Let's talk football

Normally, I don't let the seasons dictate what I discuss. I'm primarily a baseball guy and a baseball card collector and it seems ridiculous to me to stop talking about such things just because we're in the offseason. I can't turn my love on and off like that.

However ...

There's almost two feet of snow on the ground, thanks to the storm that cut through the Northeast the last day or so, and there are two supposedly significant football games on the television. I can hear words like "Brees" and "play-action" and "THAT'S PASS INTERFERENCE!" These are not baseball words. And I'm freezing. It's practically silly to discuss baseball today.

Fortunately, I have some football cards I need to post. Remember Jonathan? That guy who sent me the big box of cards? You though I was done with that big box? You think I ask too many questions? OK, I'll be quiet now and show some cards:

Jonathan sent a whole bunch of Score Bills from that beautiful time when I was covering the team and cards were bright and simple.

I like Score's designs a lot, for the most part (don't get excited '92 baseball, still don't like you). And it's good to finally own these readily available cards.

This is during the heart of the Bills' Super Bowl years. Good and bad memories. Good and bad cards. I will never appreciate Ultra the way a lot of collectors do. But, yes, give me some lavender and aqua.

The late '90s football cards I just can't get into. Moving on ...

This is more recent stuff. Panini has now taken over the Score design. I like the look of the Panini-Score cards although sometimes I think Panini's designs don't give Score enough credit. For instance that Spiller card: Score wasn't that fascinated with geometric designs.

A second collector also sent me some football cards recently. John, who is raiderjoe_FO on Twitter, joined in the trend of sending me cards of a team whose season has been over for a long time.

Those are some '90s notables.

This is one of my favorite Bills players to collect. I know Shady isn't the greatest of characters, but I like his cards a lot.

Now, we are talking. LOOK AT THESE.

It's interesting how I have barely a concept of the 1980 Topps football set -- I collected precious few football cards in the '80s -- but the instant I look at it, I feel at home. Those photos, that kind of design is what cards should look like to me. That's why I love early '80s football and hockey. Even though I didn't collect it, it looks like what I collected in the '70s. They are friendly cards. Comforting cards. This might be an entire post in the future.

Three more old-school players on old-school designs. Love them.

However, the centerpiece of the package involved the football set that I hold above all others.

More 1977 Topps greatness for the set quest. These are all needs. I don't know many of the players, but I know the design, and that's about all that matters. That, and the great names, like Dexter Bussey.

Much to address from this scan. Ken Anderson was a favorite when I was a kid. Do you remember the pre-striped Bengals helmets? Their helmets simply read "Bengals," but that was a headache for Topps because it was forced to airbrush the words off each helmet and now every Bengals player looks like a Browns player and that won't do for either the Bengals or the Browns.

Also, I would collect today's football cards if they featured oxygen masks.

More '77 greatness. Punters in action. Giants in action. Jeris White giving his best Diff'rent Strokes "What you talkin' 'bout, Willis" stare.

My favorite football card in the entire package is at the upper left. I owned that Harvey Martin card during the peak of my Cowboys-rooting days. I loved that card and the Golden Richards cards equally. Neither could match my appreciation for the Drew Pearson card though. Still need that one.

Even with all that football talk, I still can't finish a post without throwing in a little baseball. That's because RaiderJoe also sent a few Dodgers cards.

Modern-looking stuff. That's my first look up-close at the 2018 Gallery set. The "artist proof" thing means nothing to me. The design is OK, not feeling it much.

That's a 2018 Archives card I need.

That's the last card I need from the 2018 National Baseball Card Day team set.

And that -- well, that, is plain phenomenal.

That is a vintage Wacky Packages sticker, from 1980. This is the first time I've received a vintage Wacky Pack sticker in a trade package. I could not be more pleased.

I collected the first few Wacky Packages editions as a kid. They are the best parody stickers/cards ever made. I would love to collect them again and maybe I will. This just might be the sticker that sends me in that direction.

OK, that's about it. I'm off to boo Tom Brady. See you when the Super Bowl finalists are decided.