Mills looks like just another local hero linebacker in the encyclopedias, albeit a good one. No one else is even close. 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. That makes sense: Both started their careers late, played with workhorse running backs, won a championship and had their careers curtailed by vicious hits. "Stanley Steamer" could run every route and was hell on wheels with the ball in his hands. He intercepted 25 career regular-season passes and two more in the postseason. There have been many better quarterbacks than Ryan in NFL history. The guy should demand a recount, I tell ya. The Rams acquired him from the Chargers in 1973 in exchange for defensive end Coy Bacon. The Rams eventually acquired Jim Everett and opened up their offense, transforming Ellard into one of the NFL's most dangerous deep threats. Player B was a one-time MVP who played in two Pro Bowl games. Anchoring defenses with catchy names like the "Orange Crush?" And consider this: The one-time college triple-jumper played with a Pro Bowl quarterback (Jim Everett) in only one season. He also doesn't play in the shadow of a legend. Off to a fast start in 2021, Sutton is quickly reminding opposing defenses of his talent. 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. Perhaps it's time we look back on how much of an impact he and his Jaguars had on the NFL two decades ago. 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. Still don't understand why the writers don't respect it.". Even so, Smith was pretty much a well-kept secret outside Pittsburgh despite meeting or approaching Pro Bowl standards for almost a decade. 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. 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. It's Bryant Young, whorecorded 89.5 sacks for the 49ers, 23 more than Haley. The system helped make Hall of Famers of Kelly, Reed and Thomas. But Anderson was an extraordinary talent. But a double whammyplaying center and playing for the Broncoshas kept him miles from Hall of Fame consideration. Tom Jackson. But outside of Wisconsin, his accomplishments were mostly forgotten shortly after his career ended in 2001. Start with Adam Timmerman, who won Super Bowl rings with the Packers and Rams three years apart. He returned eight interceptions for touchdowns, including four in 1993 and three during his age-35 season with the Raiders in 2000. Lomas Brown played left tackle for four Lions playoff teams. In addition to the most underrated and overrated Raiders of all time, Adam Rank goes on a mini-tirade about a criminally underrated coach. Bottom line: The 1970s Steelers won four Super Bowls two with a power run game, two with a potent pass attack and who better than Jon Kolb to do the heavy lifting? But Brown was a unique and underappreciated player for over a decade on a team that nearly revolutionized the way football is played. His 4.53 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine was far from elite level speed either, but none of that has not stopped Johnson from playing fast and producing at a high level for the Steelers. He had one sack in four games, all Rams victories. 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. Yet he still led his team to the playoffs three more times. He played 256 career regular-season games, never missing a start due to injury. He covered receivers (38 career interceptions). Rivers' excellence, longevity and ability to barely dodge immortality make him the John Hadl of his era. He's not the kind of player a wise organization sheds to cut expenses. While Kreig didnt possess fleet feet or a bazooka arm, he could read defenses and throw an accurate ball. 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. Not enough credit is given to Waller who lacks the Shanahan offense or elite QB to help take his game to the next level. Build your customFanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis onAll NFL and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. 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. He's rarely mentioned as an all-time great. Photo by JOHN CAPUTO/AFP via Getty Images, ST. LOUIS, MO CIRCA 1980: Ed Jones #72 of the Dallas Cowboys gets blocked by Dan Dierdorf #72 of the St. Louis Cardinals during an NFL football game circa 1980 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. 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. In two Super Bowl trips, Bahr didnt miss a kick three field goals, six PATs. Seven times, he surpassed 1,000 yards on pass receptions, most of them on slants and corner routes. Dunn finished his career with 15,655 all-purpose yards, 25th in league history, one of the best players never to be a champion. And to think, the guy never played in a Pro Bowl game. Along with Devin White, David was all over the field making plays around the ball and was one of the more valuable players in shutting down the Chiefs offense in the Super Bowl. There are a ton of names in the conversation for best offensive linemen of all time, but Dierdorf Maybe Wright wasn't a Blount-level legend, but he deserves better than to be the forgotten man among the Broncos' forgotten men. Buckner is rarely discussed with the likes of Cameron Heyward, Fletcher Cox, or Grady Jarrett among the top interior defensive linemen (next tier behind Aaron Donald), but he is every bit as talented. Player A passed for 27,928 yards and 194 touchdowns and ran for four touchdowns with mostly very good teams and one great one. On the final play a year later, he picked off a Roger Staubach pass in the end zone that put the Cowboys to rest. WebBUY OUR MERCH: https://www.thegivengo.com/merchTIK TOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegivengoSPOTIFY: 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. The Niners' willingness to spend big money on a long-term deal at fullback demonstrates the value and unique skill set Juszczyk provides. He intercepted 34 passes for the Eagles and 54 in his career. Smith produced nine 1,000-yard seasons in 10 years, including two 100-plus-catch seasons in an era when they were still relatively uncommon. Ryan made three Pro Bowls, but All-Pro status was blocked by a couple of guys named Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr. Jackson finished his career with 11,438 rushing yards (18th all-time) and 15,121 total scrimmage yards (21st all-time). Year after year, Chandler Jones is one of the best pure pass rushers in football. 'Nuff said, right? Today we look back at the most underrated Quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, and a few of these should be in Canton. Membership on various All-1960s teams. "Even now I still get pissed off. But what peak years they were: 14- and 13-win seasons, annual playoff appearances, routine 4,000-yard, 30-touchdown seasons. That's its own kind of recognition. Bottom line: If an inquiring mind had asked "Which team will win the Super Bowl?" There may be such a thing as too much blitzing, after all. 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. Tom Jackson. The statue portrays jubilant Packers fans in tundra-weather gear appearing to cradle a player who just pounced into the stands. Randy Gradishar. He reached the playoffs as a rookie backup in 2004 and a 32-year-old backup in 2015, but zero times in the decade in between. 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. 10. Rivers lacks several quarterback prerequisites for enshrinement: playoff glory, all-time records and, most importantly, momentum from a regional fanbase and media. 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. He ran a Sonny Jurgensen pass back 59 yards in the fourth quarter to seal a Rams playoff win over the Redskins in 1974. Teams kept doing something special to get their hands on Hadl. Honourable Mentions Hajime Hosogai, Hertha Berlin DM, Age: 27 Anderson was the first quarterback to successfully orchestrate the beta version of Bill Walsh's West Coast offense for multiple seasons. But his Hall of Fame candidacy has been stuck in semifinalist limbo. But Hadl had to do something to make the Packers think he was worth two armfuls of draft picks. 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. Player A was a one-time Most Valuable Player who took part in four Pro Bowl games. 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 rose to Pro Bowl status playing left tackle for a single-back, Joe Gibbs-style 1980s offense. It takes years of playing the wrong position for the wrong team in the wrong league at the wrong time. Sanders was an extremely Jones is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection. 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". That's where the politics of Hall voting come in. And you're never going to guess who's No. 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: 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 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. If you guessed both or neither one, youre wrong. 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. As good as Ellard was at the time, he almost was never mentioned in debates about the best at his position. Defensive Player of the Year awards? 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. That's a higher sack total than Dwight Freeney or Robert Mathis. Raphael Guerreiro - Borussia Dortmund. Anderson was not Payton, and the later-era Mike Ditka Bears could never approach the heights reached by the 1985 Bears. More than anything, though, Rote was a leader and winner. Tom Nalen protected John Elway in a pair of Super Bowl victories and helped trigger a zone-blocking revolution as part of Alex Gibbs' influential offensive lines. Butler is all but guaranteed to get lost in the shuffle. Both Courtland Sutton and teammate Tim Patrick could easily make this list together as neither player is discussed nearly enough. Coaches rave about his work off the field and his dedication to improving his craft. In 10 of the 12 seasons in which he started at least half their games, the Seahawks prevailed more times than not. He was arrested four times after his abrupt retirement. Bowman is coming off an Achilles tear in 2016. But he didn't play for the legendary 49ers teams. In his most prolific early season, he caught 54 passes for 811 yards and five touchdowns. "It pissed me off," Fletcher replied. 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. 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. Franklin-Myers went from fourth-round draft choice of the Rams in 2018, to a final roster cut in 2019. It made the Bills of the early 1990s the greatest team to never win a Super Bowl.
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