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Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Redemption Report - 2011 Ryan Williams Plates & Patches Rookie Auto

What do you do when you find a redemption card? Scream, bitch, moan? I do. It's like getting punched in the solar plexus after choking on something. You know when you spend money on a product, you are waiting with baited breath to see what your hit is, and then right before you see it, Tom & Jerry drop an anvil on your skull. That's my equation, and yes I tend to exaggerate, but redemption cards suck. They really, really suck.

I despise pulling them in football packs, because there are so many opportunities to catch the rookies early to sign, that there really shouldn't be any redemptions. But alas, if there is one to be had, odds are I'm getting it.

Before the 2011 NFL season began, I knew that there was going to be a special draft class. I bought more football cards in 2011 than at any other time over my 35 years of collecting. The class is that good. I got all of the autos I wanted from the draft in some form or another including Cam Newton, Blaine Gabbert, Andy Dalton, Ryan Mallett, Christian Ponder, A.J. Green, and Randall Cobb. I also had my eye on Ricky Stanzi & Ryan Williams. Stanzi I knew had and outside shot with the Chiefs and could mature into a decent NFL backup. Williams, I had high hopes for, but his college injury put some doubt in my mind. Image how my hopes dropped even further when he busted his knee (ok he ruptured his patella), but doesn't busted knee sound way cooler? Yeah, I know it does!

By late in the season, I didn't find a Williams auto, and I wasn't too concerned, I had gotten the majority of players I wanted either through packs or trades. Then Panini came out with the Plates & Patches. The product was so similar to the 2010 version that I did a double take. I liked the way it looked in 2010, even though the box I opened was like paying to watch this show over and over again...


Don't believe me? Check out the 2010 Break...


That Eric Berry redemption took forever, so I was mortified when I received another redemption card in 2011, and you guessed it, it was for Ryan Williams. Luckily it didn't take nearly as long to get back. Panini's customer service has improved a hundred-fold since a year ago. They are on their game. I sent this in via online code on 6/2/2012. I had it back on 7/2/2012. Only a month turnaround time. If you are going to put redemptions in products, this is how it should be, always.


Look, I know it's not the intention to put redemption cards into products. Lord knows I have heard that defense a thousand times or more on Cardboard Connection Radio. It's not this person's fault or that persons fault, and so on, and so on... but it is someone's fault. In this case, it certainly wasn't Panini, they got the autos, and got the cards in the mail. It's on-card too. That = happy collector Doug. So Ryan, what was your big fat problem? The knee? Ok, just this time, I'll cut you some slack, but you better have a kick-ass 2012!

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