Alvin Kamara’s impressive start intensifies after Saints make moves

It wasn’t the flashiest day in the NFL for rookies, but a slow-building superstar scenario might be happening with the New Orleans Saints with their recent trading of a future Hall of Famer.

Rookie RB Alvin Kamara put up his strongest game of the year so far in a 30-10 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday with 10 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown and six catches for 84 yards and a score.

He’s still sharing time with Mark Ingram — a seventh-year pro and former Heisman winner — but both have picked up steam since the Saints traded Adrian Peterson on Oct. 10. For the year, Kamara has 311 yards on 52 carries — Peterson had 37 on Sunday alone for the Cardinals — and 341 yards on 37 catches with a total of five TDs for the year.

Steve Gleason signs an autograph for charity auction … with his eyes

Former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason is fighting ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, but that isn’t stopping him from helping fight the fight by signing an autograph for charity.

And he did it with his eyes.

A Saints jersey he signed with the aid of a robot/autopen is among 10 items up for grabs via NFL Auctions in an auction ending soon.

Sometimes collecting doesn’t make sense — and that’s just fine

The recent Ken Stabler Career Collection sale via Pristine Auction was one on my collecting radar from the second it was teased and on my mind until the final gavel came down earlier this month.

Simply put, I had to have something.

Why? Stabler wasn’t the first NFL player I ever met — he was probably the second — and I had his autograph a dozen times from various appearances where I played autograph hound in the past, but I knew I had met someone unique every time I ran into him. I knew that the MVP awards and the game-used items would be out of my reach. I knew that the game balls would be scooped up by serious collectors just like many of the odd mementos in the auction that included everything from wedding photos to belt buckles, cowboy hats and mix tapes.

But I knew I had to have something.

Kenny Stabler auction commands thousands via awards, memorabilia

Earlier this month the late Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame but this past weekend the treasures from that career entered the hands of collectors around the world.

The auction of “Snake” Stabler’s personal collection of memorabilia via Pristine Auction ended on Sunday night with one six-figure item that didn’t reach its reserve and many others of note. In all, the auction generated nearly $200,000 in sales.

The priciest item was his 1976 Hickok Belt Award for Professional Athlete of the Year (above), which reached $107,427.60. It’s an honor that was awarded the final time with Stabler’s win and this is the first copy of the award to hit the open market. It’s an 18K gold belt buckle with a three-carat diamond, a three-carat ruby, a three-carat sapphire and 26 diamond chips totaling 5.5 carats.

Ken Stabler’s personal memorabilia to be sold via Pristine Auction

More than 450 lots of memorabilia from the collection of a former Alabama Crimson Tide and Oakland Raiders great are headed into collectors’ hands soon as they are now on the auction block.

Trophies, game-used memorabilia and more from the collection of Ken Stabler, who will be posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 6, are up for grabs after his family decided to part with them. “Snake” died in July 2015 after a brief battle with colon cancer.

“In honoring Ken Stabler’s requests, his family has chosen to make items from his personal career collection available to the fans of Mr. Stabler’s career through Pristine Auction,” read a release from the Phoenix-based company. “It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity … to obtain a piece of sports memorabilia owned by legendary Oakland Raiders quarterback and 2016 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Ken Stabler.”

Steve Gleason’s story sparks interest in his few football cards

If you don’t know the name Steve Gleason, you’re probably not alone — but plenty more people will know his story soon.

He played seven seasons in the NFL — all as a New Orleans Saint. He started just one of those contests and has a career stat sheet that includes two fumble recoveries and 59 total tackles.

His cardboard resume is even smaller with just 11 cards — 10 from the 2006 Topps Total set and one from a team-released set.

Why do these matter right now?

Five NFL coaches get spotlight after signing for 2015 Panini Contenders

At least one of them is no longer with his team, but there are five “Rookie Cards” in 2015 Panini Contenders that collectors might not expect to see.

And their autographs might go for more than you might expect, too.

Why? They’re NFL coaches — and they, for the most part, don’t have any other certified autograph cards.

Buzz List: Five NFL players to watch in Week 14

Buzz-worthy or bust-worthy — those might be the labels thrown around this week depending on what Cleveland’s Johnny Bench Football does as starter for the Browns.

Johnny Manziel has probably been a disappointment to many considering where his cardboard ranked among his rookie peers last year but this week’s game could end up being a coming out party showing or one where the moralists and scouts say “I told you so” before they bail on his cardboard.

Love ’em or hate ’em, Manziel is one to watch against the San Francisco 49ers. Keep reading for four more …

Buzz List: Five NFL players to watch in Week 13

With the Patriots jettisoned from the unbeaten ranks, all eyes are on MVP candidate Cam Newton as his 11-0 Carolina Panthers take on the high-powered offense and no-powered defense of the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon.

Newton has thrown for 2,466 yards and 20 touchdowns this season, scoring seven more times on the ground. His 2011 Rookie Cards have to be among the most-watched right now, too, with Topps Chrome and Panini Contenders autos among perennial favorites with more tradition-minded collectors who can’t swing for the high-end brands. (Or maybe that’s just Buzz.)

Something wants Buzz to call an upset here because the Saints have potential on offense, but … we’ll see.

Keep reading for four more guys to watch on Sunday.