Wisniewski reached eight Pro Bowls and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade team for the 1990s, so he's not exactly obscure. A Colts defender delivered some payback in the all-star game. The 49ers drafted linebacker Reuben Foster at the bottom of the first round. There are certain statistics that one would imagine would immediately pop into the mind of a football fan. 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. Super Bowl championships: Two (2005, 2008). Overall, the total still ranks ninth at the position. 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. After the Bills failed to score, he knocked quarterback Jim Kelly out of the game in the next series. 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. While Kreig didnt possess fleet feet or a bazooka arm, he could read defenses and throw an accurate ball. Bottom line: Never mind guys such as Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson. These are the most unsung NFL quarterbacks of all time. Anderson became a footnote to the Ditka era, but fans who saw him play know he was far more than that. Those who like to shout "first-ballot Hall of Famer" about Rivers do not know how the Hall of Fame works. Bowman doesn't get the recognition he's due, and he may have to get used to it. 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. Who do you believe is the most underrated player that played at least one year from But Hadl had to do something to make the Packers think he was worth two armfuls of draft picks. Maybe not, seeing as Nalen has not had much success. 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. Those accomplishments may soon finally land Kenn in the Hall of Fame. He had one sack in four games, all Rams victories. 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. "When I was there, the thing we were missing was that explosive type of offense, and the new coach brought that in.". The Lions drafted him as a running back. 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. On this All-Underrated list, he is in very good company. And Jackson spent a generation as a pre- and postgame show staple, which puts him in a whole different category. Where did Davis score the game-winner late in Super Bowl XXXII? Teams: Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Super Bowl championships: Three (1991, 1997, 1998). If Marlon McCree hadn't fumbled that interception in the playoffs after the 2006 season, everything might have been different. But he didn't play for the legendary 49ers teams. 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. Robinson was one of those players. Old-timers call it the Lawrence Welk trade after a television bandleader of the era who would begin songs by counting off "A one, and a two, and a three". Still don't understand why the writers don't respect it.". That feeling never really went away.". Success came early for Fletcher, recognition late. 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Provided by Fadeaway World View the original article to see That Greene remains one of the most underrated defensive players in history is a mystery when you look at the numbers. Only kicker in NFL history to hit at least one FG 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. For a few years, he was not only the best guard in the NFL, but the most important. Guys who played in Jacksonville repeatedly have been crapped on in Pro Bowl and Hall of Fame votes, none more so than Taylor during and after his 11 seasons there. He recorded four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 1988 through 1991, a rare feat at the time. He blitzed (20.5 sacks). Kenn is one of the NFL's all-time great players and leaders, and his impact ranges far beyond his playing career. 3. I still don't know that people gave me my due respect for my production. Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1997, 2000, 2005). Eric Allen's job in Buddy Ryan's 46 defense was simple. WebMay 12, 2022. He started for an offensive line that helped Barry Sanders win two of his four rushing titles. Seth Joyner is one of those athletes who is widely respected by fans of the team that he played for but who is also not always mentioned as being an underrated player. These ideas that Marvin Harrison cannot be considered to be one of the greatest wide receivers in the history of the NFL all because he played with Peyton Manning need to be put to bed 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. Lets not forget they also dominated with cold-blooded efficiency at the other side of the ball, where Keena Turner was rarely out of position at right outside linebacker. Even so, Smith was pretty much a well-kept secret outside Pittsburgh despite meeting or approaching Pro Bowl standards for almost a decade. Sideways. "No one was going to catch no ball.". Perhaps Fitzgerald would get more love from the public if he mouthed off as do many diva wide receivers in the NFL. The NFL is now full of receivers like Mason, but few of them are as productive as he was for over a decade. "I wasnt the fastest guy, but I didnt mind having the defender at my hip," Ellard said per Yahoo Sports. We could just trudge onward to the next player right now. Kolb set the Super Bowl standard for left tackles in Super Bowl IV, when he smoked undersized Minnesota Vikings end Jim Marshall like a bad cigar. Bowman makes this list because he has the makings of a player who will be underappreciated historically. The correct answer is Player A (Ken Stabler), and if youre Player B (Brodie), you have to wonder if one Super Bowl should make that much difference. Henry Ellard spent the first five seasons of his NFL career returning punts and putting up humdrum receiving stats. Super Bowl championships: 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979. Appreciate him for being that. He intercepted 34 passes for the Eagles and 54 in his career. 3. But McCree did fumble. Deebo Samuel broke the game open for San Francisco with his 74-yard Maybe there is still an NFL team in San Diego. Here, we give you every NFL teams most underrated player. Anderson went on to duel with Walsh and Montana's 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. Lets hear some "un-der-ra-ted!" 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. Anderson does not get the credit he deserves for reasons that cannot be explained. His teams averaged 392.0 yards and 34.0 points in those games. He then went on to start at left tackle for the playoff-bound Cardinals and 2000 NFC champion Giants. One of the best players in the league during the 1980s, Monk is too often unappreciated in lists of all-time great wide receivers. 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. 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. For me donovan mcnabb marques colston darren McFadden steven Jackson shaun Alexander brian Westbrook .. Who are some more. Perhaps it has something to do with the era during which Tomlinson played, but that L.T. 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. Mills followed Mora to New Orleans and led the Dome Patrol linebacking corps, which brought the Saints franchise its first playoff appearances. But what peak years they were: 14- and 13-win seasons, annual playoff appearances, routine 4,000-yard, 30-touchdown seasons. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Know who created those wide-open spaces? Brett Favre may be the player most responsible for bringing spectacle and success back to Titletown, but Butler brought back celebration. It is difficult to rank Ken Anderson in this list if only because he is constantly referenced as being an underrated player. Brown earned seven Pro Bowl berths and an All-Pro selection. 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). A new generation of superstar left tackles entered the league as Brown was peaking, and he spent the latter half of his career bouncing from team to team as Tony Boselli, Willie Roaf, Orlando Pace, Jonathan Ogden and Walter Jones turned the blindside protector into an almost glamorous position. Rookie QB Brock Purdy led the 49ers with his impressive stat line, completing 18 of 30 passing attempts for 332 yards and three touchdowns, along with four carries for 16 yards and a touchdown. WebTop 10 most underrated NFL players: Justin Tucker, Keenan Allen deserve more recognition. The guy should demand a recount, I tell ya. Only a dozen players have more career interception return yards (961), and seven of them are in the Hall of Fame. He has started every game he has played in since 2014 (with four different franchises). More than anything, though, Rote was a leader and winner. If you guessed both or neither one, youre wrong. 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. Player A was a one-time Most Valuable Player who took part in four Pro Bowl games. 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. He started for the Rams in their Super Bowl seasons at the beginning of his career and then earned Pro Bowl berths for Washington from 2009 through 2012 when he was in his mid-30s. The Hall of Fame eluded Ellard for several reasons: comparisons to Rice, the Rams' move to St. Louis (it takes hometown writers and buzz to mount a campaign) and those five early seasons in a ground-and-pound offense. Not one of the Jim Harbaugh-era guys. 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. It takes years of playing the wrong position for the wrong team in the wrong league at the wrong time. But there is no player; fans themselves get to "leap" into the statue for photo ops. He's rarely mentioned as an all-time great. 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. Bruce found the end zone over 90 times in regular season play during his career, and he is one of five players in the history of the NFL to go for over 15,000 total receiving yards. That's its own kind of recognition. The only lineman to start all four of those games was a workout warrior and routinely bench-pressed 550 pounds in his prime. 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. Young played for the teams that slowly slid from George Seifert to Steve Mariucci to oblivion. A fresh take on sports: the biggest news and most entertaining lists. 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. That made Hull one of the first centers to make line adjustments on the fly. So LeRoy Butler, innovator of the Lambeau Leap, is excluded from his own statue. The Over-the-Hill Gang fielded one of the most ferocious pass rushes of its era, notching 53 sacks in 1973. David Garrard. WebDue to the emergence of other superstars like Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, LeBron James, and Tracy McGrady, many other solid players who had massive success in the decade have Steven Jackson arrived in St. Louis just as the Greatest Show on Turf was deteriorating into the Most Miserable Slog in the Midwest. His stardom was spread among three teams, robbing him of local hero status (or Hall of Fame momentum) in any one city. The old adage says that there is no such thing as a wrong opinion. Randall Cunningham is one of the most polarizing individuals regarding these types of discussions. Maybe Wright wasn't a Blount-level legend, but he deserves better than to be the forgotten man among the Broncos' forgotten men. Mason's 95-catch, 1,200-yard seasons translate to 115-catch monsters in more pass-oriented schemes. It's hard for a running back to be underrated. On a walk-through between center and left guard, naturally. Actually, make that four careers. No matter. So Kenn basically had three careers. His 2,690 all-purpose yards with the Titans in the 2000 season are second in league history. Allen is trailing by 26 sacks as of the start of the 2015 regular season. Arizona Cardinals: WR Andy Isabella. But his Hall of Fame candidacy has been stuck in semifinalist limbo. 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? How he slipped through the cracks for 13 years remains one of the unsolved mysteries in pro football. Mills and Reggie White were the USFL's two greatest defenders ever. There, he led a relentless Redskins pass rush in their Super Bowl XXVI ambush. Brees is one of the greatest quarterbacks of his generation. 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. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. 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. It takes more than mere greatness to be considered one of the most underrated players in pro football history. That makes sense: Both started their careers late, played with workhorse running backs, won a championship and had their careers curtailed by vicious hits. That's a higher sack total than Dwight Freeney or Robert Mathis. And to think, the guy never played in a Pro Bowl game. Anderson was named to four Pro Bowl squads during his career, ad he led the Cincinnati Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance that did not go Cincinnati's way because of Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers. He may not have been as good as Jerry Rice or Randy Moss, but there is a solid argument to be made that Lofton is one of the ten best wide receivers in the history of pro football. For some reason, however, the community has somewhat forgotten that Paul Krause had held the record for most interceptions in NFL history for decades. A Super Bowl ring and two AFL championships. Quick: Name the 49ers' all-time sack leader. 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. Oh, and sub-packages were pretty rare in the 1960s and 1970s, so Marshall didn't leave the field much. And they really deserve more love. 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. Finally, at last, the cornerback was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl game as some kind of lifetime achievement award. And you're never going to guess who's No. Any defensive player breaking into the NFL in 2015 would love to be mentioned alongside such names when his career came to an end. Taylor rushed for 1,000-plus yards in seven seasons. Despite his incredibly high waist seriously, check out his build Kelvin Beachum has been one of the most underrated tackles in the NFL. On the final play a year later, he picked off a Roger Staubach pass in the end zone that put the Cowboys to rest. Robertson was one of the NFL's fastest linebackers in the 1970s. Bottom line: OK, kids, lets play Name That Hall of Famer. Passing wasn't really their thing. 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