Football's Here!

Yes I know there was a game Thursday night, but I had to work so in my mind the NFL season starts today. Just like in baseball and hockey, I'm a home town team guy so I root for the Pats (yes, I know, not a very popular choice for those outside the New England area). The already suspect defense suffered a couple of bad injuries in pre-season and as a result they're fielding a very young, inexperienced team on that side of the ball. They're not going to get a lot of time to get things together either, as they face Carson Palmer, Chad Ochocinco and T.O. today in New England. If I was a gambler I'd take the over on this one...

I don't collect football cards, baseball and hockey keep me more than busy enough. I did rip a couple of wax packs recently on A Pack to Be Named Later though, so if you're looking to occupy some time between now and the 1 o'clock kick-offs you can check them out here and here. In the meantime, here are the only 3 other football cards I own:

1961 Fleer - Ron Burton - Ron makes my collection because he was the man responsible for a lot of Patriot firsts. He was the first Patriot to run for 100+ yards, first Patriot to run for a first down on a 4th down play, first to run for a touchdown on a 4th down play, and also has the first ever Patriot reception in a playoff game. Sadly he passed away from bone cancer in 2003. His son Steve is a sportscaster in the Boston area who does both TV and radio.

1955 Bowman - Dave Leggett - I picked this card up a couple years ago only because I had won another auction from the seller and was seeing what else I could grab to combine shipping. I think I won it for a buck, and I thought it was pretty cool because I've always been a fan of the 50's Bowman baseball releases. Ohio State fans are probably familiar with Leggett, he led them to a Rose Bowl berth after a 10-0 1954 season. They won the Rose Bowl that year and Leggett was named MVP.

1973 Topps - Len St. Jean - Quite frankly I have no idea where this one came from. I think I may have accidentally added it to a SportsBuy lot thinking it was a '73 Topps baseball card. In any event, I think the photo is funny, and if you can believe YouTube St. Jean played in 140 consecutive games at one point, which is impressive.

Well there you have it, the extent of my massive football collection. Enjoy your Sunday everyone!