David Garrard. One look at the logjam forming outside the entrance to Canton tells you Wisniewski isn't moving up the ladder anytime soon. Jackson finished his career with 11,438 rushing yards (18th all-time) and 15,121 total scrimmage yards (21st all-time). 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. Perhaps it has something to do with the era during which Tomlinson played, but that L.T. Many of those catches occurred down the field, with Anderson serving as a de facto possession receiver. 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. Actually, make that four careers. And to think, the guy never played in a Pro Bowl game. But here's the thing: Gradishar, Mecklenberg and Atwater are famous for being snubbed. For me donovan mcnabb marques colston darren McFadden steven Jackson shaun Alexander brian Westbrook .. Who are some more. Thats what Krieg did best win football games. The guy should demand a recount, I tell ya. Lambeau Field was an icy outpost; the Packers still played a handful of home games in Milwaukee back then. Ohhh-kaaaaay, one of the Hasselbecks then? No one else is even close. He has already waited too long for that deserved honor. Fitzgerald has been a mainstay in lists of Top 100 players in the NFL for years. There are no official sack statistics before 1982, but the Minnesota Vikings credit Jim Marshall with 127 career sacks. It takes years of playing the wrong position for the wrong team in the wrong league at the wrong time. McDole, nicknamed "The Dancing Bear" because of his boogie on the dance floor rather than his on-field footwork, was known as more of a run defender than a pass-rusher. Ryan needed surgery and was in constant pain for the rest of his career. Guys who played in Jacksonville repeatedly have been crapped on in Pro Bowl and Hall of Fame votes, none more so than Taylor during and after his 11 seasons there. Dont know about you, but I want Mason on my retro fantasy league team. Mills and Reggie White were the USFL's two greatest defenders ever. 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. He had to blanket a wide receiver in man coverage with no safety help on every play. 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. It's Bryant Young, whorecorded 89.5 sacks for the 49ers, 23 more than Haley. 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. He ran a Sonny Jurgensen pass back 59 yards in the fourth quarter to seal a Rams playoff win over the Redskins in 1974. A mauler of a right guard, Timmerman also was agile enough to escort Marshall Faulk on screens and sweeps. Bottom line: If an inquiring mind had asked "Which team will win the Super Bowl?" 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. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. He didnt just take up space, either. The difference between the great and the all-time great is often a matter of timing and luck. Even unspectacular ones manage to rack up a few 1,000-yard seasons and get drafted early in fantasy leagues. If ever a geezer was meant to play with George Allens Over The Hill Gang, he was the one. One of the greatest defenders of his era reduced to stuntman status in Campbell's action movieall it takes is a moment to make a player underrated forever. The easiest way to be overlooked by history is to replace a legend just after a franchise has peaked. But so were teammates like Len Dawson, Willie Lanier, Buck Buchanan, Bobby Bell, Curley Culp and Jan Stenerud, all of whom are in the Hall of Fame. So Anderson cranked out a few 1,000-yard seasons and played in some Pro Bowls, and that was that. As the Chargers faded, Rivers kept them in the wild-card picture and became the franchise's only recognizable public figure. Quick: Name the 49ers' all-time sack leader. Some might find it ridiculous that Steve Young, widely revered as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, even cracks into this list. Young played for some great 49ers teams, including a Super Bowl-winning squad as a rookie in 1994. Why retain an expensive vestige of the last regime, or really the last three regimes? Try Dave Krieg. Ground rules: A max of three Pro Bowl invitations. Who do you believe is the most underrated player that played at least one year from Web12) Steve Hutchinson: He was the top overall lineman in the NFL for several years, irrespective of position. He returned eight interceptions for touchdowns, including four in 1993 and three during his age-35 season with the Raiders in 2000. 1. There would not be another exchange of current Pro Bowlers in the NFL until the Broncos and Redskins exchanged Champ Bailey and Clinton Portis in 2004. For a few years, he was not only the best guard in the NFL, but the most important. Outside of the incredible stats that Monk posted during his Hall-of-Fame career, is has to be noted Monk also never had the pleasure of playing with quarterbacks such as Joe Montana, Dan Marino or John Elway. He was one of the first true slot receivers of 21st-century NFL offenses. Oh, and sub-packages were pretty rare in the 1960s and 1970s, so Marshall didn't leave the field much. 3. In Jacksonville, 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. These ideas that Marvin Harrison cannot be considered to be one of the greatest wide receivers in the history of the NFL all because he played with Peyton Manning need to be put to bed forever. 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. We could just trudge onward to the next player right now. Teams: Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers, Experience: 13 years (1950-59, 1963-64, 1966), AFL All-Star Game appearances: One (1963). Much of the Saints' offensive success in Evans' prime years is rightfully credited to Brees. It takes bad timing and bad luck. But few cornerbacks spent more of their careers in the crosshairs than Allen. Checking in at 5-foot-9 (on a good day) and 232 pounds, Sam Mills was one of the best pound-for-pound linebackers of his day, and it remains a surprise that voters have not yet deemed him worthy of being in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. More than one scout considered Turner to be too light to play linebacker, too slow to play defensive back. Men such as Joe Montana, Lawrence Taylor, Barry Sanders, Jerry Rice and so many others have all had their days in Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and they are revered as being some of the greatest players to ever wear NFL uniforms. The Rams eventually acquired Jim Everett and opened up their offense, transforming Ellard into one of the NFL's most dangerous deep threats. Player A was a one-time Most Valuable Player who took part in four Pro Bowl games. Unless you live in Cleveland or are over 50, you probably have never heard of him. 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. Randy Gradishar. 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. Hence, the Campbell video. 44. If John Hadl is remembered for anything these days, it's for one of the most disastrous trades in NFL history. If Anderson had failed, the 49ers may never have lured Walsh away from the Bengals staff. Football experts know of the Hutson's accomplishments, but too many casual fans are unaware of all that the man credited with birthing pass routes that are used today achieved during his legendary career. Were talking about the most unsung, underappreciated players in NFL history here. Here on the All-Time Underrated List, it counts for a lot. When London Fletcher retired after the 2014 season, Robert Klemko of The MMQBasked him if he was motivated by feeling underappreciated for most of his career. These are the most underrated college football players of all time. And then there is Kent Hull, the first center to achieve greatness in a no-huddle offense. Names such as Jim Brown, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders and Eric Dickerson probably immediately come to mind. Two 10-interception seasons, with 57 career interceptions. Eric Allen's job in Buddy Ryan's 46 defense was simple. Arizona Cardinals: Kelvin Beachum, OT. 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. 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. 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 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. You will find some familiar Hall of Fame snubs on this list (like Jim Marshall, pictured above), but also plenty of players who were even snubbed from the Hall of Fame snubs, plus some current players who aren't getting their due. Today, most people know Mark Schlereth mostly as an It would rank 16th all-time, except that if we allow Marshall's sacks into the record, we would have to make room for Deacon Jones, Mean Joe Greene and others. His career was cut short by injuries suffered in the first of those three Pro Bowls. He enjoyed one of the greatest receiving games in NFL history: 15 catches, 291 yards and three touchdowns against the historic 2000 Ravens defense. Bottom line: Never mind guys such as Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson. One has to wonder if those QBs will ever receive the respect they truly deserve. 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. But don't write him off as some 1960s product of the system. Ken Griffey Jr.? Neal Anderson replaced Walter Payton. You know the type. But check out these popular stories. Hadl played quarterback, halfback, defensive back and punter for the University of Kansas. Since the NFL has turned He recorded four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 1988 through 1991, a rare feat at the time. Evans is still playing at a high level; the Packers hope that he can do for Aaron Rodgers what he did for Brees. 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. It is difficult to rank Ken Anderson in this list if only because he is constantly referenced as being an underrated player. Steven Jackson arrived in St. Louis just as the Greatest Show on Turf was deteriorating into the Most Miserable Slog in the Midwest. He intercepted 34 passes for the Eagles and 54 in his career. Defensive Player of the Year awards? Mills was a USFL All-Star in all three seasons of the league's existence, and he led the Philadelphia and Baltimore Stars' Doghouse Defense (coached by Jim Mora) to a pair of league titles. 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. 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. 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. That's a higher sack total than Dwight Freeney or Robert Mathis. Both of those seasons came, ironically enough, after Allen and Buddy were separated. Allen is trailing by 26 sacks as of the start of the 2015 regular season. The system helped make Hall of Famers of Kelly, Reed and Thomas. But this list is all about giving overlooked players their due respect. He is now stuck in a rebuilding cycle that may take a few years. At 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, he didnt wow anyone physically. 4,409 Rushing Attempts. Bottom line: The Greatest Show On Turf boasted so much star power you couldnt tell the other Rams without a program. The Packers were a team with more history than identity when Butler arrived. Here, we give you every NFL teams most underrated player. Allen made a lot of plays. And almost nobody remembers that, when Edwards caught the ball, he knew what to do it. Super Bowl championships: Two (2005, 2008). Allen has much in common with many others on this underrated list. McDole played 251 professional games as a defensive lineman, a remarkable feat in any era that should not be forgotten. The linebacker ranks 17th in career solo tackles (1,130) and is the only player to be part of three consecutive Super Bowl champions. The old adage says that there is no such thing as a wrong opinion. Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1997, 2000, 2005). Karl Mecklenburg. Wouldnt you know it? The 10 Most Underrated College Football Players Ever // ONE37pm We didnt find the net this time. 1. His 2,690 all-purpose yards with the Titans in the 2000 season are second in league history. But McCree did fumble. 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. Bottom line: Wilber Marshall was the most athletic and versatile linebacker with the legendary 1985 Bears defense he often replaced the celebrated Mike Singletary in pass situations. And no Hall of Famers allowed. Poor Louis Wright has a hard time even making the Broncos' overcrowded All-Snub Team. The only lineman to start all four of those games was a workout warrior and routinely bench-pressed 550 pounds in his prime. Lofton was the first player in NFL history to accumulate 14,000 receiving yards. He began his career at the tail end of Jim Harbaugh's great defensive teams, but he has since battled both injuries and the incompetence of the Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly experiments. Ryan was Jim Brown's quarterback and then Leroy Kelly's quarterback. Efficient? You mean future Hall of Fame tackle Orlando Pace didnt block four guys all by himself? Is it at all possible that any of these legends of the game could possibly also be some of the most underrated players in NFL history? With Warfield hurt nearly all of that season, Ryan helped make a Pro Bowler out of receiver/punter Gary Collins. Player: Emmitt Smith. 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. Fleming was a reliable backup tight end/wide receiver who played with four Super Bowl-winners (and one NFL champion) in a dozen seasons. So it takes a remarkable streak of hard luck for a running back to make this list. This includes a wide receiver that some younger fans may have never before heard of, and also multiple quarterbacks who are still playing in the NFL as of the posting of this piece. 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 49ers drafted linebacker Reuben Foster at the bottom of the first round. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, acquired the 34-year-old Rams quarterback by, Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images, Pro Football Reference Similar Players tool, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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? 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. In an ideal world, every NFL playoff game is won or lost strictly by the players. Only kicker in NFL history to hit at least one FG He was overshadowed by more famous teammates throughout his career. Its a frigging joke that Taylor isnt in the Hall of Fame discussion. Krause is undeniably one of the best defensive players to ever play pro football, but his name nevertheless rarely pops up whenever such discussions arise among fans and even among analysts. chants for the best players who didnt get their just dues over the years. On this All-Underrated list, he is in very good company. Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, Super Bowl championships: Two (1979, 1990). 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. His 42-yarder in the 1990 NFC championship game rates as one of the greatest clutch kicks in league history. More than anything, though, Rote was a leader and winner. 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. WebUnderrated 2000s players that don't get the respect they deserve today. Bottom line: Derrick Mason was among the shrewdest, most precise route runners of his time. Bottom line: Few remember Glen Edwards as the fearless strong safety with the Steelers first two Super Bowl teams. LeRoy Butler, S, Packers. Hall of Fame receiver Paul Warfield was on the receiving end of many of Ryan's touchdowns. Butler was the NFL's most dangerous all-purpose safety for much of the 1990s. If you guessed both or neither one, youre wrong. The weekend opened with the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks. And then there is plain old forgotten. 1. Teams: Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1993, 1995, 1997), Super Bowl championships: Three (1992, 1993, 1994). Smith wasnt a no-show on third-and-long, either. The Lions drafted him as a running back. Butler's defensive accomplishments might have brought him to the cusp of immortality, but don't underestimate the power of that Lambeau Leap. "It pissed me off," Fletcher replied. A Hall of Fame voter once warned me that "every town has its linebacker.". Freelancer for multiple websites. Teams: Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Bottom line: Fred Taylor once tweeted, "I earned respect on the field. But a double whammyplaying center and playing for the Broncoshas kept him miles from Hall of Fame consideration. 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. There have been many better quarterbacks than Ryan in NFL history. 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. He became an All-Pro playing blindside protector in an early 1990s run-'n'-shoot offense. And because versatility is his calling card, he'll never produce gaudy sack totals or climb any all-time leaderboards. He started for an offensive line that helped Barry Sanders win two of his four rushing titles. The Over-the-Hill Gang fielded one of the most ferocious pass rushes of its era, notching 53 sacks in 1973. Player B passed for 31,548 yards and 214 touchdowns and ran for 22 touchdowns with below average-to-good teams. Get this: Ten of those seasons were spent with either the Vince Lombardi Packers or Don Shula Dolphins. Sam Mills rises above the rest of the gritty linebacker pack, at least when it comes to being underrated, because three of his greatest seasons have been erased from history. Terry Porter. 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. Lofton could stretch the field with his speed, and he also had some of the best hands of his time. But three of his best seasons are not listed in the encyclopedias. "Stanley Steamer" could run every route and was hell on wheels with the ball in his hands. Anderson went on to duel with Walsh and Montana's 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. 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. He was a participant in four Super Bowls and a member of two All-Pro teams. Lets hear some "un-der-ra-ted!" 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. The Colts accused Ryan of running up the score in the 27-0 championship rout of 1964. 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. It was a motivating factor for a number of years in my career. WebTaylors 2000s career included him playing with Jacksonville (2000-2008) and New England (2009), and he had some great all-around years as an NFL running back. Shaun Alexander's production plummeted when Hutch left Seattle in 2006. Still, even his long resume undersells his At its core, PFF is a player evaluation system play-by-play grading of every player in the NFL and access to some of the same stats, grades and info that all 32 NFL Joyner, who was beloved by supporters of the Philadelphia Eagles, is a member of the NFL 20/20 club for interceptions and sacks. In his prime, Wright was often mentioned in the same breath as Hall of Famers Mel Blount and Mike Haynes. 10. Rote was the first quarterback who regularly beat defenses with his legs as well as his arm. 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. He is Baltimore Ravens nose tackle Brandon Williams. By the time the 49ers are great again, Bowman may be in his early 30s or on another team. He routinely beat defenders with quickness out of his breaks and clever change-of-pace moves, qualities that also served him well as a punt returner. James Lofton is one of many cases of players being in the Hall of Fame and nevertheless being vastly underrated when compared with others who played the position. 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. He has been named to eight Pro Bowl squads. He covered receivers (38 career interceptions). Bottom line: Adam Vinatieri was money in the postseason, but Matt Bahr was even better. But what peak years they were: 14- and 13-win seasons, annual playoff appearances, routine 4,000-yard, 30-touchdown seasons. These men did so much but received so little credit in return. Ellard was an Antonio Brown-level talent in his prime, but his teams were in no hurry to get him the ball. Ellard moved on to Washington in 1994 and enjoyed a late-career renaissance, averaging 61 catches and 18.8 yards per reception over a three-year span in his mid-30s. Let's hope the fame doesn't go to his head. Once an arbitrary number of players from a historic team get enshrined, the committee moves on in search of underappreciated players from other franchises. Far from it. Boomer Esiason was a fine player who remains seen on national television throughout the year, but it is Anderson who is, to this day, the greatest quarterback in the history of the Bengals. But he didn't play for the legendary 49ers teams. WebMen such as Joe Montana, Lawrence Taylor, Those who have knowledge of National Football League history are well aware of the more famous individuals who made their Mason was frequently his team's most valuable offensive player, but he and Steve McNair made their short pitch-and-catch passes look a little too easy. Who knows what the NFL might have looked like then? The Bills were among the first teams to frequently operate without a huddle. He's also among the top 100 in games started (83rd), interception return yardage (89th) and interception return touchdowns (31st). A Super Bowl ring and two AFL championships. An undrafted quarterback out of the late Milton College (Wisconsin), Krieg got them to the postseason four times and the AFC championship game once. Perhaps Fitzgerald would get more love from the public if he mouthed off as do many diva wide receivers in the NFL. Now that's underrated. 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. Super Bowl championships: 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979. July 24, 2020July 24, 2020 Koby83 Carson Palmer, Football, Matt Schaub, NFL, Quarterbacks Underrated. Fifteen years ago, similar receivers were gimmicky undersized role players. That may be unfair to players like Robinson, Jerry Kramer and L.C. He once threw three touchdowns in a shutout victory in a title game. These are the most unsung NFL quarterbacks of all time. He was an iron man for a powerhouse franchise that reached four Super Bowls while playing many of their home games in arctic conditions. The AFL was an eight- to 10-team league, so All-Pro selections were easier to come by. Rookie QB Brock Purdy led the 49ers with his impressive stat line, completing 18 of 30 passing attempts for 332 yards and three touchdowns, along with four carries for 16 yards and a touchdown.
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