I'm going to take a look at another team set in my collection. It is an oddball set, the cards from the 1989 NFL Franchise Game. (And I don't know if that is the true name of the game, but it is what it is listed at on The Trading Card Database.)
The cards are 3" x 3 1/2", and printed on either a little thicker paper stock, or a very light cardboard stock.
There are 13 player cards, and one team card.
Obviously the Franchise Cost has something to do with the game, but I don't know what it is for. All the NFL teams in the game have the same $50,000,000 printed on them.
Here is the back of the team card.
I'm going to show the player cards in a ranking order of how I like them at this moment in time.
I just think this is a great photo. People in the sideline are watching, and there are spectators in the stands, so I assume it is a game photo.
I wasn't sure who the holder was, as I didn't remember who wore number 16 at the time. Looking at regular season team rosters, nobody wore 16 from 1986 to 1989. However, quarterback Paul McDonald wore it in 1985, and Matt Bahr was the kicker at that time, so I assume that he is the holder on the card, and that it is an older photo.
A nice photo of Earnest Byner carrying the ball, looking to avoid the Chargers linebacker Thomas Benson.
To try and place when this photo was taken, Benson only played for the Chargers in 1986 and 1987. The Browns played San Diego in both seasons, but Byner didn't. He only played in the 1987 game, which was a 27-24 overtime loss, in San Diego, on November 1.
Byner had 9 yards and 1 touchdown on 5 carries in the game. He also had 6 pass receptions for 62 yards.
Byner was traded to the Washington Redskins after the 1988 season.
Cody Risen started in the offensive line for the Browns from 1979-1989. From 1980 on, he was their right tackle.
This is just a great photo of a play at the line of scrimmage.
It seems a bit strange to see the linebackers so close together before a play, with a referee peeking in from behind.
Perhaps it is a short yardage situation where they are crowding the middle for a possible running play. I don't think it would be for a convert or kick, as I think the players would still be wider apart.
I loved having Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner in the backfield together from 1985-1988. They both rushed for over 1000 yards during the 1985 season.
Although I like this photo as is, I wouldn't mind seeing the play zoomed out a bit. With the tilt of his body, and how high the ball is, I'm guessing that he jumped for a reception.
I wish this photo was just a touch lighter than it is, but it is a great look at a helmetless Bob Golic.
Golic played for the Browns from 1982-1988, making 3 Pro Bowls during that period.
He then finished his career with four years with the Los Angeles Raiders, and then went on to appear in Saved by the Bell: The College Years after he retired.
I don't know if I have any other Browns cards where a player is holding up his finger signifying that they're number 1!
Eddie Johnson played ten years for the Browns from 1981-1990.
This seems like an interesting photo. I'm wondering if he's just adjusting his helmet.
Rickey Bolden played for the Browns from 1984-1989. His first season was as a tight end, before he moved to the offensive line for the rest of his career.
There isn't anything really special about this photo, but at least it has a contrast where you can see Carl Hairston's face inside his helmet.
Hairston played on the defensive line for the Browns from 1984-1989.
I would definitely like this photo more if I could make out some of Sam Clancy's face in his helmet.
Clancy played on the Browns defensive line from 1985-1988. He was released after the 1998 season, and signed with the Indianapolis Colts, where he played five more seasons.
Okay, Frank Minnifield teamed with Hanford Dixon to form a first team All-Pro partnership at cornerback in 1988. But this photo! It is taken from so far away...
I can see that the body shape is Minnifield, and that the number is right, but it just doesn't seem like a good photo to me.
I always thought there was something wrong with this card. I didn't like the sideview, where you really can't see the player, and it isn't a photo from behind, where you can read the player's nameplate, and maybe see what the player is seeing.
But looking closely at this card, the problem with this Hanford Dixon card is that the photo isn't Hanford Dixon. Dixon wore #29. They sure did Dixon dirty.
To me, it sure looks like it is wide receiver Gerald McNeil, who wore number 89.
That's enough to drop this card to the bottom of the rankings.
I'm sure the rules of the game would make me understand the card backs more. They have the position of the player in text on the top of the card, but then in the middle of the card, some cards have letter position abbreviations showing, or a FA for free agent...
The other interesting thing to me is the composition of the team used in the game.
The Browns are represented by:
2 Running Backs
1 Tight End (says Receiver on the back of the card)
2 Offensive Linemen
3 Defensive Lineman
2 Linebackers
2 Defensive Backs (both are Cornerbacks)
1 Kicker
I know there are quarterbacks and wide receivers in the game, and I guess they may have been trying to balance all the positions, but I'm surprised that players like Bernie Kosar and Webster Slaughter are not represented.
I love oddball cards and sets, so I'm very happy to have these in my collection.
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