Lawrence Taylor

Who: Hall of Fame Linebacker Lawrence Taylor

Team: New York Giants

Card: 1986 Topps

Acquired: TTM 1/1 3/29/2010 (13 days)

Comments: Dude. L.T. Nuf' said.

James Laurinaitis

Who: Linebacker James Laurinaitis

Team: Ohio State Buckeyes

Card: 2009 Topps Magic

Acquired: TTM 1/1 12/5/09 (14 Days)

Comments: Former Ohio State Buckeye linebacker James Laurinaitis signed this Topps Magic card for me via the mail with a turn-around time of just 14 days. Ohio State has always been my big college team, even though I'm not rabid. Laurinaitis was really fun to watch when he was playing for the Buckeyes. It looks like he's having a pretty good season for the Rams, though the Rams overall are not have the best of years.

This is the second 2009 Topps Magic card I have had autographed. The other I have signed is from Chase Coffman of the Bengals. It's a great set to get signed. Love the vintage re-dos.

Chase Coffman

Who: Tight End Chase Coffman

Team: Missouri Tigers

Card: 2009 Topps Magic

Acquired: TTM 1/1 11/28/2009 (7 Days)

Comments: Coming...

Chad Johnson (Ochocinco)

Who: Wide Receiver Chad Johnson

Team: Cincinnati Bengals

Card: 2008 Topps Mayo

Acquired: Card Show Purchase

Comments: I'm usually not in the market for autographed cards when at a card show unless it's a set I need. Most are overpriced and the cards are generally pretty ugly. That said, I did pick this Chad Johnson (now Chad Ochocinco) for what I thought was a reasonable price - $10. I really like the 2008 Topps Mayo design and have a soft spot for framed mini-cards. I didn't have a Johnson or Ochocinco in my collection, so this one seemed like the right pick-up at the right time.

Dick LeBeau

Who: Defensive Back Dick LeBeau

Team: Detroit Lions

Card: 1969 Topps

Acquired: TTM 2/2 11/25/2009 (4 days)

Comments: He's another signed card from Dick LeBeau. This '69 Topps is a classically bad-looking vintage card. Gotta love the rough background knockout with the bright pink. Dick's a good lookin' fella, but this card isn't doing him too many favors.

The Lions logo is fantastic.

Archie Manning

Who: Quarterback Archie Manning

Team: New Orleans Saints

Card: 1979 Topps

Acquired: TTM 1/1 11/23/2009 (303 Days)

Comments: How about a great football card for this Thanksgiving edition of OMGautos?

Archie Manning put Sharpie to card for me on this fantastic 1979 Topps. The father of two of the NFL's best quarterbacks was no slouch himself, earning two Pro Bowl selections. So, a great autograph to have in the collection.

It's a little beat up, but I'm really liking this card. I got it quite a few years ago when I was a kid from my cousin who dumped his entire football card collection on me. Nice hook-up huh? So, the photo is great - Archie is isolated from the background nicely in what looks like pre-game warm-ups. He's also rockin' a really odd facemask that made its appearance on a few players' helmet in the late seventies. A lot of guys must have thought it was a dorky look and this facemask won out in popularity.

Dick LeBeau

Who: Defensive Back Dick LeBeau

Team: Detroit Lions

Card: 1967 Philadelphia

Acquired: TTM 2/2 11/25/2009 (4 days)

Comments:Dick LeBeau has been quietly building his legend in the world of pro football for over 50 years now. The defensive mastermind and father of the zone blitz is was named Pro Football Hall of Fame’s seniors committee as finalists for election into the Hall of Fame with the Class of 2010. I'm really hoping he gets the nod and his bust gets displayed in Canton.

I know LeBeau best from his days a Bengals coach. He had some brilliant years as a defensive coach and later coordinator, but he seasons as a head coach did not go so well. His legacy here as a head coach has certainly not dampened my respect for him. Lebeau compiled a 12-33 record over the course of nearly three seasons as head coach of the Bengals, but it's hard for anyone to win in Cincinnati. Given the talent he had to work with, it's amazing they won any games in the time period.

LeBeau has a beautiful signature and this 1967 Philadelphia card is pretty killer. It's also the only Philadelphia I have in my collection. The neat thing about these cards is the trivia question on the back. To get the answer, you have to rub a coin over a designated area on the card. The answer on the back of this card has yet to be reviled, and likely will never be. I don't think I can bring myself to scratch it off.

If you're curious, here's the question:

What did dick earn his varsity letter for at College?

Of course, LeBeau was a star football player at The Ohio State University for the legendary Woody Hayes.

Jerry Rice

Who: Receiver Jerry Rice

Team: San Francisco 49ers

Card: 1992 Topps

Acquired: Private Signing

Comments: As a Bengals fan, I have every reason to loathe Jerry Rice... but I just can't. He's one of the greatest football players of all time and soon to be enshrined in Canton.

A football teammate of mine in college was a gigantic Jerry Rice fan. His dorm room was plastered with Jerry Rice stuff. It was insane. I wish I had a photo of it to show you. I can't help but think of that guy every time I look at this card. He would be pretty proud of me for coming around to be a fan of Jerry's.

I really like this card. I actually got it out of a pack of football cards that a friend gave me as a small birthday gift. There were a couple of other hall of famers in the pack too... It was fun to open. While it's a great card of Jerry, it wasn't the perfect card to get autographed with the dark spots in the background and all. No matter though, it still looks great to me.

Joe Theismann & Ken Anderson

Who: Quarterbacks Joe Theismann & Ken Anderson

Team: Washington Redskins & Cincinnati Bengals

Card: 1983 Topps '82 Passing Leaders

Acquired: TTM (Theisman - 13 Days) (Anderson - 11 Days)

Comments: My first attempt at a dual autographed card through the mail went to a pair of the most consistent signers in football - Joe Theismann and Kenny Anderson.

I've received returns from both in the past - a pair of cards from Joe last year and a '79 Topps from Kenny Anderson - one of the first requests I ever sent out. It was cool to get both of these great quarterbacks on a single card - in less than a month, no less!

When I sent to Ken, I also included this '81 Topps which he signed beautifully. Since the Bengals were in white that day, the signature really turned out well.

This '83 Topps is the second dual card I've completed. The other card was completed on two separate in-person signings by former Reds Lee May and George Foster.

Ken Stabler

Who: Quarterback Ken Stabler

Team: Oakland Raiders

Card: 2008 Upper Deck Heros

Acquired: TTM 2/2 7/11/2009 (32 days)

Comments: I guess it's just the feel of these cards in my hand, but these Upper Deck Heros are a bit of a let down. The painting of Stabler on this card is pretty kick-ass... unfortunatly the Football Heros logo in front of it kinda ruins the whole thing. I wish that I would have had a vintage card to send. Oh well. Still happy with this return from a Raiders great.

Ken Stabler

Who: Quarterback Ken Stabler

Team: Oakland Raiders

Card: 2008 Upper Deck Heros

Acquired: TTM 2/2 7/11/2009 (32 days)

Comments: A really nice autograph from Raiders great, Ken Stabler. I really wish I had some cards of Ken that were printed during his playing days, but my stash of old football cards yielded nothing. This card and the other card that Ken signed is from Upper Deck's 2008 "Heros" set. Pretty ugly, if you ask me. Well, at least the photo is nice. Ken's signature makes it binder-worthy now. I'll take that.

Andre Reed

Who: Andre Reed

Team: Buffalo Bills

Card: 1988 Topps

Acquired: TTM 2/2 6/23/2009 (84 days)

Comments: Another sweet signature from Andre Reed. Sometimes, a scribble autograph is a winner, and Andre has the touch. Plus, I always enjoy the added number.

The thing about these 1988 Topps cards is the gradient border. It really works on the Bills' cards. The Bengals, not so much. The whole set was pretty hit-or-miss with me. It was probably the last football set I bought cards of when I was young. After that, it was pretty much all baseball.

Andre Reed

Who: Andre Reed

Team: Buffalo Bills

Card: 1986 Topps

Acquired: TTM 2/2 6/23/2009 (84 days)

Comments: Andre was pretty much a badass in the late 80s and early 90s. He's got seven Pro Bowl appearances to prove it too. It's a shame that the Bills didn't win one of their four Super Bowl appearances in the early 90s... Andre might have had a better shot at getting enshrined into Pro Football Hall of Fame. There's still a chance though.

Curt Warner

Who: Running Back Curt Warner

Team: Seattle Seahawks

Card: 1989 Pro Set

Acquired: TTM 4/3 6/8/2009 (35 days)

Comments: I've got mad love for cheap ol' Pro Set. Do you?

Curt Warner

Who: Running Back Curt Warner

Team: Seattle Seahawks

Card: 1986 Topps 1000 Yard Club

Acquired: TTM 4/3 6/8/2009 (35 days)

Comments: These 1000 Yard Club cards are dope. I LOVED pulling these out of packs when I was a kid. You can tell by the wear on this card that I pulled it was I was pretty young - and proceeded to "organize it" probably a billion times over. Having Curt autograph it for me brings it all full circle and all seems right with the universe. Thank you, Mr. Warner!

Curt Warner

Who: Running Back Curt Warner

Team: Seattle Seahawks

Card: 1986 Topps

Acquired: TTM 4/3 6/8/2009 (35 days)

Comments: Mr. Curt Warner hooked me up FAT, signing three football cards, plus the index card I had in the envelope to protect them. Super, super cool.

I always had huge respect for Curt Warner during his playing days. Him and Steve Largent were awesome.

These days, Curt has a couple of car dealerships serving the Northwestern part of the US. I sent these cards to the dealership in hopes of getting them signed.

Kurt Warner

Who: Quarterback Kurt Warner

Team: Arizona Cardinals

Card: 2008 Custom

Acquired: TTM 1/2 6/3/2009 (130 days)

Comments: I sent two cards to Kurt back in January, before the Super Bowl, and ended up getting this signed custom card in return. It's actually a really nice card, better than a lot of actual card releases that are out today. Nice, thick stock and quality printing. I don't mind that he didn't sign my cards, this is a nice return.

Kurt's got some pretty hair, doesn't he?

Ozzie Newsome

Who: Hall of Fame Tight End Ozzie Newsome

Team: Cleveland Browns

Card: 1981 Topps

Acquired: TTM 1/1 5/15/2009 (11 days)

Comments: Hall of Famers are always worth a shot, right? Well, I'm not much of a Browns fan, but hey, a great player is a great player, and Ozzie Newsome was pretty great.

Ozzie signed my card via the mail, returning my card in just 11 days. He works for the Baltimore Ravens, basically incarnation of the Browns he played for his entire hall of fame career.

Kevin Butler

Who: Kicker Kevin Butler

Team: Chicago Bears

Card: 1989 Pro Set

Acquired: TTM 2/2 4/24/2009 (11 days)

Comments: If I were a kicker, this is the photo I would want on a card - right in the moment of celebrating a successful kick. Maybe even a game-winning one. This photo of Kevin Butler really captured a great moment in his career.

Nice Adidas, too. I like those.

Jim Breech

Who: Kicker Jim Breech

Team: Cincinnati Bengals

Card: 1993 Pro Set Power

Acquired: TTM 11/20/2008 3/3 (31 days)

Comments As they did so many times in there careers, Jim Breech and Lee Johnson are photographed here hooking up for the Bengals kicking game.

Peter Warrick

Who: Wide Receiver Peter Warrick

Team: Seattle Seahawks

Card: 2006 Topps Heritage

Acquired: TTM 2/2 4/28/2009 (7 days)

Comments: Though most would label Peter Warrick as a bust (4th overall pick of the 2000 draft), I still like him. I really wish his career turned out better than it did because he really was an exciting player. While he was with the Bengals, I witnessed at least one of his punt returns for a touchdown in person, and it was a sight to see. Too bad there weren't more of them.

These days, P-Dub is playing arena ball for the Bloomington Extreme (Illinios). I sent two cards to him care of the Extreme and he signed them and had them back to me in just 7 days. Very cool. Though it's a pretty simplistic signature, I can dig it. The fact that it matches the facsimile signature on this 2006 Heritage is solid. Next time around, I'll have a card featuring him as a Bengal. Stay tuned.

Kevin Butler

Who: Kicker Kevin Butler

Team: Chicago Bears

Card: 1986 Topps

Acquired: TTM 2/2 4/24/2009 (11 days)

Comments: Coming...

Charlie Joiner

Who: Hall of Famer Wide Receiver Charlie Joiner

Team: San Diego Chargers

Card: 1980 Topps

Acquired: TTM 2/2 4/4/2009 (11 days)

Comments: Another strong signature from Pro Football Hall of Famer, Charlie Joiner. There's a great old-school flair to it, nice and straight and legible. Great stuff, I must say.

On this card, he's with his proper team, the Chargers. The Bengals are just a footnote in his career at this point. Speaking of the card... check out how Topps had to edit out the bolts on the Chargers' uniform for the photo. Amazing.

Dallas Clark

Who: Tight End Dallas Clark

Team: Indianapolis Colts

Card: 2007 Upper Deck

Acquired: TTM 2/2 3/25/2009 (137 days)

Comments: This is a great card of Dallas Clark. He's making the grab, as he's right about to cross the endline for six. Upper Deck really had some nice photography in this football set.

Jim Breech

Who: Kicker Jim Breech

Team: Oakland Raiders

Card: 1980 Topps

Acquired: TTM 11/20/2008 3/3 (31 days)

Comments Oh yeah! The Jim Breech rookie card! With the Raiders, no less. I didn't realize that Jim kicked for Oakland for a few seasons early in his career until recently. Glad he came to Cincy, though. He was on-point his entire Bengal career and did most of the scoring in Super Bowl XXIII.

Jim signed this card and a few others for me last fall. I posted one, then forgot about the other two. So, here's the second of the three. Stay tuned for one more.

Dallas Clark

Who: Tight End Dallas Clark

Team: Indianapolis Colts

Card: 2006 Topps Heritage

Acquired: TTM 2/2 3/25/2009 (137 days)

Comments: Dallas always brings his A game whenever he and Colts play the Bengals. I can remember a few times him single-handily kicking the Bengals butts. While I am a sad Bengals fan, I do have some mad respect for Dallas. A nice vintage Topps design to get an autograph on right here. Dallas hooked me up when he finally had some down time in the offseason and I'm glad he did. Another one on the way soon.

Herschel Walker

Who: Herschel Walker

Team: Dallas Cowboys

Card: 1987 Topps

Acquired: TTM 2/2 1/13/2009 (17 days)

Comments: Greatest College Football Running Back Ever.

Herschel Walker

Who: Herschel Walker

Team: Dallas Cowboys

Card: 1989 Pro Set

Acquired: TTM 2/2 1/13/2009 (17 days)

Comments: Greatest College Football Running Back Ever.

Les Miles

Who: LSU Head Football Coach Les Miles

Team: LSU Tigers

Card: 2008 Allen & Ginter

Acquired: TTM 1/1 11/21/2008 (8 days)

Comments: Coming soon...

Joey Galloway

Who: Wide Receiver Joey Galloway

Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Card: 2007 Upper Deck

Acquired: TTM 1/1 1/3/2009 (63 days)

Comments: I haven't followed he career with great detail, but I've always been a big fan of Ohio State grad Joey Galloway. When I went to OSU Football Camp when I was in high school, he was a senior (I think) at the time. He was a stud on the field of course, but what really got me was how many power lifting records he held at OSU. He was crushing linebackers and running backs in all kinda of categories - squats, clean & snatch, etc. His athletic ability and strength are insane. It's probably a big reason why he is still in the league today. He's a total freak. I love it.

Jim Zorn

Who: Quaterback Jim Zorn

Team: Seattle Seahawks

Card: 1981 Topps (#125)

Acquired: TTM 2/2 12/8/2008 (13 days)

Comments: Coming soon...

Todd Christensen

Who: Tight End Todd Christensen

Team: Raiders

Card: 1984 Topps

Acquired: TTM 3/3 11/6/2008 (9 days)

Comments: Coming Soon...

Todd Christensen

Who: Tight End Todd Christensen

Team: Raiders

Card: 1985 Topps

Acquired: TTM 3/3 11/6/2008 (9 days)

Comments: Coming Soon...

Steve Largent

Who: Hall of Fame Wide Receiver Steve Largent

Team: Seattle Seahawks

Card: 1986 Topps 1000 Yard Club

Acquired: TTM 1/1 12/8/2008 (13 days)

Comments: I always really liked Steve Largent growing up. Since the Bengals played the Seahawks in the 1988 playoffs, I was made aware of how great he really was. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame 1995, but has been a US Representative since 1994. Pretty good guy huh? I also love these 1000 Yard Club cards. I loved pulling them out of packs when I was young because of the crazy design and they were glossy compared to the regular matte finish of the base cards. So, all-around great autograph right here. Thanks, Steve!

Todd Christensen

Who: Tight End Todd Christensen

Team: Raiders

Card: 1986 Topps

Acquired: TTM 3/3 11/6/2008 (9 days)

Comments: Christensen was a bas ass. Back when the Raiders were actually a bad ass team. Back when mustaches where REALLY bad ass. I love the old '86 Topps Football design, so this auto is a real winner for me. He even inscribed the Super Bowls he won with the Raiders (XV & XVII) as well. Nice!

Herman Edwards

Who: Cornerback Herman Edwards

Team: Philadelphia Eagles

Card: 1980 Topps

Acquired: TTM 2/2 11/6/2008 (9 Days)

Comments: Herm Edwards is the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. He's appartnetly a great signer - he turned two cards for me in 9 days. Amazing. In looking up Coach Edward's stats as a player, he had a pretty good career - 33 career interceptions. Not bad at all. His signature is pretty small - but I dig the style.

Joe Theismann

Who: Quarterback Joe Theismann

Team: Washington Redskins

Card: 1976 Topps & 1978 Topps

Acquired: TTM 2/2 10/24/08 (8 days)

Comments: I love getting these old cards signed. Joe was a pretty good quarterback back in the day. Not a hall of famer, but not a slouch either. Pretty nice signature to have in the collection. Joe signed these for me and back in 12 days. Pretty quick. Thanks, Joe! Hope your leg is feeling better.

Jim McMahon

Who: Quarterback Jim McMahon

Team: Chicago Bears

Card: 1986 Topps

Acquired: TTM 1/1 10/23/08 (8 days)

Comments: Are you serious? This is an awesome autograph right here. Jim was kind enough to personalize a card for me and mail it back in 9 days. Awesome. Jim - you are the man. You are forgiven for your rapping and your headbandz. Well, no need to apologize about the headbandz. They were pretty cool at the time. Rock on, dude. Thanks for the auto.