2018 Buffalo Bills Preview

The 2017 Buffalo Bills made a surprising run to the playoffs last year winning 4 of their last 6 games after going on a 3 game losing streak.  Now the Bills will likely be helmed by Josh Allen.  It seems like a good fit for this team.  He has the talent and Buffalo has been dreaming of a franchise quarterback since forever.  Not saying he might not get knocked around.  His receiving corps is thin and outside of LeSean McCoy the offense doesn't have a ton to get excited about.  The offensive line is also in flux.  Still this was a playoff team so hopefully the transition for the young quarterback won't be so tough.  There are many thoughts about putting a young signal caller at the helm but I'm all for it.  Let him learn and hopefully he can pick up on things quickly.  Tyrod Taylor, for all the chatter about him not being the guy, he at least protected the ball which can be a struggle for rookies.

  The passing defense didn't give up many touchdowns which was a huge plus but outside of that, the defense needs to make more strides.  They did go heavy on defense in the draft so there is definitely hope the unit can make strides this season.  Hopefully they can stay strong while the offense transitions to a new leader under center.  

  While it seems unlikely Buffalo returns to the playoffs I can see a path with their schedule.  Many opponents are in the same place they are - talented but not world beaters.  That said, they will probably be happy with 8 wins.  No matter how the season ends there is a great feeling of excitement going into a season with a player who really has a chance to be the guy for years to come.  Excitement and Buffalo haven't gone together for a long time.  I am looking forward to seeing what Buffalo and Josh Allen can do with an eye towards the future.

2018 Atlanta Falcons Season Preview

The 2017 Atlanta Falcons were able to parlay a 10-6 record into a playoff berth and upset the Los Angeles Rams before losing to the eventual Champion Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.  There's no reason to believe this team can't post double digit wins again as well as compete for the division title.  The offense which already has stars Julio Jones, Matt Ryan, and Devonta Freeman added star Alabama receiver Steven Ridley to the mix.  There is too much talent on this team to think their offense won't keep them in most games.  Despite 4,000 yards passing Ryan wasn't the player who won MVP in 2016.  Devonta Freeman fought through injuries and didn't put up big numbers and Julio Jones just couldn't find the end zone consistently. This offense is too good to struggle again or second year offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian may find himself looking for another job.

  The bend but don't break defense played admirably.  I can't really fault them for the Falcons issues.  They need to get after the quarterback more and improve on getting turnovers.  The Falcons didn't invest heavily on defense in the draft nor pick up any major players for that side of the ball so they'll need to scheme better to see any real improvement.  

I like coach Dan Quinn and based on the team's ability to reach the Super Bowl two years ago I have faith this team can turn it around.  The offense was historically good in 2016 but changing coordinators on that side of the ball seemed to make a huge difference to the negative.  I can't see that trend continuing.  The Falcons are in a tough division but I can see 11 wins for this team and a playoff berth.  Hopefully this season will see a team that is again worthy of a Super Bowl appearance.

2018 Topps Archives

I'm always excited about the Archives brand of card so I was excited when I grabbed my first pack of 2018 Archives baseball.  This year's set pays homage to Topps baseball sets from '59, '77 and '81 as well  '93 to a lesser degree.  I loved my pull which was highlighted by Ronald Acuna Jr. of my Braves.  Great looking card and boy is he having a great rookie season.  This pack got me excited for more and I'll definitely seek out additional packs.  

The '59 design doesn't do much for me but many of the designs that predate the seventies really don't.  Still I think Topps did a pretty good job merging the old with the new here.

The '77 set is more up my alley as that is about when I started collecting.  And boy did I pull some greats to include personal collection guys David Ortiz and Ozzie Smith.  Bruce Sutter is another player I always liked.  So the design combined with these greats made them a big hit with me.

Were the '81 cards one of my favorites?  No but as with many designs I like the nostalgia combined with current players and retired legends.  I think this is my first Ralph Kiner card.  Topps borrowed a '93 Coming Attraction design to showcase top rookies.  

Great look for some of the Cardinals' future stars.  Harrison Bader is tearing it up right now and Jack Flaherty is 7-6 wit a 3.05 ERA in 20 starts.  

BREAKDOWN:

18 – Total Cards

6 - 1959

5 – 1977

5 – 1981

4 – RC

4 – Retired Legends

1 – 1993 Coming Attractions

1 – 1981 Topps Future Stars

2018 Stadium Club

I always look forward to the Stadium Club cards mostly due to the great photos they always showcase.  The 2018 Stadium Club didn't disappoint in that regard.  The photographs are great quality and pop off the card.  Seeing retired greats in this format is also a big draw.  My pull had some all-time greats with Hank Aaron, George Brett, and Wade Boggs.  The active players were highlighted by current NL MVP possible Matt Carpenter and prospect Victor Robles.  I'm pretty happy with the cards overall but the team name and player name are very hard to make out.  They are actually easier to read in these scans than in hand.  That is definitely a swing an a miss.  That said, it doesn't take away from the great look of these cards.  I am considering grabbing a hobby box of these at the card show in October.  We'll see how it plays out.  Bottom line is I like these cards and those I pulled.    

I'm so hoping there will be a 2019 Matt Carpenter card of him doing the "Salsa".  The backs of these are fairly nice with plenty of color and the player photo.

BREAKDOWN:

12 – Total Cards
4 – RC
3 – Retired Greats
1 – Never Compromise

2018 Topps WWE Road to WrestleMania

This pack of 2018 Topps WWE Road to WrestleMania cards was pretty fun.  The design is nice and colorful and the variety keeps it interesting.  John Cena is the star of the pack while Andre the Giant was the most fun for me.  As a kid everyone loved him.  I'm not real familiar with the rest of the wrestlers but I know some of them are popular.  While I won't pick up more of these I definitely enjoyed this pack.  That makes two wrestling packs in a month which has probably never happened with me before.  Now I am looking forward to the 2018 Women's Division cards which come out the beginning of October.  That set will also have Ronda Rousey's rookie card.      

 Can't go wrong with Andre the Giant!

BREAKDOWN:

7 – Total Cards

3 – Raw Men’s Division

2 – Wrestlemania 34 Roster Cards

1 – Cruiserweight Division

1 - WWE Hall of Fame Tribute (Part 1)

2018 Big League Baseball

I've been looking forward to the 2018 Big League Baseball cards.  I enjoy sets that aren't too serious and allow you have some fun and this set was designed with young collectors in mind.  The cards are a bit of a thinner stock but that is ok as they don't feel "cheap".  I like the design but would have liked to see almost any color other than the gray they used as the primary color on the front.  Just too bland.  Had to highlight the Odubel Herrera card with his great hair.  I thought I'd see more fun pics like this on the cards but they really weren't to be found.  

  I love seeing Jeff Bagwell in newer sets.  The Kris Bryant card is one I like and who doesn't like 5 tool extraordinaire Bartolo Colon?

  I loved pulling Jose Altuve but the design, when in hand looks like it was cut short at the top.  Still I like the card.  That's a great Honus Wagner pic on the gold parallel.

I do like these cards for the most part and will pick up more.  The 30 cards for $4.99 was more than I expected considering the target audience.  That price point puts them in line with the base set.  I thought these would be a cross between the Bunt cards, which I loved, and Opening Day cards but these don't have the fun vibe I get from either of those.  I haven't see enough yet to think these are really that kid friendly.  Maybe I'm just mad the cards with the dogs got axed.  I really want to like this set and will look for more packs to break.  Maybe some different inserts will help sway me.

BREAKDOWN:

30 – Total Cards
4 – RC
3 – Gold
3 – Retired Greats
1 – Stat Kings
1 – Ministers of Mash

1 - Base Players Weekend Nickname Image Variations

2018 Allen & Ginter

I'm not the fan of the 2018 Allen & Ginter as I am the Gypsy Queen cards but always like giving these retro looking cards a look.  These aren't bad looking cards but I probably won't look for any more. The fronts with the scroll look on the photos is a cool design but there is just something here that doesn't get me excited.  The backs are similar to what we are used to from this brand and don't do much for me.

My pull was excellent with two of the six card going into my personal collection (Aaron and Kimbrel).  The Baseball Equipment of the Ages falls in line with the quirky cards that can be expected in these sets.  The minis, oh the minis.  I so dislike you...

BREAKDOWN:

6 – Total Cards
1 – Mini
1 – Retired Great
1 – Baseball Equipment of the Ages