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. His 2,690 all-purpose yards with the Titans in the 2000 season are second in league history. 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. The AFL was an eight- to 10-team league, so All-Pro selections were easier to come by. 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. WebTop 20 Most Underrated Footballers in 2022 1. Robertson was one of the NFL's fastest linebackers in the 1970s. Those who like to shout "first-ballot Hall of Famer" about Rivers do not know how the Hall of Fame works. As a 31-year-old, no less. No matter. If Anderson had failed, the 49ers may never have lured Walsh away from the Bengals staff. He played the run with authority (721 career solo tackles). McDole played 251 professional games as a defensive lineman, a remarkable feat in any era that should not be forgotten. He blitzed (20.5 sacks). Not bad for a guy who might as well have played in a straight jacket for 14 seasons. The start to his career is Hall of Fame worthy and includes a Super Bowl championship while with the New England Patriots. Bates is a ball-hawking safety in coverage with excellent range, intelligence, and athleticism. So Anderson cranked out a few 1,000-yard seasons and played in some Pro Bowls, and that was that. Not one of the Jim Harbaugh-era guys. Chiesa is a winger who plays for Juventus. Rote was the first quarterback who regularly beat defenses with his legs as well as his arm. There will never be another player like Marshall. Nothing screams underappreciated like rumors you're about to be traded to make room for a late first-round pick. 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. But none accomplished more than Ryan while receiving less acclaim. It's not that Ellard, an Olympic-caliber triple-jumper with 4.4 speed, didn't know what he was doing. Addiction soon began consuming Smith's career, and then his life. Marshall cant get his name even on the preliminary Hall of Fame ballot. A beast in coverage, Jones continues to round out his game as one of the top overall linebackers in football. According to Pro Football Reference, he was flagged for 14 accepted holding penalties in 187 career games, little more than one per season. 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. Put him on the Tom Brady-led Patriots, and Mason might have invented a new branch of mathematics. 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. As for being so underrated he's overrated, wellthat's extremely underrated, which justifies Anderson's ranking here. And you're never going to guess who's No. Not enough credit is given to Waller who lacks the Shanahan offense or elite QB to help take his game to the next level. His .588 win percentage ranks second to Wilson in team history. 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. Passing wasn't really their thing. Teams: Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers, Experience: 13 years (1950-59, 1963-64, 1966), AFL All-Star Game appearances: One (1963). Edouard Mendy of Chelsea celebrates after his sides victory in the Premier League match 2. Mills followed Mora to New Orleans and led the Dome Patrol linebacking corps, which brought the Saints franchise its first playoff appearances. His 42-yarder in the 1990 NFC championship game rates as one of the greatest clutch kicks in league history. No one else is even close. He enjoyed one of the greatest receiving games in NFL history: 15 catches, 291 yards and three touchdowns against the historic 2000 Ravens defense. Karl Mecklenburg. The trade went how you might expect a lopsided midseason deal for an aging quarterback to go. He is now stuck in a rebuilding cycle that may take a few years. 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. 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. 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. Raphael Guerreiro of Borussia Dortmund Looks WebThe NFL is increasingly becoming a passing league. Six All-Pro selections. You mean future Hall of Fame tackle Orlando Pace didnt block four guys all by himself? He covered receivers (38 career interceptions). 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. Brown earned seven Pro Bowl berths and an All-Pro selection. He recorded four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 1988 through 1991, a rare feat at the time. He is also proficient with his right foot and is a versatile player who can play multiple positions in the attacking third of the pitch. Mills and Reggie White were the USFL's two greatest defenders ever. Now that's underrated. Bowman doesn't get the recognition he's due, and he may have to get used to it. chants for the best players who didnt get their just dues over the years. Turned out he was skilled and driven enough to be a champion. Mike Williams is an elite deep threat at wide receiver and has maintained an average YPC of over 15 every year since 2018. Hall of Fame receiver Paul Warfield was on the receiving end of many of Ryan's touchdowns. "I wasnt the fastest guy, but I didnt mind having the defender at my hip," Ellard said per Yahoo Sports. He's the Rams' all-time leading rusher with almost 3,000 more yards for the franchise than Marshall Faulk or Eric Dickerson. Juszczyk knows his role and is a winning player that will always fight to win those tough yards. Young played for the teams that slowly slid from George Seifert to Steve Mariucci to oblivion. Build your customFanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis onAll NFL and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. That's a higher sack total than Dwight Freeney or Robert Mathis. Maybe Wright wasn't a Blount-level legend, but he deserves better than to be the forgotten man among the Broncos' forgotten men. But Wright never posted massive interception totals, and his teams ended up on the receiving end of a pair of Super Bowl beatings. 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. Here on the All-Time Underrated List, it counts for a lot. He led his team to an NFL championship. He also scored 35 touchdowns on the ground in that span. One of the most well-traveled quarterbacks in NFL history, Vinny Testaverde hung around long enough to register the seventh-most passing yards ever in his 20-year career. But here's the thing: Gradishar, Mecklenberg and Atwater are famous for being snubbed. 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. Web#shortsucl#bayernmunich #bayern #barcelona#football#footballedit#footballedits#footballshirts#soccer#socceredit#socceredits#soccershorts Wouldnt you know it? No matter what the two-time All-Pro accomplished, he could never be Jerry Rice, who cast a long, tall shadow in the same conference. 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. Jones is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection. Anderson was not Payton, and the later-era Mike Ditka Bears could never approach the heights reached by the 1985 Bears. These men did so much but received so little credit in return. 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. The most underrated player on all 32 NFL teams Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard (20) runs with the ball while being tackled by Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters (24) in the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Bottom line: For 16 seasons, Henry Ellard wreaked havoc as a pass receiver and punt returner. Today we look back at the most underrated Quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, and a few of these should be in Canton. Rivers' excellence, longevity and ability to barely dodge immortality make him the John Hadl of his era. In his prime, Wright was often mentioned in the same breath as Hall of Famers Mel Blount and Mike Haynes. Bottom line: All Ken Norton could do was take down ballcarriers and collect Super Bowl rings. Jordi Alba. He was an iron man for a powerhouse franchise that reached four Super Bowls while playing many of their home games in arctic conditions. Angel Di Maria. 100-91). He finally won a Super Bowl ring as a backup for the Buccaneers. Hull was not just a great lineman but a groundbreaking one. Rivers had neither, but he possessed just about everything else. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. If ever a geezer was meant to play with George Allens Over The Hill Gang, he was the one. After spending a season on the practice squad and injured-reserve with the Jets, Franklin-Myers made the most of his opportunities as a rotational player throughout most of 2020, leading to a starting role in 2021 and a massive $55M extension. Incredibly, McDole started 97 of the next 98 games. While under the radar, Bates has emerged as one of the better all-around safeties in football. Ron McDole falls into that final category. 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. Also, the field was often a block of ice. Player A was a one-time Most Valuable Player who took part in four Pro Bowl games. They didnt allow a sack in 84 pass attempts. Entering 2021, Moton had allowed only 10 sacks in over 2,000 pass-blocking snaps. And consider this: The one-time college triple-jumper played with a Pro Bowl quarterback (Jim Everett) in only one season. As good as Ellard was at the time, he almost was never mentioned in debates about the best at his position. 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: 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 He intercepted 34 passes for the Eagles and 54 in his career. 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. Bottom line: Quick, name the winningest Seahawks quarterback before the Russell Wilson era. Meet every NFL team's all-time most underrated player. They would rank first in the NFL in yardage four other times while Evans was a starter. No, what youll see are lots of gaping holes the size of Boulder. And almost nobody remembers that, when Edwards caught the ball, he knew what to do it. When the Rams finally earned a Super Bowl berth, Robertson was in Buffalo, playing for another playoff also-ran. There have been many better quarterbacks than Ryan in NFL history. Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, Super Bowl championships: Two (1979, 1990). An ever-growing backlog of outstanding safeties is queuing up outside Canton, as Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed will soon joinJohn Lynch and Brian Dawkins. Hull never lived to see himself make a Hall of Fame semifinalist list, as he died of liver failure at age 50 in 2011. 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. McDole was known as "The Dancing Bear" because of his nimble feet, one of the coolest nicknames ever. 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. WebWho are the most underrated players of all time? 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. Bottom line: Few remember Glen Edwards as the fearless strong safety with the Steelers first two Super Bowl teams. Sanders was an extremely In addition to the most underrated and overrated Raiders of all time, Adam Rank goes on a mini-tirade about a criminally underrated coach. But what peak years they were: 14- and 13-win seasons, annual playoff appearances, routine 4,000-yard, 30-touchdown seasons. Dave Meggett -- RB, 1989-1994. Slot specialists such as Julian Edelman and Victor Cruz are now considered valuable components to the modern passing game. 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. For a few years, he was not only the best guard in the NFL, but the most important. He had 44 career sacks and as many as eight in a season on two occasions. The easiest way to be overlooked by history is to replace a legend just after a franchise has peaked. Bottom line: The 49ers of the 1980s are remembered most for Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, coach Bill Walsh and the West Coast offense. 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. That makes sense: Both started their careers late, played with workhorse running backs, won a championship and had their careers curtailed by vicious hits. Fifteen years ago, similar receivers were gimmicky undersized role players. He won 65 percent of his NFL starts. Yes, Marshall amassed that sack total by playing foreverhe started270 games (plus 19 playoff starts) from 1961 through 1979. Some of the 19 Start with Adam Timmerman, who won Super Bowl rings with the Packers and Rams three years apart. Edouard Mendy - Chelsea. 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. Both of those seasons came, ironically enough, after Allen and Buddy were separated. "Hate to say it, but I do believe I should be there (in Canton)," Marshall once said. 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. Success came early for Fletcher, recognition late. Evans, the best pass-protecting guard of his era, was charged with making sure pass-rushers didn't get close enough to Brees to bat his passes down, let alone sack him. Web113 Likes, TikTok video from FootWorld (@lovingfootbal): "The most underrated player of all time #dimaria #football". According to Next Gen Stats, Johnson averaged 3.6 yards of separation for each target during his rookie season, the most of any receiver in football. Super Bowl championships: Four (1981, 1984, 1988, 1989). Mike Kenn began his career playing left tackle for a lumbering 1970s power-running offense. Twenty years ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the marquee organizations in professional sports, and Jimmy Smith was one of their brightest stars. In both New England and Arizona, Jones has wreaked havoc on quarterbacks, demonstrating versatility as a 3-4 OLB and 4-3 DE. 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. Seven times, he surpassed 1,000 yards on pass receptions, most of them on slants and corner routes. Randy Gradishar. Bottom line: OK, kids, lets play Name That Hall of Famer. Waller upped his game in 2020 and hauled in 107 passes and nine touchdowns to earn his first Pro Bowl nod. Bowman makes this list because he has the makings of a player who will be underappreciated historically. 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. Schlereth started in three Super Bowls with the Redskins and Broncos, all of them victories. If you guessed both or neither one, youre wrong. Let's hope the fame doesn't go to his head. Mostly Schlereth and sidekick Tom Nalen, who were masters of zone-blocking schemes, a major reason why Davis is in the Hall of Fame today. When Da Bears bean counters refused to pay up two years later, Marshall was the odd man out again. 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. Maybe Rivers takes his place among the all-time greats. Frank Ryan led the NFL in passing touchdowns twice. 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. Steven Jackson arrived in St. Louis just as the Greatest Show on Turf was deteriorating into the Most Miserable Slog in the Midwest. 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. He had to blanket a wide receiver in man coverage with no safety help on every play. It made the Bills of the early 1990s the greatest team to never win a Super Bowl. Robertson's Rams made a habit of reaching the playoffs every year and losing to the Vikings or Cowboys. Dierdorf started his career with the Cardinals in 1971 as a guard. Anderson was the first quarterback to successfully orchestrate the beta version of Bill Walsh's West Coast offense for multiple seasons. 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. The Hall of Robinson is a staple of Hall of Fame Snubs lists, and he certainly has his case. Franklin-Myers has the ability to play anywhere on the defensive line and is off to a strong start in the Jets' new 4-3 defense under head coach Robert Saleh. A lifelong Tampa Bay Buccaneer, Davids 10-year career has been about consistency and productivity. Modern centers don't get the credit they deserve. He must either play for teams so good that they overshadow his accomplishments, or teams so bad that he had to do it all by himself. 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. While Kreig didnt possess fleet feet or a bazooka arm, he could read defenses and throw an accurate ball. He was arrested four times after his abrupt retirement. But McCree did fumble. Even without the same speed and athleticism as when he entered the league, David continues to find ways to make impact plays like a seasoned veteran. Some might say it's a stretch to put Allen on this list after four straight Pro Bowl seasons and 95+ catch seasons. 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. Nope, not Charles Haley. Jacksonville's all-time leading receiver is now beginning what he calls the "second chapter in his life." 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. 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. 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. The problem with Dierdorf is he played for a lot of bad Cardinals teams. But he didn't play for the legendary 49ers teams. 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. Here is every NFL teams most underrated player of all time. 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. Unless you live in Cleveland or are over 50, you probably have never heard of him. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images). Mason had seven seasons of at least 70 pass receptions, 1,000 yards and five touchdowns. The Rams eventually acquired Jim Everett and opened up their offense, transforming Ellard into one of the NFL's most dangerous deep threats. There's underrated, underappreciated and overlooked. With 4.35 speed, McLaurin can take the top off any defense but has also rounded out the rest of his game since his time at Ohio State. At age 25, Franklin-Myers seems to be just scratching the surface of his potential and should benefit from some additional pieces being added to a young rebuilding Jets defense. He should be remembered as more than a throwback to the era when Lawrence Welk references were topical. He once threw three touchdowns in a shutout victory in a title game. On a walk-through between center and left guard, naturally. He returned eight interceptions for touchdowns, including four in 1993 and three during his age-35 season with the Raiders in 2000. Even so, Smith was pretty much a well-kept secret outside Pittsburgh despite meeting or approaching Pro Bowl standards for almost a decade. Hmmm. Its easy to forget the Seahawks had some pretty good teams way back when, even a few playoff ones.
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