Card: 1973 Topps Card #77

Team/Position: Oakland Raiders / Tackle

Cost: 1 Buck

Once again, we’ve got an offensive lineman that doesn’t get a card until his 5th season.  As a player, Shell was as good as they came in Oakland.  Art Shell grinded it out as a Special Teamer for two seasons with the Raiders before stepping into the left tackle spot.

Art Shell’s left-side partner in crime was another Hall of Famer and former head of the NFLPA, Gene Upshaw.  Shell and Upshaw formed one of the best left-sides that the game has seen and were responsible for giving Ken Stabler and Jim Plunkett the time they needed.

Shell was your prototypical left tackle with the added bonus of being a ferocious run-blocker.  By the end of Art Shell’s career, he’d amassed eight Pro-Bowls, three first team and two second team All American Awards.  Shell was a member of three of the Oakland / LA Raiders Championship teams and his mild-mannered, humble, personality will forever remain a favorite of Raider fans.

As A Coach

When Shell was brought back to coach the Oakland Raiders in 2006, it essentially ruined his legacy for fans under 25 years old.  The entire year was a mess, and little-diva Jerry Porter and Shell had a year-long disagreement.  Shell lead the Raiders to 2 wins and 14 losses in what was probably the worst Raiders offense of all time.

Shell finished up with a 56-50 coaching record though, so prior to the 2006/7 massacre; Shell was 54-and-36.  For me, I can’t seem to get the goofy image of Art Shell wearing that Ice-Cube style Raiders cap during his first coaching stint.

In 1990, Art Shell was named coach of the year after leading the Raiders to a 12-and-4 record.  Crazy lizard-man, Al Davis, fired Shell in 1994, which Davis later admitted to regretting.

Art Shell’s definitely proof that you can be unassuming and completely badass.

The Back of this Card is absolutely AMAZING, though:

If you ever wondered what Art Shell’s Yards Per Return was on punts after his first five seasons, you’ve got your answer.  While I understand that Shell played some Special Teams, this has to be the most useless statistic imprinted on the rear of a card ever.

Card: 1973 Topps Card #115

Team/Position: Pittsburgh Steelers / Outside Linebacker

Cost: About 3 Bucks (brutally off center)

When discussing the Steel Curtain of the seventies, where the hell to start is a great question.   The entire defense consisted of talents ranging from well above average to sure-fire Hall of Famer.  Neither Jack Lambert nor Jack Ham, were built like an NFL Linebackers.  Both were undersized, yet managed to dominate their positions for a decade. 

Jack Ham arrived from Linebacker U (Penn State) in 1971 after the Steelers took him with their second round pick.  Ham would go on to take over the Left Outside Linebacker spot as a rookie and hold onto it for his entire career.

Ham was a member of each of the Steelers’ 4 Superbowl victories during the 70′s.  Throw in 8 Pro Bowl appearances, 6 First Team All Pros, and 2 Second Team All Pros, and you’ve got yourself a football player.

Ham was an absolute monster, but was he the best outside linebacker of all time?   If you polled 100 football experts, odds are that they’d be split right down the middle — 50/50 — for Jack Ham and Lawrence Taylor.

What Made Jack Ham Special?

I find myself talking about the importance of a terrific power/speed combination far too often.  Jack Ham definitely wasn’t a power/speed guy, he possessed a combination much more rare:  Jack Ham was a Read-React-Accelerate player.

Ham’s ability to instantly accelerate probably would’ve landed him in the Hall of Fame, even if he weren’t skilled at sniffing the play out.  Ham did have one hell of a nose for the football though, and it took him no time at all to shed blockers on his way to the ball carrier.

When I think about the Ham vs. Taylor argument, it’s a no-brainer for me.  Jack Ham was infinitely more versatile than Taylor, and starting him at the Outside Linebacker spot would allow you ultimate defensive flexibility.  Taylor’s pure pass-rushing skills definitely put him in the conversation, but it’s Jack Ham I’d want in pursuit or back in coverage.  I’m somewhat partial to Ham because Taylor was an absolute freak of nature, whereas Ham could’ve easily been your next-door neighbor.

1973 Topps was such an awful looking year and we’ve still got quite a few more to go from that year.  The only redeeming feature is the large photo on the front.

Card: 1973 Topps Card #288

Team/Position: Oakland Raiders / Safety

Cost: $4.00

Continuing with the Ohio State trend, here we have Jack Tatum’s ’73 Rookie Card.  The Oakland Raiders selected Tatum in the first round of the 1971 Draft with the 19th overall pick.  Tatum quickly took over the starting free safety job and as they say, the rest is history.

Tatum was nicknamed the Assassin for good reason.  The hits he laid on receivers are legendary, and the only man to come close to the force that Jack hit with was Ronnie Lott, who often names Tatum as an idol.

In 1970 for the Buckeyes, Tatum was voted an unanimous All American and the National Defensive Player of the year.  When it comes to the best safeties in the history of college football, Jack Tatum is amongst the best.  Sports Illustrated named Jack Tatum as their starting free safety on the All-Century team in 1999. I’m not a huge fan of the card itself, but the photo of Jack Tatum is absolutely frightening.  I can’t help but think that Jack Tatum would be Vegas’ favourite in a prize-fight against a series of black bears, lions, and great white sharks.

As A Raider…

I guess there’s no place to start other than the Immaculate Reception. Jack Tatum’s the reason the ball flew upwards before eventually landing in Franco Harris’ hands.  Tatum was the one that separated John Fuqua from the football before Harris’ grab.  I always enjoy watching the former Raiders players question the call, saying the ball hit the ground or the ball hit Fuqua (illegal for the ball to be touched by two offensive players in succession back in the day).

Tatum was unfortunately also known for his pre-season hit on Darryl Stingley that left Stingley paralyzed from the chest down.  Tatum denied any responsibility for the hit, claiming it was well within the rules, but failed to immediately apologize.  Tatum claims that he’s attempted to apologize, and feels genuinely bad about the outcome of the play, but the people close to Stingley at the time refused to let it happen.

The Credentials

Tatum holds the record for the longest fumble recovery in the history of the game (t. 1) after returning a fumble for 104 yards against the Packers.

Tatum was a 3-time Pro Bowler, a 2-time 2nd team All Pro.  For some reason, Tatum has yet to be entered into the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

Tatum’s without a doubt one of the greatest safeties of all time and for the life of me, I cannot figure out why he’s being held out.  It’s apparent that there’s a chunk of sports-writers that aren’t all that fond of Jack “the Assassin” Tatum.

Tatum definitely looks like a Hall Of Famer and anyone who played with or against him would say he played like a Hall of Famer, so… What’s the problem?