Category Archives: nfl rookie premiere

Another Day With The Attendees of the 2010 NFL Rookie Premiere

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Today was the second time I had a chance to interact with the attendees of the 2010 Rookie Premiere, and though it wasnt as epic as Friday night, today was still a very fun time. I arrived at Santa Monica High School around 11:45 and made my way over to the event. Panini was set up there with a booth next to the merch tent from NFLPA, as well as a DJ from 102.7 KIIS FM. The music from the field was already blaring, so I couldnt really see the point of an extra place for music, but whatever. They also had Coffee Bean stuff there for sale, but they looked bored without anyone coming to buy.

Panini handed out packs of 2009 Prestige, which came in very handy in the later parts of the event. They were also handing out mammoth posters that featured all the rookie cards from 2010 Prestige, though I was kind of disappointed they didnt have current packs to open for the rookies at the event.
There were a ton of fans lining the entry way looking to get autographs, and as the event participants rolled in, they signed for just about everyone. The people I recognized immediately were Brandon Routh, who played Superman in the latest film, Bill Bellamy of MTV fame, and one of the Sklar brothers who had a show on ESPN Classic as well as some well known stand up comedy stuff.
I walked around a little before making my way up to Media/VIP check in, but there really wasnt much happening on the actual grounds of the event until things got going. NFLPA had set up huge video screens and decorated everything to the nines, so that was cool too. As I walked into the tent where all the event personnel were hanging out, I could see that once again, the NFLPA didnt mistreat its people.

Just like on Friday, the spread was impressive, this time featuring sandwiches from a great local deli, sweets from a local restaurant, salads and steak sandwiches from Morton’s steakhouse, among other stuff. No one was really there when the event started, so I grabbed some food and waited to see if any of the card people were going to come. Much to my dismay, none of them were able to make it to the event, except for a few people I had met on Friday night from Upper Deck. I later found out that some of them had some very unfortunate circumstances at the hotel involving cars and towing. It was really too bad they couldnt be there.
A few of the rookies that were still in town showed up around 12:30 in a big group, and I used the opportunity to fill out my collection of autographs from the guys I didnt have. The first person I talked to was Eric Decker, a Broncos wide receiver who walked in wearing his new jersey. He was an alum of the University of Minnesota, and a VERY nice guy, so we chatted about our common heritage and Minnesota connection. He was happy to sign a card for me, which was great, considering how few people were actually there.
CJ Spiller walked in next, with Dexter McCluster, Damian Williams, and Demaryius Thomas in tow. Ben Tate, Golden Tate, and Toby Gerhart walked in next, followed by Mardy Gilyard and Arrelious Benn. I didnt have either of the Tates, and both were happy to sign for me. Everyone who was there started taking pictures with them, and reporters from the school newspaper interviewed a few of them. That would have been an awesome experience to have as a high schooler, thats for sure.
I noticed Eric Dickerson sitting at a table waiting for his game to start, so I walked over and chatted to him about life after football. He lives very close to me in the valley here in LA, and was a very nice guy all around. I didnt realize how cool his signature looked until he was finished signing, and it was one that I was glad to have.
TJ Houshmanzadeh was also there, and here is where it was handy to have a never ending supply of Panini cards for him to sign. Everyone there had his 2009 Prestige card and he signed about 4 of them before I got a chance. He was also a class act, but laughed when his card featured him as a Bengal.
I had CJ Spiller sign a football I brought with me, and he was much more friendly about it than on Friday night. he gave me a full sig with a personalization, and I could not be happier about it. Maurice Jones Drew was also milling about, but he was extremely busy filming stuff for the NFL network. Lucky I got him previously, because I didnt see an opportunity this time around.
Because I was wearing my Vikings shirt, Toby Gerhart came up and said “Go Vikes!” before getting in line to get some lunch. I got in line behind him, and asked him how yesterday went. He said he had a blast, and it was really cool to see all his cards that were being made. He loved the first opportunity to get dressed in full garb, and said he was glad he got to attend. He was wearing a Topps hat, something I didnt expect.
All in all, this weekend was a tremendous experience, and I am glad I got to be a part of it before I left Los Angeles for good. This rookie class, with few exceptions, were a bunch of amazing guys, and I hope that somewhere in the ranks there is a few NFL Superstars in the making. Because of my interactions with them, I have acquired a few new targets for next year, and thankfully there are going to be some awesome cards. Upper Deck, Panini, and Topps did a great job putting this event together, as always, and hopefully in the future I can make it back for another one.

My Night At The 2010 NFL Rookie Premiere

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Just from living here in Los Angeles, I have had the opportunity to do things that I never would have thought possible. In 2008 I was able to attend the red carpet premiere of Guitar Hero III, where Poison played a spectacular show for less than 500 people. There were celebrities, there was great food, open bar, the works. That was nothing compared to what I got to do last night.

Because of some inside information, I knew where the players were going to be and when they were going to be there. Being the autograph hound I am, I decided it was worth an effort to try to get signatures from as many of the rookies as I could. As there is every year, there is a huge party in Santa Monica the night before the main event, so I made it a point to be at the venue as the players arrived. Boy am I glad I decided to go.
I arrived around 6:45 and sat down in the lobby with a stack of cards freshly pulled from packs of Prestige and notecards for the players I couldnt get. I had a football as well, but I was going to save it for the right moment. Around 7:00 players started walking in, no entourage, no anything. I walked up to Ndamukong Suh, who was probably one of the biggest beasts I had ever seen and asked if he could sign one of my cards. He was extremely nice, and happily obliged. As soon as people saw that the players were there, three others started to walk over. He signed for all of them without blinking an eye and even chatted with us for a few moments.
Ryan Mathews was next, and like Suh, he was incredibly nice. He posed for pictures, he signed whatever we wanted and hung around for a few minutes. As a Chargers player, he had to sign for just about everyone, but he was cordial and never made any notice of being swarmed.
Dexter McCluster stopped by as well, but didnt say much. Oddly enough, he hung around the lobby the most of any of the players before everything started.
After Mathews left, Eric Berry walked in, but was more hesitant to sign for us. After he got a few requests from kids there, he ended up signing for everyone, taking pictures and so on.
Jimmy Clausen showed up while Berry was signing, and I broke away immediately to go and get him. Clausen was a BIG guy, surprisingly, and signed the first of my cards that I had brought with me. He was somewhat cold at first, but didnt have a problem playing the role once he realized that we were all there.
Demaryius Thomas showed up around the same time as Clausen, so I had him sign the card I had for him as well. He was VERY shy and just passed through on his way to the elevator.
After Thomas left, it was about 7:20, and we hit a lull. We waited for more people, but no one showed until around 7:30. Thats when things got nuts. First Maurice Jones Drew, who was there for the NFL network walked in, and no one even noticed him. Once we got a clue, who he was, he nicely signed for the two of us who walked up to him. Then CJ Spiller walked in the door, and you could tell that everyone wanted his picture and autograph. He signed a card for me, though he didnt say much to anyone. That was two big names off my list. Then the boom fell.
Tim Tebow walked in, and he was pretty much on a mission. He saw that all his player friends were signing, did a complete 180 and headed straight the other way for the elevator. I was standing right there and asked him for his autograph to give away on the site. He shrugged me off with a “not now” as a woman walked up for a picture. She shoved the camera in my hands and asked for a shot, which I took. At that point, a bald guy walked up and confronted the five or six of us that were there. He wasnt with the hotel, but told us to leave because we were “harassing” the guests. Jumping on his cell phone, he said “im going to get hotel management over here” and pointed to the door. At this point, I was more interested in avoiding confrontation because I had just received news that I was going to be able to attend the actual party that night.
Shaking with excitement over the news of my party pass, I walked outside and waited for it to arrive. In the meantime, I saw a bunch of familiar faces milling about, including Tracy Hackler, but ill get to that later.
After my pass arrived, I chilled for a while to see if anyone else was going to show up. At around 7:45, I met up with Chris Carlin and Terry Melia of Upper Deck for a pre-arranged meeting and we walked into the party. It was like a mecca of complete ridiculous-ness and awesome-ness. I couldnt believe that I was going to be able to experience it, and was glad that I brought a huge stack of notecards. There was food, there was drink, there was everything, and it was pimped out with EA sports stuff and NFL players EVERYWHERE.
Considering I had never met Chris or Terry face to face before, I spent time with them talking about life and the upcoming year. Both of them were incredibly friendly, and were just happy to be in such a cool place, just like I was. For guys who spend their days around this sort of stuff, they seemed like fans too, it was kind of refreshing in a way. Chris promised me that this year, Upper Deck’s stuff would be incredible for football, despite the fact that their NFL license was gone. He knew it would be tough to carve out a new niche, but he felt confident that the design team would continue to make Upper Deck’s products look better than any others out there.
After we were done chatting, I started to walk around. The spread they had set up was crazy beyond belief. The party spanned the entire pool area, bordering the beach and the ocean, something that added a bunch of allure to the status of the event itself. They had a station where they made their own Chili, a station with a Mini Donut making company who did fresh donuts, a table filled with candy and caramel apples, a sliders station (chicken, pulled pork, burgers, and other stuff), a mashed potatoes station, and of course, an open bar. It was the first time I wished I hadnt had my surgery, but I was okay settling on the smell of the food rather than eating it.
In the midst of walking around, I got Sam Bradford to sign another card for me, Clausen to sign my football, Arrelious Benn to
sign a card, and a few others. I still hadnt seen Toby Gerhart, which was sad, so I decided to schmooze a little more. I was introduced to a few distributors and others who were there, all of which were pretty shocked to see me. I saw Tracy Hackler again, and introduced myself, we chatted for 30 seconds and I walked away. Nothing bad, just wanted to actually meet him.
After my Beckett encounter, I started to chat with the Marketing director for Upper Deck, who may have been one of the nicest people at the party. She was so happy and excited about the weekend, and I saw exactly why she had her job. She treated me more like a friend than a blogger, which I very much appreciated, and I hope I get copies of the pictures she took of all of us (hint hint).
I was in line to get some water when Scott Prusha of Panini walked right up to me and got in my face. Decked out in Adrenalyn garb for their new product he laid into me for past posts on SCU. For a smaller gentleman, he can be quite intimidating, thats for sure. I held my ground, hoping he wouldnt go too far into our history, but he wanted to make some points, and I was more than willing to hear what he had to say. We talked for about 20 minutes, and he actually had some pretty invaluable advice that I will definitely be using in the future for this site. After he warmed up a little, he wanted me to know that he really wasnt concerned with the business side of my blog, but more the history of my actions. He understood that my opinion on Panini products was just that, and didnt really care about what I said. He told me he really didnt read the site anymore, which was fine, but he was happy that the baby was doing well. Scott and I broke our conversation on good terms, but its not like we are going out for a drink any time soon.
At this point, it was about 8:30, and I was nearing the end of my rope with being away from the baby. I still hadnt found Toby Gerhart in the sea of 250 people, but I was determined. I spotted him at a corner table sitting with Colt McCoy, and approached him immediately. I told him I was from Minneapolis and asked him how things were going. He was genuinely a class act and started laughing about the picture from his Prestige card. They passed it around and he signed it for me. Colt McCoy signed another card for me, and I had determined my night was complete.
I saw Tim Tebow again, waiting in line for something, and tried approaching him more in a different situation than before. Again he told me he wouldnt sign and shrugged me off again. Others were coming up to him as well, to which they got the same answer. From what I was told, Tebow didnt sign a single autograph all night long.
Before I left, I had a great chat with a person from the Washington Post about writing and the way each person builds their brand. Chris had told him all about the site, and he thought it was pretty cool that I would be so passionate about writing about this stuff. Being on the business side of the paper, he completely understood the building of a “character” in your writing, and wished me the best of luck with the blog. Going to school in Washington DC meant that we had lots to talk about, hopefully Ill have another shot at talking to him in the future.
I think the most surprising thing about the night, other than the accessibility of the players, was how well the card companies got along. Even though they are in a brutally competitive industry, and really would benefit from each other’s destruction, they are all on good terms with each other. The goal of the night, and the weekend really, was to promote the cards and the players, something that definitely resonated with me. I know that I can get caught up in the soft underbelly of what goes on around the hobby, but this night was a completely positive experience thanks to the professionalism of the people from Upper Deck and Panini. Congrats on that to all of them, I want them to know that.
All in all, this night was epic to say the least, something I will never forget. A huge thank you to Chris and Upper Deck, Scott and Panini, and Clay from Topps for putting on a great event with EA Sports. It was truly the best way to leave Los Angeles behind, I had the time of my life.

2010 NFL Rookie Premiere Pics – ALL AROUND HOBBY WIN

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The main event is happening as we speak here in LA, with most of the top rookies suiting up their full pro uniforms for the first time. Upper Deck, Topps, and Panini are all there, and they will be taking pictures, getting cards signed, and setting up their 2010 products all day long. Because of the advent of social media, many pictures will be posted all day long.

Here are some of them, Ill update them as I have a chance:


Plus a few Sweet Spot pics from Upper Deck! The inscriptions are what will divide this product from its competitors, as I know that they are trying to get as many as they possibly can this year.


Here is the first pic of dual rookie premiere auto from Topps. I definitely like the look of these.
The new Rookie Premiere signed cards from topps look great:
HUGE props to Panini for getting pro stuff onto the Pen pals cards, they look great this year:
Elite’s new on card stuff looks pretty good too. Panini looks like they are on top of it this year for once.
Very cool stuff, check back for a post on one of the coolest experiences I have ever had.

Let The Festivities Begin – 2010 NFL Rookie Premiere

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As per tweets from the NFL, the rookies are slowly arriving in LA yesterday and today, to start their journey to the field for the upcoming season. This is where it starts, as for most of them, it will be the first time they have ever put on their full pro uniform. Although the event breeds event used jersey cards for the whole season, I have come to embrace the weekend as an opportunity to get cards of the rookies that I desire. See, without this premiere, at least this year, there would be helmet off head shots of rookies up until September, and that just aint alright with me. I get that the event used jerseys complicate things for most of the year despite my need for pro uniform cards, but I would much rather put up with a necessary evil than be forced to wait on rookie cards in full game garb.

Starting today, all three companies will be working with the entire premiere class to get cards signed and get photos taken, though this year there seems to be more of a focus on the public side of the event rather than the private and secret side. This new aspect of the premiere starts today in Oxnard, CA, where Panini will be taking over a Wal-mart with a few rookies attending this weekend. Colt McCoy and Toby Gerhart are the only big names on that list of 15, so im not sure if its worth taking off work to go if you are planning on attending. Its really too bad that they didnt select a better location or a better time, but face time is face time, so go if you have the chance.
On Sunday, there will be a celebrity flag football game at Santa Monica High School, an event that is open to the public, which means that you can come and hang out in the sun and have a good time with more NFL players and local personalities. Should be an interesting event.
Topps and Upper Deck will also have a huge impact on the event with their unparalleled use of social media, which im sure will include pictures of upcoming products being signed and events from the weekend as well. Follow @toppscards and @upperdecksports to get full coverage of the weekend.
Things to watch for:
Topps Rookie Premiere Autographs – These cards are some of the best that come out of the entire weekend because they are the only ones usually available to sign the next day. Upper Deck used to do their “Same Day Signature” cards but there is a good chance that wont be happening this weekend. Topps should have pics on their blog and on twitter at some point.
Donruss Elite Next Day Signatures – These cards are pretty much just Panini’s version of the RPAs from Topps, but I am eager to see if they turn out well. Panini has had a terrible track record of fucking up everything they touch when it comes to on card signatures from the premiere (see the school colors autos from last year), so hopefully they have learned their lesson.
Upper Deck Anything – Upper Deck will be making football cards this year, though they will all be college uniforms to conform to their CLC exclusive. They have the potential to get their entire line of rookie stuff signed this weekend, and I assume that there will be a ton of pictures posted. SP Authentic has been slated for a College comeback this year as well, hopefully we get a look at its new format.
Contests – Last year Upper Deck sponsored the rookie TD dance competition and I assume there will be something similar this year. It seemed kind of lame, but some of the rookies always take the premiere seriously enough to have a good time doing it.
The premiere is always a fun weekend in LA, and I will try to be at some of the events hanging around. If you are going, let me know via email, and ill let you know where we can meet up. I am always eager to connect with other collectors, and hopefully things will turn out well for the companies too.

More Details On Friday’s NFL Rookie Premiere Event

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On Friday, the biggest public event of the weekend will be taking place, and I just got some details through some simple detective work. The event will be taking place at the Wal-mart in Oxnard, and it looks like Panini will be the people responsible for putting it on.

The shitty part about it is that it runs from 1-3pm, and I cant fathom a way that most people will be able to go. They have already announced that 15 of the rookies will be there signing and opening packs, though they have not told anyone which 15 it will be. That means the one hour trip each way, the traffic, and the lack of knowledge is prohibiting my attendance. Im guessing it will be whoever is free to do it, much like Hakeem Nicks and Beanie Wells last year. They should have done it around 7 or 8, which would be much more likely that people will come.
Another shitty part of this event is that it replaces other great stuff from the last few years. None of the local shops in the area will be getting players to sign, something I am pretty pissed about. Last year’s sigining with Beanie Wells was fucking awesome, and the year before with DeSean Jackson was sweet too. It was a very personal atmosphere and the giveaways were cool as well, but this year there doesnt seem to be any room for that aspect. I still havent decided on autograph hunting this weekend, even though I know where the players are staying, but who knows. Ill have to wait until tomorrow to see how the baby is doing.
Either way, if anyone is planning on attending, please shoot me an email at sportscardsuncensored@gmail.com, I have some questions.