As a 31-year-old, no less. Two 10-interception seasons, with 57 career interceptions. Starting in at least 13 games every year since entering the league in 2012, David has finished just one season with less than 100 tackles. Teams: Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Bottom line: Fred Taylor once tweeted, "I earned respect on the field. And then there is Kent Hull, the first center to achieve greatness in a no-huddle offense. Once an arbitrary number of players from a historic team get enshrined, the committee moves on in search of underappreciated players from other franchises. Anchoring defenses with catchy names like the "Orange Crush?" MVP-caliber seasons (1,528 yards, 90 receptions, 16 total touchdowns in 2006) early in his career gave way to annual 1,100-1,200 yard, low-touchdown grinds as the Greatest Show Rams retired one by one and the team fell to 2-14 and 1-15. Teams: Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers, Experience: 13 years (1950-59, 1963-64, 1966), AFL All-Star Game appearances: One (1963). That's where the politics of Hall voting come in. FanDuel NFL 2021: Best lineup for Week 16, Jets HC Robert Saleh tests positive for COVID, could miss Jaguars game, LeVeon Bell fires back on Twitter at fans trolling him for signing with Buccaneers. Ryan threw five touchdown passes and ran for a sixth to beat the Giants and lead the Browns to the NFL championship in 1964. Much of the Saints' offensive success in Evans' prime years is rightfully credited to Brees. Still don't understand why the writers don't respect it.". 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. Juszczyk knows his role and is a winning player that will always fight to win those tough yards. It's hard for a running back to be underrated. Meet every NFL team's all-time most underrated player. If Morgan had played in a pass-happy offense with a Pro Bowl quarterback and hands-off rules, you would find him in Canton right now. He was a participant in four Super Bowls and a member of two All-Pro teams. The Steelers rushed for a then-record 249 yards and did not allow a sack. According to Pro Football Reference, he was flagged for 14 accepted holding penalties in 187 career games, little more than one per season. 'Nuff said, right? But none accomplished more than Ryan while receiving less acclaim. The 6'2" Wright was renowned as a run-stuffing cornerbackthat's him tackling Walter Payton in the photobut he also intercepted 26 career passes, even though opposing quarterbacks spent much of his career avoiding him. Fletcher intercepted 23 passes and recorded 39 sacks as a do-it-all middle linebacker. The easiest way to be overlooked by history is to replace a legend just after a franchise has peaked. Robertson was one of the NFL's fastest linebackers in the 1970s. Williams' career-high in receptions is only 49, but with increased targets, he has already recorded 31 catches over the first five games in 2021. Oakland Raiders. Eric Allen's job in Buddy Ryan's 46 defense was simple. A great story off the field and rare talent on it, Waller appears to still be getting better at age 29. Coughlin gave Smith a tryout, then kickoff return duties, and then teamed him with Mark Brunell and Keenan McCardell to create one of the most dangerous passing attacks of the late '90s and early 2000s. Put Ellard in another era or even the AFC with an accomplished quarterback, and his legacy as The Best Wideout Not Named Jerry Rice would be that much greater. Photo by JOHN CAPUTO/AFP via Getty Images, ST. LOUIS, MO CIRCA 1980: Ed Jones #72 of the Dallas Cowboys gets blocked by Dan Dierdorf #72 of the St. Louis Cardinals during an NFL football game circa 1980 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. Hall of Fame receiver Paul Warfield was on the receiving end of many of Ryan's touchdowns. Ronald Koeman is a bonafide legend of Dutch football. Johnson can line up all over the field and consistently find space in the opposing defense. Feyenoord v VVV Venlo - Eredivisie. He returned eight interceptions for touchdowns, including four in 1993 and three during his age-35 season with the Raiders in 2000. They lost to the Vikings 30-14 in the 1974 Wildcard Round, and they were defeated by the Rams 35-23 in the opening round of the playoffs in 1975. Not Fred Dean. Bottom line: OK, kids, lets play Name That Hall of Famer. That may be unfair to players like Robinson, Jerry Kramer and L.C. He also scored 35 touchdowns on the ground in that span. Make no mistake about it, Eric Bieniemys exodus from Kansas City to Washington is only one move on the chess board All picks and predictions are suggestions only. The NFL is now full of receivers like Mason, but few of them are as productive as he was for over a decade. Henry Ellard spent the first five seasons of his NFL career returning punts and putting up humdrum receiving stats. He headed to Washington and moved from the weak to strong side. Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images. There are a ton of names in the conversation for best offensive linemen of all time, but Dierdorf The career active leader in games started by a defensive lineman is Julius Peppers with 227. Player B was a one-time MVP who played in two Pro Bowl games. Marshall reached just two Pro Bowls. He then went on to start at left tackle for the playoff-bound Cardinals and 2000 NFC champion Giants. The difference between the great and the all-time great is often a matter of timing and luck. In their two Super Bowl seasons that followed, Young was a virtual nonfactor in the matchup. He once sacked Dan Marino twice on the first two plays of a gamea remarkable achievement, as Marino was one of the least sacked quarterbacks in NFL history. Super Bowl championships: Four (1966, 1967, 1972, 1973). They were the Yale football of the NFL, their glory years moldering in history books. 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". He's rarely mentioned as an all-time great. Yes, Marshall amassed that sack total by playing foreverhe started270 games (plus 19 playoff starts) from 1961 through 1979. Moton has also committed just 10 penalties in over 50 career starts, an average of less than one penalty every five games. He played 256 career regular-season games, never missing a start due to injury. Hence, the Campbell video. Mills and Reggie White were the USFL's two greatest defenders ever. Maybe there is still an NFL team in San Diego. The fullback has become a non-factor in many of todays NFL offenses, but Juszczyk remains an integral part of how the San Francisco 49ers run their offense. Anderson went on to duel with Walsh and Montana's 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. Numbers better than majority of RBs in history. Perhaps it's time we look back on how much of an impact he and his Jaguars had on the NFL two decades ago. Truth is, Norton should have been Super Bowl XXVII Most Valuable Player, not Troy Aikman, who was the obligatory quarterback pick. 2022 NFL Mock Draft: Jacksonville Jaguars overtake Detroit for No. A Hall of Fame voter once warned me that "every town has its linebacker.". The Bucs hired head coach Jon Gruden and won Super Bowl XXXVII the next season. Young played for the teams that slowly slid from George Seifert to Steve Mariucci to oblivion. Juszczyk has made five Pro Bowl appearances, including each season since joining San Francisco in 2017. The converted all-purpose athlete became one of the fathers of modern quarterbacking. There's a statue outside of Lambeau Field commemorating the Lambeau Leap, perhaps the most recognizable and beloved (except to Packers opponents) end-zone celebration in the NFL. His 4.53 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine was far from elite level speed either, but none of that has not stopped Johnson from playing fast and producing at a high level for the Steelers. One of the greatest defenders in the history of a storied franchise, Young is just another victim of bad timing when it comes to getting the reputation he deserves. If John Hadl is remembered for anything these days, it's for one of the most disastrous trades in NFL history. Bahr converted 84 percent of his field-goal attempts (21 of 25), and 98 percent of his extra-point tries (40 of 41) when it counted most. Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, Super Bowl championships: Two (1979, 1990). But three of his best seasons are not listed in the encyclopedias. Schlereth started in three Super Bowls with the Redskins and Broncos, all of them victories. Interior defensive linemen: The average height and weight for defensive tackles entering the league is 6-foot-3, 306 pounds. Super Bowl championships: Two (1996, 1999). With Warfield hurt nearly all of that season, Ryan helped make a Pro Bowler out of receiver/punter Gary Collins. Bates started every game during his first three seasons since entering the league in 2018, recording three interceptions in each season and averaging over 100 tackles. Sad to say, Morgan was woefully miscast in a run-first offense in a less pass-friendly time. 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. The least glamorous position on the field, a so-so team, a franchise moveWisniewski pulled three lemons on the recognition slot machine. He was one of the first true slot receivers of 21st-century NFL offenses. Anderson was not Payton, and the later-era Mike Ditka Bears could never approach the heights reached by the 1985 Bears. Running backs suffer none of the "didn't win the big game" biases that color our perception of quarterbacks. Butler has never even been a Hall of Fame semifinalist, and it's not going to happen for him soon. WebThe 10 most underrated football players of all time are: Gheorghe Hagi, Michael Laudrup, Gaetano Scirea, Hristo Stoichkov, Matthias Sammer, Davor Suker, Gunter Netzer, 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. Bottom line: One of the premier long-ball threats of any era, Stanley Morgan ranks 10th in yards per reception (19.2) and 39th in touchdown catches (72) on the all-time list. Dierdorf started his career with the Cardinals in 1971 as a guard. He started for the Rams in their Super Bowl seasons at the beginning of his career and then earned Pro Bowl berths for Washington from 2009 through 2012 when he was in his mid-30s. Let's hope the fame doesn't go to his head. Fifteen years ago, similar receivers were gimmicky undersized role players. It made the Bills of the early 1990s the greatest team to never win a Super Bowl. He accounted for all his teams points in a 15-13 white-knuckler that wrecked the 49ers three-peat bid and sent the Giants to Super Bowl XXV. And he played in one stinking Pro Bowl game. Some of the 19 "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. A Colts defender delivered some payback in the all-star game. Dunn finished his career with 15,655 all-purpose yards, 25th in league history, one of the best players never to be a champion. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. Year after year, Chandler Jones is one of the best pure pass rushers in football. Kenn is one of the NFL's all-time great players and leaders, and his impact ranges far beyond his playing career. And Jackson spent a generation as a pre- and postgame show staple, which puts him in a whole different category. At 67 Buckner also has a wide arsenal of pass rush moves to pressure the quarterback. 10. Super Bowl championships: 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979. And let's not place the full burden of history on his shoulders, as Marty Schottenheimer, Norv Turner, the Chargers front office and Rivers himself had a hand in making the team a playoff also-ran during those peak years. We could just trudge onward to the next player right now. Raphael Guerreiro of Borussia Dortmund Looks Teams: Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1993, 1995, 1997), Super Bowl championships: Three (1992, 1993, 1994). He took over as the Bears' featured offensive weapon after the Super Bowl Shuffle years. If he started his career a decade earlier or a decade later, Young would have anchored the defense for one of history's great teams or helped push the Harbaugh 49ers over the top in the Super Bowl. Bottom line: All Ken Norton could do was take down ballcarriers and collect Super Bowl rings. If Anderson had failed, the 49ers may never have lured Walsh away from the Bengals staff. While Graham's sack numbers have never hit double digits, he remains a complete player and Super Bowl champion. Shanahan uses Juszczyk as a traditional lead blocking back, but he provides plenty of versatility out of the backfield and with the ball in his hands. Jones topped the 100 career sack total in week one of 2021, a five-sack day that tied a Cardinals franchise record and set a personal career-best. 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. Thats what Krieg did best win football games. Quarterback ratings for Washington skyrocket when targeting McLaurin, who has become a nightmare to defend with the ball in his hands after the catch. Player B passed for 31,548 yards and 214 touchdowns and ran for 22 touchdowns with below average-to-good teams. WebTop 20 Most Underrated Footballers in 2022 1. "I wasnt the fastest guy, but I didnt mind having the defender at my hip," Ellard said per Yahoo Sports. After making the Pro Bowl twice early in his career, David has failed to make it since 2015 while still playing at a high level. And none of them produce the numbers he generated in less hospitable systems. Robinson was one of those players. The Pro Football Reference Similar Players tool compares Ryan's five-year peak to that of Joe Theismann. The Bills were among the first teams to frequently operate without a huddle. Anderson is no Hall of Famerthe middle of his career is a morass of ordinary-at-best seasonsbut he was a pioneer and an innovator. If not for Schlereth's many health problems that included 29 surgeries, 15 on his left knee alone, he would have been a perennial Pro Bowl selection. His .588 win percentage ranks second to Wilson in team history. Actually, theres a simple explanation. Maybe Rivers takes his place among the all-time greats. If the quarterback got rid of the ball before getting crushed, it was up to Allen to make a play. And almost nobody remembers that, when Edwards caught the ball, he knew what to do it. Full name: Jordi Alba Ramos Date of birth: March 21, 1989 Age: 33 years old (as of 2023) Place of birth: L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain Height: 1.70 m Current team: Buckner plays within the defense, often allowing others to make plays, but remains a nightmare trying to block one on one. Ryan would blitz between five and eight defenders, plus some water boys and maybe a few boo birds from the 700 level of Veterans Stadium. DeForest Buckner plays great team defense and has done so successfully for two franchises. Bottom line: In the Steelers' 3-4 scheme, defensive ends were akin to smaller, more agile tackles run-stoppers first, pass-rushers second. But there is no player; fans themselves get to "leap" into the statue for photo ops. Greenlaw is equally effective against the run and pass, a sure tackler, and brings plenty of energy to theNiners' defense. Super Bowl victories? WebFive players made their "Top 100" debuts -- David Montgomery, Jimmie Ward, CeeDee Lamb, Justin Tucker and Kyle Pitts -- in Episode 1 (Nos. But he didn't play for the legendary 49ers teams. Ronald Koeman. Here are ten of the most underrated college football players of all time. There are over 120 teams that compete in the FBS, which means that storylines and hidden superstars abound. Whether they were disrespected by the media, or scrappy fan-favorites, every NFL team has had a selection of players that didnt get the attention they deserved. Wouldnt you know it? 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. Maybe Wright wasn't a Blount-level legend, but he deserves better than to be the forgotten man among the Broncos' forgotten men. "It was tough, but I was happy for those guys," Dunn told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Rote was the first quarterback who regularly beat defenses with his legs as well as his arm. Robinson is a staple of Hall of Fame Snubs lists, and he certainly has his case. Its easy to forget the Seahawks had some pretty good teams way back when, even a few playoff ones. He's also among the top 100 in games started (83rd), interception return yardage (89th) and interception return touchdowns (31st). He is also infamous for admitting on ESPN Radio that he once purposely let Packers defender Sean Jones sack Scott Mitchell so the struggling quarterback would get knocked out of a game. Krieg was a career overachiever who survived 19 seasons on modest talent with defense-driven teams. Kenny Anderson may be the most "so underrated that he's overrated" player in NFL historya darling of the stat-head community and common first-guy-mentioned when Hall of Fame snubs come up. The admission probably slams the door of the Hall of Fame on Brown forever. Bowman doesn't get the recognition he's due, and he may have to get used to it. Off to a fast start in 2021, Sutton is quickly reminding opposing defenses of his talent. 1. 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. Nope, not Charles Haley. Sutton hauled in 72 catches for 1,112 yards during his second season in the league before a knee injury cut short his 2020campaign after 1 game. But outside of Wisconsin, his accomplishments were mostly forgotten shortly after his career ended in 2001. The Hall of Fame eluded Ellard for several reasons: comparisons to Rice, the Rams' move to St. Louis (it takes hometown writers and buzz to mount a campaign) and those five early seasons in a ground-and-pound offense. Web20 most underrated football players of all time 1. He also doesn't play in the shadow of a legend. The rumors themselves were not surprising. Edouard Mendy of Chelsea celebrates after his sides victory in the Premier League match 2. The Rams acquired him from the Chargers in 1973 in exchange for defensive end Coy Bacon. McDole was a starting defensive end for two of history's legendary defenses: the AFL champion Buffalo Bills of 1964 and '65 and Washington's "Over-the-Hill Gang" of the early 1970s. Buckner earned his first All-Pro honors in 2020 and still has plenty of untapped potential to take his game to another level at just 27 years old. During his nine seasons in Buffalo, Hughes has emerged as a leader while registering double-digits in QB hits every season but one. The statue portrays jubilant Packers fans in tundra-weather gear appearing to cradle a player who just pounced into the stands. 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. The linebacker ranks 17th in career solo tackles (1,130) and is the only player to be part of three consecutive Super Bowl champions. (Bonus point: Schlereth doesnt suck as a broadcaster on ESPN. 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 was a eight-time Pro Bowler and one-time Super Bowl champion. Tom Jackson. Karl Mecklenburg. Other than Steve Largent and Kurt Warner, Pro Bowlers were harder to find in the Seahawks offense than a haystack in the Space Needle. 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. During his first four seasons, three with the Ravens and one in Oakland, Waller caught just 18 passes on 29 targets while also being suspended all of 2017. ), Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl championships: Two (1974, 1975). Butler is all but guaranteed to get lost in the shuffle. Entering 2021, Moton had allowed only 10 sacks in over 2,000 pass-blocking snaps. Teams: Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins, Houston Oilers, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1986, 1987, 1992), Super Bowl championships: Two (1985, 1991). Waller was a sixth-round draft pick at wide receiver by the Ravens in 2015 and struggled to find targets early in his career in spite of his 66 frame. Bottom line: Terrell Davis rushed for 2,008 yards in his momentous 1998 season, but look at the game films and you wont see him fake out many defenders or break many tackles. The AFL was an eight- to 10-team league, so All-Pro selections were easier to come by. Bottom line: Quick, name the winningest Seahawks quarterback before the Russell Wilson era. To make our list, a player must contribute to a winning effort while putting up bad stats, misunderstood stats or no stats. WebWho are the most underrated players of all time? Hes also among a select few to be a four-time Super Bowl champion. Butler's defensive accomplishments might have brought him to the cusp of immortality, but don't underestimate the power of that Lambeau Leap. Bottom line: Warrick Dunn overcame the murder of his mother, bouts with depression and 5-foot-9 size to have a successful 12-year NFL career. They didnt do anything that Tobin Rote hadnt done a long time ago. David entered the league as a terrific coverage linebacker and has continued to grow into an all-around complete linebacker and playmaker. Modern centers don't get the credit they deserve. McDole was known as "The Dancing Bear" because of his nimble feet, one of the coolest nicknames ever. Many of those catches occurred down the field, with Anderson serving as a de facto possession receiver. TGT Tips! Finally, at last, the cornerback was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl game as some kind of lifetime achievement award. Butler was the NFL's most dangerous all-purpose safety for much of the 1990s. Some might say it's a stretch to put Allen on this list after four straight Pro Bowl seasons and 95+ catch seasons. When the team inducted Smith into the Pride of the Jaguars ring of honor last year, it was the strange case of a moribund franchise honoring a former receiver still on parole for succumbing to the demons of addiction. Even pesky third-down backs and gritty fullbacks may seem underrated until you realize how many of them become local heroes. On the final play a year later, he picked off a Roger Staubach pass in the end zone that put the Cowboys to rest. Waller overcame addiction and his suspension to emerge in 2019, catching 90 passes for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns while starting all 16 games for the Raiders. Peppers will have to play three more seasons to catch Marshall, and Peppers' starts are non-consecutive. 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. If ever a geezer was meant to play with George Allens Over The Hill Gang, he was the one. One of the most underrated players in AM Football, Brodie Croyle was drafted into the NFL by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2006 after being a college football standout with the University of Alabama. But things were different in the long-ago 1990s, when the sports universe belonged to teal-emblazoned expansion franchises and a youngish Tom Coughlin received a binder full of press clippings from the mother of a wide receiver ready to call it quits after injuries derailed his Cowboys career. "No one was going to catch no ball.". Maybe not, seeing as Nalen has not had much success. He's the Rams' all-time leading rusher with almost 3,000 more yards for the franchise than Marshall Faulk or Eric Dickerson. Oh, and Norton scored the final touchdown of the game on a 9-yard fumble return. He reached the playoffs as a rookie backup in 2004 and a 32-year-old backup in 2015, but zero times in the decade in between. Rivers had neither, but he possessed just about everything else. Hull never lived to see himself make a Hall of Fame semifinalist list, as he died of liver failure at age 50 in 2011. And no Hall of Famers allowed. Brown earned seven Pro Bowl berths and an All-Pro selection. His 23 fourth-quarter comebacks (20th overall) are more than Dan Fouts, Jim Kelly, Sonny Jurgensen and Bart Starr, to name a few Hall of Famers at the position. Evans is still playing at a high level; the Packers hope that he can do for Aaron Rodgers what he did for Brees. While Kreig didnt possess fleet feet or a bazooka arm, he could read defenses and throw an accurate ball. He was an All-Pro for the Orange Crush defenses of the 1970s, and then he stuck around to play for the 1986 Broncos Super Bowl team. Gheorghe Hagi, Romania. And consider this: The one-time college triple-jumper played with a Pro Bowl quarterback (Jim Everett) in only one season.
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