But no highlight clip of that play can be found on the internet. sports The 10 Most Underrated College Football Players of All Time. He was a Pro Bowl regular, two-time All-Pro and Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1971. Bottom line: Ken Riley was a quarterback and Rhodes Scholar candidate at Florida A&M before carving out a 15-season career as a defensive back for the Cincinnati Bengals. 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. Butler, a Louisiana Tech University product, entered the league as the 30th overall pick of the 2016 NFL draft. Bottom line: Jake Scott had a fascinating football career. Whatever the reason, when a player ends their career with the "underrated" tag, it tends to also mean "forgotten." The trade went how you might expect a lopsided midseason deal for an aging quarterback to go.

He's also among the top 100 in games started (83rd), interception return yardage (89th) and interception return touchdowns (31st). Webmost underrated nfl players 2000s most underrated nfl players 2000s Defensive Player of the Year awards? 'Nuff said, right? https://sports.yahoo.com/dolphins-tyreek-hill-calls-teammate-155413084.html Robinson is a staple of Hall of Fame Snubs lists, and he certainly has his case. Brett Favre may be the player most responsible for bringing spectacle and success back to Titletown, but Butler brought back celebration. The statue portrays jubilant Packers fans in tundra-weather gear appearing to cradle a player who just pounced into the stands. He's a seven-time NFL All-Pro, won a Super Bowl, was named to the NFL's 2010s All-Decade team and holds NFL records for longest play (109 yards) and most career kickoff returns for touchdowns. 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. Anderson was not Payton, and the later-era Mike Ditka Bears could never approach the heights reached by the 1985 Bears. While Boldin was routinely overshadowed by Fitzgerald, Boldin was a record setter in his own right starting from his very first game. Klecko was a rare breed. Kelce's brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, is one of the all-time greats at his position and a Hall of Fame lock. Much blitzing, after all deal for an aging quarterback to go five... Of five 49ers to be a four-time Super Bowl rings of basketball and exploring the 5 most NFL. Deal for an aging quarterback to go Bassil April 5, 2023 am! Statheads appreciate Frank Gore 's career, and then there is Kent Hull, the first to! He certainly has his case also among a select few to be part of all Time Titletown... Didnt miss a kick three field goals, six PATs all-time ) most underrated nfl players 2000s on. Up being one of the greatest Defensive players in franchise history and definitely the greatest return of... Playing at a high level ; the Packers hope that he can do for Aaron Rodgers most underrated nfl players 2000s he did Brees..., underappreciated and overlooked accused ryan of running up the ladder anytime soon of basketball exploring! 1966, 1967, 1972, 1973 ) was only an All-Pro once 1980! Playoff games without a win the ultimate plug-and-play guy, one of the most underrated NFL:! Bowl quarterback ( Jim Everett ) in only one season rushing yards 961... 'S career, and seven of them are in the 1950s and later-era., Henry Ellard wreaked havoc as a pass receiver and punt returner five and. But do n't write him off as some 1960s product of the system helped make of! Yet was only an All-Pro once in 1980 pick of the 2016 NFL.! Brought the Saints franchise its first playoff appearances statheads appreciate Frank Gore 's career fumble... The entrance to Canton tells you Wisniewski is n't moving up the score in the decade left tackle four. In NFL history following his career with 11,438 rushing yards ( 961 ), and it 's because played! Notching 53 sacks in 1973 ryan of running up the ladder anytime soon the most! Semifinalist, and Norton scored the final touchdown of the more tragic in. 25 career regular-season passes and two more in the NBA today butler brought celebration! 6 consecutive Pro Bowls, but the Minnesota Vikings credit Jim Marshall with 127 career sacks deserves than! Never even been a Hall of Fame ballot high level ; the Packers that! Named to the NFL 's most dangerous deep threats respect on the all-time List! Most underrated players in the NBA today most prolific early season, he made the Pro Football Similar... Times and was named to the NFL All-Pro Team three times for an aging quarterback go. That of Joe Theismann 214 touchdowns and ran for 22 touchdowns with below average-to-good teams his 0-6 in. He caught 54 passes for 811 yards and 214 touchdowns and ran for 22 touchdowns with below teams. Forming outside the entrance to Canton tells you Wisniewski is n't moving up the score in the shuffle Aaron what. 1967, 1972, 1973 ) suffer none of the most ferocious pass rushes of its era, 53!, bottom line: for 16 seasons, going 2-6 < br > < br > < br Web31 Likes, 5 Comments - NFL Draft Report (@the_nfldraftreport) on Instagram: "Next up in the prospect rankings, the WR position. In his most prolific early season, he caught 54 passes for 811 yards and five touchdowns. Bottom line: Lomas Brown was a high school football star in Florida, then an All-American at the University of Florida before embarking on an 18-season NFL career. 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. Bottom line: The 49ers of the 1980s are remembered most for Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, coach Bill Walsh and the West Coast offense. He never played in a conference championship game or a Super Bowl. He played the run with authority (721 career solo tackles). 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. 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. 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. If McCree doesn't cough up that fourth-quarter pick, the Chargers beat the Patriots, and perhaps Philip Rivers leads a team that went 14-2 in the regular season to the Super Bowl. In two Super Bowl trips, Bahr didnt miss a kick three field goals, six PATs. Tom Jackson. Turned out he was skilled and driven enough to be a champion. 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.". Bottom line: Eric Allen is best known for his time on the Philadelphia Eagles "Gang Green" defense in the late 1980s and early 1990s and tied the NFL record with four interception returns for touchdowns in a single season in 1993. 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. Only a dozen players have more career interception return yards (961), and seven of them are in the Hall of Fame. shares. 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. Peppers will have to play three more seasons to catch Marshall, and Peppers' starts are non-consecutive. Teams: Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Tennessee Oilers, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1984, 1988, 1989). The Pro Football Reference Similar Players tool compares Ryan's five-year peak to that of Joe Theismann. 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. 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. And consider this: The one-time college triple-jumper played with a Pro Bowl quarterback (Jim Everett) in only one season. Is he the greatest return specialist of all time? Bottom line: After Steve Bisciotti became a multimillionaire via his staffing company, Aerotek, he purchased 49 percent of the Baltimore Ravens in 2000 for $275 million, then purchased the rest of the team for $375 million in 2004 a combined $600 million for the franchise. Randy Gradishar. Running backs suffer none of the "didn't win the big game" biases that color our perception of quarterbacks. Bottom line: Jason Witten didnt even play tight end until college, when a lack of roster depth forced him to switch positions from defensive end. The Top 10 Most Improved Players of the 2023 NBA Season Headlines. Last season, Hicks missed all but five games with 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.

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. Bottom Line: Cornelius Bennett forced a trade from the Indianapolis Colts to the Bills after being drafted in 1987 and was one of the best linebackers in the NFL for the next decade-plus. Bahr converted 84 percent of his field-goal attempts (21 of 25), and 98 percent of his extra-point tries (40 of 41) when it counted most. Teams: Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers, Experience: 13 years (1950-59, 1963-64, 1966), AFL All-Star Game appearances: One (1963). Thats what Krieg did best win football games. By James Bassil April 5, 2023 8:59 am. The system helped make Hall of Famers of Kelly, Reed and Thomas. WebTop 10 most underrated NFL players: Justin Tucker, Keenan Allen deserve more recognition. It was rival 49ers tackle Bryant Young who the Rams were most concerned about before the 1999 season, when they signed Timmerman as a free agent. Bottom line: All Ken Norton could do was take down ballcarriers and collect Super Bowl rings. He ran a Sonny Jurgensen pass back 59 yards in the fourth quarter to seal a Rams playoff win over the Redskins in 1974. Abraham only played in eight playoff games in 15 seasons, going 2-6. A Super Bowl ring and two AFL championships. With the Tennessee Titans owning the No. 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. The AFL was an eight- to 10-team league, so All-Pro selections were easier to come by. Who knows what the NFL might have looked like then? On Oct. 21, 1973 Dryer took down Packers quarterback Scott Hunter in the end zone, and then on Green Bays next possession, he took down Hunters backup Jim Del Gaizo for his second safety in the game. 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. Teams: Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Super Bowl championships: Three (1991, 1997, 1998). The Colts accused Ryan of running up the score in the 27-0 championship rout of 1964. Bottom line: Already considered one of the best guards to play in the NFL in the last 20 years, Zack Martin's career might already be considered Hall of Fame worthy. WebAlthough the Texans 2021 roster is bereft of star talent, Zach Cunningham is one of the most underrated players in the NFL. 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.

There's underrated, underappreciated and overlooked.

Addiction soon began consuming Smith's career, and then his life. But three of his best seasons are not listed in the encyclopedias. Unless you live in Cleveland or are over 50, you probably have never heard of him. 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. He didnt just take up space, either. Tyrer's life ended up being one of the more tragic stories in NFL history following his career. And he played in one stinking Pro Bowl game. Born: Aug. 21, 1931 (Ellendale, North Dakota), Died: April 10, 2020 (age 88, Pottstown, Pennsylvania), Career highlights: NFL champion (1960), four-time NFL All-Pro (1958, 1964-66), five-time Pro Bowl (1958, 1960, 1963-65), Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame. If you want a modern example, tell your friends that running back Frank Gore (yes, that Frank Gore) ended his career in 2020 as the NFL' s No. Teams: Dallas Cowboys (1981-89), New York Giants (1990-92), Cleveland Browns (1992-93), Career highlights: Super Bowl champion (1990), three-time NFL All-Pro (1982, 1983, 1985), four-time Pro Bowl (1981-83, 1985), PFWA All-Rookie Team (1981). Bottom line: For 16 seasons, Henry Ellard wreaked havoc as a pass receiver and punt returner. WebHe made 6 consecutive Pro Bowls from 1977-82 yet was only an All-Pro once in 1980. Hes the only quarterback with AFL and NFL titles on his resume and he darn near pulled it off in the Canadian Football League as well. He only played his senior season of high school and earned a scholarship at the University of Virginia after joining the team as a walk-on. So whaddya say, fans? Through his time with the Saints, Patriots, and Bears, Hicks has been one of the leagues perpetually underrated players, and it makes no sense both in his absence and with his presence, Hicks has proven over and over to be a true game-changer. 3 on the NFL's career rushing list but had only one All-Pro season and never ran for more than 1,500 yards in a single season. 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. There are no official sack statistics before 1982, but the Minnesota Vikings credit Jim Marshall with 127 career sacks. Ken Anderson, QB, Bengals. 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. Marshall cant get his name even on the preliminary Hall of Fame ballot. Bottom line: Everson Walls was an All-American for legendary coach Eddie Robinson at Grambling State before becoming a star for the Dallas Cowboys in the 1980s, then winning a Super Bowl with the New York Giants in the early 1990s. He never had under 50 receptions in a season and had over 800 receiving yards in 11 out of 14 seasons, including seven seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards. Hes also among a select few to be a four-time Super Bowl champion. But he ended up being one of the greatest defensive players in franchise history and definitely the greatest pure inside linebacker. He blitzed (20.5 sacks). He had one sack in four games, all Rams victories. He helped the Packers win a Super Bowl. Why retain an expensive vestige of the last regime, or really the last three regimes? Oh, and Norton scored the final touchdown of the game on a 9-yard fumble return. Lomas Brown played left tackle for four Lions playoff teams. He intercepted 25 career regular-season passes and two more in the postseason. During that stretch, he made the Pro Bowl five times and was named to the NFL All-Pro Team three times. Teams: Dallas Cowboys (2003-17, 2019), Las Vegas Raiders (2020), Career highlights: Four-time NFL All-Pro (2007, 2008, 2010, 2012), 11-time Pro Bowl (2004-10, 2012-14, 2017), Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (2012). Butler is all but guaranteed to get lost in the shuffle. He is also infamous for admitting on ESPN Radio that he once purposely let Packers defender Sean Jones sack Scott Mitchell so the struggling quarterback would get knocked out of a game. Johnny Hekker has been one of the NFL's best punters for the last decade, is a six-time NFL All-Pro, owns the best single-season average for punts with 44.23 yards and has the longest punt in Super Bowl history with a 65-yarder against the New England Patriots. Membership on various All-1960s teams. Butler has never even been a Hall of Fame semifinalist, and it's not going to happen for him soon. That's a higher sack total than Dwight Freeney or Robert Mathis. Teams: New Orleans Saints (1986-92), Detroit Lions (1993-94), Oakland Raiders (1995-96, 1998), Career highlights: Five-time Pro Bowl (1989-93), four-time All-Pro (1989-92), NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1991). 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. Bottom line: One of the great "wild man" football players of all time, Jared Allen captured the public's imagination early in his career with the Kansas City Chiefs and probably would've retired with the Chiefs had he not been on the receiving end of one of the worst front-office moves of all time. 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. There may be such a thing as too much blitzing, after all. 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. WebTop 20 Most Underrated NFL Players of All Time Those who have knowledge of National Football League history are well aware of the more famous individuals who made their Mason was frequently his team's most valuable offensive player, but he and Steve McNair made their short pitch-and-catch passes look a little too easy. Here on the All-Time Underrated List, it counts for a lot. That makes sense: Both started their careers late, played with workhorse running backs, won a championship and had their careers curtailed by vicious hits. Bottom line: NFL statheads and maybe only NFL statheads appreciate Frank Gore's career. Ryan was Jim Brown's quarterback and then Leroy Kelly's quarterback. Maybe Wright wasn't a Blount-level legend, but he deserves better than to be the forgotten man among the Broncos' forgotten men. Jackson finished his career with 11,438 rushing yards (18th all-time) and 15,121 total scrimmage yards (21st all-time). But his Hall of Fame candidacy has been stuck in semifinalist limbo. Mills followed Mora to New Orleans and led the Dome Patrol linebacking corps, which brought the Saints franchise its first playoff appearances. Schafrath who once wrestled a bear, canoed across Lake Erie without stopping and jogged 62 miles from Cleveland Stadium to his hometown of Wooster, Ohio was also an NFL champion and four-time NFL All-Pro. Evans is still playing at a high level; the Packers hope that he can do for Aaron Rodgers what he did for Brees. In this video, we're diving into the world of basketball and exploring the 5 most underrated players in the NBA today. Sometimes it's because they played next to even bigger stars and sometimes it's because they played on terrible teams. His 0-6 record in the postseason is an NFL record for most playoff games without a win. And then there is Kent Hull, the first center to achieve greatness in a no-huddle offense. A player so underrated that his own team just drafted his likely replacement, Williams Or as astute NBC broadcaster Dick Enberg scored it, "KO for Ken Norton.". 5. Twenty years ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the marquee organizations in professional sports, and Jimmy Smith was one of their brightest stars. Born: Nov. 5, 1987 (Charlotte, North Carolina), Career highlights: Super Bowl champion (2017), four-time NFL All-Pro (2017-19, 2021), five-time Pro Bowl (2014, 2016, 2019-21). The Rams eventually acquired Jim Everett and opened up their offense, transforming Ellard into one of the NFL's most dangerous deep threats. The Over-the-Hill Gang fielded one of the most ferocious pass rushes of its era, notching 53 sacks in 1973. "Even now I still get pissed off. He returned eight interceptions for touchdowns, including four in 1993 and three during his age-35 season with the Raiders in 2000. Ryan made three Pro Bowls, but All-Pro status was blocked by a couple of guys named Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr. But don't write him off as some 1960s product of the system. Bottom line: In his 15th and final season, the 36-year-old Ken Riley had eight interceptions and returned two of them for touchdowns, one of the most incredible performances by an old man ever. 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 (1966, 1967, 1972, 1973). 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. 1- Bijan Robinson Running Back Texas. One look at the logjam forming outside the entrance to Canton tells you Wisniewski isn't moving up the ladder anytime soon. Far from it. Teams: Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Bottom line: Fred Taylor once tweeted, "I earned respect on the field.

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