Absolutely Favre-ulous
Written: Oct 04 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A nice and affordable rookie card
Cons: Overproduced, with a college shot of Favre
The Bottom Line: A good card of a player who is a star in more than one way.
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| pmills1210's Full Review: Upper Deck Atlanta Falcons Brett Favre 1991 Rookie... |
In 1991, the Atlanta Falcons had a young quarterback who played sparingly behind starter Chris Miller, who was having one of the best years of his NFL career. Miller's understudy threw just four passes that season, which was his rookie campaign. He never completed a pass to a Falcons teammate, but he did complete two to the opposition. His Falcons coach, Jerry Glanville, had made it clear that he disapproved of Atlanta drafting this quarterback. Since Miller was enjoying some fine stats that year, Brett Favre seemed destined to ride the bench if he had stayed with the team who had made him an early second round selection.
The Green Bay Packers, however, had other ideas about Favre. They thought so highly of Favre's potential, they traded a first-round selection to the Falcons to get him. That trade has paid off handsomely for the Packers, whose relationship with this future Hall Of Famer is currently in its sixteenth year. Once he replaced Don Majkowski as a starter early in the 1992 season, Favre has not relinquished the starting role. In each of his first fifteen seasons in Green Bay, Favre has passed for more than 3000 yards. He is the first NFL quarterback to have such a streak. Going into the 2007 season, Favre had logged 237 consecutive stars, a record for quarterbacks. In the 2007 season, Favre, who already owns the completion record, added the career victory and touchdown pass marks to his list of achievements. With over 58,000 passing yards, he appears poised to break Dan Marino's career yardage mark in either 2007 or 2008. Favre was the man behind center when the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI, and is the only player to earn NFL MVP honors three times (1995-97).
Favre's rookie season in the NFL was also the rookie year in the NFL card market for Upper Deck. Their first card of Favre shows him in his days at Southern Mississippi, sitting on the bench between offensive series. Like Topps cards, Upper Deck created their initial offering with a white border. There is also a border along two sides of the photo that resembles the base path of a baseball diamond. Below the photo is a gray bar that identifies Favre by name and by position. Next to the bar is the designation that Favre is a star rookie. The back includes a Falcons logo and text whose main focus is his 1990 season at Southern Mississippi. Also included on the back is a football-shaped foil hologram with the Upper Deck logo that can be seen when light shines on it. These holograms are a part of Upper Deck's efforts to prevent counterfeiting their products. This is the key card (#13) in Upper Deck's 700-card set from that year. The value of Favre's rookie card, according to the October 2007 issue of Beckett Football magazine, is $10.
When Upper Deck entered the NFL card fray, they showed they were just as willing to give Topps a run in the gridiron card market. In addition to their distinctive holograms, Upper Deck provided sharp photos and thin cardstock to give its cards more of a photographic quality than many of its competitors. My big complaint about the Favre photo is that is a collegiate photo. In 1991, the companies who specialized in college draft pick cards were Star Pics and Classic, who are now out of business. With companies like that, neither Upper Deck nor any other company should have resorted to a college picture. In a part of this offering that was made available late in the 1991 season, Upper Deck did issue a Favre card (#547) that showed him in his NFL uniform. Still, Upper Deck did get a fine shot for his official RC which shows most of his face clearly while he is in communication with an unseen assistant coach. Though this card does not provide any of Favre's playing statistics in the linear fashion often found on trading cards, Upper Deck provides handsome and easy-to-read print to discuss the signal caller. At the time of their release, Upper Deck was the card with the premium price, with packs selling for at least 89 cents apiece (That price would be eclipsed later in 1991 as other companies introduced premium-priced football cards). Due to massive product availability, however, collectors who waited could get price breaks on these cards.
Brett Favre got noticed by the NFL for his strong passing arm, and he continues to show both fans and opponents he can put a touch on the ball that leads to points. Not one to obsess with statistics, Favre has quietly noted that Peyton Manning is on a pace to surpass the marks he has been establishing. He is also active in community interests with his Favre Fourward Foundation, which has been helping charitable organizations in Wisconsin and his home state of Mississippi since 1996. His foundation also helps those affected by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Another charity close to Favre is the Deanna Favre Hope Foundation, which was started by his wife, Deanna, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 (As of this writing, she is expected to make a full recovery). This charity, established in 2005, helps breast cancer patients who are either uninsured or underinsured. During his time in Green Bay, Brett Favre has been a proven leader, both on and off the field. He has shown that Atlanta's loss has been a gain for so many others.
This is an entry in the Breast Cancer Awareness Write-Off hosted by laurashrti. Please click on this hyperlink for more entries.
This is also an entry in the October 2007 First Review Write-Off of Epinions. Please visit the Member Center to get the details of this event.
Thanks to Laura and Epinions for their opportunities.
Recommended:
Yes
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Member: Pat Mills
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