Archive for 2009 NFL Rookies
Rookie of the Week Just Got a Holiday Bonus
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’ve been following our Rookie of the Week promotion and entering your card codes, you know that we’re giving out boxes of Upper Deck product to lucky fans who participate.
Well, now that the holiday season is upon us, we’ve decided to play Santa and throw another gift into the mix:
This is an NFL autograph football signed by this season’s top rookies at our photo shoot earlier in the year. And a lucky entrant will get one every week until the season ends (this is in addition to the boxes we’ve been giving out).
So if you’re looking for a little more holiday cheer to come your way, make sure you enter plenty of rookie card codes for your chance to win! That’s my kind of holiday bonus.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Rookie of the Week: Week 12 – Kenny Britt
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the most exciting reasons to collect NFL rookie cards is that you get to watch their values spike if the player performs well on the field. To help capture that excitement, Upper Deck launched a new website to help collectors not just track 2009 NFL rookie cards, but also to make predictions on which rookie would have the best week at OwnTheRookies.com.
Collectors who successfully guess Upper Deck’s “Rookie of the Week” will be entered into a drawing to win a box of 2009 NFL trading cards. For his great performance and game winning TD catch, Kenny Britt is this week’s top rookie. If you entered codes from Britt’s cards last week, stay tuned to the website to see if you are a winner!
The 2009 season has been a great one for the receivers of this year’s draft. For Kenny Britt, he has gone largely unnoticed on a team that has only recently entered the playoff picture, thus allowing him to fly undercover on most team’s radars. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they fell right into the trap, and Britt burned them for 128 yards on 7 catches, including the game winning touchdown with seconds left. This isn’t the first game where Britt has burned an unsuspecting defense either, as in week four against Jacksonville, he also had 5 catches for over 100 yards.
At the beginning of 2009, Britt was taken out of a midmajor program at Rutgers in the late first round because of his amazing route running ability and his speed as a deep threat. The Titans’ receiving corps was thin, which meant there was no passing game to offset the attention Chris Johnson would receive after a great season. Bringing Kenny Britt into the picture was going to be the beginning of a solution, and he showed he was ready to play in the NFL from day one. In the first week of the season Britt came away with 85 yards on 4 catches, averaging over 20 yards per catch. Since that time, he only had one TD before his game winner against Arizona, therefore preventing any real conversation about his great potential. Even with 33 catches for 521 yards, he has been little more than a blip, where he should have instead been right up there with Percy Harvin, Hakeem Nicks and Mike Wallace.
For fans of the Titans, Britt has rarely come up short in a game, even though he hasn’t really had the flash to match his consistency. Collectors weren’t too hasty about picking up his cards either, as his value in the hobby was closer to where his production was on the field. Even though he hasn’t been a top value guy for the class, that has been more reflective of his team’s market and his position, rather than the fact that he has put up pretty good numbers this year. Now that he has had a game that has garnered national attention, his prices should change pretty dramatically.
As an attendee of the 2009 Rookie Premiere, Britt has been a focus of many cards over the course of the year. My favorite so far definitely comes out of the recent release of Upper Deck Black, with a dual auto of him and fellow first-round wide receiver Darrius Heyward Bey. It’s always nice to get two for the price of one, and this card, having two guys that should be great in years to come, is a good value. It’s interesting that both are featured in red jerseys, but moreso that the colleges are near each other in geographical location. As a graduate of an East Coast school, I know many people that identify with both the Terrapins and the Scarlet Knights because of where the colleges are located, and having star players from both schools on the card is a great combo.
For the fans of Britt that like him more for his role on the Tennesee Titans, look no further than his 2009 SPX Rookie Auto Jersey card. Britt’s photo is one of the better ones of the set, and his bright blue jersey makes the card pop even more. My favorite part is Britt’s dynamic expression. A look that suggests he is midjuke adds much to the overall presentation of the card. Also, having a piece of player worn material, a low serial numbered print run, and an auto definitely makes this even more desirable for collectors.
Despite Britt’s great performance this week, I see this as only the tip of the iceberg for the guy who sat atop my list of draft steals. The Titans are poised for a playoff run if they can continue their improbable winning streak, and Britt collectors should have a great reason to invest further in the guy that could be a key piece to that puzzle. I would think that if he continues to play as well as he has, flying under the radar won’t be easy anymore, but he will have the talent and skill to make up for the change in approach.
Check in next week for the newest rookie to win “Rookie of the Week” honors, and don’t forget to enter in all your rookie card codes from the Upper Deck products you have collected so far. Not only can you win awesome prizes, but the site has some great features that allow you to track rookies and their cards this season!
Adam Gellman runs the collecting blog Sports Cards Uncensored, and has been a collector of all things sports for over 15 years. To see more of his work, visit www.sportscardsuncensored.com (warning: strong language!).
Popularity: 10% [?]
Rookie of the Week: Week 10 – Chris Wells
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the most exciting reasons to collect NFL rookie cards is that you get to watch their values spike if the player performs well on the field. To help capture that excitement, Upper Deck launched a new website to help collectors track 2009 NFL rookie cards, but also make predictions on which rookie would have the best week at OwnTheRookies.com.
Collectors who successfully guess Upper Deck’s “Rookie of the Week” will be entered into a drawing to win a box of 2009 NFL trading cards. For his two touchdown performance in a must win game, Chris “Beanie” Wells has earned top honors for Week 10. If you entered codes from Wells’ cards last week, stay tuned to the website to see if you are a winner!
Ever since the NFL switched to a two back rotation on most of the top teams, the draft has become a place to snatch that one player to make your team complete. This has led to many of the top running backs being selected earlier rather than later on day one, and has also put those players in a position to compete earlier than usual. Chris Wells definitely benefitted from this new phenomenon in the 2009 draft, being selected by the NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals. The difference between Wells and other backs like Donald Brown and Knowshon Moreno was that the Cardinals would need his services from day one.
The wheels had fallen off of perennial producer Edgerrin James, and they needed a franchise player to pick up right where he left off. Wells has had a slower start to the season than the Cardinals would have liked, but with Warner throwing to Boldin and Fitzgerald as much as he does, the touches for Beanie aren’t as high as they would be on a run focused team. Even without having great games week in and week out, the Cards are on top in the NFC West, and last week’s explosion out of the backfield sure helped to keep them there.
Wells entered Week 10 with only one touchdown in his previous games, and the offense was going to need a counter against a Seattle secondary that had done above average against the pass during the first part of the season. Wells’ per carry average and touchdown total were on the rise, and both improved even more with this great game.
He averaged 5.3 yards per carry, including a long 26 yard scamper, and a 23 yard reception that led to Cardinals scores. Pretty impressive considering that most of the other rookie running backs are working hard to find a groove with their respective teams at this time.
For collectors, Wells was already at the top of the value spectrum due to his position as a running back, as well as his strong college ties to hugely popular Ohio State University. His cards haven’t been on the level of a Mark Sanchez or Percy Harvin, but they have started to reflect his production as of late. My favorite of his current cards is probably the Premier auto jersey out of the flagship UD Football product, but I have an experience with Beanie that I value much more than just his cool rookie cards.
When the 2009 NFL Rookie Premiere took place this past March in Los Angeles, Beanie was invited to be a part of the event outside the walls of the LA Coliseum. He made an appearance at a local card shop, and I was lucky enough to be able to spend some time with him. He was extremely personable, and even said that he had collected cards growing up before getting into football full time. When looking at his first of many sports cards out of 2009 UD Draft and the early products of the year, he was impressed to be featured on cards that he had once sought after for his favorite players. Beanie signed a football for me as well as a few cards, and all of them currently reside on my shrine to the sport of champions.
As a collector, it’s always awesome to interact with a player you have the opportunity to chase through the card year. I have actually picked up a few extra of his rookie cards solely because he is a nice guy with a nice signature, as well as being a running back who plays like a freight train. As Wells continues to improve on a team that has become an annual contender, I know that my positive interactions with him will seem even more unreal.
Check in next week for the newest rookie to win “Rookie of the Week” honors, and don’t forget to enter in all your rookie card codes from the Upper Deck products you have collected so far. Not only can you win prizes, but the site has some great features that allow you to track rookies and their cards this season!
Adam Gellman runs the collecting blog Sports Cards Uncensored, and has been a collector of all things sports for over 15 years. To see more of his work, visit www.sportscardsuncensored.com (warning: strong language!).
Popularity: 12% [?]
Rookie of the Week: Week 9 – Josh Freeman
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the most exciting reasons to collect NFL rookie cards is that you get to watch their values spike if the player performs well on the field. To help capture that excitement, Upper Deck launched a new website to help collectors track 2009 NFL rookie cards, but also make predictions on which rookie would have the best week at OwnTheRookies.com.
Collectors who successfully guess Upper Deck’s “Rookie of the Week” will be entered into a drawing to win a box of 2009 NFL trading cards. For throwing 3 TDs and helping his team to their first win, Josh Freeman has earned top honors for Week 9. If you entered codes from Freeman’s cards last week, stay tuned to the website to see if you are a winner!
Lately, it’s been commonplace to see rookie quarterbacks doing well. Last year was the year of Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, while this year, Mark Sanchez has done very well in his inaugural campaign. Josh Freeman may have just had his first start of the year, but he is definitely making waves already. Hopes were high on Freeman at the beginning of the 2009 season, but the experts weren’t sure of his pedigree.
Coming out of a school not known for its football program, Freeman was considered a top prospect because of his talent, rather than his performance record at KSU. The Bucs saw that he was a great talent to develop, and drafted him as the third QB of the first round. They were banking on Freeman being able to sit for a while and learn behind the likes of Byron Leftwich, a player with similar tools, and then make a splash with his debut when they thought he was ready.
After both Leftwich and second year backup Josh Johnson had problems leading the offense, Freeman was called upon prematurely to be the main man against a great team in the Packers. Green Bay was heavily favored against the 0-7 Bucs, with star QB Aaron Rodgers expected to tear up a week Tampa Bay secondary. What people weren’t expecting was Freeman to not only outplay Rodgers, but to also help guide Tampa Bay to its first win.
The game started out as expected with the Packers going up with a couple of early TDs, stretching those to a sure win entering the fourth quarter with a lead. Freeman, instead of crumbling under the pressure, protected the football, and made some incredible plays to give the Bucs their first lead of the game with little time left for the Packers to recover.
Freeman may not have had any long completions for huge plays, but his fourth down TD pass to Sammy Stroughter was easily one of the best plays of the year by any rookie. Down 28-23 with less than 10 minutes in the game, Tampa Bay was knocking on the door for a go ahead score. After three plays, they found themselves with a fourth and four from the 7 yard line, the game resting on the shoulders of their biggest investment of the last five years. Freeman lobbed a beautiful pass to the corner, and Stroughter made a great catch to give the Bucs a fighting chance at a win. As a Vikings fan, I almost shouted as loud as I did during the previous week, but it was more out of shock that a rookie pulled off such a play. Even though Tampa Bay is only 1-7, they sure made that one win a memorable one for Freeman and the Bucs fans alike.
As for collectors? They have been cautious to embrace Freeman, who has been in the background during Stafford and Sanchez’s early games. He still has a good amount of value as a first round rookie QB, but up to this point was not at the same level as his draft buddies. But after the game on Sunday, Freeman has jumped considerably, and he definitely has some awesome cards to pick up when you have the chance.
My favorite of all of his cards so far is one that you can actually get for a great price. His card out of the 2009 Upper Deck Rookie Premiere box set is awesome, with Freeman’s larger than life picture pointing right at you from his card. It’s almost like he is telling you that you need this card in your collection (and after beating the Packers, I agree). There is also an autographed parallel, which features Freeman’s unique signature, so I would not hesitate to pick this one up if you are looking for a great card to start up your Freeman collection.
Freeman also has an awesome Rookie Jersey Autograph in this year’s SPx: the photo, material, and autograph all work incredibly well together. Not only do you get a rare, low numbered card, but you also get an autograph, three pieces of player worn jersey, and a cool action shot of Freeman in his Bucs uniform. It isn’t the bright orange throwback that Freeman wore on Sunday, but when you do what he did to a great team, those are surely coming.
Although he hasn’t risen to the level of an elite quarterback quite yet, he surely has displayed that he has the skill to eventually get there. His cards are still affordable for collectors right now, but they won’t be for long if he continues to play the way he did against Green Bay.
With all of the success that rookie QBs continue to have, the previously standard ceilings seem to be disappearing. Players like Freeman are going to be tested earlier and more often, rather than being held back to learn behind the vets. This could be an ideal situation for collectors who buy early, as they won’t have to wait as long to see what happens with their favorite players. Personally, I love what Freeman brings to the table, and I think the Bucs fans do too. At least when you are 1-7, there isn’t anywhere to go but up, and Josh Freeman is a great person to help them along the way.
Check in next week for the newest rookie to win “Rookie of the Week” honors, and don’t forget to enter in all your rookie card codes from the Upper Deck products you have collected so far. Not only can you win prizes, but the site has some great features that allow you to track rookies and their cards this season!
Adam Gellman runs the collecting blog Sports Cards Uncensored, and has been a collector of all things sports for over 15 years. To see more of his work, visit www.sportscardsuncensored.com (warning: strong language!).
Popularity: 7% [?]
Rookie of the Week: Week 7 – Shonn Greene
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the most exciting reasons to collect NFL rookie cards is that you get to watch their values spike if the player performs well on the field. To help capture that excitement, Upper Deck launched a new website to help collectors track 2009 NFL rookie cards, and make predictions on which rookie would have the best week at OwnTheRookies.com.
Collectors who successfully guess the player who will be Upper Deck’s “Rookie of the Week” will be entered into a drawing to win a box of 2009 NFL trading cards. For having the best single game performance of any of the 2009 rookie running backs so far, New York’s Shonn Greene is the top rookie of Week 7. If you entered codes from Greene’s cards last week, stay tuned to the website to see if you are a winner!
While playing at the University of Iowa, Shonn Greene was definitely a player many fans expected would become successful in the NFL. He was the first Iowa player to win the Doak Walker award, was named as an All American, and had the talent to be a great professional back. As the rounds moved on in the 2009 draft, Greene was passed up by just about every team in favor of more polished backs like Knowshon Moreno and Donald Brown. The New York Jets weren’t buying it, and traded up to select him in the third round to play behind aging Thomas Jones and Leon Washington.
During camp and the preseason, it became clear that Greene’s first few years would most likely be in a backup role: this was the case until last week. Leon Washington, who had been having a good year playing with other Jets rookie Mark Sanchez, went down with an injury at the beginning of the game. Greene was called upon to fill his shoes, and did so with reckless abandon. He rushed for close to 150 yards and two scores on the way to a convincing Jets victory over the struggling Raiders. Greene looked great, and I’m sure a few of those teams who passed on him in the early rounds were smacking themselves.
Greene isn’t the first later round pick to shine this year, but he is the first running back to explode on the field. His performance outshone any other rookie running back so far, and did so by a wide margin. Not only did he wreck the Raiders’ defense, but he did it off the bench. Truly impressive. Now with Washington out for the year, Greene has all of a sudden put himself at the top of the Jets running game. This has led to a huge spike in his value, and luckily for collectors, there are few things on the horizon to help them out in getting a hold of his cards.
The first are his cards out of UD Black, featuring the first hard signed high end offering of the year. Greene will surely be featured prominently as a participant in the 2009 Rookie Premiere, and that will mean lots of rare and valuable cards. Secondly, Ultimate Collection and SP Authentic are not far off anymore, and both look to be some of the coolest cards of the year.
In addition to what is coming, Greene has some great cards that have already hit the market. First, his SPX Rookie Jersey Auto looks great. It has pieces of player worn jersey as well as a great example of an autograph signed by a player who cares about the way it looks.
Greene was also part of the recent SP Threads release, and his acetate embedded rookie jersey card was unique to say the least. The card has swatches of player worn jersey just like the SPX, but the player picture is printed on a stock that is translucent. This gives a great effect when looking at it, almost like the player is a ghost on the card.
Lastly, Shonn’s Upper Deck rookie card has one of the better action shots of the set. I always love to see a great photo for the card subject, and this one does not disappoint. It is one of those cards that I could see as a great one to get signed, or to keep for the future. Greene definitely has the prospects to make it worth your while to pick up a few right now.
Next week will be a bigger test for Greene as he faces a team that’s a little more competition than the Raiders. Miami has a good defense, and Sanchez may need to rely on the rushing game a little more than usual. Jets fans are hoping Greene will continue his torrid pace and give the team more added hope in their 2009 rookies. I Jets collectors are banking on it, literally.
Check in next week for the newest rookie to win “Rookie of the Week” honors and don’t forget to enter in all your rookie card codes from the Upper Deck products you have collected so far. Not only can you win prizes, but the site has some great features that allow you to track rookies and their cards this season!
Adam Gellman runs the collecting blog Sports Cards Uncensored, and has been a collector of all things sports for over 15 years. To see more of his work, visit www.sportscardsuncensored.com (warning: strong language!).
Popularity: unranked [?]
