But outside of Wisconsin, his accomplishments were mostly forgotten shortly after his career ended in 2001. 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. No one else is even close. Ground rules: A max of three Pro Bowl invitations. 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. Anchoring defenses with catchy names like the "Orange Crush?" Fletcher intercepted 23 passes and recorded 39 sacks as a do-it-all middle linebacker. Evans is still playing at a high level; the Packers hope that he can do for Aaron Rodgers what he did for Brees. Seven times, he surpassed 1,000 yards on pass receptions, most of them on slants and corner routes. No one plays guard expecting fame and accolades, least of all Wisniewski, who is worthy of all the gritty cliches you can sling at him. There are some out there who would say that a player who has been inducted into the Hall of Fame cannot possibly be underrated. He finally won a Super Bowl ring as a backup for the Buccaneers. Here, we give you every NFL teams most underrated player. 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. Names such as Jim Brown, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders and Eric Dickerson probably immediately come to mind. 11) does not get the love that is handed to other running backs is something that could make you scratch your head. Put him on the Tom Brady-led Patriots, and Mason might have invented a new branch of mathematics. 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. What about LaDainian Tomlinson? Reidel Anthony, Florida. But a double whammyplaying center and playing for the Broncoshas kept him miles from Hall of Fame consideration. Former head coach Jim Mora has referred to Mills as the best player I ever coached. Along with being a talented defensive player, Mills was also respected for being one of the smartest defenders on the field during his career. But three of his best seasons are not listed in the encyclopedias. Mark Schlereth. Mookie The Thief Blaylock made his mark on the defensive end, setting the pace for the steals race in 1996-97 and 1997-98, averaging 2.7 and 2.6, respectively. Why retain an expensive vestige of the last regime, or really the last three regimes? If John Hadl is remembered for anything these days, it's for one of the most disastrous trades in NFL history. He then went on to start at left tackle for the playoff-bound Cardinals and 2000 NFC champion Giants. Rote was the first quarterback who regularly beat defenses with his legs as well as his arm. Addiction soon began consuming Smith's career, and then his life. 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. Taylor rushed for 1,000-plus yards in seven seasons. Its a frigging joke that Taylor isnt in the Hall of Fame discussion. In his prime, Wright was often mentioned in the same breath as Hall of Famers Mel Blount and Mike Haynes. Then again, the fourth-round draft pick had no choice. 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? 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. They were the Yale football of the NFL, their glory years moldering in history books. He played 256 career regular-season games, never missing a start due to injury. Sometimes it's because they played next to even bigger stars and sometimes it's Lomas Brown played left tackle for four Lions playoff teams. 3. The Rams eventually acquired Jim Everett and opened up their offense, transforming Ellard into one of the NFL's most dangerous deep threats. Sideways. 2 due to the fact that more than a few knowledgeable football people have publicly stated that they see Joe Montana as being the greatest quarterback in history. (Bonus point: Schlereth doesnt suck as a broadcaster on ESPN. It takes more than mere greatness to be considered one of the most underrated players in pro football history. Sad to say, Morgan was woefully miscast in a run-first offense in a less pass-friendly time. Born: (2007, 2009, 2012), NFL Special Teams Player of the Year (2009), NFL 2000s All-Decade Team . Know who created those wide-open spaces? Butler's defensive accomplishments might have brought him to the cusp of immortality, but don't underestimate the power of that Lambeau Leap. We could just trudge onward to the next player right now. 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. 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. Young started his career as the NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year and ended it as a four-time winner of the Len Eshmont Award, the 49ers' team award for character and leadership. The statue portrays jubilant Packers fans in tundra-weather gear appearing to cradle a player who just pounced into the stands. 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. And because versatility is his calling card, he'll never produce gaudy sack totals or climb any all-time leaderboards. Some of the most-talented individuals to ever play particular positions have, at some point or another, gone unappreciated by fans and even by supposed NFL experts. Finally, at last, the cornerback was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl game as some kind of lifetime achievement award. Teams: Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Houston Texans. Today, most people know Mark Schlereth mostly as an Take a quick look at the long list of quarterbacks who have played for teams that host home contests indoors, and you will see how many of them failed to have careers anything close to that enjoyed by Brees over the years. That's a higher sack total than Dwight Freeney or Robert Mathis. Oh, and sub-packages were pretty rare in the 1960s and 1970s, so Marshall didn't leave the field much. Wright earned a second-team All-1970s nod from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, even though several of his signature years were in the 1980s. June 19, 2020 Koby83 Football, Michael Turner, NFL, Running Backs, Sports Underrated. Bottom line: Quick, name the winningest Seahawks quarterback before the Russell Wilson era. 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. Hadl signed with the Chargers instead, and Sid Gilman built him into the trigger man for an offense from which all modern offenses descended. Passing wasn't really their thing. Anderson also won MVP honors the same year he won Comeback Player of the Year. The Bucs hired head coach Jon Gruden and won Super Bowl XXXVII the next season. 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 played the run with authority (721 career solo tackles). 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. Most seasons with 30 made field goals (7). But he didn't play for the legendary 49ers teams. Brown earned seven Pro Bowl berths and an All-Pro selection. 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. He rose to Pro Bowl status playing left tackle for a single-back, Joe Gibbs-style 1980s offense. Incredibly, McDole started 97 of the next 98 games. Young checks in at No. 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 "Hate to say it, but I do believe I should be there (in Canton)," Marshall once said. WebMost Underrated NFL Players of All Time These men did so much but received so little credit in return. Many of those catches occurred down the field, with Anderson serving as a de facto possession receiver. Jackson probably helped you win a fantasy title or two, but he would be remembered for so much more if he wasn't always on the wrong team at the wrong time. He once threw three touchdowns in a shutout victory in a title game. 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. 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). He was usually the Bears' best rusher and receiver in his prime years, catching 40-50 passes per season from Mike Tomczak or the young Jim Harbaugh. Fifteen years ago, similar receivers were gimmicky undersized role players. 'Nuff said, right? Frank Ryan, QB, Browns. But there is no player; fans themselves get to "leap" into the statue for photo ops. List the men you believe to be the greatest running backs in NFL history. His franchises just kept ending up on the wrong side of history. Not one of the Jim Harbaugh-era guys. 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. WebThe highest-rated quarterbacks, wide receivers, edge rushers, running backs, cornerbacks, and defensive linemen were fine, as were the 99 club member additions and overall team 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. Fitzgerald has been a mainstay in lists of Top 100 players in the NFL for years. Anderson was the first quarterback to successfully orchestrate the beta version of Bill Walsh's West Coast offense for multiple seasons. In an era when 50 percent completion rates and 20-interception seasons were common for Pro Bowl quarterbacks, Anderson's 64.9 percent completion rate and quarterback ratings above 90 look like temporal anomalies. It's better to be remembered for one of the most painful moments in your career than to not be remembered at all. Tom Nalen protected John Elway in a pair of Super Bowl victories and helped trigger a zone-blocking revolution as part of Alex Gibbs' influential offensive lines. Landeta is widely viewed by experts and fans as one of the best punters in the history of pro football, and the two-time Super Bowl champion was an All-Pro on six occasions. So LeRoy Butler, innovator of the Lambeau Leap, is excluded from his own statue. He may not have been as good as Jerry Rice or Randy Moss, but there is a solid argument to be made that Lofton is one of the ten best wide receivers in the history of pro football. He took over as the Bears' featured offensive weapon after the Super Bowl Shuffle years. He has started every game he has played in since 2014 (with four different franchises). Membership on various All-1960s teams. Truth is, Norton should have been Super Bowl XXVII Most Valuable Player, not Troy Aikman, who was the obligatory quarterback pick. It is easy to understand why he would come up when the topic is being addressed, but that he is not respected as one of the best to play the position is difficult to understand. But Wright never posted massive interception totals, and his teams ended up on the receiving end of a pair of Super Bowl beatings. Hes the only quarterback with AFL and NFL titles on his resume and he darn near pulled it off in the Canadian Football League as well. 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. Ryan needed surgery and was in constant pain for the rest of his career. Ryan threw five touchdown passes and ran for a sixth to beat the Giants and lead the Browns to the NFL championship in 1964. 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. 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. David Garrard. He covered receivers (38 career interceptions). Bottom line: For 16 seasons, Henry Ellard wreaked havoc as a pass receiver and punt returner. Its easy to forget the Seahawks had some pretty good teams way back when, even a few playoff ones. So it takes a remarkable streak of hard luck for a running back to make this list. Arguably the greatest quarterback in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles, Cunningham rightfully so makes it into this list. The 49ers drafted linebacker Reuben Foster at the bottom of the first round. He is now stuck in a rebuilding cycle that may take a few years. He found the end zone in three different decades. That may tick him off. The USFL may not have been the NFL in terms of quality, but being the Luke Kuechly of a league that featured Herschel Walker, Jim Kelly and Steve Young should count for something. The lack of respect that Larry Fitzgerald has received from supposed football experts throughout his career boggles the mind. 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. Because he is one of the NFL's best defensive players, for one thing. Anderson's 1,000-yard seasons came in a primitive offense with a rudimentary passing game. A longtime semifinalist, his case is about to be handed over to the Veterans Committee, which has done a fine job recently of correcting oversights from Kenn's era. He had one sack in four games, all Rams victories. He was arrested four times after his abrupt retirement. 1. "It was tough, but I was happy for those guys," Dunn told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. There have been many better quarterbacks than Ryan in NFL history. In an ideal world, every NFL playoff game is won or lost strictly by the players. Only missed 14 games in 10 seasons and 2 of them were meaningless rest games before the playoffs/ Last game of the season. Fletcher followed Gregg Williams from coaching stop to coaching stop, serving as the sometimes controversial, always effective defensive mastermind's field marshal. Were going to wrap up the Robertson was one of the NFL's fastest linebackers in the 1970s. 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. So Anderson cranked out a few 1,000-yard seasons and played in some Pro Bowls, and that was that. Stafford is an underrated quarterback who has also been a pillar of stability outside of his second season and this past year. Overall, the total still ranks ninth at the position. Yes, Marshall amassed that sack total by playing foreverhe started270 games (plus 19 playoff starts) from 1961 through 1979. Harrison's numbers should speak for themselves, and those who would say otherwise are either trying to make a point or are simply ignoring how great Harrison was during his career. 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. Hull never lived to see himself make a Hall of Fame semifinalist list, as he died of liver failure at age 50 in 2011. 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. That may be unfair to players like Robinson, Jerry Kramer and L.C. Also, the field was often a block of ice. Pro Bowl? Bowman makes this list because he has the makings of a player who will be underappreciated historically. 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. One look at the logjam forming outside the entrance to Canton tells you Wisniewski isn't moving up the ladder anytime soon. Bottom line: All Ken Norton could do was take down ballcarriers and collect Super Bowl rings. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. Anderson became a footnote to the Ditka era, but fans who saw him play know he was far more than that. in the mid-1960s to early '70s, chances are "Whichever one has Marv Fleming" would have been a correct answer. Super Bowl championships: 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979. Tom Jackson. Only kicker in NFL history to hit at least one FG It takes bad timing and bad luck. 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. "Because when the ball was thrown, I knew I had better ball skills and would go up and get it.". Teams: Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Bottom line: Fred Taylor once tweeted, "I earned respect on the field. 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. Actually, theres a simple explanation. On a walk-through between center and left guard, naturally. He also scored 35 touchdowns on the ground in that span. The Colts accused Ryan of running up the score in the 27-0 championship rout of 1964. Much of the Saints' offensive success in Evans' prime years is rightfully credited to Brees. It was the era of great defensive lines with catchy namesthe Rams had the Fearsome Foursome, the Cowboys the Doomsday Defense, the Steelers later added the Steel Curtain, and so forthand Marshall was the Ringo Starr of the Purple People Eaters, the guy who once ran the wrong way for a touchdown and was happy just to be in the band. When Da Bears bean counters refused to pay up two years later, Marshall was the odd man out again. 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. 4. 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. 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. Even pesky third-down backs and gritty fullbacks may seem underrated until you realize how many of them become local heroes. He played in the run-'n'-shoot offense, which means he was on an island against the NFL's best pass-rushers on every snap for a half-decadeno tight end flanking him, no blocking back behind him. 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. In Jacksonville, 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 He is one of the best receivers in history, and he has the stats to back up such claims. 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. 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. The Packers were a team with more history than identity when Butler arrived. Unless you live in Cleveland or are over 50, you probably have never heard of him. He played for teams that were more interesting than outstanding, from the Ryan and Rich Kotite-era Eagles to the Jim Mora and Mike Ditka Saints to Jon Gruden's Raiders. Cunningham is widely regarded as one of the best running QBs in the history of the NFL, but his ability to make plays with his arm should not be ignored. 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. Hmmm. Nope, not Charles Haley. It didnt help that he had ordinary quarterbacks named Tony Eason and Steve Grogan to throw him the ball. Were talking about the most unsung, underappreciated players in NFL history here. Hudson, a two-time NFL MVP, was the dominant receiver in the league at a time when passing attacks were nothing near what they are in the modern game. 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. 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. But none accomplished more than Ryan while receiving less acclaim. Far from it. Super Bowl championships: Four (1966, 1967, 1972, 1973). 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. Jeff Saturday had to translate Peyton Manning's spur-of-the-moment audibles into protection schemes a split second before the snap. Maybe he wasn't the best defender on the field for any one play, but he stayed on that field for an entire generation. Wouldnt you know it? A mauler of a right guard, Timmerman also was agile enough to escort Marshall Faulk on screens and sweeps. As the Chargers faded, Rivers kept them in the wild-card picture and became the franchise's only recognizable public figure. The correct answer is Player A (Ken Stabler), and if youre Player B (Brodie), you have to wonder if one Super Bowl should make that much difference. Randall Cunningham is one of the most polarizing individuals regarding these types of discussions. Brown is now best known as a television personality. Still don't understand why the writers don't respect it.". Jim Marshall, DE, Vikings. The trade went how you might expect a lopsided midseason deal for an aging quarterback to go. They would rank first in the NFL in yardage four other times while Evans was a starter. If the quarterback got rid of the ball before getting crushed, it was up to Allen to make a play. And he played in one stinking Pro Bowl game. The least glamorous position on the field, a so-so team, a franchise moveWisniewski pulled three lemons on the recognition slot machine. Ron McDole falls into that final category. Greenwood, but there are dozens of other great old players clamoring for their chance who didn't enjoy the glory of playing for a "team of the decade.". Hes also among a select few to be a four-time Super Bowl champion. 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. By the time the 49ers are great again, Bowman may be in his early 30s or on another team. July 24, 2020July 24, 2020 Koby83 Carson Palmer, Football, Matt Schaub, NFL, Quarterbacks Underrated. 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. WebDeAngelo Hall was quietly one of the best defensive backs of the 2000s. 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. He was drafted by the Falcons with the eighth overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, and he was an instant "I dont get it. Who knows what the NFL might have looked like then? 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. These men did so much but received so little credit in return. He led the Bengals to a pair of playoff appearances in 1973 and 1975, Joe Montana's high school senior and Notre Dame sophomore seasons. Arizona Cardinals: WR Andy Isabella. 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. But his Rams had a running back named Eric Dickerson and quarterbacks named Dieter Brock and Jeff Kemp. 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. That's not something to hold against a player. And corner routes shutout victory in a run-first offense in a less pass-friendly.! An innovator abrupt retirement it was up to Allen to make a.! 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