20 most underrated football players of all time 20 most underrated football players of all time

Actually, theres a simple explanation. Two 10-interception seasons, with 57 career interceptions. 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. 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. On a walk-through between center and left guard, naturally. "I dont get it. Not enough credit is given to Waller who lacks the Shanahan offense or elite QB to help take his game to the next level. If ever a geezer was meant to play with George Allens Over The Hill Gang, he was the one. By the time the 49ers are great again, Bowman may be in his early 30s or on another team. And few were better at making opposing quarterbacks pay for mistakes. Pro Football Reference rates him at near a Pro Bowl level well into his 30s. According to Pro Football Reference, he was flagged for 14 accepted holding penalties in 187 career games, little more than one per season. But here's the thing: Gradishar, Mecklenberg and Atwater are famous for being snubbed. The Steelers rushed for a then-record 249 yards and did not allow a sack. Anderson was not Payton, and the later-era Mike Ditka Bears could never approach the heights reached by the 1985 Bears. But so were teammates like Len Dawson, Willie Lanier, Buck Buchanan, Bobby Bell, Curley Culp and Jan Stenerud, all of whom are in the Hall of Fame. 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. Turned out he was skilled and driven enough to be a champion. Cooke is the most underrated player in the sport, performing mostly in the wonderful but considerable shadows of Boston, Staleys grand personality and all the noise at Colonial Life Arena. 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. A mauler of a right guard, Timmerman also was agile enough to escort Marshall Faulk on screens and sweeps. 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. Bottom line: If an inquiring mind had asked "Which team will win the Super Bowl?" It takes years of playing the wrong position for the wrong team in the wrong league at the wrong time. Most Underrated NFL Players of All Time | Stadium Talk As the Chargers faded, Rivers kept them in the wild-card picture and became the franchise's only recognizable public figure. With that in mind, NFL 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. He's also among the top 100 in games started (83rd), interception return yardage (89th) and interception return touchdowns (31st). Peppers will have to play three more seasons to catch Marshall, and Peppers' starts are non-consecutive. Giants: All-time underrated, overrated players 'Nuff said, right? Efficient? Saleh has compared Franklin-Myers to Arik Armstead, whom he coached in SF while registering 10 sacks in 2019. He started for an offensive line that helped Barry Sanders win two of his four rushing titles. The system helped make Hall of Famers of Kelly, Reed and Thomas. One look at the logjam forming outside the entrance to Canton tells you Wisniewski isn't moving up the ladder anytime soon. Ryan made three Pro Bowls, but All-Pro status was blocked by a couple of guys named Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr. 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. most underrated players in football at That "something" was throwing for more than 29,000 yards and going to four AFL All-Star Games and a Pro Bowl with the Chargers and then leading the Rams to a 12-2 record in 1973. If the quarterback got rid of the ball before getting crushed, it was up to Allen to make a play. He ran a Sonny Jurgensen pass back 59 yards in the fourth quarter to seal a Rams playoff win over the Redskins in 1974. With Warfield hurt nearly all of that season, Ryan helped make a Pro Bowler out of receiver/punter Gary Collins. Karl Mecklenburg. The Over-the-Hill Gang fielded one of the most ferocious pass rushes of its era, notching 53 sacks in 1973. Jones played for the Cowboys from 1974-78 and 1980-89. He lacked the straight-line speed to be a game-breaker. 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. That feeling never really went away.". Twenty years ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the marquee organizations in professional sports, and Jimmy Smith was one of their brightest stars. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. 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). The Jaguars, meanwhile, slowly descended to their current status as the NFL's punching bag. 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. At 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, he didnt wow anyone physically. The 49ers drafted linebacker Reuben Foster at the bottom of the first round. If Morgan had played in a pass-happy offense with a Pro Bowl quarterback and hands-off rules, you would find him in Canton right now. Edouard Mendy - Chelsea. A great story off the field and rare talent on it, Waller appears to still be getting better at age 29. Teams: Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers, Experience: 13 years (1950-59, 1963-64, 1966), AFL All-Star Game appearances: One (1963). Schlereth started in three Super Bowls with the Redskins and Broncos, all of them victories. Web12. On this All-Underrated list, he is in very good company. 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. If not for Schlereth's many health problems that included 29 surgeries, 15 on his left knee alone, he would have been a perennial Pro Bowl selection. "Even now I still get pissed off. Ken Griffey Jr.? Where did Davis score the game-winner late in Super Bowl XXXII? 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. Who are the top 20 best left-footed football players as of 2023? That makes sense: Both started their careers late, played with workhorse running backs, won a championship and had their careers curtailed by vicious hits. 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. 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. Edouard Mendy of Chelsea celebrates after his sides victory in the Premier League match 2. WebThe 10 most underrated football players of all time are: Gheorghe Hagi, Michael Laudrup, Gaetano Scirea, Hristo Stoichkov, Matthias Sammer, Davor Suker, Gunter Netzer, 2023 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep Guide: Rankings, tiers, sleepers Greenwood, but there are dozens of other great old players clamoring for their chance who didn't enjoy the glory of playing for a "team of the decade.". 25 Feb/23. In two Super Bowl trips, Bahr didnt miss a kick three field goals, six PATs. There are over 120 teams that compete in the FBS, which means that storylines and hidden superstars abound. Still, Allen rarely gets respect as a true number one wideout. Young played for some great 49ers teams, including a Super Bowl-winning squad as a rookie in 1994. But the former NFL Man of the Year award winner and two-time All-Pro should not have had to wait so long. 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. Roberston is the guy getting head-butted in the sternum and knocked backward by Campbell before the running back's jersey gets torn off. 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. Steve Atwater. Every NFL teams most underrated player of all time - FanSided Brown earned seven Pro Bowl berths and an All-Pro selection. Know who created those wide-open spaces? Bottom line: For 16 seasons, Henry Ellard wreaked havoc as a pass receiver and punt returner. Butler's defensive accomplishments might have brought him to the cusp of immortality, but don't underestimate the power of that Lambeau Leap. No modern coach suppressed passing offenses quite like Fisher, and no team produces offensive stats that look like they come from the early 1930s quite like the Ravens. 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. Measurables. The Hall of Fame has turned up its nose on all of them. Through the 2018 season, Vinatieri checked in at 81 (56 of 69) and 99 (70 of 71), respectively. Super Bowl championships: Two (1996, 1999). 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. Once an arbitrary number of players from a historic team get enshrined, the committee moves on in search of underappreciated players from other franchises. 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. WebLet's face it: An entire All-Underrated Team can be assembled using only Broncos defenders. Tom Jackson. Steve Wisniewski played guard on a Raiders team that moved in the middle of his career and was just good enough to remind you it was not in the same class as the great Raiders teams that preceded 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. Hadl signed with the Chargers instead, and Sid Gilman built him into the trigger man for an offense from which all modern offenses descended. Poor Louis Wright has a hard time even making the Broncos' overcrowded All-Snub Team. He became an All-Pro playing blindside protector in an early 1990s run-'n'-shoot offense. Nope, not Charles Haley. Only a dozen players have more career interception return yards (961), and seven of them are in the Hall of Fame. Jackson finished his career with 11,438 rushing yards (18th all-time) and 15,121 total scrimmage yards (21st all-time). How he slipped through the cracks for 13 years remains one of the unsolved mysteries in pro football. Feyenoord v VVV Venlo - Eredivisie. Jerry Hughes has been a consistent pass rusher and important piece to the Buffalo Bills defense. But Hadl had to do something to make the Packers think he was worth two armfuls of draft picks. In Jahri Evans' four All-Pro seasons (2009-12), the Saints ranked first, sixth, first and second in the NFL in total yards. MOST UNDERRATED PLAYERS OF ALL TIME Brown is now best known as a television personality. They didnt allow a sack in 84 pass attempts. Hence, the Campbell video. There have been too many players in NFL history to count, so naturally, many of them werent going to get the attention they deserved for their play. 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. The NFL is a star-driven league. Numbers better than majority of RBs in history. A beast in coverage, Jones continues to round out his game as one of the top overall linebackers in football. 2022 NFL Mock Draft: Jacksonville Jaguars overtake Detroit for No. Super Bowl championships: 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979. Other than Steve Largent and Kurt Warner, Pro Bowlers were harder to find in the Seahawks offense than a haystack in the Space Needle. In both New England and Arizona, Jones has wreaked havoc on quarterbacks, demonstrating versatility as a 3-4 OLB and 4-3 DE. At 67 Buckner also has a wide arsenal of pass rush moves to pressure the quarterback. He was a eight-time Pro Bowler and one-time Super Bowl champion. McLaurins route running continues to improve while routinely making contested catches look easy. WebTop 20 Most Underrated Footballers in 2022 1. Related:Most Overrated NFL Players of All Time. Marshall cant get his name even on the preliminary Hall of Fame ballot. 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. Marshall reached just two Pro Bowls. "When I was there, the thing we were missing was that explosive type of offense, and the new coach brought that in.". Most Underrated He had to blanket a wide receiver in man coverage with no safety help on every play. 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. The Bills were among the first teams to frequently operate without a huddle. In his prime, Wright was often mentioned in the same breath as Hall of Famers Mel Blount and Mike Haynes. His .588 win percentage ranks second to Wilson in team history. Guards don't make the Hall of Fame unless they win multiple Super Bowls or play forever. 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. So Kenn basically had three careers. Many of those catches occurred down the field, with Anderson serving as a de facto possession receiver. 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. Smith wasnt a no-show on third-and-long, either. Ryan threw five touchdown passes and ran for a sixth to beat the Giants and lead the Browns to the NFL championship in 1964. The Lions drafted him as a running back. "No one was going to catch no ball.". 10 Most Underrated Promising Football Players In The World Ryan would blitz between five and eight defenders, plus some water boys and maybe a few boo birds from the 700 level of Veterans Stadium. Hall of Fame receiver Paul Warfield was on the receiving end of many of Ryan's touchdowns. Most Underrated American Football Players of All Time Ogbah improved against the run while putting up a career-high in both sacks (9) and QB hits (21). Lomas Brown played left tackle for four Lions playoff teams. Teams: Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Houston Texans. Maybe he wasn't the best defender on the field for any one play, but he stayed on that field for an entire generation. Super Bowl championships: Four (1966, 1967, 1972, 1973). He should be remembered as more than a throwback to the era when Lawrence Welk references were topical. Steve Atwater. Neal Anderson replaced Walter Payton. Who knows what the NFL might have looked like then? Young played for the teams that slowly slid from George Seifert to Steve Mariucci to oblivion. In his most prolific early season, he caught 54 passes for 811 yards and five touchdowns. That may be unfair to players like Robinson, Jerry Kramer and L.C. Juszczyk knows his role and is a winning player that will always fight to win those tough yards. And then there is Kent Hull, the first center to achieve greatness in a no-huddle offense. 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. C'mon, who doesn't love Darren Sproles and Mike Tolbert? But his Hall of Fame candidacy has been stuck in semifinalist limbo. (Bonus point: Schlereth doesnt suck as a broadcaster on ESPN. There are a ton of names in the conversation for best offensive linemen of all time, but Dierdorf never seems to have his name mentioned. Teams: Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Super Bowl championships: Three (1991, 1997, 1998). Player B passed for 31,548 yards and 214 touchdowns and ran for 22 touchdowns with below average-to-good teams. Thats what Krieg did best win football games. 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. Bowman makes this list because he has the makings of a player who will be underappreciated historically.