But the diminutive Brees would not have been able to lead the Saints to a Super Bowl and several seasons as top contenders without a clean pocket, particularly right in front of him. He ran a Sonny Jurgensen pass back 59 yards in the fourth quarter to seal a Rams playoff win over the Redskins in 1974. Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1997, 2000, 2005). Bottom line: Never mind guys such as Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson. The guy should demand a recount, I tell ya. But his Hall of Fame candidacy has been stuck in semifinalist limbo. And almost nobody remembers that, when Edwards caught the ball, he knew what to do it. Evans is still playing at a high level; the Packers hope that he can do for Aaron Rodgers what he did for Brees. ", Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers, Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins, Pro Bowl appearances (AFL All-Star Game): Two (1965, 1967). Marshall cant get his name even on the preliminary Hall of Fame ballot. The old adage says that there is no such thing as a wrong opinion. The Adventures of Grim Reaper J is a Reminder to Do What You Love style | Charlie Kolbrener Johnnie Walker Collaborates With VANDYTHEPINK and 88Rising to Release Special Blue Label Bottle nft | ONE37pm Editors Wisniewski reached eight Pro Bowls and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade team for the 1990s, so he's not exactly obscure. He also doesn't play in the shadow of a legend. Stafford is an underrated quarterback who has also been a pillar of stability outside of his second season and this past year. The Pro Football Reference Similar Players tool compares Ryan's five-year peak to that of Joe Theismann. Mostly Schlereth and sidekick Tom Nalen, who were masters of zone-blocking schemes, a major reason why Davis is in the Hall of Fame today. Perhaps Fitzgerald would get more love from the public if he mouthed off as do many diva wide receivers in the NFL. Years: 1990-2004. That theory is tested to the maximum every time that somebody attempts to suggest that Art Monk was a good but not great wide receiver. WebThe 2023 wide receiver class is one of the worst in recent memory, but there are some solid options on Day 2 for teams searching for complementary players. Most seasons with 30 made field goals (7). It is difficult to rank Ken Anderson in this list if only because he is constantly referenced as being an underrated player. Kenn was one of the leaders of the NFL Players Association during the era of replacement players and court battles over free agency. Greene remains third all-time in the list of career NFL sacks, and 32-year-old Jared Allen is the only active player who is remotely close to catching Greene. Bottom line: In the Steelers' 3-4 scheme, defensive ends were akin to smaller, more agile tackles run-stoppers first, pass-rushers second. Those who have knowledge of National Football League history are well aware of the more famous individuals who made their names and fame playing pro football. Get this: Ten of those seasons were spent with either the Vince Lombardi Packers or Don Shula Dolphins. The Rams acquired him from the Chargers in 1973 in exchange for defensive end Coy Bacon. "Hate to say it, but I do believe I should be there (in Canton)," Marshall once said. The statue portrays jubilant Packers fans in tundra-weather gear appearing to cradle a player who just pounced into the stands. Allen is trailing by 26 sacks as of the start of the 2015 regular season. WebDeAngelo Hall was quietly one of the best defensive backs of the 2000s. Despite his incredibly high waist seriously, check out his build Kelvin Beachum has been one of the most underrated tackles in the NFL. chants for the best players who didnt get their just dues over the years. Modern centers don't get the credit they deserve. Krieg was a career overachiever who survived 19 seasons on modest talent with defense-driven teams. Drew Brees endured an average of just 24 sacks per season in Evans' All-Pro seasons, despite typically dropping back to pass over 650 times per year. List the men you believe to be the greatest running backs in NFL history. 1. The 2023 wide receiver class is one of the worst in recent memory, but there are some solid options on Day 2 for teams searching for complementary players. He lacked the straight-line speed to be a game-breaker. There are no official sack statistics before 1982, but the Minnesota Vikings credit Jim Marshall with 127 career sacks. Tomlinson is fifth all-time in rushing yards, and he is third all-time in regular season touchdowns scored for all players and not just for running backs. Lofton was the first player in NFL history to accumulate 14,000 receiving yards. The Lions drafted him as a running back. Bowman is coming off an Achilles tear in 2016. Arguably the greatest quarterback in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles, Cunningham rightfully so makes it into this list. does not get the love that is handed to other running backs is something that could make you scratch your head. Men such as Joe Montana, Lawrence Taylor. Spoiler alert: Of course it is. Bottom line: After eight seasons in Buffalo, where he had been a mainstay with the best defense in AFL history, Ron McDole took his two-bar helmet to Washington. That is untrue for a variety of reasons. Mason also caught 49 postseason passes and was one of the game's best return men for a few years. Incredibly, McDole started 97 of the next 98 games. Now that's underrated. Were talking about the most unsung, underappreciated players in NFL history here. He had the speed to get to the edge and beat defenders down the sideline, the power to plow through tackles, the elusiveness to make things happen in the open field and receiving chops to rival contemporaries Roger Craig or Thurman Thomas. Evans is a long shot to do either, which is a shame. Guards don't make the Hall of Fame unless they win multiple Super Bowls or play forever. Butler's defensive accomplishments might have brought him to the cusp of immortality, but don't underestimate the power of that Lambeau Leap. Its easy to forget the Seahawks had some pretty good teams way back when, even a few playoff ones. Bottom line: Few remember Glen Edwards as the fearless strong safety with the Steelers first two Super Bowl teams. Pro Bowl? Do people not recognize Rob Gronkowski as a great tight end just because he has had Tom Brady as his quarterback? That's its own kind of recognition. But three of his best seasons are not listed in the encyclopedias. Arizona Cardinals: Kelvin Beachum, OT. Is Jerry Rice not the greatest wide receiver in history because he played alongside Joe Montana and Steve Young? To understand why he is not in the Hall of Fame, you must familiarize yourself with both the era he played in and the vagaries of Hall voting. Turner was the ultimate plug-and-play guy, one of five 49ers to be part of all eight of their playoff teams in the decade. Anderson went on to duel with Walsh and Montana's 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. July 24, 2020July 24, 2020 Koby83 Carson Palmer, Football, Matt Schaub, NFL, Quarterbacks Underrated. Bottom line: All Ken Norton could do was take down ballcarriers and collect Super Bowl rings. He was a Pro Bowl regular, two-time All-Pro and Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1971. Frank Ryan, QB, Browns. WebWhile we could have included a few more, here is our list of the 10 most underrated players in NFL history. WebIts weird to say that a player as celebrated as Jonathan Taylor could be one of the most underrated college football players of all time. If McCree doesn't cough up that fourth-quarter pick, the Chargers beat the Patriots, and perhaps Philip Rivers leads a team that went 14-2 in the regular season to the Super Bowl. "Stanley Steamer" could run every route and was hell on wheels with the ball in his hands. Dont let the numbers fool you Morgan wasnt a one-trick racehorse. No matter. Bottom line: For 16 seasons, Henry Ellard wreaked havoc as a pass receiver and punt returner. Nope, not Charles Haley. Teams: Los Angeles Rams, Washington Redskins. Maybe Wright wasn't a Blount-level legend, but he deserves better than to be the forgotten man among the Broncos' forgotten men. The Jaguars upset John Elway's Broncos and reached the AFC Championship Game as a second-year expansion team and then went on to three more playoff berths, culminating in a 14-2 season. The prejudice against punters that kept such great players out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame came to an end when Ray Guy was honored by voters. Bottom line: OK, kids, lets play Name That Hall of Famer. As a 31-year-old, no less. It takes years of playing the wrong position for the wrong team in the wrong league at the wrong time. The Bucs hired head coach Jon Gruden and won Super Bowl XXXVII the next season. If Anderson had failed, the 49ers may never have lured Walsh away from the Bengals staff. Teams: Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers, Experience: 13 years (1950-59, 1963-64, 1966), AFL All-Star Game appearances: One (1963). He had one sack in four games, all Rams victories. Teams: Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals. That "something" was throwing for more than 29,000 yards and going to four AFL All-Star Games and a Pro Bowl with the Chargers and then leading the Rams to a 12-2 record in 1973. WebTop 10 most underrated NFL players: Justin Tucker, Keenan Allen deserve more recognition. Efficient? By the time Rivers is retired for five years, the "San Diego Chargers" will be as relevant as the Dayton Triangles, and Hall voters will be too busy rubber-stamping Tom Brady and Drew Brees to get to a guy from a lost city who couldn't win the big one. The unfunny joke that has been Isaac Bruce not being voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is one that is going to end soon. He has over 12,000 career receiving yards to date, and Fitzgerald could retire with over 100 total regular season receiving touchdowns before all is said and done. Wouldnt you know it? 5. They didnt allow a sack in 84 pass attempts. The Colts accused Ryan of running up the score in the 27-0 championship rout of 1964. Only if a player averages eight interceptions a season for ten consecutive years will some begin to recognize what Krause achieved during his career. The most similar current player to Anderson is Pittsburgh's Le'Veon Bell, but Bell plays in a modern offense that amplifies his production instead of suppressing it. Anderson became a footnote to the Ditka era, but fans who saw him play know he was far more than that. Lets hear some "un-der-ra-ted!" Teams: Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1993, 1995, 1997), Super Bowl championships: Three (1992, 1993, 1994). Without Kenn, there might not be free agency in the NFL, to say nothing of limitations on practice conditions and other initiatives that make pro football less dangerous than it was decades ago. He won 65 percent of his NFL starts. While Kreig didnt possess fleet feet or a bazooka arm, he could read defenses and throw an accurate ball. Also, the field was often a block of ice. And no Hall of Famers allowed. There will never be another player like Marshall. He has already waited too long for that deserved honor. WebAll-Time Most Underrated NFL Players by Position. Hes also among a select few to be a four-time Super Bowl champion. He started for an offensive line that helped Barry Sanders win two of his four rushing titles. No matter what the two-time All-Pro accomplished, he could never be Jerry Rice, who cast a long, tall shadow in the same conference. Now, underrated can mean a couple of things. His 2,690 all-purpose yards with the Titans in the 2000 season are second in league history. And Jackson spent a generation as a pre- and postgame show staple, which puts him in a whole different category. Then it was off to Carolina, where he earned an All-Pro selection for leading the Panthers to the NFC Championship Game as a second-year expansion team during his age-37 season. Hes on the short list of running back leaders in yards per rush (4.6, 17th), touches (2,824, 25th) and yards from scrimmage (14,079, 35th) in NFL history. We could just trudge onward to the next player right now. Kolb set the Super Bowl standard for left tackles in Super Bowl IV, when he smoked undersized Minnesota Vikings end Jim Marshall like a bad cigar. Not only was Fleming good enough to stick with great teams, but he also was the luckiest son of a gun on the face of the earth. Only kicker in NFL history to hit at least one FG Super Bowl championships: 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979. Ryan needed surgery and was in constant pain for the rest of his career. It is a shame that he will never truly have his day in Canton, one that he deserved before he passed away. Dont know about you, but I want Mason on my retro fantasy league team. There are certain statistics that one would imagine would immediately pop into the mind of a football fan. Hull started his professional career with the USFL's New Jersey Generals, where he helped Herschel Walker rush for 2,411 yards in one 18-game season. Super Bowl championships: Two (1996, 1999). And they really deserve more love. He's rarely mentioned as an all-time great. The lack of respect that Larry Fitzgerald has received from supposed football experts throughout his career boggles the mind. But c'mon: 289 regular-season and postseason starts, 127 sacks and four Super Bowl appearances, yet the Hall of Fame turns up its nose at Marshall as just a pretty good defender with a long career? But the run-'n'-shoot took away more than it provided, and the early 1990s Lions kept getting obliterated by better defenses in the playoffs. In his most prolific early season, he caught 54 passes for 811 yards and five touchdowns. Mason's 95-catch, 1,200-yard seasons translate to 115-catch monsters in more pass-oriented schemes. He picked off a dozen passes in his career two of them at 38 years of age an absurd number for a 6-foot-4, 265-pound lineman. He has started every game he has played in since 2014 (with four different franchises). Player A was a one-time Most Valuable Player who took part in four Pro Bowl games. Rivers' excellence, longevity and ability to barely dodge immortality make him the John Hadl of his era. The rumors themselves were not surprising. His franchises just kept ending up on the wrong side of history. There's underrated, underappreciated and overlooked. These are the most underrated college football players of all time. But his Rams had a running back named Eric Dickerson and quarterbacks named Dieter Brock and Jeff Kemp. Bottom line: Quick, name the winningest Seahawks quarterback before the Russell Wilson era. The Hall of Fame has turned up its nose on all of them. He blitzed (20.5 sacks). His 65 interceptions are fifth most in NFL history. From a couple of fairly well-known quarterbacks to the linemen who make a quarterback's job easier, we argue these 32 players deserve more recognition. These men did so much but received so little credit in return. Why retain an expensive vestige of the last regime, or really the last three regimes? It was rival 49ers tackle Bryant Young who the Rams were most concerned about before the 1999 season, when they signed Timmerman as a free agent. He became an All-Pro playing blindside protector in an early 1990s run-'n'-shoot offense. Old-timers call it the Lawrence Welk trade after a television bandleader of the era who would begin songs by counting off "A one, and a two, and a three". His career was cut short by injuries suffered in the first of those three Pro Bowls. He finished his career by doing something almost impossible: signing with the Patriots as a veteran role player during one of the few years they didn't reach the Super Bowl. The time when Landeta will no longer make such lists will arrive when he is inducted into the Hall of Fame, a day that cannot come soon enough. He won the Rookie of the Year and the Comeback Player of the Year awards as a professional, and Anderson was named the Most Valuable Player for Super Bowl XXV. The Rams eventually acquired Jim Everett and opened up their offense, transforming Ellard into one of the NFL's most dangerous deep threats. Brown did one thing terribly wrong in 18 NFL seasons, but for his teams to win as often as they did, he must have done an awful lot more right. Robinson is a staple of Hall of Fame Snubs lists, and he certainly has his case. Rivers had neither, but he possessed just about everything else. Bottom line: If an inquiring mind had asked "Which team will win the Super Bowl?" He intercepted 25 career regular-season passes and two more in the postseason. Smith produced nine 1,000-yard seasons in 10 years, including two 100-plus-catch seasons in an era when they were still relatively uncommon. Those who have knowledge of National Football League history are well aware of the more famous individuals who made their names and fame playing pro football. For a few years, he was not only the best guard in the NFL, but the most important. After missing most of two years with injury, he returned in 1972 and led the NFL in TDs, yards, yards per attempt, and was an all-pro. He has been named to eight Pro Bowl squads. Brown earned seven Pro Bowl berths and an All-Pro selection. Bottom line: Derrick Mason was among the shrewdest, most precise route runners of his time. But a double whammyplaying center and playing for the Broncoshas kept him miles from Hall of Fame consideration. So it takes a remarkable streak of hard luck for a running back to make this list. Fifteen years ago, similar receivers were gimmicky undersized role players. Johnny Robinson's credentials make you want to drive to Canton, kick down the Hall of Fame's door and clear a spot for his bust yourself. Terry Porter is another name that isnt remembered despite his Actually, theres a simple explanation. He is, however, most remembered, for being a wide receiver who was decades ahead of his time. Anderson's 1,000-yard seasons came in a primitive offense with a rudimentary passing game. Theyre the flat-liners whose drop-dead consistency gets lost with average-to-bad teams, in smaller markets, with brain-challenged organizations that have little, if any, history of success. What about LaDainian Tomlinson? To make our list, a player must contribute to a winning effort while putting up bad stats, misunderstood stats or no stats. Fletcher intercepted 23 passes and recorded 39 sacks as a do-it-all middle linebacker. Numbers better than majority of RBs in history. On the final play a year later, he picked off a Roger Staubach pass in the end zone that put the Cowboys to rest. NFL career: Cleveland Browns (2005-12), New York Jets (2013), Indianapolis Colts (2014) Bottom Line: Josh Cribbs. In an ideal world, every NFL playoff game is won or lost strictly by the players. Craters so big that you could drive a semi through them. Through the 2018 season, Vinatieri checked in at 81 (56 of 69) and 99 (70 of 71), respectively. Try Dave Krieg. He led his team to an NFL championship. Actually, make that four careers. Lets not forget they also dominated with cold-blooded efficiency at the other side of the ball, where Keena Turner was rarely out of position at right outside linebacker. They were the Yale football of the NFL, their glory years moldering in history books. The best teams in the AFL proved to be NFL-caliber, but the bottom of the league was populated with a nearly bankrupt franchise or two, so the best players clumped on the best teams and stood out from the crowd. Guy deserved to be inducted, no question about it, but the day passed long ago for Sean Landeta to receive his invite to Canton. Overall, the total still ranks ninth at the position. Passing wasn't really their thing. He was overshadowed by more famous teammates throughout his career. Once an arbitrary number of players from a historic team get enshrined, the committee moves on in search of underappreciated players from other franchises. But he didn't play for the legendary 49ers teams. Teammates Alan Page and Carl Ellar were held in higher regard. Fewer yet realize that he made a crucial play in each victory. Who do you believe is the most underrated player that played at least one year from The career active leader in games started by a defensive lineman is Julius Peppers with 227. Dunn finished his career with 15,655 all-purpose yards, 25th in league history, one of the best players never to be a champion. McDole's Bills defenses held opponents to fewer than 3.1 yards per carry across three consecutive seasons. Norton made the key play of the game in the second period, when he stood up Buffalo Bills back Kenneth Davis mere inches from the goal line. Yet somehow, some way, Kolb never received a Pro Bowl invitation. Steven Jackson arrived in St. Louis just as the Greatest Show on Turf was deteriorating into the Most Miserable Slog in the Midwest. The Steelers rushed for a then-record 249 yards and did not allow a sack. Robertson is so poorly remembered that it was hard to find a decent photo of him in our archives. No modern coach suppressed passing offenses quite like Fisher, and no team produces offensive stats that look like they come from the early 1930s quite like the Ravens. Know who created those wide-open spaces? Anderson was not Payton, and the later-era Mike Ditka Bears could never approach the heights reached by the 1985 Bears. Jackson then moved on to Atlanta just after the collapse of the Mike Smith playoff teams but before the rise of the current Dan Quinn contenders. I still don't know that people gave me my due respect for my production. McDole was known as "The Dancing Bear" because of his nimble feet, one of the coolest nicknames ever. Unlike many of Marshall's teammates, however, he wasnt an obnoxious self-promoter, which partly explained his absence from the NFC Pro Bowl roster that season. Super Bowl championships: Four (1981, 1984, 1988, 1989). Lomas Brown played left tackle for four Lions playoff teams. Sad to say, Morgan was woefully miscast in a run-first offense in a less pass-friendly time. in the mid-1960s to early '70s, chances are "Whichever one has Marv Fleming" would have been a correct answer. Victory propelled Montana to superstardom, while defeat left the 32-year old Anderson to play out the string as a high-percentage passer for a rapidly disintegrating franchise. He was one of the first true slot receivers of 21st-century NFL offenses. In the 1950s and the days of 12-game regular seasons, he rushed for 3,078 yards, nearly 1,000 more than the runner-up. Marshall reached just two Pro Bowls. Andre Reed is an all-time great wide receiver who seemingly cannot escape lists of the most underrated football players in history. Success came early for Fletcher, recognition late. Mark Schlereth. And consider this: The one-time college triple-jumper played with a Pro Bowl quarterback (Jim Everett) in only one season. It made the Bills of the early 1990s the greatest team to never win a Super Bowl. As good as Ellard was at the time, he almost was never mentioned in debates about the best at his position. He was arrested four times after his abrupt retirement. 10. McDole is not known for much of anything anymore, as his AFL stardom came before the Super Bowl era and his Redskins heroics predated the era of Joe Gibbs and the Hogs. Reidel Anthony, Florida. "Underrated" is in the eye of the beholder, so let's establish some ground rules for these rankings: After that, players are ranked based how underappreciated they are, not how great they are. WebWhile every fan base is sure to have two or three names they feel are undervalued and worthy of this list, here are my current top ten underrated players in the NFL. Chandler Jones, Any defensive player breaking into the NFL in 2015 would love to be mentioned alongside such names when his career came to an end. He's also among the top 100 in games started (83rd), interception return yardage (89th) and interception return touchdowns (31st). But the former NFL Man of the Year award winner and two-time All-Pro should not have had to wait so long. Ryan was Jim Brown's quarterback and then Leroy Kelly's quarterback. The weekend opened with the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks. The least glamorous position on the field, a so-so team, a franchise moveWisniewski pulled three lemons on the recognition slot machine. A Colts defender delivered some payback in the all-star game. An ever-growing backlog of outstanding safeties is queuing up outside Canton, as Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed will soon joinJohn Lynch and Brian Dawkins. One of the best players in the league during the 1980s, Monk is too often unappreciated in lists of all-time great wide receivers. Some of the hottest takes one will see as it pertains to Drew Brees involve criticisms of his numbers because of the fact that he has played the majority of his home games inside of a dome.

Open Intellij From Command Line, Articles M