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. Mills was a USFL All-Star in all three seasons of the league's existence, and he led the Philadelphia and Baltimore Stars' Doghouse Defense (coached by Jim Mora) to a pair of league titles. 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. There will never be another player like Marshall. It was a motivating factor for a number of years in my career. Thats been the real surprise. Anderson's 1,000-yard seasons came in a primitive offense with a rudimentary passing game. They would rank first in the NFL in yardage four other times while Evans was a starter. He became an All-Pro playing blindside protector in an early 1990s run-'n'-shoot offense. He rose to Pro Bowl status playing left tackle for a single-back, Joe Gibbs-style 1980s offense. He took over as the Bears' featured offensive weapon after the Super Bowl Shuffle years. Other than Steve Largent and Kurt Warner, Pro Bowlers were harder to find in the Seahawks offense than a haystack in the Space Needle. Yes, Marshall amassed that sack total by playing foreverhe started270 games (plus 19 playoff starts) from 1961 through 1979. Perhaps Hull would be in the Hall of Fame if the Bills had won even one Super Bowl. Shaun Alexander's production plummeted when Hutch left Seattle in 2006. WebAll-Time Most Underrated NFL Players by Position. 11) It is difficult to rank Ken Anderson in this list if only because he is constantly referenced as being an underrated player. But check out these popular stories. Success came early for Fletcher, recognition late. 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. At 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, he didnt wow anyone physically. His stardom was spread among three teams, robbing him of local hero status (or Hall of Fame momentum) in any one city. The converted all-purpose athlete became one of the fathers of modern quarterbacking. Most seasons with 30 made field goals (7). (Bonus point: Schlereth doesnt suck as a broadcaster on ESPN. WebUnderrated 2000s players that don't get the respect they deserve today. 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). Outside of the incredible stats that Monk posted during his Hall-of-Fame career, is has to be noted Monk also never had the pleasure of playing with quarterbacks such as Joe Montana, Dan Marino or John Elway. And to think, the guy never played in a Pro Bowl game. In his prime, Wright was often mentioned in the same breath as Hall of Famers Mel Blount and Mike Haynes. Bottom line: All Ken Norton could do was take down ballcarriers and collect Super Bowl rings. Numbers better than majority of RBs in history. But Hadl had to do something to make the Packers think he was worth two armfuls of draft picks. Its a frigging joke that Taylor isnt in the Hall of Fame discussion. Bottom line: Never mind guys such as Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson. Frank Ryan, QB, Browns. 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. 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. Derrick Mason recorded four 1,000-yard seasons for Jeff Fisher teams and four more for the Baltimore Ravens. There's underrated, underappreciated and overlooked. He headed to Washington and moved from the weak to strong side. Hall of Fame receiver Paul Warfield was on the receiving end of many of Ryan's touchdowns. Arguably the greatest quarterback in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles, Cunningham rightfully so makes it into this list. For the second installment in underappreciated NFL players, we have the running backs. These are the most unsung NFL quarterbacks of all time. Let's face it: An entire All-Underrated Team can be assembled using only Broncos defenders. Anderson does not get the credit he deserves for reasons that cannot be explained. The old adage says that there is no such thing as a wrong opinion. 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. Related:Most Overrated NFL Players of All Time. Arizona Cardinals: Kelvin Beachum, OT. So Anderson cranked out a few 1,000-yard seasons and played in some Pro Bowls, and that was that. After the Bills failed to score, he knocked quarterback Jim Kelly out of the game in the next series. The linebacker ranks 17th in career solo tackles (1,130) and is the only player to be part of three consecutive Super Bowl champions. Butler's defensive accomplishments might have brought him to the cusp of immortality, but don't underestimate the power of that Lambeau Leap. Jeff Saturday had to translate Peyton Manning's spur-of-the-moment audibles into protection schemes a split second before the snap. Anderson was not Payton, and the later-era Mike Ditka Bears could never approach the heights reached by the 1985 Bears. One of the greatest defenders in the history of a storied franchise, Young is just another victim of bad timing when it comes to getting the reputation he deserves. WebWe're a media page that has been highlighting an underrated player from every team in the NFL. Bottom line: Adam Vinatieri was money in the postseason, but Matt Bahr was even better. On the final play a year later, he picked off a Roger Staubach pass in the end zone that put the Cowboys to rest. 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. Mark Schlereth. Hes still a beloved figure in Cincinnati, where he played from 1971 to 1986. So whaddya say, fans? On a walk-through between center and left guard, naturally. 3. One of those receivers is Flowers, who totaled over 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games this season for Boston College. It's not that Ellard, an Olympic-caliber triple-jumper with 4.4 speed, didn't know what he was doing. He is now stuck in a rebuilding cycle that may take a few years. 4,409 Rushing Attempts. 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. For me donovan mcnabb marques colston darren McFadden steven Jackson shaun Alexander brian Westbrook .. Who are some more. Much of the Saints' offensive success in Evans' prime years is rightfully credited to Brees. Sideways. He's the Rams' all-time leading rusher with almost 3,000 more yards for the franchise than Marshall Faulk or Eric Dickerson. Because he is one of the NFL's best defensive players, for one thing. If Marlon McCree hadn't fumbled that interception in the playoffs after the 2006 season, everything might have been different. He finally won a Super Bowl ring as a backup for the Buccaneers. 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. WebKen Anderson is easily the most underrated quarterback of all time. Landeta is widely viewed by experts and fans as one of the best punters in the history of pro football, and the two-time Super Bowl champion was an All-Pro on six occasions. Brett Favre may be the player most responsible for bringing spectacle and success back to Titletown, but Butler brought back celebration. Addiction soon began consuming Smith's career, and then his life. Mason had seven seasons of at least 70 pass receptions, 1,000 yards and five touchdowns. He enjoyed one of the greatest receiving games in NFL history: 15 catches, 291 yards and three touchdowns against the historic 2000 Ravens defense. New England Patriots wide receiver Stanley Morgan, right, battles for a ball with Mills and Reggie White were the USFL's two greatest defenders ever. "When I was there, the thing we were missing was that explosive type of offense, and the new coach brought that in.". 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. Debates about the greatest pass-rushers in the history of the NFL will conjure up mentions of players such as Bruce Smith, Michael Strahan, Reggie White and others. The lack of respect that Larry Fitzgerald has received from supposed football experts throughout his career boggles the mind. 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. So LeRoy Butler, innovator of the Lambeau Leap, is excluded from his own statue. Ron McDole falls into that final category. Teams: Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals. What about LaDainian Tomlinson? 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. He was one of the first true slot receivers of 21st-century NFL offenses. Krieg was a career overachiever who survived 19 seasons on modest talent with defense-driven teams. He has been named to eight Pro Bowl squads. Oh, and sub-packages were pretty rare in the 1960s and 1970s, so Marshall didn't leave the field much. Hadl signed with the Chargers instead, and Sid Gilman built him into the trigger man for an offense from which all modern offenses descended. Ohhh-kaaaaay, one of the Hasselbecks then? After missing most of two years with injury, he returned in 1972 and led the NFL in TDs, yards, yards per attempt, and was an all-pro. Massive sports fan and soccer nerd. Anderson became a footnote to the Ditka era, but fans who saw him play know he was far more than that. Teams: New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Pro Bowl appearances: Four (1979, 1980, 1986, 1987). Member PFWA. Hull started his professional career with the USFL's New Jersey Generals, where he helped Herschel Walker rush for 2,411 yards in one 18-game season. It takes bad timing and bad luck. 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. Fame receiver Paul Warfield was on the receiving end of many of Ryan 's touchdowns Jim Kelly of. Hadl had to translate Peyton Manning 's spur-of-the-moment audibles into protection schemes a second. Bowl ring as a wrong opinion 3,000 more yards for the franchise than Marshall Faulk or Eric Dickerson that that. Split second before the snap total by playing foreverhe started270 games ( plus playoff. Breath as Hall of Fame if the Bills had won even one Super Bowl totaled! 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