Brandon Marshall Rookie Jersey Card

Unlike baseball and basketball, American football is a sport I watch almost as much as hockey. It's a spectacular and brutal sport, managed by the most serious and credible professional league in North America, perhaps the world - the NFL. If NFL teams would each face each other at least once, and the playoffs were a best-of-something (ideally 7), it could be considered the most grueling team sport around; unfortunately, for my money, NHL hockey still holds the crown, with up to 10 pre-season games, 82 regular-season games spread over the continent, followed by four best-of-seven series, with yearly World Championships and Olympics every four years for the best of them.

The NFL has a few storied franchises, a feat considering the Super Bowl was first appointed the same year the Toronto Maple Leafs last won a Stanley Cup - 1967. One such team is the Denver Broncos, Super Bowl winners in 1997 and 1998. While they've endured hard times in the 00s, they seem to be on the verge of great things again.

A good reason for that is Brandon Marshall. Chosen with the 119th pick (4th round) in the 2006 draft, he's already made a name for himself for his punishing hits - an unusual fact considering he's a wide receiver, bound to get hit more often than dishing it out. Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha was even quoted as saying: ''he's the toughest guy to bring down, one-on-one.''

His name is also already in the NFL's record books as the receiver with the most receptions in a game, with an astonishing 21 (achieved December 13th, 2009). He is also one of only five players in NFL history to catch at least 100 passes in three consecutive seasons.

This current card, while not quite ''the whole nine yards'' like a Chris Davis card I've mentioned before, is still a unique collectible - it's both a game-worn jersey card and rookie card. It is card #BS-BM from Topps' 2006 Bowman Sterling series.