Incredibly, McDole started 97 of the next 98 games. Even pesky third-down backs and gritty fullbacks may seem underrated until you realize how many of them become local heroes. That's a higher sack total than Dwight Freeney or Robert Mathis. Young played for some great 49ers teams, including a Super Bowl-winning squad as a rookie in 1994. He also had some of the clutch gene. And you're never going to guess who's No. Super Bowl championships: Four (1981, 1984, 1988, 1989). "Because when the ball was thrown, I knew I had better ball skills and would go up and get it.". 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. Andre Reed is an all-time great wide receiver who seemingly cannot escape lists of the most underrated football players in history. 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. That made Hull one of the first centers to make line adjustments on the fly. But Anderson was an extraordinary talent. And he played in one stinking Pro Bowl game. 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. Evans is still playing at a high level; the Packers hope that he can do for Aaron Rodgers what he did for Brees. Arizona Cardinals: Kelvin Beachum, OT. Get this: Ten of those seasons were spent with either the Vince Lombardi Packers or Don Shula Dolphins. 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. Both players were Pro Bowlers the previous year. As much as there are people who would say that Cunningham remains an underrated quarterback, there are also some out there who would say that people have oversold how great he was during his career. Taylor rushed for 1,000-plus yards in seven seasons. 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. The statue portrays jubilant Packers fans in tundra-weather gear appearing to cradle a player who just pounced into the stands. (Bonus point: Schlereth doesnt suck as a broadcaster on ESPN. 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. These are the most unsung NFL quarterbacks of all time. During his final collegiate season at UMass in 2018, second-round rookie Andy Isabella was PFFs highest-graded wide receiver in the entire FBS. His 65 interceptions are fifth most in NFL history. Success came early for Fletcher, recognition late. But few cornerbacks spent more of their careers in the crosshairs than Allen. He is now stuck in a rebuilding cycle that may take a few years. Anderson is a member of the 10,000 rushing yards club. Other than Steve Largent and Kurt Warner, Pro Bowlers were harder to find in the Seahawks offense than a haystack in the Space Needle. With his career spread evenly across three teams and zero All-Pro selections (a consequence of playing in the same era as Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher), Fletcher is a Hall of Fame long shot. If you guessed both or neither one, youre wrong. They're the working stiffs who bust their butts at so-called lesser positions, on teams that are seldom seen on highlights shows, let alone national television. 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. "That was my territory," Edwards recalled in The Palm Beach Post. He enjoyed one of the greatest receiving games in NFL history: 15 catches, 291 yards and three touchdowns against the historic 2000 Ravens defense. 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? WebDue to the emergence of other superstars like Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, LeBron James, and Tracy McGrady, many other solid players who had massive success in the decade have For years, the team couldn't even harken back to its glory days properly, as Smith's Pride of the Jaguars induction was delayed until he was sober and no longer under house arrest. 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. The easiest way to be overlooked by history is to replace a legend just after a franchise has peaked. And consider this: The one-time college triple-jumper played with a Pro Bowl quarterback (Jim Everett) in only one season. The list of players who are in that club includes Ray Lewis, Rodney Harrison, Brian Dawkins, LeRoy Butler and Ronde Barber. He then led three fourth-quarter comebacks to bring them back to the playoffs in 1965. They didnt do anything that Tobin Rote hadnt done a long time ago. 1. 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 He also scored 35 touchdowns on the ground in that span. in the mid-1960s to early '70s, chances are "Whichever one has Marv Fleming" would have been a correct answer. Lofton could stretch the field with his speed, and he also had some of the best hands of his time. The best we can offer is a little bit of credit where a lot is due. Super Bowl championships: Two (1996, 1999). Teams: Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Tennessee Oilers, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1984, 1988, 1989). Names such as Jim Brown, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders and Eric Dickerson probably immediately come to mind. The Hall of Fame has turned up its nose on all of them. That's not something to hold against a player. There are no official sack statistics before 1982, but the Minnesota Vikings credit Jim Marshall with 127 career sacks. 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. What Mason did have was a keen attention to detail and fanatical drive to succeed. But this list is all about giving overlooked players their due respect. With Warfield hurt nearly all of that season, Ryan helped make a Pro Bowler out of receiver/punter Gary Collins. This list begins with a quarterback who is preparing to play in the 2015 NFL regular season. Bottom line: The Greatest Show On Turf boasted so much star power you couldnt tell the other Rams without a program. Seth Joyner is one of those athletes who is widely respected by fans of the team that he played for but who is also not always mentioned as being an underrated player. In 10 of the 12 seasons in which he started at least half their games, the Seahawks prevailed more times than not. It's better to be remembered for one of the most painful moments in your career than to not be remembered at all. 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. In an ideal world, every NFL playoff game is won or lost strictly by the players. 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. That is a trend that needs to come to an end. Twenty years ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the marquee organizations in professional sports, and Jimmy Smith was one of their brightest stars. 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. Bottom line: In his 15th and final season, the 36-year-old Ken Riley had eight interceptions and returned two of them for touchdowns, one of the most incredible performances by an old man ever. He also doesn't play in the shadow of a legend. Nothing screams underappreciated like rumors you're about to be traded to make room for a late first-round pick. The Rams acquired him from the Chargers in 1973 in exchange for defensive end Coy Bacon. Pro Bowl? But Wright never posted massive interception totals, and his teams ended up on the receiving end of a pair of Super Bowl beatings. The rumors themselves were not surprising. 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. Mark Schlereth. The 49ers drafted linebacker Reuben Foster at the bottom of the first round. He intercepted 25 career regular-season passes and two more in the postseason. The linebacker ranks 17th in career solo tackles (1,130) and is the only player to be part of three consecutive Super Bowl champions. Try Dave Krieg. Bottom line: Never mind guys such as Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson. WebTop 10 most underrated NFL players: Justin Tucker, Keenan Allen deserve more recognition. Bowman is a four-time All-Pro and tremendous all-purpose linebacker who emerged as a stalwart leader for teams that otherwise might have packed it in before Labor Day. He recorded four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 1988 through 1991, a rare feat at the time. The Lions drafted him as a running back. Massive sports fan and soccer nerd. WebMay 12, 2022. It doesn't matter: If you are a Broncos defender, you might as well forget about a bust in Canton. Bottom line: The 49ers of the 1980s are remembered most for Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, coach Bill Walsh and the West Coast offense. By being overshadowed by Brown, achieving his greatest success just before the dawn of the Super Bowl era and getting stuck behind the Tom Brady and Peyton Manning of your grandfather's generation, Ryan earned the title of the NFL's All-Time Most Underrated Player. His 2,690 all-purpose yards with the Titans in the 2000 season are second in league history. He found the end zone in three different decades. Two 10-interception seasons, with 57 career interceptions. 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. 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. ", Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers, Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins, Pro Bowl appearances (AFL All-Star Game): Two (1965, 1967). 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. Super Bowl championships: Two (2005, 2008). Butler's defensive accomplishments might have brought him to the cusp of immortality, but don't underestimate the power of that Lambeau Leap. And Jackson spent a generation as a pre- and postgame show staple, which puts him in a whole different category. The Jaguars, meanwhile, slowly descended to their current status as the NFL's punching bag. Young checks in at No. New England Patriots wide receiver Stanley Morgan, right, battles for a ball with He covered receivers (38 career interceptions). Bottom line: Derrick Mason was among the shrewdest, most precise route runners of his time. Related:Most Overrated NFL Players of All Time. 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. When Da Bears bean counters refused to pay up two years later, Marshall was the odd man out again. Provided by Fadeaway World View the original article to see Even so, Smith was pretty much a well-kept secret outside Pittsburgh despite meeting or approaching Pro Bowl standards for almost a decade. When the Rams finally earned a Super Bowl berth, Robertson was in Buffalo, playing for another playoff also-ran. That is untrue for a variety of reasons. Know who created those wide-open spaces? The Packers believed they were a veteran quarterback away from a playoff run in 1974, so head coach/GM Dan Devine acquired the 34-year-old Rams quarterback by surrendering a ransom of draft picks huge enough to cause even Ryan Pace to do a spit take: two first-rounders, two second-rounders and a third-rounder. July 24, 2020July 24, 2020 Koby83 Carson Palmer, Football, Matt Schaub, NFL, Quarterbacks Underrated. A Super Bowl ring and two AFL championships. List the men you believe to be the greatest running backs in NFL history. Truth is, Norton should have been Super Bowl XXVII Most Valuable Player, not Troy Aikman, who was the obligatory quarterback pick. Reed was an offensive weapon that you hated to see going up against your favorite team because you knew that he was potentially a moment away from breaking for a game-changing play. That Greene remains one of the most underrated defensive players in history is a mystery when you look at the numbers. 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. Sideways. So LeRoy Butler, innovator of the Lambeau Leap, is excluded from his own statue. 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. In their two Super Bowl seasons that followed, Young was a virtual nonfactor in the matchup. Bowman makes this list because he has the makings of a player who will be underappreciated historically. The Pro Football Reference Similar Players tool compares Ryan's five-year peak to that of Joe Theismann. 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. 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