditional powerhouses like Alabama

Could Kellen Moore have led Boise State to a national championship? These types of questions will now have a chance to be answered in a playoff format.

College football fans have a reason to celebrate now that the BCS is adopting a playoff format, but the work is not done. We will see more controversies as top teams just miss a playoff berth and the next step of expanding the playoff will hopefully come in the next few years. But for now this is a really exciting prospect for college football. It will lead to some very exciting milestones like big atmosphere playoff football games as well as likely our first mid-major national champion in history at some point. I think it will make college football more fair, but also more exciting. There will come at time where fans again have to call for improvements, but for now it’s a big win for the sport and I for one will enjoy the experience of playoff college football.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share
Categories : Football, Uncategorized
Comments (1)

It was a fun three days in New York this past week full of picks and analysis galore. Any football fan certainly had a good time and those who collect are even more excited. The top college prospects now have professional homes and we can now start to predict who is this year’s Adrian Peterson, Matthew Stafford or Cam Newton. Investing is one of the most exciting and fun parts of collecting and getting in on the ground floor of a rookie’s rise to greatness can be a lucrative proposition.

Below are some players that I think landed in the perfect spots to be impact players their rookie year. I’m a hardcore collector so I’m taking into account the total package including depth charts, secondary market card prices, etc. Because of that you won’t see high marks for some names you might expect. Whether their cards are already too pricey (Andrew Luck) or they landed in a tough spot to really excel right away (Justin Blackmon), draft position and college pedigree are officially old news. Time to look forward to what these guys can actually do at the highest level of football. These are my opinions so if you feel differently about any of these players, feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

BROCK OSWEILER, QB, DENVER: First off, this isn’t a short term investment for obvious reasons. You won’t find anyone claiming Osweiler will unseat a healthy Peyton Manning. But the key word there is healthy. Manning is only on a five year deal and depending on how he holds up for his age and health the Manning era in Denver could be a little as 2-3 years. Denver acknowledged this as well by spending a second round pick on Osweiler and making him the highest drafted quarterback outside the first round guys. You don’t take a quarterback that high just for depth, Denver must believe that Osweiler could potentially tutor under Manning and step in to lead the team at some point.

If that’s the case it could be the perfect situation for Osweiler and collectors. Aaron Rodgers taught us that you can develop a stud quarterback if you give him a few years to learn under a legend and that’s what Osweiler will have. If this goes right in a few years it will be the Osweiler show in Denver and by then the young talent in Denver should be hitting its peak including the young wide receivers. Plus as a bonus to collectors, Ryan Mallett in New England has taught us that quarterbacks in waiting behind legends actually have some hobby value as people anticipate their future debuts. Grab your Osweilers now before more and more people start to realize that Osweiler could be being groomed as the heir apparent to Manning. VERDICT: I’m going to buy

The Manning era in Denver could be brief, and Osweiler should be next in line.

RUSSELL WILSON, QB, SEATTLE: You probably didn’t realize it, but Wilson was this year’s version of Tim Tebow. He’s a guy with intangibles galore that people rave about, but like Tebow he wasn’t blessed with traditional physical traits and abilities as quarterbacks go. Wilson can probably thank Tebow for his draft position however as Tebow helped people realize that you can win some games with a guy with the “it” factor but a non-traditional skill set. I think Seattle wants to see what Wilson is made of, and more than you might realize. Matt Flynn will be the guy starting out, but his track record is very short.

It’s entirely possible that he blows it in his first shot at being a starter. If he falters at all there’s really no serious competition outside of Wilson. Wilson is going to realize this and do everything he can to push Flynn. The more Flynn struggles the more you will hears rumors about Wilson, and at some point they could make the switch especially if Seattle continues to struggle and stronger teams run away with the division. Wilson has work to do to wrestle the quarterback of the future job from Flynn, but he might have the work ethic and commitment to pull it off. VERDICT: I’m going to buy

Wilson has the intangibles to emerge as the leader Seattle is looking for.

STEPHEN HILL, WR, NEW YORK: We talked about Hill in my draft preview last week. I’m even more excited about him in New York. First and foremost, he’s going to a really popular team that will be in spotlight all season long for a number of reasons. That alone is a huge plus. Like it or not some teams are more popular among collectors than others and New York is often at the epicenter of sports in America. Polarizing personalities like Rex Ryan, Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow will only help feed the media frenzy and keep eyes on New York and hopefully on Hill.

There are questions about how the depth chart will shape up at wide receiver and Hill could step into a starting role right away. He should be getting looks all season and he has the ability to make an impact immediately. Regardless of whether Sanchez or Tebow is throwing to him, both quarterbacks have shown they can make a receiver look good. One big game from Hill and you will start hearing his name mentioned more often. VERDICT: I’m going to buy

New York will provide Hill a big stage to shine on.

BRIAN QUICK, WR, ST. LOUIS: I really like St. Louis as a potential landing spot for a wide receiver. With the Rams playing it safe in round one and passing on all the top wide receivers, they decided to waste no time on day two and made Quick their receiver of the future with the first pick of round two. Quick simply because of lack of competition could start the season as high as the number one option for Sam Bradford and they could become best buddies pretty quickly.

With Jeff Fisher at the helm and Stephen Jackson backing them up, Bradford and Quick could become the cornerstone of a strong passing game. It’s not a stretch to think that when the 2012 season is over that Quick could be the most productive receiver to come out of the 2012 draft class. His card prices should be nice and reasonable with multiple receivers ahead of him in the first round, so he’s certainly worth a look. He’s got the talent, but the picture perfect situation he is being dropped into could help vault him past some higher picks. VERDICT: I’m going to buy

Quick instantly becomes a top option for Sam Bradford and a fast rising offense.

DAVID WILSON, RB, NEW YORK: From the bits and pieces of playing time I saw of Wilson at Virginia Tech, he looked pretty darn good. Apparently the league agreed as he managed to squeak into the first round. With Brandon Jacobs gone the backup job behind Ahmad Bradshaw is wide open in New York, and it is Wilson’s for the taking. But Wilson could end up being much more, by picking him so high this indicates that he will be more than Bradshaw’s backup.

He should receive plenty of playing time and depending on injuries to Bradshaw or in the long term him opting for free agency at some point, Wilson could very likely be the starter. From there it’s off to the races on a very strong team. Eli Manning has never really taken over the offense totally, they have always kept it very balanced in terms of running and passing so running backs have good value there. Not to mention it’s another very popular New York team that will keep Wilson’s notoriety high when he breaks out. He is appealing both in the short term and as a long term investment. VERDICT: I’m going to buy

RONNIE HILLMAN, RB, DENVER: Here is another guy I mentioned in my draft preview last week that I really like. I felt that a lot of his value would be based on where he landed and as a collector I am ecstatic about where he ended up. Not as a Chargers fan since I don’t like Denver, but as an unbiased collector looking for potential, Hillman hit the lottery. First off he ended up on a very talented team and I’m not just talking about Peyton Manning. He will receive good coaching, has a solid defense backing up his offense and there is young talent all over the offense including a strong group of receivers. The scouting report for opposing defenses is going to start with Manning, Deymarius Thomas, Eric Decker, etc. That leaves a lot of room for the running game to work and Denver seems to like run the ball a lot. That will change with Tebow gone but history shows that running backs have found success changing up the pace of the offense in between Manning passes.

Of course there is Knowshon Moreno to deal with, but he is on very shaky ground. He has a history of injury problems and he has lost playing time to other running backs even when healthy. Moreno has conceded many of his carries to Willis McGahee, but at his age he’s due to start breaking down. Everything is there for Hillman to overtake both of them and get his share of carries.

He will also garner a lot of value as a potential return man. Denver let former return man Eddie Royal go so the job should be up for grabs. Denver spent a third round pick on Hillman, so they don’t intend to let him sit. They clearly like him and if it all comes together he could leapfrog all the backs in front of him at some point. It’s a very appealing situation if things go right and Hillman plays to his potential. VERDICT: I’m going to buy

Hillman landed in one of the best spots possible to develop into a star.

COBY FLEENER, TE, INDIANAPOLIS: Sure enough Indianapolis decided to please their shiny new number one draft pick by taking his favorite target in the second round. Everything is now set up for Fleener to have a fast start to his professional career. Outside of Reggie Wayne there weren’t a ton of options available for Andrew Luck to begin with and now he already has a great relationship with a guy who should step in as one of his top options right away.

The only concern is that they brought in another highly ranked tight end in Dwayne Allen. However Fleener and Luck have the history and that could trump anything Wayne or Allen or anyone else has in the way of potential or rapport with Luck. Just like Peyton Manning was throwing to Dallas Clark all those years, Luck to Fleener could seamlessly transition from Stanford and become the next great quarterback to tight end hookup in the pros. VERDICT: I’m buying

Catching balls from his college quarterback should allow Fleener to transition seamlessly into a professional.

LUKE KUECHLY, LB, CAROLINA: Thanks to Cam Newton, Carolina is on the rise. With the offense transformed, Carolina was looking for a defensive leader and found it in Kuechly. He is the model of an elite middle linebacker. He’s a tackling machine, can cover the pass and command the defense. He reminds me of Brian Urlacher and we know how his career turned out.

Defensive players are always a risky proposition for collectors, but Kuechly is so well suited for his new situation that he’s too good to overlook. Plus Carolina should be improving in the coming years so it’s not a stretch to imagine Kuechly making big plays in major games in the coming seasons. If you like collecting defensive guys, Kuechly is for you. VERDICT: I’m going to buy

Kuechly has a all the makings of a star linebacker and could be the face of the next generation of feared defenders.

 The time to make a move is now as a collector. Between now and the season these guys should continue to grow in hype as people see them play and begin to understand how teams plan to value and utilize them. Post in the comments other guys you believe are in for fast starts their rookie year and stayed tuned next week for some more draft analysis for collectors!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share
Categories : Football
Comments (2)