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It’s Good! NFL Kickers Get their Due in 2011 Crown Royale Football’s Net Fusion Insert

October 27, 2011

There’s no need to sugarcoat it. NFL kickers get no love from football card collectors. Oh, sure, occasionally a guy like Adam Vinatieri comes along with a Super Bowl-winning boot or two and collectors will pay some attention to him — but it’s always fleeting.

Placekickers are responsible for most of the points and for some of the most important plays of the season every season, but their trading cards have forever taken a back seat on the bus driven by their skill-position counterparts (that is, if they even get a seat on the bus at all). But a new trading card set from Panini America is about to change that in a big way.

The 20-card Net Fusion insert inside 2011 Crown Royale Football honors the game’s most surefire feet on a unique design that includes a big chunk of black mesh fabric that deftly simulates an NFL field goal net behind a goalpost. It’s the first time in football card history that an insert set has been devoted exclusively to kickers. And the fact that the cards are randomly inserted at a rate of just one per case should ensure unheard-of secondary-market values for kicker cards.

What’s more, the set includes the first-ever trading cards of Matt Prater (Denver Broncos), David Buehler (Dallas Cowboys) and Graham Gano (Washington Redskins).

“On many occasions, the most important player on the field during an NFL game is the kicker,” says Carlos Torrez, Panini America’s NFL Brand Manager. “But they’ve never gotten that kind of respect in the sports collectibles world — until now. Net Fusion is a long-overdue tribute. We’re thrilled at how the cards came out and we’re sure that the kickers on them and the collectors that find them will be, too.”

46 Comments leave one →
  1. October 27, 2011 12:27 pm

    I love the idea of a subset devoted to kickers. But the net doesn’t really do anything for me. Even if it were game-used net. Really, if any memorabilia card needs to be made by chopping up an athlete’s shoes, this would be it.

    • JARIT T permalink
      November 2, 2011 10:11 pm

      WHTSUP @BRAD RABIG,I HAV A DESEAN JACKSON EVENT WORN SHOE CARD,JUST IN CASE U DIDNT KNW THT THEY DO ALRDY EXIST,SOUNDS LIKE U DNT,BUT YEA,THT WOULD SURELY B PERFECT 4 THE KICKERS!!,GR8 IDEA!

  2. Helmutt permalink
    October 27, 2011 12:29 pm

    Mason Crosby?

  3. October 27, 2011 12:30 pm

    Hey Kickers need Love too. Great Looking cards

  4. Scott Olsen permalink
    October 27, 2011 12:34 pm

    Tell me there’s a Phil Dawson in there!

    • October 27, 2011 12:49 pm

      Unfortunately, there is not.

      • austin permalink
        October 30, 2011 10:11 pm

        I really wish there was one. Guy deserves more respect than he gets.

  5. AlexC permalink
    October 27, 2011 12:39 pm

    Good idea….poor execution.

    • ryan markham permalink
      October 28, 2011 3:07 am

      I totally agree…..I heard about the concept and got excited about something new.
      I just think it was executed poorly.

      I am not a huge fan of the Manu Net, and I think the one thing that actually would have made this cards sought after would have been an autograph.

      I would love to see you guys try this one again…either in Crown next year or in another product this year….but make them Autographed and maybe put some type of relic in it…Shoe would be very fitting…even a ball swatch would be a lot better than the manu net,

  6. Joshua Ring permalink
    October 27, 2011 12:45 pm

    Now THAT is pretty damn cool! Great idea. Is there Ryan Succoup?

  7. JSouth permalink
    October 27, 2011 1:05 pm

    No Phil Dawson??? 😦

  8. October 27, 2011 1:05 pm

    These are beautiful; LOVE the concept. I especially like the fact that you are making the cards rare. I have been wanting to create a set of my FF starting lineup but have never been able to find a decent Kicker card.

    Great set, Panini…very innovative. Kudos to whoever came up with the idea.

    PS – Is Janikwoski in the set?

  9. October 27, 2011 1:10 pm

    Love it

  10. Garpike permalink
    October 27, 2011 1:25 pm

    JASON HANSON for the Detroit Lions.
    – He has been a captain for the Lions for five straight years.
    – As of 30 September 2011, Hanson ranks as the NFL’s seventh leading scorer all-time, with 1,925 points
    – Most career games with one NFL team (300)

    ….and he gets shut out of a Kicker ONLY set.

    Sad face for you Tracy.

    • UnemployedRmoss permalink
      October 27, 2011 2:09 pm

      The Lions aren’t allowed nets anymore after it almost cost them a TD #Icatchtouchdownsforfood

    • John Kenney permalink
      October 27, 2011 3:49 pm

      I so hope that Jason is involved in this set ….. one of our fav Lions of all time ….. only Lion I know that has gotten standing ovations every time he’s scored 🙂

      on field he’s spot on every time, off the field he’s an absolute gent ….. pure class act imho 🙂

    • October 27, 2011 4:33 pm

      I’m going to flog Carlos for you guys.

      • John Kenney permalink
        October 27, 2011 7:07 pm

        a flogging just won’t cut it bud lol …..

        Jason has always been such a “stand up” team player, even when the Lions were facing the 0-16 season, he always was a consummate professional who may have shown frustration at times (as I’m sure everyone was lol) but he never said a harsh word against his fellow players or staff.

        One of my fondest memories of Jason was when I was flipping the channels and found him telling his life story on the Billy Graham Crusade ….. seeing/hearing him there really reinforced my belief in who he is and what he stands for.

        I’m saddened he didn’t make the set, but hopefully if you re-visit the series you’ll consider him, as well as all the great kickers that have made a difference to their teams and communities they served 🙂

      • Jeremy Stropes permalink
        October 27, 2011 7:09 pm

        Big fail on the no Jason Hansen, how did you decide that?

  11. October 27, 2011 1:34 pm

    I second Garpike’s words. At first I was kind of curious why Phil Dawson wasn’t in there, but Jason Hanson was the face of the Lions for many years. He does have 152 career cards, but only 12 distinct ones since 2000 and only one in the past two years. David Buehler hasn’t kicked a single field goal for the Cowboys this year…how do you put a Cowboy rookie over a Lions legend.

  12. Matthew Gilman permalink
    October 27, 2011 2:17 pm

    Wow! These look amazing. Love the mesh. Another reason why Crown Royale rocks. Its nice to recognize those who dont get enough recogniton. Kickers can decide games, field position, and even show you that they have more talent then just kicking when a fake is called.

  13. Nils Pallack permalink
    October 27, 2011 2:18 pm

    Nice, not a bad idea.

    But i would love to see some more Autographs of some (active / retired) Kicking/Punting Greats in the future. I really liked the Stenerud/Yepremian Dual out of Limited for example.

  14. Matt permalink
    October 27, 2011 2:35 pm

    I would be interested in a set (same players) with autographs only. No jersey, patch or net and of course no sticker autos.

  15. October 27, 2011 4:53 pm

    That’s so sick! Amazing idea Panini! Best idea I’ve ever seen from you guys. Love it, now I have to buy some Crown Royale!

  16. October 27, 2011 4:53 pm

    Why is David Buehler in the set? Just wondering…..since he no longer is even on a team I believe.

    • October 27, 2011 5:02 pm

      Buehler is still with the Cowboys, he’s just not their primary field goal kicker. Having said that, given the detailed production process required for these cards, and the timing of when Dan Bailey was announced as the Cowboys field goal kicker, we simply didn’t have enough time to make that change — although we wanted to. We have future plans for Bailey, though.

      Appreciate the feedback as always.

  17. October 27, 2011 8:22 pm

    Great idea, giving the kickers some love and at a rarity that may actually make them valuable on the secondary market.

  18. October 27, 2011 9:02 pm

    Where is some AUSSIE LOVE though? We kick the football better than anybody in the world, you guys know that. We need to see Sav Rocca and Ben Graham in a set at some point!

  19. October 28, 2011 10:27 am

    I was lucky enough to pull a Crosby from one of the two boxes I’ve opened so far. Pretty neat looking cards! Definitely a conversation piece.

  20. Ryan permalink
    October 28, 2011 12:26 pm

    Rumor here in Denver is that Tebow is going to take over all kicking duties as well as QB. Better plan for an add-on to this set. He also might play some Linebacker and return kicks. He can do ANYTHING!

    • October 31, 2011 8:16 am

      Tebow is maybe qualified to be a kick holder in the NFL, but that’s about it.

      • ryan markham permalink
        November 7, 2011 3:43 am

        Truer words have never been spoken

  21. charles faires permalink
    October 29, 2011 9:31 am

    you left out one of the best, because detroit does not command the media’s respect or money, both going hand in hand so to speak.

  22. Jacob permalink
    November 2, 2011 9:14 pm

    Are there any that are not mem cards

  23. deloreanfan81 permalink
    November 14, 2011 9:39 pm

    good to see a set that gives kickers their due….btw..Robbie Gould?

  24. December 11, 2011 9:07 pm

    Nugent?

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