2006 Topps Total Matt Light, Dan Koppen, and Stephen Neal

Who is this? New England Patriots Offensive Linemen Matt Light, Dan Koppen, and Stephen Neal.
What is this? An autograph card from 2006 Topps Total
Where'd I get it? I got this card signed by Light, Koppen, and Neal after a practice at Patriots Training Camp in 2010.
How much did it cost? Not much.

Why is this so special? These three offensive linemen have a combined eleven AFC Championships(4 Light, 3 Koppen, 3 Neal), eight Super Bowl Rings (3 Light, 2 Koppen, 3 Neal), four Pro Bowls (3 Light, 2 Koppen), two members of the Patriots All-2000s Decade Team (Light and Koppen), and one member of the National Wrestling Hall-of-Fame (Neal).

Matt Light was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second-round of the 2001 NFL Draft out of Purdue University, where he was a First-Team All-Big 10 selection in 2000. He was the starting Left Tackle on the New England Patriots Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, and XLII teams.

Stephen Neal did not play football in college; he was a Division I Wrestling Champion at Cal State-Bakersfield, where he won the NCAA Division I Collegiate Champion as a Junior and Senior. In fact, in his last championship match in 1999, Neal defeated future WWE and UFC legend Brock Lesner, who was wrestling for the University of Minnesota.

Despite not having played football since High School, the Patriots invited Neal to Training Camp in 2001, but cut him on August 26. He was then signed to the Philadelphia Eagles Practice Squad until the Patriots claimed him and added him to their 53-man roster on December 12, 2001. Neal continued to improve on the field and eventually became the Patriots starting Guard, including a start in Super Bowls XXXIX and Super Bowl XLII. He retired from football after the 2010 season.

Dan Koppen was drafted in the fifth-round of the 2003 NFL Draft out of Boston College and quickly became the Patriots' starting Center. He was the Patriots' starting Center in Super Bowls XXXVIII, XXXIX, and XLII.

I am a fan of multi-player cards, especially if I can get them signed. I think that this card looks cool, even though Neal's signature is king of smushed-in. (Neal was the last of the three that I got to sign) With three important members of the New England Patriots Dynasty, this signed card is a nice addition to my collection.

2008 Bowman Sterling Game-Worn Jersey Green Dan Koppen

Who is this? New England Patriots' Center Dan Koppen.
What is this? An autograph card from 2008 Bowman Sterling Authentic Player Worn Pro Bowl Jersey Green Parallel Short-print numbered 076/249.
Where'd I get it? I got this card signed by Dan at Patriots' Training Camp in 2009.
How much did it cost? I paid a total of about $5 for the Green and Blue (seen below) versions of Koppen's 2008 Bowman Sterling Pro Bowl Jersey cards.

Why is this so special? Dan Koppen has been the Patriots' starting center for the past nine seasons since he was drafted in the fifth-round of the 2003 NFL Draft out of Boston College. During that time, Koppen anchored the line of two Super Bowl winning teams in 2003 and 2004 and the Patriots' AFC Championship team in 2007. For his efforts, Koppen was named to the Patriots' 2000s All-Decade Team and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2007.

Unfortunately, Koppen fractured his ankle in Week 1 of the 2011 season, forcing him to miss the rest of the season after being placed on the Injured Reserve list on September 21.

While I love all of my autographed cards, I think that some of my favorite cards that I have gotten signed are game-used cards. There is something all-the-more special about asking a player to sign a card with a piece of their game-worn jersey on it, and it is even cooler that the 2008 Bowman Sterling cards were specifically from the 2007 Pro Bowl.

Dan has always been good about signing at Training Camp, and I was fortunate enough to also get him to sign the Blue version of the card, numbered 040/349. I'm hoping that he is able to bounce back from the injury that forced him to miss almost all of the 2011 season and return to Center the Patriots for years to come.