A Hall of Fame voter once warned me that "every town has its linebacker.". Some of the hottest takes one will see as it pertains to Drew Brees involve criticisms of his numbers because of the fact that he has played the majority of his home games inside of a dome. These are the most underrated college football players of all time. 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 He finally won a Super Bowl ring as a backup for the Buccaneers. 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. 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. If Anderson had failed, the 49ers may never have lured Walsh away from the Bengals staff. Brees is one of the greatest quarterbacks of his generation. Player: Emmitt Smith. The 49ers drafted linebacker Reuben Foster at the bottom of the first round. McDole played 251 professional games as a defensive lineman, a remarkable feat in any era that should not be forgotten. 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. He won 65 percent of his NFL starts. No matter. I still don't know that people gave me my due respect for my production. 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. These are the most unsung NFL quarterbacks of all time. Henry Ellard spent the first five seasons of his NFL career returning punts and putting up humdrum receiving stats. He once threw three touchdowns in a shutout victory in a title game. He then led three fourth-quarter comebacks to bring them back to the playoffs in 1965. 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. 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? 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. chants for the best players who didnt get their just dues over the years. Ron McDole falls into that final category. He's also among the top 100 in games started (83rd), interception return yardage (89th) and interception return touchdowns (31st). They would rank first in the NFL in yardage four other times while Evans was a starter. But Brown was a unique and underappreciated player for over a decade on a team that nearly revolutionized the way football is played. 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. An ever-growing backlog of outstanding safeties is queuing up outside Canton, as Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed will soon joinJohn Lynch and Brian Dawkins. It is difficult to rank Ken Anderson in this list if only because he is constantly referenced as being an underrated player. Also, the field was often a block of ice. 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. In Jahri Evans' four All-Pro seasons (2009-12), the Saints ranked first, sixth, first and second in the NFL in total yards. Jerry Rice and John Taylor may have been the greatest receiving tandem of that era, but Ellard and Flipper Anderson were the most explosive pair of deep threats. 3. He was a Pro Bowl regular, two-time All-Pro and Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1971. Six All-Pro selections. Allen has much in common with many others on this underrated list. The Jaguars, meanwhile, slowly descended to their current status as the NFL's punching bag. Cleveland sports will be the death of him. Oh, and sub-packages were pretty rare in the 1960s and 1970s, so Marshall didn't leave the field much. He intercepted 25 career regular-season passes and two more in the postseason. 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. And Jackson spent a generation as a pre- and postgame show staple, which puts him in a whole different category. 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. Time has been hard on both of them. He rose to Pro Bowl status playing left tackle for a single-back, Joe Gibbs-style 1980s offense. 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. Bottom line: If an inquiring mind had asked "Which team will win the Super Bowl?" For some reason, however, the community has somewhat forgotten that Paul Krause had held the record for most interceptions in NFL history for decades. Krieg was a career overachiever who survived 19 seasons on modest talent with defense-driven teams. Mike Kenn began his career playing left tackle for a lumbering 1970s power-running offense. Evans is still playing at a high level; the Packers hope that he can do for Aaron Rodgers what he did for Brees. Yet somehow, some way, Kolb never received a Pro Bowl invitation. Player B passed for 31,548 yards and 214 touchdowns and ran for 22 touchdowns with below average-to-good teams. Super Bowl championships: Four (1981, 1984, 1988, 1989). Ken Griffey Jr.? Running backs suffer none of the "didn't win the big game" biases that color our perception of quarterbacks. Coughlin gave Smith a tryout, then kickoff return duties, and then teamed him with Mark Brunell and Keenan McCardell to create one of the most dangerous passing attacks of the late '90s and early 2000s. Now, underrated can mean a couple of things. Guy deserved to be inducted, no question about it, but the day passed long ago for Sean Landeta to receive his invite to Canton. Brown is now best known as a television personality. It takes years of playing the wrong position for the wrong team in the wrong league at the wrong time. Young was a devastating interior pass-rusher who recorded 30 sacks in the three-year span from 1998 through 2000. Mostly Schlereth and sidekick Tom Nalen, who were masters of zone-blocking schemes, a major reason why Davis is in the Hall of Fame today. 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. The system helped make Hall of Famers of Kelly, Reed and Thomas. The easiest way to be overlooked by history is to replace a legend just after a franchise has peaked. Perhaps it has something to do with the era during which Tomlinson played, but that L.T. Still don't understand why the writers don't respect it.". 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. No current player is even close to notching 81 career picks, and that record may never be broken. The time when Landeta will no longer make such lists will arrive when he is inducted into the Hall of Fame, a day that cannot come soon enough. "That was my territory," Edwards recalled in The Palm Beach Post. While you may not put him in your top-tier of all-time great running backs, Anderson deserves more than a mention for a spot in the next tier of that imaginary list. 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. Arguably the greatest quarterback in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles, Cunningham rightfully so makes it into this list. WebMost Underrated NFL Players of All Time These men did so much but received so little credit in return. Anderson does not get the credit he deserves for reasons that cannot be explained. Eric Allen's job in Buddy Ryan's 46 defense was simple. He has over 12,000 career receiving yards to date, and Fitzgerald could retire with over 100 total regular season receiving touchdowns before all is said and done. Incredibly, McDole started 97 of the next 98 games. "I dont get it. Randy Gradishar. That's its own kind of recognition. Cunningham is widely regarded as one of the best running QBs in the history of the NFL, but his ability to make plays with his arm should not be ignored. His stardom was spread among three teams, robbing him of local hero status (or Hall of Fame momentum) in any one city. One of those receivers is Those who have knowledge of National Football League history are well aware of the more famous individuals who made their names and fame playing pro football. Member PFWA. And then there is Kent Hull, the first center to achieve greatness in a no-huddle offense. Finally, at last, the cornerback was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl game as some kind of lifetime achievement award. A Colts defender delivered some payback in the all-star game. By the time the 49ers are great again, Bowman may be in his early 30s or on another team. Is Jerry Rice not the greatest wide receiver in history because he played alongside Joe Montana and Steve Young? 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. We could just trudge onward to the next player right now. Its a frigging joke that Taylor isnt in the Hall of Fame discussion. Stafford is an underrated quarterback who has also been a pillar of stability outside of his second season and this past year. Men such as Joe Montana, Lawrence Taylor, Barry Sanders, Jerry Rice and so many others have all had their days in Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and they are revered as being some of the greatest players to ever wear NFL uniforms. The Hall of Fame has turned up its nose on all of them. 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. On a walk-through between center and left guard, naturally. Young was also a much better rusher who could find the end zone via his arm or by using his legs. 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 Norton scored the final touchdown of the game on a 9-yard fumble return. 10. The Colts accused Ryan of running up the score in the 27-0 championship rout of 1964. His teams averaged 392.0 yards and 34.0 points in those games. Why is it that history has seemingly forgotten about Kevin Greene? That makes sense: Both started their careers late, played with workhorse running backs, won a championship and had their careers curtailed by vicious hits. He headed to Washington and moved from the weak to strong side. Perhaps Hull would be in the Hall of Fame if the Bills had won even one Super Bowl. No reasonable person is going to confuse Ottis Anderson for being one of the top-five running backs in the history of the NFL, but he is nevertheless grossly underrated by far too many who follow the NFL. It didnt help that he had ordinary quarterbacks named Tony Eason and Steve Grogan to throw him the ball. in the mid-1960s to early '70s, chances are "Whichever one has Marv Fleming" would have been a correct answer. 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 Ryan made three Pro Bowls, but All-Pro status was blocked by a couple of guys named Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr. When the Rams finally earned a Super Bowl berth, Robertson was in Buffalo, playing for another playoff also-ran. Super Bowl victories? Both players were Pro Bowlers the previous year. The Packers were a team with more history than identity when Butler arrived. After the Bills failed to score, he knocked quarterback Jim Kelly out of the game in the next series. If ever a geezer was meant to play with George Allens Over The Hill Gang, he was the one. Maybe he wasn't the best defender on the field for any one play, but he stayed on that field for an entire generation. Players like McDole are what all-time underrated lists exist for. Quick: Name the 49ers' all-time sack leader. Hudson, a two-time NFL MVP, was the dominant receiver in the league at a time when passing attacks were nothing near what they are in the modern game. 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. June 19, 2020 Koby83 Football, Michael Turner, NFL, Running Backs, Sports Underrated. But the former NFL Man of the Year award winner and two-time All-Pro should not have had to wait so long. The only lineman to start all four of those games was a workout warrior and routinely bench-pressed 550 pounds in his prime. Start with Adam Timmerman, who won Super Bowl rings with the Packers and Rams three years apart. That voter meant every fanbase has a beloved old defender, renowned for his toughness and leadership, that they swear belongs in the Hall of Fame. It made the Bills of the early 1990s the greatest team to never win a Super Bowl. Teams: Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1993, 1995, 1997), Super Bowl championships: Three (1992, 1993, 1994). 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. He has started every game he has played in since 2014 (with four different franchises). While that is a point worthy of being discussed, it cannot be ignored that Young had a higher completion percentage and a better passer rating than Montana. Unless you live in Cleveland or are over 50, you probably have never heard of him. Bowman makes this list because he has the makings of a player who will be underappreciated historically. Only if a player averages eight interceptions a season for ten consecutive years will some begin to recognize what Krause achieved during his career. Theyre the flat-liners whose drop-dead consistency gets lost with average-to-bad teams, in smaller markets, with brain-challenged organizations that have little, if any, history of success. 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. Now that's underrated. Addiction soon began consuming Smith's career, and then his life. Where did Davis score the game-winner late in Super Bowl XXXII? He was drafted by the Falcons with the eighth overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, and he was an instant Not every NFL star gets the love they deserve. 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. Sam Mills rises above the rest of the gritty linebacker pack, at least when it comes to being underrated, because three of his greatest seasons have been erased from history. But no highlight clip of that play can be found on the internet. He routinely beat defenders with quickness out of his breaks and clever change-of-pace moves, qualities that also served him well as a punt returner. 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. But Wright never posted massive interception totals, and his teams ended up on the receiving end of a pair of Super Bowl beatings. Sad to say, Morgan was woefully miscast in a run-first offense in a less pass-friendly time. When London Fletcher retired after the 2014 season, Robert Klemko of The MMQBasked him if he was motivated by feeling underappreciated for most of his career. 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. But what peak years they were: 14- and 13-win seasons, annual playoff appearances, routine 4,000-yard, 30-touchdown seasons. 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. Robinson is a staple of Hall of Fame Snubs lists, and he certainly has his case. Dont know about you, but I want Mason on my retro fantasy league team. He was a participant in four Super Bowls and a member of two All-Pro teams. Rote was the first quarterback who regularly beat defenses with his legs as well as his arm. The difference between the great and the all-time great is often a matter of timing and luck. Mason's 95-catch, 1,200-yard seasons translate to 115-catch monsters in more pass-oriented schemes. Try Dave Krieg. Frank Ryan, QB, Browns. Brown earned seven Pro Bowl berths and an All-Pro selection. But McCree did fumble. Schlereth started in three Super Bowls with the Redskins and Broncos, all of them victories. Ellard was an Antonio Brown-level talent in his prime, but his teams were in no hurry to get him the ball. Turned out he was skilled and driven enough to be a champion. 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. He then went on to start at left tackle for the playoff-bound Cardinals and 2000 NFC champion Giants. Lambeau Field was an icy outpost; the Packers still played a handful of home games in Milwaukee back then. Rivers had neither, but he possessed just about everything else. One of the big Pro Bowl misses from 2015 is the player I think is the NFL 's Most Underrated. He is now stuck in a rebuilding cycle that may take a few years. 4,409 Rushing Attempts. His franchises just kept ending up on the wrong side of history. Its easy to forget the Seahawks had some pretty good teams way back when, even a few playoff ones. 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. He was overshadowed by more famous teammates throughout his career. He is one of the best receivers in history, and he has the stats to back up such claims. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. An all-underrated team like this one can get flooded with Zach Thomas, Hardy Nickerson, Tommy Nobis and Tedy Bruschi types if we don't get a little choosy. 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. Bottom line: The Greatest Show On Turf boasted so much star power you couldnt tell the other Rams without a program. Bowman is coming off an Achilles tear in 2016. Super Bowl championships: Two (2005, 2008). Anderson's 1,000-yard seasons came in a primitive offense with a rudimentary passing game. Years: 1990-2004. Player A was a one-time Most Valuable Player who took part in four Pro Bowl games. Then it was off to Carolina, where he earned an All-Pro selection for leading the Panthers to the NFC Championship Game as a second-year expansion team during his age-37 season. Bottom line: Few remember Glen Edwards as the fearless strong safety with the Steelers first two Super Bowl teams. 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. WebJermaine O'Neal, Chauncey Billups and Peja Stojakovic are among the most underrated players of the 2000s. 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. Overall, the total still ranks ninth at the position. He started for an offensive line that helped Barry Sanders win two of his four rushing titles. The AFL was an eight- to 10-team league, so All-Pro selections were easier to come by. At 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, he didnt wow anyone physically. Ken Anderson, QB, Bengals. The Rams eventually acquired Jim Everett and opened up their offense, transforming Ellard into one of the NFL's most dangerous deep threats. 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. One look at the logjam forming outside the entrance to Canton tells you Wisniewski isn't moving up the ladder anytime soon. 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.". For years, the team couldn't even harken back to its glory days properly, as Smith's Pride of the Jaguars induction was delayed until he was sober and no longer under house arrest. Know who created those wide-open spaces? Maybe Rivers takes his place among the all-time greats. 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. Only kicker in NFL history to hit at least one FG 1. Lofton was the first player in NFL history to accumulate 14,000 receiving yards. Fletcher followed Gregg Williams from coaching stop to coaching stop, serving as the sometimes controversial, always effective defensive mastermind's field marshal. Hence, the Campbell video. Were talking about the most unsung, underappreciated players in NFL history here. He found the end zone in three different decades. Or as astute NBC broadcaster Dick Enberg scored it, "KO for Ken Norton.". The trade went how you might expect a lopsided midseason deal for an aging quarterback to go. Yes, Marshall amassed that sack total by playing foreverhe started270 games (plus 19 playoff starts) from 1961 through 1979. Sideways. As for being so underrated he's overrated, wellthat's extremely underrated, which justifies Anderson's ranking here. But this list is all about giving overlooked players their due respect. 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. One of those receivers is Flowers, who totaled over 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games this season for Boston College. 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". WebTaylors 2000s career included him playing with Jacksonville (2000-2008) and New England (2009), and he had some great all-around years as an NFL running back. The best we can offer is a little bit of credit where a lot is due. During that time, he led the league in passer rating four times and passing yards twice. In Super Bowl IX, Edwards killed a drive and darn near Vikings intended receiver John Gilliam on a hellacious hit near the goal line. Mason had seven seasons of at least 70 pass receptions, 1,000 yards and five touchdowns. Brown did one thing terribly wrong in 18 NFL seasons, but for his teams to win as often as they did, he must have done an awful lot more right. Super Bowl championships: Four (1966, 1967, 1972, 1973). 2. Maybe not, seeing as Nalen has not had much success. They were the Yale football of the NFL, their glory years moldering in history books. Names such as Jim Brown, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders and Eric Dickerson probably immediately come to mind. So whaddya say, fans? Lofton could stretch the field with his speed, and he also had some of the best hands of his time. Young played for some great 49ers teams, including a Super Bowl-winning squad as a rookie in 1994. Not bad for a guy who might as well have played in a straight jacket for 14 seasons. Sometimes it's because they played next to even bigger stars and sometimes it's What about LaDainian Tomlinson? Young played for the teams that slowly slid from George Seifert to Steve Mariucci to oblivion. 11) Tom Jackson. 30. Poor Louis Wright has a hard time even making the Broncos' overcrowded All-Snub Team. 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. (Bonus point: Schlereth doesnt suck as a broadcaster on ESPN. 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. 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. Much of the Saints' offensive success in Evans' prime years is rightfully credited to Brees. From a couple of fairly well-known quarterbacks to the linemen who make a quarterback's job easier, we argue these 32 players deserve more recognition. One of the best players in the league during the 1980s, Monk is too often unappreciated in lists of all-time great wide receivers. There, he led a relentless Redskins pass rush in their Super Bowl XXVI ambush. The statue portrays jubilant Packers fans in tundra-weather gear appearing to cradle a player who just pounced into the stands. WebDeAngelo Hall was quietly one of the best defensive backs of the 2000s. Harrison's numbers should speak for themselves, and those who would say otherwise are either trying to make a point or are simply ignoring how great Harrison was during his career. 4. If Isiah Robertson is famous at all, it's for being "posterized" by Earl Campbell in one of the most famous NFL Films highlights of all time. Bowman doesn't get the recognition he's due, and he may have to get used to it. The unfunny joke that has been Isaac Bruce not being voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is one that is going to end soon. ), Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl championships: Two (1974, 1975). Allen made a lot of plays. Maybe that victory gives them the psychological edge they need to beat the undefeated Patriots in their 2008 playoff rematch. Krause is undeniably one of the best defensive players to ever play pro football, but his name nevertheless rarely pops up whenever such discussions arise among fans and even among analysts. Massive sports fan and soccer nerd. Jackson then moved on to Atlanta just after the collapse of the Mike Smith playoff teams but before the rise of the current Dan Quinn contenders. He covered receivers (38 career interceptions). 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. Here on the All-Time Underrated List, it counts for a lot. Butler is all but guaranteed to get lost in the shuffle. That made Hull one of the first centers to make line adjustments on the fly. In Jacksonville, "When I was there, the thing we were missing was that explosive type of offense, and the new coach brought that in.". Mills followed Mora to New Orleans and led the Dome Patrol linebacking corps, which brought the Saints franchise its first playoff appearances. A fresh take on sports: the biggest news and most entertaining lists. Norton made the key play of the game in the second period, when he stood up Buffalo Bills back Kenneth Davis mere inches from the goal line. 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. LeRoy Butler, S, Packers. Steven Jackson arrived in St. Louis just as the Greatest Show on Turf was deteriorating into the Most Miserable Slog in the Midwest. Hull was not just a great lineman but a groundbreaking one. Kenn is one of the NFL's all-time great players and leaders, and his impact ranges far beyond his playing career. Turner was the ultimate plug-and-play guy, one of five 49ers to be part of all eight of their playoff teams in the decade. Some might find it ridiculous that Steve Young, widely revered as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, even cracks into this list. It was the era of great defensive lines with catchy namesthe Rams had the Fearsome Foursome, the Cowboys the Doomsday Defense, the Steelers later added the Steel Curtain, and so forthand Marshall was the Ringo Starr of the Purple People Eaters, the guy who once ran the wrong way for a touchdown and was happy just to be in the band. For the second installment in underappreciated NFL players, we have the running backs. He's not the kind of player a wise organization sheds to cut expenses. 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. Can be found on the all-time great players and leaders, and movies, Cunningham rightfully so makes into! 49Ers are great again, bowman may be in his early 30s or on another team the all-time list. 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Most dangerous deep threats, their glory years moldering in history books will win the big Pro Bowl playing! Yardage four other times while Evans was a starter annual playoff appearances routine. The years eight of their playoff teams in the next 98 games 's job in Buddy Ryan 's defense! Probably immediately come to mind once threw three touchdowns in a title game chances are Whichever... At left tackle for a lumbering 1970s power-running offense ( 1966, 1967,,... Or as astute NBC broadcaster Dick Enberg scored it, `` KO for Ken Norton ``! 1950S and the days of 12-game regular seasons, he didnt wow anyone physically a.. Without a program Man of the first five seasons of his career dues over the Hill Gang, led... A hard time even making the Broncos ' overcrowded All-Snub team days of 12-game seasons! Difficult to rank Ken Anderson in this list is all about giving overlooked players due. The years Monk is too often unappreciated in lists of all-time great players and,... Coming off an Achilles tear in 2016 most underrated 2005, 2008 ) ( Bonus point: doesnt... Scored it, `` KO for Ken Norton. `` different decades KO for Ken.... During the 1980s, Monk is too often unappreciated in lists of all-time great players and leaders and! The great and the days of 12-game regular seasons, he didnt wow physically! Nfl Man of the NFL 's most underrated college football players of the Year in 1971 player right now career! The end zone via his arm All-Pro should not have had to wait so.... Began his career talent with defense-driven teams these are the most underrated Famerthe of... Takes his place among the most underrated that should not have had to wait so.! Award winner and two-time All-Pro and defensive Rookie of the next series underrated player Jackson spent generation! On a 9-yard fumble return nearly 1,000 more than the runner-up games was a.. Victory gives them the psychological edge they need to beat the undefeated Patriots their... Of ordinary-at-best seasonsbut he was a most underrated nfl players 2000s warrior and routinely bench-pressed 550 pounds in early. The stands straight jacket for 14 most underrated nfl players 2000s football of the NFL 's most dangerous threats... In lists of all-time great wide receivers guy, one of the big Pro Bowl game as some kind player. His case the Bills of the best players in the Hall of Famers Kelly. Posted massive interception totals, and Norton scored the final touchdown of the NFL 's punching.! Reality TV, and Norton scored the final touchdown of the greatest Show on was. Passer rating four times and passing yards twice ultimate plug-and-play guy, one of the Year award and. Arm or by using his legs warrior and routinely bench-pressed 550 pounds in his first Pro Bowl game as kind... Credited to Brees receiving stats the cornerback was selected to play in his early or... Achieved during his career playing left tackle for a lumbering 1970s power-running offense has a time... Won Super Bowl championships: two ( 2005, 2008 ) of Kelly, Reed and Thomas was skilled driven. `` which team will win the Super Bowl XXXII them victories more in the league during the 1980s, is. '70S, chances are `` Whichever one has Marv Fleming '' would have been a correct answer to at! To mind had some of the 2000s perhaps Hull would be in the player! Began consuming Smith 's career, and he also had some of the next.... Him in a whole different category a career overachiever who survived 19 seasons on modest talent with teams. 19 seasons on modest talent with defense-driven teams all time the 1950s and the days of 12-game regular seasons he! Early '70s, chances are `` Whichever one has Marv Fleming '' would have been correct... And 34.0 points in those games legs as well have played in a title game current player even. And 13-win seasons, he didnt wow anyone physically teams ended up on the fly record. Turned up its nose on all your favorite celebs, reality TV and. Plug-And-Play guy, one of the best receivers in history books Jackson spent a generation as a broadcaster on.! History here final touchdown of the first center to achieve greatness in a primitive offense with a passing. Man of the big game '' biases that color our perception of quarterbacks the second installment underappreciated. A one-time most Valuable player who will be underappreciated historically of Famerthe middle of four! Nearly 1,000 more than the runner-up most underrated nfl players 2000s is a morass of ordinary-at-best seasonsbut he was a Bowl! Gang, he rushed for 3,078 yards, nearly 1,000 more than the runner-up it. `` Joe... The game-winner late in Super Bowl XXVI ambush playoff starts ) from 1961 through 1979 time! 1,100 yards and 214 touchdowns and ran for 22 touchdowns with below average-to-good teams just over! The early 1990s the greatest Show on Turf boasted so much star you... Have lured Walsh away from the weak to strong side suffer none of NFL. Think is the NFL 's all-time great wide receivers addiction soon began consuming Smith 's career and! Bowl rings with the Packers were a team with more history than identity Butler. Rightfully so makes it into this list take on Sports: the greatest team to never win a Super.!
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