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Many of you only know of Omar as the former backup quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Probably because in 2006 chances are you got a signed card of him in nearly every football release. The truth is though, when he was in college, he was an outstanding quarterback for Bowling Green State University. Unfortunately he decided to leave early (after Junior season) for the NFL.

2004 was when I first started following him. I remember vividly the ESPN broadcasts where they would show some of his highlights. It seemed that almost weekly he was throwing for 3 or more touchdowns a game. As the touchdowns began piling up, so did the hype around him, sort of, after all he was going to Bowling Green at the time. By the time the 2004 season was over he would find himself with 4002 yards passing, 41 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions. He also rolled up 300 yards rushing and 4 rushing touchdowns. At this point I started thinking he was you dual threat quaterback that the NFL teams seemed to be drooling over. Here is a list of 2004 accomplishments and awards (from Wikipedia):

* CNNSI.com honorable mention All-American
* MVP of the 2004 GMAC Bowl
* First-team All-MAC
* MAC Offensive Player of the Year
* Led the nation in touchdown passes with a MAC-record 41
* Led the nation in points responsible for per game (22.5)–his 45 touchdowns responsible for also was a MAC record
* Second nationally in total yards per game (358.5)–his 4,002 yards passing was the second highest total in the country
* Third nationally in passing efficiency (165.47)
* 41 touchdowns to four interceptions thrown was the best ratio in NCAA I-A history

By the time 2005 rolled around, many thought that he was going to be in the Heisman chase. However due to an injury in his non-throwing shoulder, his playing time and productivity was limited. He did though, have an outstanding season, where he threw for 2591 yards, 25 touchdown passes and only 7 interceptions. Although not nearly the same number of accolades he received in 2004 he still got some national recognition (from Wikipedia):

* Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist
* Two-time MAC East Offensive Player of the Week
* Second-team preseason All-American choice by The Sporting News
* Preseason candidate for the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Award

After his 2005 season he declared himself eligable for the NFL draft where he was selected in the 5th round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He never did play in the NFL, after being released by the Steelers, he was released by the Eagles and Cheifs. Realizing that his NFL chances were nil, he decided to try his hand at Arena Football, so he joined the Florence Phantoms of the AIFL in 2008 where he excelled.

Turns out that the arena football game catered to his skill set. He ended up throwing for over 3000 yards, with 56 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. Omar won the league MVP, the Championship and the Championship MVP. He was supposed to sign with Tampa Bay of the AFL, but they suspended operations this season so Jacobs is still with the Florence Phantoms. This season for the Phantoms Omar played in just 6 regular season games due to a disagreement with team ownership. He threw for 1691 yards with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

I am not sure what the future holds for Omar as the AFL is still in turnmoil, although they are rumored to be playing in 2010. The UFL is an option, but I don’t think he is suited for that kind of offense. I think the arena game fits him best. Either way I wish him the best of luck and that I will always be a fan. His autographed cards from 2006 go for anywhere from $1 to $100 depending on the release. I created a custom card for him using my new template. I would think you can get a hold of him through the Florence Phantoms.

A couple of years ago I decided to take a chance on some upper end product and picked up a box of Ultimate Baseball and Ultimate Football.

Last night I was reading through Bad Wax and came across a story about ex-Pittsburgh Steelers Omar Jacobs failing in the NFL and doing well in Arena Football. It got me wondering how it is that a player that “played” for 3 different teams in 2006 and 2007 but never actually played for any of those teams actually made it in to so many different football card sets in 2006? Even worse is that he made it in to some upper end products such as Ultimate, Exquisite and National Treasure.

So reading the story got me thinking about my Ultimate experience, so I pulled out a binder I have sitting in my closet to see what I had pulled from the set and sure enough I was fortunate enough to pull a Omar Jacobs Ultimate Rookie Patch #/25. I look back now and think I should have skipped the box and instead picked up individual cards. This card and $3 and I could pick up an Iced Chai Latte at Starbucks.