WebMay 12, 2022. 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? McDole was known as "The Dancing Bear" because of his nimble feet, one of the coolest nicknames ever. 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. WebKen Anderson is easily the most underrated quarterback of all time. It's Bryant Young, whorecorded 89.5 sacks for the 49ers, 23 more than Haley. 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. Some might find it ridiculous that Steve Young, widely revered as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, even cracks into this list. The only lineman to start all four of those games was a workout warrior and routinely bench-pressed 550 pounds in his prime. He headed to Washington and moved from the weak to strong side. Both of those seasons came, ironically enough, after Allen and Buddy were separated. Theyre the core players who are overshadowed by more well-paid, high-profile teammates and just plain pathetic, shameless self-promoters. But don't write him off as some 1960s product of the system. He helped the Packers win a Super Bowl. Overall, the total still ranks ninth at the position. Here on the All-Time Underrated List, it counts for a lot. He once threw three touchdowns in a shutout victory in a title game. Fleming was a reliable backup tight end/wide receiver who played with four Super Bowl-winners (and one NFL champion) in a dozen seasons. These men did so much but received so little credit in return. Much of the Saints' offensive success in Evans' prime years is rightfully credited to Brees. That he was part of The Greatest Show on Turf should not be a knock against him or a reason for keeping him out of the Hall of Fame. 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. Jackson finished his career with 11,438 rushing yards (18th all-time) and 15,121 total scrimmage yards (21st all-time). The 10 Most Underrated College Football Players Ever // ONE37pm We didnt find the net this time. That may be unfair to players like Robinson, Jerry Kramer and L.C. Six All-Pro selections. 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. Anderson was the first quarterback to successfully orchestrate the beta version of Bill Walsh's West Coast offense for multiple seasons. Since Week 13, when he became the starter due to Jimmy Garoppolos broken foot, Purdy has the NFLs best passer rating (112.0), completing 68.3% of his passes for 8.1 yards per attempt, 13 touchdown passes, and just three interceptions. His career was cut short by injuries suffered in the first of those three Pro Bowls. 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. On a walk-through between center and left guard, naturally. 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. 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. Still, even his long resume undersells his 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. Bottom line: Derrick Mason was among the shrewdest, most precise route runners of his time. Wouldnt you know it? How he slipped through the cracks for 13 years remains one of the unsolved mysteries in pro football. 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. McDole's Bills defenses held opponents to fewer than 3.1 yards per carry across three consecutive seasons. Perhaps Hull would be in the Hall of Fame if the Bills had won even one Super Bowl. Hall of Fame receiver Paul Warfield was on the receiving end of many of Ryan's touchdowns. 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. He found the end zone in three different decades. He had one sack in four games, all Rams victories. Along with the legendary Johnny Unitas, Rote probably did more to change the quarterback position than anyone in the pre-merger era even if so few know it. Don Hutson played multiple positions during his time, including defense and on special teams. He is Baltimore Ravens nose tackle Brandon Williams. Hence, the Campbell video. For a few years, he was not only the best guard in the NFL, but the most important. One has to wonder if those QBs will ever receive the respect they truly deserve. 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. 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. It takes years of playing the wrong position for the wrong team in the wrong league at the wrong time. Know who created those wide-open spaces? Spoiler alert: Of course it is. Roberston is the guy getting head-butted in the sternum and knocked backward by Campbell before the running back's jersey gets torn off. It takes bad timing and bad luck. Mills and Reggie White were the USFL's two greatest defenders ever. But Anderson was an extraordinary talent. And Jackson spent a generation as a pre- and postgame show staple, which puts him in a whole different category. The Steelers rushed for a then-record 249 yards and did not allow a sack. 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. 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. 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. Not bad for a guy who might as well have played in a straight jacket for 14 seasons. While Kreig didnt possess fleet feet or a bazooka arm, he could read defenses and throw an accurate ball. 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. Seven times, he surpassed 1,000 yards on pass receptions, most of them on slants and corner routes. In their two Super Bowl seasons that followed, Young was a virtual nonfactor in the matchup. WebDeAngelo Hall was quietly one of the best defensive backs of the 2000s. 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. 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. As a 31-year-old, no less. He is, however, most remembered, for being a wide receiver who was decades ahead of his time. 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. Bottom line: For 16 seasons, Henry Ellard wreaked havoc as a pass receiver and punt returner. Yes, Marshall amassed that sack total by playing foreverhe started270 games (plus 19 playoff starts) from 1961 through 1979. Let's hope the fame doesn't go to his head. In the nine seasons that Aaron Smith had double-digit starts, their D ranked among the top nine in yards allowed every time, but his consistent play went over the heads of many. Ground rules: A max of three Pro Bowl invitations. Hadl signed with the Chargers instead, and Sid Gilman built him into the trigger man for an offense from which all modern offenses descended. Bowman makes this list because he has the makings of a player who will be underappreciated historically. Jeff Saturday had to translate Peyton Manning's spur-of-the-moment audibles into protection schemes a split second before the snap. He then became a staple of trivia questions and All-Time Worst Trades listicles, as the Lawrence Welk trade overshadowed an even more impressive moment in Hadl's transaction history. Player: Emmitt Smith. 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. 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. Guards don't make the Hall of Fame unless they win multiple Super Bowls or play forever. 3. The Bucs hired head coach Jon Gruden and won Super Bowl XXXVII the next season. Men such as Joe Montana, Lawrence Taylor. WebMost Underappreciated WRs of the 2000s June 11, 2020 Koby83 Derrick Mason, Football, Joey Galloway, Marques Colston, This is a Top 10 list that I love. The career active leader in games started by a defensive lineman is Julius Peppers with 227. Fifteen years ago, similar receivers were gimmicky undersized role players. 2. Ryan made three Pro Bowls, but All-Pro status was blocked by a couple of guys named Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr. Perhaps it's time we look back on how much of an impact he and his Jaguars had on the NFL two decades ago. Only a dozen players have more career interception return yards (961), and seven of them are in the Hall of Fame. Related:Most Overrated NFL Players of All Time. Poor Louis Wright has a hard time even making the Broncos' overcrowded All-Snub Team. Fitzgerald has been a mainstay in lists of Top 100 players in the NFL for years. Today, most people know Mark Schlereth mostly as an He enjoyed one of the greatest receiving games in NFL history: 15 catches, 291 yards and three touchdowns against the historic 2000 Ravens defense. He ran a Sonny Jurgensen pass back 59 yards in the fourth quarter to seal a Rams playoff win over the Redskins in 1974. 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. 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 started for an offensive line that helped Barry Sanders win two of his four rushing titles. It was a motivating factor for a number of years in my career. Even unspectacular ones manage to rack up a few 1,000-yard seasons and get drafted early in fantasy leagues. "It was tough, but I was happy for those guys," Dunn told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The easiest way to be overlooked by history is to replace a legend just after a franchise has peaked. Time has been hard on both of them. Actually, theres a simple explanation. Player B passed for 31,548 yards and 214 touchdowns and ran for 22 touchdowns with below average-to-good teams. It's hard for a running back to be underrated. 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. Mark Schlereth. He talked the talk and he walked the walk, and Reed should be recognized for being an all-time great receiver by all fans and journalists. Brees is one of the greatest quarterbacks of his generation. 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. When the Rams finally earned a Super Bowl berth, Robertson was in Buffalo, playing for another playoff also-ran. One of those receivers is Flowers, who totaled over 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games this season for Boston College. Deebo Samuel broke the game open for San Francisco with his 74-yard But few cornerbacks spent more of their careers in the crosshairs than Allen. But no one remembers the Greatest Show on Turf for its defense, and Fletcher spent the prime of his career playing for mediocre Bills teams. Anderson went on to duel with Walsh and Montana's 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. He returned eight interceptions for touchdowns, including four in 1993 and three during his age-35 season with the Raiders in 2000. He was an iron man for a powerhouse franchise that reached four Super Bowls while playing many of their home games in arctic conditions. Yet somehow, some way, Kolb never received a Pro Bowl invitation. "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. They didnt allow a sack in 84 pass attempts. 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. The linebacker ranks 17th in career solo tackles (1,130) and is the only player to be part of three consecutive Super Bowl champions. That's a higher sack total than Dwight Freeney or Robert Mathis. 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 Lofton could stretch the field with his speed, and he also had some of the best hands of his time. Do people not recognize Rob Gronkowski as a great tight end just because he has had Tom Brady as his quarterback? 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. He finally won a Super Bowl ring as a backup for the Buccaneers. What about LaDainian Tomlinson? Bottom line: All Ken Norton could do was take down ballcarriers and collect Super Bowl rings. McDole played 251 professional games as a defensive lineman, a remarkable feat in any era that should not be forgotten. 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. He rose to Pro Bowl status playing left tackle for a single-back, Joe Gibbs-style 1980s offense. Young was a devastating interior pass-rusher who recorded 30 sacks in the three-year span from 1998 through 2000. But the diminutive Brees would not have been able to lead the Saints to a Super Bowl and several seasons as top contenders without a clean pocket, particularly right in front of him. Isiah Robertson, LB, Rams, Bills. After the Bills failed to score, he knocked quarterback Jim Kelly out of the game in the next series. Success came early for Fletcher, recognition late. New England Patriots wide receiver Stanley Morgan, right, battles for a ball with Rivers lacks several quarterback prerequisites for enshrinement: playoff glory, all-time records and, most importantly, momentum from a regional fanbase and media. The trade went how you might expect a lopsided midseason deal for an aging quarterback to go. He had to blanket a wide receiver in man coverage with no safety help on every play. "No one was going to catch no ball.". That may tick him off. Maybe there is still an NFL team in San Diego. Karl Mecklenburg. The Pro Football Reference Similar Players tool compares Ryan's five-year peak to that of Joe Theismann. The system helped make Hall of Famers of Kelly, Reed and Thomas. Far from it. Terry Porter is another name that isnt remembered despite his 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 Teams: Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals. Born: (2007, 2009, 2012), NFL Special Teams Player of the Year (2009), NFL 2000s All-Decade Team . The converted all-purpose athlete became one of the fathers of modern quarterbacking. He had 44 career sacks and as many as eight in a season on two occasions. Allen made a lot of plays. WebMost Underappreciated QBs of the 2000s. Years: 1990-2004. 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. Robertson is so poorly remembered that it was hard to find a decent photo of him in our archives. 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. Dont know about you, but I want Mason on my retro fantasy league team. WebUnderrated 2000s players that don't get the respect they deserve today. Sad to say, Morgan was woefully miscast in a run-first offense in a less pass-friendly time. Kenn is one of the NFL's all-time great players and leaders, and his impact ranges far beyond his playing career. It's not that Ellard, an Olympic-caliber triple-jumper with 4.4 speed, didn't know what he was doing. Who knows what the NFL might have looked like then? 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. 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. WebAll-Time Most Underrated NFL Players by Position. 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. 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. 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. But three of his best seasons are not listed in the encyclopedias. Then again, the fourth-round draft pick had no choice. He then led three fourth-quarter comebacks to bring them back to the playoffs in 1965. 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. Anderson also won MVP honors the same year he won Comeback Player of the Year. Lambeau Field was an icy outpost; the Packers still played a handful of home games in Milwaukee back then. Teams: Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Super Bowl championships: Three (1991, 1997, 1998). But the former NFL Man of the Year award winner and two-time All-Pro should not have had to wait so long. The Colts accused Ryan of running up the score in the 27-0 championship rout of 1964. 44. It takes more than mere greatness to be considered one of the most underrated players in pro football history. 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. 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. 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. Those accomplishments may soon finally land Kenn in the Hall of Fame. Mason also caught 49 postseason passes and was one of the game's best return men for a few years. He played the run with authority (721 career solo tackles). Other than Steve Largent and Kurt Warner, Pro Bowlers were harder to find in the Seahawks offense than a haystack in the Space Needle. He's also among the top 100 in games started (83rd), interception return yardage (89th) and interception return touchdowns (31st). His 42-yarder in the 1990 NFC championship game rates as one of the greatest clutch kicks in league history. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Brett Favre may be the player most responsible for bringing spectacle and success back to Titletown, but Butler brought back celebration. That's its own kind of recognition. 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. It doesn't matter: If you are a Broncos defender, you might as well forget about a bust in Canton. You know the type. Its easy to forget the Seahawks had some pretty good teams way back when, even a few playoff ones. 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. Bottom line: Quick, name the winningest Seahawks quarterback before the Russell Wilson era. Because he is one of the NFL's best defensive players, for one thing.