He was arrested four times after his abrupt retirement. 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. It is difficult to rank Ken Anderson in this list if only because he is constantly referenced as being an underrated player. Related:Most Overrated NFL Players of All Time. 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). 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. It is easy to understand why he would come up when the topic is being addressed, but that he is not respected as one of the best to play the position is difficult to understand. Anderson went on to duel with Walsh and Montana's 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. 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. 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. But here's the thing: Gradishar, Mecklenberg and Atwater are famous for being snubbed. Hadl played quarterback, halfback, defensive back and punter for the University of Kansas. He ran a Sonny Jurgensen pass back 59 yards in the fourth quarter to seal a Rams playoff win over the Redskins in 1974. Much of the Saints' offensive success in Evans' prime years is rightfully credited to Brees. In his most prolific early season, he caught 54 passes for 811 yards and five touchdowns. Actually, theres a simple explanation. Maybe he wasn't the best defender on the field for any one play, but he stayed on that field for an entire generation. 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 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. He is one of the best receivers in history, and he has the stats to back up such claims. Fleming was a reliable backup tight end/wide receiver who played with four Super Bowl-winners (and one NFL champion) in a dozen seasons. It is a shame that he will never truly have his day in Canton, one that he deserved before he passed away. 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. The Pro Football Reference Similar Players tool compares Ryan's five-year peak to that of Joe Theismann. Steven Jackson arrived in St. Louis just as the Greatest Show on Turf was deteriorating into the Most Miserable Slog in the Midwest. It doesn't matter: If you are a Broncos defender, you might as well forget about a bust in Canton. Dunn finished his career with 15,655 all-purpose yards, 25th in league history, one of the best players never to be a champion. Through the 2018 season, Vinatieri checked in at 81 (56 of 69) and 99 (70 of 71), respectively. 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. Efficient? When the Rams finally earned a Super Bowl berth, Robertson was in Buffalo, playing for another playoff also-ran. Isiah Robertson, LB, Rams, Bills. It takes years of playing the wrong position for the wrong team in the wrong league at the wrong time. 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. Kenn is one of the NFL's all-time great players and leaders, and his impact ranges far beyond his playing career. But McCree did fumble. Andre Reed is an all-time great wide receiver who seemingly cannot escape lists of the most underrated football players in history. Bowman is coming off an Achilles tear in 2016. Mills followed Mora to New Orleans and led the Dome Patrol linebacking corps, which brought the Saints franchise its first playoff appearances. 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. And then there is plain old forgotten. Despite his incredibly high waist seriously, check out his build Kelvin Beachum has been one of the most underrated tackles in the NFL. In 10 of the 12 seasons in which he started at least half their games, the Seahawks prevailed more times than not. Karl Mecklenburg. Membership on various All-1960s teams. So it takes a remarkable streak of hard luck for a running back to make this list. He lacked the straight-line speed to be a game-breaker. But none accomplished more than Ryan while receiving less acclaim. 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. Still don't understand why the writers don't respect it.". He was a Pro Bowl regular, two-time All-Pro and Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1971. 'Nuff said, right? Know who created those wide-open spaces? 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. He should be remembered as more than a throwback to the era when Lawrence Welk references were topical. Bottom line: After eight seasons in Buffalo, where he had been a mainstay with the best defense in AFL history, Ron McDole took his two-bar helmet to Washington. Theyre the core players who are overshadowed by more well-paid, high-profile teammates and just plain pathetic, shameless self-promoters. Steve Atwater. Teams kept doing something special to get their hands on Hadl. The lack of respect that Larry Fitzgerald has received from supposed football experts throughout his career boggles the mind. Web#shorts #viral #dunk #edit #fyp #nfl #sports #sportsedits Fitzgerald has played on some lackluster offenses. To make our list, a player must contribute to a winning effort while putting up bad stats, misunderstood stats or no stats. It's not that Ellard, an Olympic-caliber triple-jumper with 4.4 speed, didn't know what he was doing. Wouldnt you know it? Fitzgerald has been a mainstay in lists of Top 100 players in the NFL for years. 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? Fletcher intercepted 23 passes and recorded 39 sacks as a do-it-all middle linebacker. His stardom was spread among three teams, robbing him of local hero status (or Hall of Fame momentum) in any one city. They didnt allow a sack in 84 pass attempts. 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. Modern centers don't get the credit they deserve. Those accomplishments may soon finally land Kenn in the Hall of Fame. Peppers will have to play three more seasons to catch Marshall, and Peppers' starts are non-consecutive. I still don't know that people gave me my due respect for my production. Anderson is a member of the 10,000 rushing yards club. 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. "Even now I still get pissed off. 10. Terry Porter is another name that isnt remembered despite his 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. He talked the talk and he walked the walk, and Reed should be recognized for being an all-time great receiver by all fans and journalists. 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. Guards don't make the Hall of Fame unless they win multiple Super Bowls or play forever. Allen made a lot of plays. WebMost Underrated NFL Players of All Time These men did so much but received so little credit in return. He then became a staple of trivia questions and All-Time Worst Trades listicles, as the Lawrence Welk trade overshadowed an even more impressive moment in Hadl's transaction history. Teams: Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers, Experience: 13 years (1950-59, 1963-64, 1966), AFL All-Star Game appearances: One (1963). Terry Porter. Player A was a one-time Most Valuable Player who took part in four Pro Bowl games. Ryan was Jim Brown's quarterback and then Leroy Kelly's quarterback. Randall Cunningham is one of the most polarizing individuals regarding these types of discussions. During his final collegiate season at UMass in 2018, second-round rookie Andy Isabella was PFFs highest-graded wide receiver in the entire FBS. Hull was not just a great lineman but a groundbreaking one. 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". Hes also among a select few to be a four-time Super Bowl champion. 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. Along with the legendary Johnny Unitas, Rote probably did more to change the quarterback position than anyone in the pre-merger era even if so few know it. Player A passed for 27,928 yards and 194 touchdowns and ran for four touchdowns with mostly very good teams and one great one. McDole's Bills defenses held opponents to fewer than 3.1 yards per carry across three consecutive seasons. If you guessed both or neither one, youre wrong. Pro Football Reference rates him at near a Pro Bowl level well into his 30s. Player B was a one-time MVP who played in two Pro Bowl games. Passing wasn't really their thing. He found the end zone in three different decades. Maybe there is still an NFL team in San Diego. His 2,690 all-purpose yards with the Titans in the 2000 season are second in league history. Sideways. He recorded four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 1988 through 1991, a rare feat at the time. 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. Eric Allen's job in Buddy Ryan's 46 defense was simple. But few cornerbacks spent more of their careers in the crosshairs than Allen. Seven times, he surpassed 1,000 yards on pass receptions, most of them on slants and corner routes. Not every NFL star gets the love they deserve. His 65 interceptions are fifth most in NFL history. Neal Anderson replaced Walter Payton. The Packers were a team with more history than identity when Butler arrived. Let's hope the fame doesn't go to his head. If Mel Blount, Mike Haynes and teammate Lemar Parrish hadnt been in the same conference, Riley would have made more a few more Pro Bowl trips. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Many of those catches occurred down the field, with Anderson serving as a de facto possession receiver. 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 led his team to an NFL championship. It was a motivating factor for a number of years in my career. Hes still a beloved figure in Cincinnati, where he played from 1971 to 1986. Shaun Alexander's production plummeted when Hutch left Seattle in 2006. Craters so big that you could drive a semi through them. And they really deserve more love. 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. 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. Perhaps it has something to do with the era during which Tomlinson played, but that L.T. There, he led a relentless Redskins pass rush in their Super Bowl XXVI ambush. And Jackson spent a generation as a pre- and postgame show staple, which puts him in a whole different category. 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. 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. 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. He rose to Pro Bowl status playing left tackle for a single-back, Joe Gibbs-style 1980s offense. 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. But things were different in the long-ago 1990s, when the sports universe belonged to teal-emblazoned expansion franchises and a youngish Tom Coughlin received a binder full of press clippings from the mother of a wide receiver ready to call it quits after injuries derailed his Cowboys career. Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, Super Bowl championships: Two (1979, 1990). He's not the kind of player a wise organization sheds to cut expenses. So whaddya say, fans? As good as Ellard was at the time, he almost was never mentioned in debates about the best at his position. WebKen Anderson is easily the most underrated quarterback of all time. He also doesn't play in the shadow of a legend. Ron McDole falls into that final category. Robinson is a staple of Hall of Fame Snubs lists, and he certainly has his case. One of those receivers is Teams: Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Tennessee Oilers, Pro Bowl appearances: Three (1984, 1988, 1989). There are no official sack statistics before 1982, but the Minnesota Vikings credit Jim Marshall with 127 career sacks. Mark Schlereth. He was drafted by the Falcons with the eighth overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, and he was an instant Defensive Player of the Year awards? Ryan made three Pro Bowls, but All-Pro status was blocked by a couple of guys named Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr. Massive sports fan and soccer nerd. But the former NFL Man of the Year award winner and two-time All-Pro should not have had to wait so long. For a few years, he was not only the best guard in the NFL, but the most important. And consider this: The one-time college triple-jumper played with a Pro Bowl quarterback (Jim Everett) in only one season. WebUnderrated 2000s players that don't get the respect they deserve today. He intercepted 34 passes for the Eagles and 54 in his career. "Underrated" is in the eye of the beholder, so let's establish some ground rules for these rankings: After that, players are ranked based how underappreciated they are, not how great they are. The Lions drafted him as a running back. Player: Emmitt Smith. "It pissed me off," Fletcher replied. Frank Ryan led the NFL in passing touchdowns twice. As a 31-year-old, no less. Ryan threw five touchdown passes and ran for a sixth to beat the Giants and lead the Browns to the NFL championship in 1964. He's also among the top 100 in games started (83rd), interception return yardage (89th) and interception return touchdowns (31st). As for being so underrated he's overrated, wellthat's extremely underrated, which justifies Anderson's ranking here. That he was part of The Greatest Show on Turf should not be a knock against him or a reason for keeping him out of the Hall of Fame. He arrived in Buffalo at the same time Marv Levy was revolutionizing NFL offense with the help of Jim Kelly, Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas. Lomas Brown played left tackle for four Lions playoff teams. Brett Favre may be the player most responsible for bringing spectacle and success back to Titletown, but Butler brought back celebration. 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. 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. Deebo Samuel broke the game open for San Francisco with his 74-yard 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.