Team MVPs

This is the 50th post here at The 1993 and likely the last. It has been fun looking back at a transitional year in my adolescence but I'm starting a new job this week and I won't have much time for one blog, let alone two. This particular post has been sitting in my drafts folder since I received my order from baseballcardstore.ca nearly two months ago.

The plan was to publish it the week before the Super Bowl, then maybe the weekend of the Super Bowl. The fact that it's taken so long to complete has led me to question the viability of this blog.

I've got other topics to discuss if time allows, and I haven't decided if I will start another blog or post everything at The Collector. Until then, let's take one more trip back in time...

This Team MVP insert from 1993 Upper Deck was one of a handful of 1993-adjacent inserts I found on the site. It's tough to find inserts for a nickel, unless they're non-stars like Neal Anderson here. This is card #1 in the set; the cards are alphabetical by team name (not city name.)

Upper Deck chose these players based on their performance during the 1992 NFL season:

Bears - RB Neal Anderson 4-time Pro Bowler had 582 rushing yards, 5 TDs in '92.
Bengals - RB Harold Green 8th in the NFL with 1,170 rushing yards, made Pro Bowl.
Bills - RB Thurman Thomas HOFer was 3rd in NFL with 1,487 rush yards, 4.8 yards per carry.
Broncos - QB John Elway '92 was a lousy year for Elway; All-Pro Steve Atwater should have been picked.
Browns - RB Eric Metcalf Receiver/returner was 9th in NFL with 1,501 all-purpose yards.
Buccaneers - RB Reggie Cobb Tied for 5th in NFL with 9 rush TDs, 7th with 1,171 yards.
Cardinals - RB/KR Johnny Bailey Special teams Pro Bowler, led NFL in yards per punt return.
Chargers - LB Junior Seau HOFer anchored NFL's 4th-ranked defense in '92, named All-Pro.
Chiefs - LB Derrick Thomas Led NFL with 8 forced fumbles, tied for 6th with 14.5 sacks.
Colts - DL Steve Emtman Upper Deck must have added '92 top pick to this set based on potential.
Cowboys - QB Troy Aikman Ranked 3rd in NFL with 23 pass TDs, 89.5 rating. But Emmitt Smith led the NFL in rushing yards, rushing yards per game, and total TDs. Tough call here.

Dolphins - QB Dan Marino Led NFL in passing yards, attempts, and completions. 2nd in TD passes.
Eagles - DE Clyde Simmons 2-time All-Pro (in 1991 and 1992) led NFL with 19 sacks.
Falcons - WR Andre Rison NFL's 2nd-leading receiver in '92 had 11 TD catches, 1,119 yards.
49ers - QB Steve Young NFL MVP in 1992 led league in passer rating, TD passes, overall value.
Giants - RB Rodney Hampton 2nd in NFL with 14 rushing touchdowns, 3rd in total TDs.
Jets - WR Rob Moore Team's leader in receiving yards with 726. LB Mo Lewis would have been a better choice.
Lions - RB Barry Sanders Finished 4th in NFL with 1,352 yards despite a career-low average per carry (4.3).
Oilers - QB Warren Moon '92 was not a good year for the HOFer though his 89.3 passer rating was 4th in NFL. Lorenzo White and Ray Childress deserve a mention here.
Packers - WR Sterling Sharpe All-Pro led NFL with 108 catches, 1,461 receiving yards, 13 TD grabs.
Patriots - RB Jon Vaughn Former Michigan star has recently spoken out about a long history of abusive conduct by the school's former athletic doctor.

Raiders - WR Tim Brown Hadn't yet reached his HOF peak in '92, though his 7 TDs led the team.
Rams - QB Jim Everett Top-5 passer in completions, attempts, TDs. 6th in yards with 3,323.
Reskins - WR Gary Clark Was Upper Deck avoiding defensive stars? LB Wilber Marshall was named All-Pro. Clark finished 13th in the NFL with 912 receiving yards.
Saints - DE Wayne Martin 15.5 sacks for the NFL's #1-ranked defense got Upper Deck's attention.
Seahawks - DT Cortez Kennedy Defensive player of the year forced four fumbles and recorded 14 sacks.
Steelers - RB Barry Foster All-Pro led league with 390 carries and finished second in NFL MVP voting after a tremendous breakout year (1,690 yards, 11 TDs)
Vikings - RB Terry Allen 3rd in NFL with 13 TDs, 6th with 1,201 rushing yards. Didn't make Pro Bowl.

But what about the 1993 Team MVPs? Upper Deck didn't make MVP inserts in their 1994 football set (in fact there were only three insert sets in 1994 Upper Deck vs. six in the '93 set) so I'll list my picks here:

Bears - DE Richard Dent Hall of Famer had 12.5 sacks in 1993, made his fourth Pro Bowl.
Bengals - WR Carl Pickens Caught 43 passes for 565 yards, 6 TDs in his second season.
Bills - DE Bruce Smith All-Pro was second in NFL with 14 sacks in 1993.
Broncos - QB John Elway Bounced back in '93, leading the league in passing yards (4,030).
Browns - RB Eric Metcalf Led league with 1,932 all-purpose yards, earning All-Pro honors.
Buccaneers - LB Hardy Nickerson NFL's leading tackler in '93 earned his first All-Pro nod in his first season with Tampa.
Cardinals - RB Ronald Moore Rushed for 1,018 yards, 9 TD's as a rookie in 1993.
Chargers - LB Junior Seau Team leader in approximate value for nine consecutive seasons.
Chiefs - DE Neil Smith Topped the NFL with 15 sacks, earning the only All-Pro selection of his Hall of Fame career.

Colts - KR Clarence Verdin Led league with 1,050 kick return yards. Not much else to choose from.
Cowboys - RB Emmitt Smith MVP of the entire NFL should probably be MVP of his own team, wouldn't you say?
Dolphins - LB Bryan Cox Led team with 122 tackles, 4 forced fumbles. Pro Bowler in '92, '94, '95.
Eagles - CB Eric Allen Pro Bowler led league with four pick-sixes (before that was a 'thing').
Falcons - CB Deion Sanders All-Pro in his final year with the Falcons, 7 INTs tied for fourth in NFL.
49ers - WR Jerry Rice NFL's leader in receiving yards (1,503) co-leader in TD catches (15).
Giants - RB Rodney Hampton 7th-leading rusher in 1993 (1,077 yards), earned second Pro Bowl nod.
Jets - RB Johnny Johnson Led Jets in rushing yards and receptions. 1,492 scrimmage yards ranked 6th in NFL.
Lions - RB Barry Sanders Had his worst season in '93 - 1,115 rushing yards and just 3 TDs in 11 games. But who else would be the Lions' MVP?
Oilers - S Marcus Robertson All-Pro picked off seven passes and recovered three fumbles (in 13 games).

Packers - WR Sterling Sharpe/DE Reggie White This was the first season I truly followed the Pack and I can't decide between a) the NFL's leading receiver and a second-time All-Pro or) a franchise-changing free agent who tied for forth in the NFL with 13 sacks. Gaah!
Patriots - RB Leonard Russell Toted the rock 300 times (2nd in NFL) for 1,088 yards (6th-most) and 7 TDs.
Raiders - WR Tim Brown HOFer finished the 1993 season in fifth place with 1,180 receiving yards.
Rams - RB Jerome Bettis "The Bus" earned All-Pro honors as a rookie by finishing second to Emmitt Smith in rushing yards (1,429) and 3rd in yards per carry (4.9).
Reskins - RB Reggie Brooks Another stellar rookie rusher, Brooks was 4th in yards per carry (4.8) and 9th in rushing yards (1,063).
Saints - LB Renaldo Turnbull Earned All-Pro honors in his first year as a starter with 13 sacks and an NFC-leading 5 forced fumbles.
Seahawks - DT Cortez Kennedy Hall of Famer earned the second of three straight All-Pro nods in '93.
Steelers - CB Rod Woodson All-Pro finished third in NFL with 8 interceptions. Also recorded two sacks.
Vikings - DT John Randle/DE Chris Doleman Pick your poison: both Hall of Famers registered 12.5 sacks, forced three fumbles, and earned Pro Bowl invites in '93.