As I then didn't scan anything for months, the three 2002 Heads up Quads he got me just sat on my desk. I didn't even mark them as haves on my checklist. Those were dark times indeed.
Well now, after finally scanning everything I had on the desk, including the Quads, I can post about them! So here's the first post, which features the early 00s Cowboys as they tried to get back to their glory days.
Joey Galloway is probably remembered most as a Seahawk and a Buccaneers (And also a Buckeye), but in between those pro stops, he spent a decent four years in Dallas. After an ACL tear led to a one game long initial season, he had 147 catches over his next three years with the team, scoring 11 touchdowns. It wasn't quite up to par with what he had done in Seattle, but it was enough that Tampa Bay was willing to trade Keyshawn Johnson for Galloway straight up after the 2003 season. He then had another injury riddled season before breaking off three straight 1,000 yard campaigns, putting the Buccaneers in the "win" category for that trade (Keyshawn spent just two years in Dallas and never had 1,000 yards receiving). Galloway later finished up his career with short stints in New England and Washington.
I personally loved Galloway since NFL Quarterback Club '98, so he was on a lot of Madden 2004 teams for me. So was Ken-Yon Rambo, a 7th round pick (Also out of Ohio State) by the Raiders in 2001 who quickly made his way to the Cowboys and hung around for a few seasons. In two seasons of play, Rambo caught 17 passes for 239 yards. He was later a New York Jet, but injuries led to him falling out of the NFL in 2004.
"Rocket" Ismail was supposed to be the next big thing in the NFL when he declared for the draft in 1991. Projected as the number one overall pick, he instead signed a huge contract with the Toronto Argonauts, $18.2 million over four years. This doesn't feel like a ton today, but at the time it averaged out to more than the CFL's salary cap per team (Which was $3.8 million) and was the highest contract in football history anywhere. Season one went great, with Toronto winning the Grey Cup (Their Super Bowl) and Ismail scoring touchdowns. In season two the team slumped and Ismail was less happy, and tied with financial issues Ismail moved to the L.A. Raiders after that second season.
The Raiders owned his rights because they drafted him with pick 100 in 1991, and he was somewhat of a letdown in his three years with the team, with just nine touchdowns total and none on returns. So they traded him to Carolina, where he had two more humdrum seasons followed by a third where he went over 1,000 yards finally. This inspired Dallas to sign him for the 2001 season, and he did go over 1,000 yards that season, but his next two seasons were beset by injuries before Ismail fell out of the NFL.
As for Emmitt Smith - well the guy is obviously a legend. He was the 2nd all time leading rusher in High School history, and he ended up topping that as a Hall of Famer and the all time leading rusher in the NFL. He also won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys and was the league MVP in 1993.
One of the most shocking things about Smith, in my opinion, is that he was only picked 17th overall in the 1990 draft. The Cowboys should have actually picked #1 due to their record, and they might have picked James Francis there, but they forfeited this pick due to picking Steve Walsh in the supplemental draft the year before. As a result they picked 21st, and they actually traded up to 17th (With the Steelers) as they saw Smith dropping, seeing a potential value pick. There were some real good picks above Smith, including Hall of Famers Cortez Kennedy and Junior Seau and Pro Bowlers Mark Carrier, Richmond Webb, Renaldo Turnbull, and Lamar Lathon, but there's no question Smith probably should've gone number one, especially compared to actual #1 pick Jeff George and #2 pick (and first RB selected) Blair Thomas.
That being said, John Randle, Hall of Famer, went undrafted in 1990, so Smith was hardly the worst slight of the draft.
Who wins the card? There's no question it's Smith, who had an amazing career with the Cowboys. If I had to pick a 2nd place it'd probably be Galloway, as his overall career was a lot better than Ismail's and his Cowboys' career was a little bit better as well.
Solid lineup. The only guy I hadn't heard of is Ken-Yon Rambo... but damn he's got a cool name.
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