A beaming Joe Andreessen bumped his fists together in anticipation of what he was about to see.
Over the past six months, he has encountered a series of amazing moments on his unfathomable NFL journey. The suburban Buffalo kid navigated the fringes of college football, excelled in his lone season as a University at Buffalo transfer linebacker, got an undrafted rookie tryout with the Buffalo Bills, did enough to get signed as a training camp body and not only earned a spot on the 53-man roster, but also has played in real games for his favorite team.
The boyhood dream came into sharper focus Wednesday afternoon, and “Buffalo Joe” hardly could contain himself. At a desk in an upstairs bedroom of his parents’ house in Depew, he rocked nervously in his chair and laughed at the thought of it all.
His first football card.
Might sound trivial to some, but not to Andreessen. He has a massive collection of those 3×5 pictures that urge a youngster to daydream, to study the game and to mark an innocent time. Andreessen reminisced how he and his dad would visit flea markets to look at all the memorabilia, and perhaps come home with a prize or two.
Last week, Andreessen tweeted at the NFL’s and NFL Players Association’s officially-licensed card manufacturer: “Hey @PaniniAmerica still waiting for you to make me a rookie card!” Panini obliged and allowed The Athletic to show him before it went on sale Thursday.
He realizes not all NFL players experience this rite of passage. Bills teammates and fellow UB alums Cam Lewis and Ja’Marcus Ingram don’t have their own cards.
“I’m excited right now,” Andreessen said on a video conference. “I’m like …”
To build the drama, Andreessen’s initial peek was only the black of his card. He leaned forward with elbows on his knees to get as close as he could to the computer screen and read his backstory.
Waiting to see the photo seemed like sweet torture for him. He couldn’t stop laughing.
Then, there Andreessen was. On a genuine rookie card.
“Aw, that’s awesome! I love that,” Andreessen glowed. “I’m just excited, and … I’ve been talking to my family and my girlfriend and everything because they obviously know I collect cards and everything like that. So I’m excited.”
The horizontal photo shows Andreessen flexing after a thunderous special-teams tackle against the Seattle Seahawks two weeks ago. The Bills had gone ahead 24-3 late in the third quarter, when Andreessen squared up and crushed kickoff returner Laviska Shenault with an open-field jolt. Despite no penalty called, the NFL later fined Andreessen $4,421.29 for lowering his helmet on the hit, and former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick offered to pay the tab.
“I got a love of love from a lot of people for that tackle,” Andreessen said. “I think it’s a great moment.
“That this card represents that is awesome. Hopefully, there’s many more plays to come down the line.”
The same backstory that compelled Fitzpatrick to step forward for Andreessen is what cinched the card’s production. Panini America senior brand manager Tracy Hackler saw Andreessen’s tweet, did some research and discovered the “Buffalo Joe” legend.
Andreessen’s rookie card is part of Panini’s Instant NFL series. Unlike the traditional way of buying cards in packs or complete sets, manufacturers also regularly print limited-edition, made-to-order products to capitalize on big moments and previously overlooked players.
For instance, Bills kicker Tyler Bass has been on several cards throughout his career, but this week Panini offered another to commemorate his team-record, 61-yard field goal that beat the Miami Dolphins. Panini also made cards for Derrick Henry’s 100th NFL touchdown, DeAndre Hopkins’ first Kansas City Chiefs touchdown and Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown’s flippant TD celebration, to name a few.
Multiple versions of each Panini Instant NFL card are available. Some have autographs, although Andreessen hasn’t been around long enough for such an arrangement.
There are three Andreessen options, all with the iconic “RC” designation in the upper left corner to signify a rookie card: a basic version that will be available for about five to seven days before sales are halted and the printing press runs; a White Tiger edition limited to five copies at $29.99 apiece and a one-of-a-kind Blue Viper edition for $99.99.
“I’ve got to get that 1 of 1!” Andreessen said without laying eyes on it yet. “That’s what’s really going through my mind!”
Problem for him, though, is that he’ll have to compete with collectors around the world when sales open Thursday at 2 p.m. Eastern time.
Upon glimpsing the Blue Viper with its snakeskin border, he flopped back in his chair and clapped in delight.
The base card looks wonderful for autographs, with its white borders in addition to the Bills’ striking white road jerseys.
“I grew up collecting and being that little kid that wanted cards of my favorite players, autographs of my favorite players,” Andreessen said. “Just to give it back is going to be cool.”
Andreessen’s own collection leans more toward baseball cards. He invests in prospects and monitors the market to flip cards for profit. Early last season, he bought a bunch of New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos’ cards because he believed prices were too low and sold high during Vientos’ hot playoff run. Andreessen also curates a personal collection that’s not for sale, with Christian Yelich, Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. his top keepers.
His favorite football card features fellow Western New Yorker Rob Gronkowski. The 2010 Panini RPA (rookie card with a uniform patch and an autograph) was harvested alongside his father at one of those flea markets for $65 and is worth maybe 10 times that now.
These new cards Andreessen is about to add – three kinds if he’s supremely lucky – are priceless to him.
Andreessen insisted neither the little kid in him nor the special-teams overachiever will take it for granted.
“I’m just happy,” Andreessen said, his smile still wide. “If you don’t collect, I guess you don’t know. Obviously, in the football collecting realm, the QBs hold the most value, and the offensive guys are below that – the specialty positions like wide receivers, running backs. So if you’re not a first-round pick or notable draft pick, a lot of guys in the NFL don’t get cards because their cards don’t hold value …
“That’s why I even tweeted it out because I really wanted one, and kind of being in my position I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to get one. I’m just excited to be in this position.”
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(Top photo of Andreessen: Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
