Matthew Stafford is approaching 50,000 career passing yards, a number only topped by 11 quarterbacks in history. Its hard to think of a player more dominant and less talked about over a long period of time than Chandler Jones. 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. WebThis list is for those players the ones who were great football players and did not get the credit they deserve. 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. "Hate to say it, but I do believe I should be there (in Canton)," Marshall once said. Six All-Pro selections. Angel Di Maria. 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. "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. As Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase earn praise for helping bring competitive football back to Cincinnati, safety Jessie Bates is a huge reason for the Bengals turnaround on defense. Web#shortsucl#bayernmunich #bayern #barcelona#football#footballedit#footballedits#footballshirts#soccer#socceredit#socceredits#soccershorts He played the run with authority (721 career solo tackles). But no highlight clip of that play can be found on the internet. Super Bowl victories? 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. "I wasnt the fastest guy, but I didnt mind having the defender at my hip," Ellard said per Yahoo Sports. Player A passed for 27,928 yards and 194 touchdowns and ran for four touchdowns with mostly very good teams and one great one. The career active leader in games started by a defensive lineman is Julius Peppers with 227. Travis Kelce and George Kittle dominate the conversation at tight end but Darren Waller is quickly emerging as a name that should be discussed as well. 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. Perhaps it's time we look back on how much of an impact he and his Jaguars had on the NFL two decades ago. Some might say it's a stretch to put Allen on this list after four straight Pro Bowl seasons and 95+ catch seasons. His teams averaged 392.0 yards and 34.0 points in those games. DeForest Buckner plays great team defense and has done so successfully for two franchises. The admission probably slams the door of the Hall of Fame on Brown forever. 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. Both of those seasons came, ironically enough, after Allen and Buddy were separated. If McCree doesn't cough up that fourth-quarter pick, the Chargers beat the Patriots, and perhaps Philip Rivers leads a team that went 14-2 in the regular season to the Super Bowl. Anderson went on to duel with Walsh and Montana's 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. Actually, make that four careers. Ellard was an Antonio Brown-level talent in his prime, but his teams were in no hurry to get him the ball. Unless you live in Cleveland or are over 50, you probably have never heard of him. 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. Brandon Graham is an incredibly underrated defensive lineman and lifelong Philadelphia Eagle. If you guessed both or neither one, youre wrong. Deion Jones is one interception away from tying the all-time record for pick 6's by a linebacker, and he's done it in a fraction of the games. Developing a rapport with new QB Trevor Lawrence should only help Shenault quickly reach his true potential. If Anderson had failed, the 49ers may never have lured Walsh away from the Bengals staff. 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. Nothing screams underappreciated like rumors you're about to be traded to make room for a late first-round pick. 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. Know who created those wide-open spaces? Teams: Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Tennessee Oilers, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1984, 1988, 1989). He has started every game he has played in since 2014 (with four different franchises). Rivers lacks several quarterback prerequisites for enshrinement: playoff glory, all-time records and, most importantly, momentum from a regional fanbase and media. The 49ers drafted linebacker Reuben Foster at the bottom of the first round. Two 10-interception seasons, with 57 career interceptions. Rivers' excellence, longevity and ability to barely dodge immortality make him the John Hadl of his era. 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. Kenn was one of the leaders of the NFL Players Association during the era of replacement players and court battles over free agency. 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. Success came early for Fletcher, recognition late. 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. 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 converted all-purpose athlete became one of the fathers of modern quarterbacking. If the quarterback got rid of the ball before getting crushed, it was up to Allen to make a play. Henry Ellard spent the first five seasons of his NFL career returning punts and putting up humdrum receiving stats. Robertson is so poorly remembered that it was hard to find a decent photo of him in our archives. 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. 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. Let's face it: An entire All-Underrated Team can be assembled using only Broncos defenders. Dunn left Tampa Bay as a free agent after the 2001 season and headed to Atlanta, largely because of his relationship with Arthur Blank, the Falcons owner. An all-underrated team like this one can get flooded with Zach Thomas, Hardy Nickerson, Tommy Nobis and Tedy Bruschi types if we don't get a little choosy. 1. Derrick Mason recorded four 1,000-yard seasons for Jeff Fisher teams and four more for the Baltimore Ravens. The Over-the-Hill Gang fielded one of the most ferocious pass rushes of its era, notching 53 sacks in 1973. ", Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers, Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins, Pro Bowl appearances (AFL All-Star Game): Two (1965, 1967). Raphael Guerreiro of Borussia Dortmund Looks To understand why he is not in the Hall of Fame, you must familiarize yourself with both the era he played in and the vagaries of Hall voting. Turner was the ultimate plug-and-play guy, one of five 49ers to be part of all eight of their playoff teams in the decade. Edouard Mendy - Chelsea. His 65 interceptions are fifth most in NFL history. There are a ton of names in the conversation for best offensive linemen of all time, but Dierdorf (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images). He then went on to start at left tackle for the playoff-bound Cardinals and 2000 NFC champion Giants. We look at the 10 most underrated players in football at the moment. He then led three fourth-quarter comebacks to bring them back to the playoffs in 1965. 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. The guy should demand a recount, I tell ya. ), Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl championships: Two (1974, 1975). Super Bowl championships: Four (1981, 1984, 1988, 1989). His 42-yarder in the 1990 NFC championship game rates as one of the greatest clutch kicks in league history. 2022 NFL Mock Draft: Jacksonville Jaguars overtake Detroit for No. And consider this: The one-time college triple-jumper played with a Pro Bowl quarterback (Jim Everett) in only one season. Super Bowl championships: Four (1966, 1967, 1972, 1973). Robertson was one of the NFL's fastest linebackers in the 1970s. 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. He was a participant in four Super Bowls and a member of two All-Pro teams. And to think, the guy never played in a Pro Bowl game. Kenn is one of the NFL's all-time great players and leaders, and his impact ranges far beyond his playing career. Overshadowed on a bad team for much of his early career, Bates also came from a draft that featured top safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and Derwin James. He lacked the straight-line speed to be a game-breaker. At only 510, Johnson lacks the ideal size. Then again, the fourth-round draft pick had no choice. Jones is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection. Mason had seven seasons of at least 70 pass receptions, 1,000 yards and five touchdowns. The Jaguars upset John Elway's Broncos and reached the AFC Championship Game as a second-year expansion team and then went on to three more playoff berths, culminating in a 14-2 season. Lambeau Field was an icy outpost; the Packers still played a handful of home games in Milwaukee back then. So whaddya say, fans? Playing in Detroit can stifle any career. If the soft-spoken scatback had been in the right place at the right time, he would have filled his one nagging void a Super Bowl title and the exposure that accompanied it. The Lions drafted him as a running back. Dont know about you, but I want Mason on my retro fantasy league team. Jordi Alba. 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. Once an arbitrary number of players from a historic team get enshrined, the committee moves on in search of underappreciated players from other franchises. Here are ten of the most underrated college football players of all time. Terry McLaurin has played through one of the more unstable quarterback situations in football with Washington since entering the league but continues to emerge as one of the top wideouts in football. So LeRoy Butler, innovator of the Lambeau Leap, is excluded from his own statue. They never had any playoff success, even when they did make it into the postseason. Anchoring defenses with catchy names like the "Orange Crush?" Even so, Smith was pretty much a well-kept secret outside Pittsburgh despite meeting or approaching Pro Bowl standards for almost a decade. That's its own kind of recognition. Running backs suffer none of the "didn't win the big game" biases that color our perception of quarterbacks. McDole is not known for much of anything anymore, as his AFL stardom came before the Super Bowl era and his Redskins heroics predated the era of Joe Gibbs and the Hogs. 'Nuff said, right? Anderson was the first quarterback to successfully orchestrate the beta version of Bill Walsh's West Coast offense for multiple seasons. Quarterback is the most important position in organized football and maybe in all of sports, so it should be no surprise that men who play QB dominate the top spots of this list. If Isiah Robertson is famous at all, it's for being "posterized" by Earl Campbell in one of the most famous NFL Films highlights of all time. Where did Davis score the game-winner late in Super Bowl XXXII? original sound - ftbl vids 221. He became an All-Pro playing blindside protector in an early 1990s run-'n'-shoot offense. Victory propelled Montana to superstardom, while defeat left the 32-year old Anderson to play out the string as a high-percentage passer for a rapidly disintegrating franchise. That may be unfair to players like Robinson, Jerry Kramer and L.C. Start with Adam Timmerman, who won Super Bowl rings with the Packers and Rams three years apart. He was overshadowed by more famous teammates throughout his career. WebDespite being just 20-years-old, Pedri has become a key player for Barcelona The midfielder names his former teammate Lionel Messi as the 'best' ever He hopes to Juszczyk has made five Pro Bowl appearances, including each season since joining San Francisco in 2017. Since 2013, Jones has registered six double-digit sack seasons including a 17 sack season in 2017 that led the NFL, and a career-high of 19 in 2019. There, he led a relentless Redskins pass rush in their Super Bowl XXVI ambush. This past offseason, Juszczyk signed a five-year $27M contract to return to the 49ers, making him the highest-paid fullback in football by a wide margin. 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. I still don't know that people gave me my due respect for my production. They say you know an offensive lineman is doing a great job when his name is rarely brought up, but its time Moton is talked about more for his success. Greenlaw is equally effective against the run and pass, a sure tackler, and brings plenty of energy to theNiners' defense. Ryan was Jim Brown's quarterback and then Leroy Kelly's quarterback. These men did so much but received so little credit in return. 100-91). 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. And then there is Kent Hull, the first center to achieve greatness in a no-huddle offense. David was a crucial component of the Bucs defense during their playoff run in 2020 that culminated in a Super Bowl victory. It was a motivating factor for a number of years in my career. But a double whammyplaying center and playing for the Broncoshas kept him miles from Hall of Fame consideration. Sanders was an extremely Raphael Guerreiro - Borussia Dortmund. He won 65 percent of his NFL starts. Ryan made three Pro Bowls, but All-Pro status was blocked by a couple of guys named Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr. He had to blanket a wide receiver in man coverage with no safety help on every play. He had 44 career sacks and as many as eight in a season on two occasions. Let's take a look at the the five most underrated footballers of all time. Web12. Is Jalen Hurts the Future of the Philadelphia Eagles? Mills followed Mora to New Orleans and led the Dome Patrol linebacking corps, which brought the Saints franchise its first playoff appearances. More than one scout considered Turner to be too light to play linebacker, too slow to play defensive back. WebThe 10 most underrated football players of all time are: Gheorghe Hagi, Michael Laudrup, Gaetano Scirea, Hristo Stoichkov, Matthias Sammer, Davor Suker, Gunter Netzer, Butler was the NFL's most dangerous all-purpose safety for much of the 1990s. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports By Sam Monson May 13, Bottom line: In the Steelers' 3-4 scheme, defensive ends were akin to smaller, more agile tackles run-stoppers first, pass-rushers second. There's underrated, underappreciated and overlooked. 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. Waller upped his game in 2020 and hauled in 107 passes and nine touchdowns to earn his first Pro Bowl nod. But his Rams had a running back named Eric Dickerson and quarterbacks named Dieter Brock and Jeff Kemp. Only a dozen players have more career interception return yards (961), and seven of them are in the Hall of Fame. 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. The Bucs hired head coach Jon Gruden and won Super Bowl XXXVII the next season. Brown is now best known as a television personality. He played center, as well, before his career was over. If ever a geezer was meant to play with George Allens Over The Hill Gang, he was the one. Fewer yet realize that he made a crucial play in each victory. "I dont get it. Maybe he wasn't the best defender on the field for any one play, but he stayed on that field for an entire generation. The Pro Football Reference Similar Players tool compares Ryan's five-year peak to that of Joe Theismann. Some of the 19 It's Bryant Young, whorecorded 89.5 sacks for the 49ers, 23 more than Haley. Who knows what the NFL might have looked like then? He played left tackle in 1972 and moved to right tackle in 1974. 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. In their two Super Bowl seasons that followed, Young was a virtual nonfactor in the matchup. Steve Atwater. Membership on various All-1960s teams. Bowman is coming off an Achilles tear in 2016. Beachum has lined up at both left and right tackle but displayed Modern centers don't get the credit they deserve. He intercepted 34 passes for the Eagles and 54 in his career. The best we can offer is a little bit of credit where a lot is due. The NFL is now full of receivers like Mason, but few of them are as productive as he was for over a decade. Jerry Hughes has been a consistent pass rusher and important piece to the Buffalo Bills defense. Fletcher intercepted 23 passes and recorded 39 sacks as a do-it-all middle linebacker. At 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, he didnt wow anyone physically. In Jahri Evans' four All-Pro seasons (2009-12), the Saints ranked first, sixth, first and second in the NFL in total yards. As a pass blocker, Moton has developed into a steady presence capable of holding his own, and at times even dominating top pass rushers that include Joey Bosa and Cameron Jordan. C'mon, who doesn't love Darren Sproles and Mike Tolbert? Taylor rushed for 1,000-plus yards in seven seasons. Ronald Koeman is a bonafide legend of Dutch football. Regardless of the Cardinals struggles, Dierdorf was a star. 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. Because he is one of the NFL's best defensive players, for one thing. While Graham's sack numbers have never hit double digits, he remains a complete player and Super Bowl champion. Maybe that victory gives them the psychological edge they need to beat the undefeated Patriots in their 2008 playoff rematch. White: 12 underrated players; White: 12 overrated players; Towers: Generic vs. Name Brand; Prospect hunting . The start to his career is Hall of Fame worthy and includes a Super Bowl championship while with the New England Patriots. Edouard Mendy of Chelsea celebrates after his sides victory in the Premier League match 2. So Kenn basically had three careers. The trade went how you might expect a lopsided midseason deal for an aging quarterback to go. 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. Marshall reached just two Pro Bowls. Arizona Cardinals: Dan Dierdorf. We could just trudge onward to the next player right now. Fletcher followed Gregg Williams from coaching stop to coaching stop, serving as the sometimes controversial, always effective defensive mastermind's field marshal. 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. After the Bills failed to score, he knocked quarterback Jim Kelly out of the game in the next series. "That was my territory," Edwards recalled in The Palm Beach Post. 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. The Bills were among the first teams to frequently operate without a huddle. Bottom line: The 1970s Steelers won four Super Bowls two with a power run game, two with a potent pass attack and who better than Jon Kolb to do the heavy lifting? 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. Nope, not Charles Haley. In his prime, Wright was often mentioned in the same breath as Hall of Famers Mel Blount and Mike Haynes. The Jaguars, meanwhile, slowly descended to their current status as the NFL's punching bag. Teams: Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers, Experience: 13 years (1950-59, 1963-64, 1966), AFL All-Star Game appearances: One (1963).
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