Or as astute NBC broadcaster Dick Enberg scored it, "KO for Ken Norton.". Actually, theres a simple explanation. They were the Yale football of the NFL, their glory years moldering in history books. Wouldnt you know it? Six All-Pro selections. Yet he still led his team to the playoffs three more times. Ohhh-kaaaaay, one of the Hasselbecks then? Bottom line: Derrick Mason was among the shrewdest, most precise route runners of his time. But three of his best seasons are not listed in the encyclopedias. Time has been hard on both of them. He had 44 career sacks and as many as eight in a season on two occasions. 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. Its easy to forget the Seahawks had some pretty good teams way back when, even a few playoff ones. Here on the All-Time Underrated List, it counts for a lot. NFL Combine records: Complete list of top 40 times, bench press Shanahan uses Juszczyk as a traditional lead blocking back, but he provides plenty of versatility out of the backfield and with the ball in his hands. Oh, and Norton scored the final touchdown of the game on a 9-yard fumble return. But McCree did fumble. Following a strong start to 2021, McLaurin is slowly beginning to earn the respect his game deserves. It's Bryant Young, whorecorded 89.5 sacks for the 49ers, 23 more than Haley. "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. Without Kenn, there might not be free agency in the NFL, to say nothing of limitations on practice conditions and other initiatives that make pro football less dangerous than it was decades ago. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. 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. 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). Whether they were disrespected by the media, or scrappy fan-favorites, every NFL team has had a selection of players that didnt get the attention they deserved. When the team inducted Smith into the Pride of the Jaguars ring of honor last year, it was the strange case of a moribund franchise honoring a former receiver still on parole for succumbing to the demons of addiction. But no highlight clip of that play can be found on the internet. Jones played for the Cowboys from 1974-78 and 1980-89. Interior defensive linemen: The average height and weight for defensive tackles entering the league is 6-foot-3, 306 pounds. Once an arbitrary number of players from a historic team get enshrined, the committee moves on in search of underappreciated players from other franchises. Most Underrated NFL Players Of All Time - The Onion Two 10-interception seasons, with 57 career interceptions. most underrated player of all time Randy Gradishar. Some of the 19 ", Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers, Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins, Pro Bowl appearances (AFL All-Star Game): Two (1965, 1967). Evans is a long shot to do either, which is a shame. 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. There would not be another exchange of current Pro Bowlers in the NFL until the Broncos and Redskins exchanged Champ Bailey and Clinton Portis in 2004. Who are the top 20 best left-footed football players as of 2023? 1 overall pick, NFL coverage map 2021: TV schedule Week 16, Seattle Seahawks: 3 players who wont be back in 2022. Krieg was a career overachiever who survived 19 seasons on modest talent with defense-driven teams. Nope, not Charles Haley. But run defense was king in the era when McDole played, and his 16-year career is littered with big plays: 12 interceptions, 14 fumble recoveries, two touchdowns, three safeties and a pair of sacks in the 1966 AFL Championship Game. McDole was a starting defensive end for two of history's legendary defenses: the AFL champion Buffalo Bills of 1964 and '65 and Washington's "Over-the-Hill Gang" of the early 1970s. Success came early for Fletcher, recognition late. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images). If ever a geezer was meant to play with George Allens Over The Hill Gang, he was the one. As some players continue to grow their stardom and gain league-wide recognition, others are less talked about, often flying under the radar for several seasons or even entire careers without proper acknowledgment. And Jackson spent a generation as a pre- and postgame show staple, which puts him in a whole different category. 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. 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. Jackson finished his career with 11,438 rushing yards (18th all-time) and 15,121 total scrimmage yards (21st all-time). Arizona Cardinals: Kelvin Beachum, OT. Other than Steve Largent and Kurt Warner, Pro Bowlers were harder to find in the Seahawks offense than a haystack in the Space Needle. His 65 interceptions are fifth most in NFL history. Addiction soon began consuming Smith's career, and then his life. Naturally, it also guarantees that some of the best players in the country get overshadowed and forgotten in the sport's warp-speed news cycle. Fletcher intercepted 23 passes and recorded 39 sacks as a do-it-all middle linebacker. Bottom line: Few remember Glen Edwards as the fearless strong safety with the Steelers first two Super Bowl teams. Most Underrated American Football Players of All Time They didnt allow a sack in 84 pass attempts. 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. "It pissed me off," Fletcher replied. He had one sack in four games, all Rams victories. WebOnce called the toughest cornerback in the NFL by Jerry Rice, Lewis would have received much more acclaim in his career if hed played a position that wasnt just following other What Mason did have was a keen attention to detail and fanatical drive to succeed. Teams kept doing something special to get their hands on Hadl. Rivers' excellence, longevity and ability to barely dodge immortality make him the John Hadl of his era. So LeRoy Butler, innovator of the Lambeau Leap, is excluded from his own statue. Those accomplishments may soon finally land Kenn in the Hall of Fame. With Warfield hurt nearly all of that season, Ryan helped make a Pro Bowler out of receiver/punter Gary Collins. And none of them produce the numbers he generated in less hospitable systems. 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. Pittsburgh Steelers: All-time underrated, overrated players - NFL.com It takes years of playing the wrong position for the wrong team in the wrong league at the wrong time. A dominant presence as a run blocker, Moton uses his athleticism to get to the next level of the defense in a hurry. Franklin-Myers went from fourth-round draft choice of the Rams in 2018, to a final roster cut in 2019. Finally, at last, the cornerback was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl game as some kind of lifetime achievement award. The least glamorous position on the field, a so-so team, a franchise moveWisniewski pulled three lemons on the recognition slot machine. 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. Both players were Pro Bowlers the previous year. Bates is a ball-hawking safety in coverage with excellent range, intelligence, and athleticism. Teams: Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Houston Texans. The admission probably slams the door of the Hall of Fame on Brown forever. Both Courtland Sutton and teammate Tim Patrick could easily make this list together as neither player is discussed nearly enough. WebTop 20 Most Underrated NFL Players of All Time 20 Drew Brees. There are over 120 teams that compete in the FBS, which means that storylines and hidden superstars abound. 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? We could just trudge onward to the next player right now. 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. TGT Tips! 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. The Pro Football Reference Similar Players tool compares Ryan's five-year peak to that of Joe Theismann. 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. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. Karl Mecklenburg. top 20 10 Most Underrated Football Players - Sports Al Dente 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. It was a motivating factor for a number of years in my career. There may be such a thing as too much blitzing, after all. In his prime, Wright was often mentioned in the same breath as Hall of Famers Mel Blount and Mike Haynes. Marshall cant get his name even on the preliminary Hall of Fame ballot. 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. Even so, Smith was pretty much a well-kept secret outside Pittsburgh despite meeting or approaching Pro Bowl standards for almost a decade.
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