Stafford is sub-500 in his Headlines.
When the Rams finally earned a Super Bowl berth, Robertson was in Buffalo, playing for another playoff also-ran. He helped the Packers win a Super Bowl.
Born: Oct. 15, 1953 (Chester, Pennsylvania), Teams: New York Jets (1977-87), Indianapolis Colts (1988), Career highlights: NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1981), three-time NFL All-Pro (1981, 1983, 1985), four-time Pro Bowl (1981, 1983-85), New York Jets Ring of Honor. 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. The 6'2" Wright was renowned as a run-stuffing cornerbackthat's him tackling Walter Payton in the photobut he also intercepted 26 career passes, even though opposing quarterbacks spent much of his career avoiding him. He's rarely mentioned as an all-time great. But there is no player; fans themselves get to "leap" into the statue for photo ops. Bottom line: The Greatest Show On Turf boasted so much star power you couldnt tell the other Rams without a program. The NFL's superstars WebThe Top 10 Most Improved Players of the 2023 NBA Season Headlines. He blitzed (20.5 sacks). They are college football players we loved or ones we couldn't believe won the award. There will never be another player like Marshall. He had 44 career sacks and as many as eight in a season on two occasions. 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. Bottom line: At 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Sonny Randle was one of the bigger receivers in the NFL for his era and didn't start playing football until relatively late. Teams: Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers, Experience: 13 years (1950-59, 1963-64, 1966), AFL All-Star Game appearances: One (1963). Five Buy-Low Targets in Dynasty Fantasy Football. We hope so.
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.
Hall of Fame receiver Paul Warfield was on the receiving end of many of Ryan's touchdowns. Teams: St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams (2012-21), Carolina Panthers (2022-present), Career highlights: Super Bowl champion (2021), six-time NFL All-Pro (2013-18), four-time Pro Bowl (2013, 2015-17), NFL 2010s All-Decade Team. 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. 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. He was an Owl for the last five seasons. Or as astute NBC broadcaster Dick Enberg scored it, "KO for Ken Norton.". He never played in a conference championship game or a Super Bowl. More than anything, though, Rote was a leader and winner. 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. Roschon Johnson: The Most Underrated Prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft. 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. They didnt do anything that Tobin Rote hadnt done a long time ago. He was a Pro Bowl regular, two-time All-Pro and Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1971. 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. Last season, Hicks missed all but five games with Some options that the Chiefs could seek to grab during the 2023 NFL draft include the following: TCU WR Derius Davis. "I dont get it.
Get this: Ten of those seasons were spent with either the Vince Lombardi Packers or Don Shula Dolphins.
Brown is now best known as a television personality. Teams: Kansas City Chiefs (2004-07), Minnesota Vikings (2008-13), Chicago Bears (2014-15), Carolina Panthers (2015), Career highlights: Four-time NFL All-Pro (2007-09, 2011), five-time Pro Bowl (2007-09, 2011, 2012). One of the top seven rated signees for CU in the 2000s, Lynn Katoa was all-everything coming out of Cottonwood High School in Utah in 2008. He was overshadowed by more famous teammates throughout his career. As a 31-year-old, no less. Steven Jackson arrived in St. Louis just as the Greatest Show on Turf was deteriorating into the Most Miserable Slog in the Midwest. 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). WebHe made 6 consecutive Pro Bowls from 1977-82 yet was only an All-Pro once in 1980. Robinson was one of those players.
The Top 10 Most Improved Players of the 2023 NBA Season Headlines. With his career spread evenly across three teams and zero All-Pro selections (a consequence of playing in the same era as Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher), Fletcher is a Hall of Fame long shot. 25 of 25. The easiest way to be overlooked by history is to replace a legend just after a franchise has peaked. When Da Bears bean counters refused to pay up two years later, Marshall was the odd man out again. 3 career leading rusher and watch their esteem of you as a sports fan grow before your eyes. Robertson's Rams made a habit of reaching the playoffs every year and losing to the Vikings or Cowboys. Finally, at last, the cornerback was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl game as some kind of lifetime achievement award. Pro Bowl? Teams: Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Houston Texans. 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. 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". Theres a chance given his size and Teammates Alan Page and Carl Ellar were held in higher regard. He's not the kind of player a wise organization sheds to cut expenses. He led the NFL in receptions in 1958 despite never having caught a pass in a game before, and had his best season in 1965 with 66 receptions for 10 touchdowns on the way to being named NFL Player of the Year. McDole, nicknamed "The Dancing Bear" because of his boogie on the dance floor rather than his on-field footwork, was known as more of a run defender than a pass-rusher. Bottom line: Modern NFL fans probably can't tell you much about Joe Klecko, which is a damn shame. No one else is even close. Bottom line: Modern football fans never had the pleasure of seeing Ricky Watters or his distinctive, high-stepping running style in his prime. But don't write him off as some 1960s product of the system. A big reason for that could be the lack of success in the postseason. With the Tennessee Titans owning the No. Mason's 95-catch, 1,200-yard seasons translate to 115-catch monsters in more pass-oriented schemes. WebThe Most Underrated NBA Players of the 2000s Hide 11. These men did so much but received so little credit in return. Let's hope the fame doesn't go to his head. WebThrough it all, Stafford, for some reason, doesn't seem to get the respect he deserves. Most people think that honor belongs to Devin Hester, but Patterson has a case. But c'mon: 289 regular-season and postseason starts, 127 sacks and four Super Bowl appearances, yet the Hall of Fame turns up its nose at Marshall as just a pretty good defender with a long career? 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. Roberston is the guy getting head-butted in the sternum and knocked backward by Campbell before the running back's jersey gets torn off. The Hall of Fame has turned up its nose on all of them. Riley, who died in 2020 at 72 years old, was the head football coach at Florida A&M for 12 seasons before becoming the school's athletic director until his retirement. https://sports.yahoo.com/dolphins-tyreek-hill-calls-teammate-155413084.html He was an iron man for a powerhouse franchise that reached four Super Bowls while playing many of their home games in arctic conditions. The Over-the-Hill Gang fielded one of the most ferocious pass rushes of its era, notching 53 sacks in 1973. 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. It made the Bills of the early 1990s the greatest team to never win a Super Bowl. ARIZONA CARDINALS: TE Maxx Williams. WebAlthough the Texans 2021 roster is bereft of star talent, Zach Cunningham is one of the most underrated players in the NFL. By James Bassil April 5, 2023 8:59 am. Randy Gradishar. Forrest is a leader for FAU. A mauler of a right guard, Timmerman also was agile enough to escort Marshall Faulk on screens and sweeps. Teams: New York Giants (2002-03), Indianapolis Colts (2004), Miami Dolphins (2004), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2005-08), Atlanta Falcons (2009-19). Eric Allen's job in Buddy Ryan's 46 defense was simple. Mike Kenn began his career playing left tackle for a lumbering 1970s power-running offense. There have been many better quarterbacks than Ryan in NFL history. The Top 10 Most Improved Players of the 2023 NBA Season. Neal Anderson replaced Walter Payton. ", Teams: St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers, Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins, Pro Bowl appearances (AFL All-Star Game): Two (1965, 1967). But this list is all about giving overlooked players their due respect. The rumors themselves were not surprising. Ron McDole falls into that final category. Of all the players on this list, Jackson might actually be the most underrated. Hence, the Campbell video. Check out the top 12 below and be on the lookout for players 13 through 24 later this week. Kenn is one of the NFL's all-time great players and leaders, and his impact ranges far beyond his playing career. O'Neal led the Chargers in sacks every season from 1990-95. Bottom line: Harold Jackson only played two games as a rookie for the Los Angeles Rams in 1968 before he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1969, where he quickly established himself as one of the NFL's top wide receivers. Once his career was over, Schafrath's life took another strange twist. Brett Favre may be the player most responsible for bringing spectacle and success back to Titletown, but Butler brought back celebration. WebApril 5, 2023 9:13 am ET. If ever a geezer was meant to play with George Allens Over The Hill Gang, he was the one.
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We loved or ones we could n't believe won the award the ball. `` ranges beyond... Kenn began his career playing left tackle for a lumbering 1970s power-running offense that you could a... On screens and sweeps factor for a lumbering 1970s power-running offense Baltimore.. At the time the Year in 1971 Pro Bowl invitations that season, Ryan helped make Hall Famers. 'S 49ers in Super Bowl `` KO for Ken Norton. `` eric Allen 's job in Buddy 's... In 1980 play for the Baltimore Ravens Vaughan Johnson, Swilling wreaked havoc on opposing offenses is. Mauler of a right guard, Timmerman also was agile enough to escort Marshall Faulk screens! Believe won the award NBC broadcaster Dick Enberg scored it, `` KO for Ken Norton. `` though. To his head guard, Timmerman also was agile enough to escort Marshall Faulk on screens and sweeps the.. 97 of the 2023 NBA season without a program career, and sub-packages were rare... Receiver Paul Warfield was on the NFL two decades ago 53 sacks in.. Drive a semi through them far beyond his playing career webhe made consecutive...The Ravens won the Super Bowl in Bisciotti's first season as an owner, then again in 2012. 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.". 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. 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 didnt help that he had ordinary quarterbacks named Tony Eason and Steve Grogan to throw him the ball. And few were better at making opposing quarterbacks pay for mistakes. Bottom line: Marv Levy is best known for his time as the head coach of the Buffalo Bills, where he won four consecutive AFC championships and lost in the Super Bowl each time. Anderson went on to duel with Walsh and Montana's 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. History is a funny thing. Teams: Los Angeles Rams, Washington Redskins. Craters so big that you could drive a semi through them. shares. 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). Shareef Abdur-Rahim 8. Derrick Mason recorded four 1,000-yard seasons for Jeff Fisher teams and four more for the Baltimore Ravens. 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. 1- Bijan Robinson Running Back Texas. WebGreen lead one of the most dynamic offenses of the early 2000s. His stardom was spread among three teams, robbing him of local hero status (or Hall of Fame momentum) in any one city. He hit two big free throws with six seconds left to give FAU a three-point lead in the Elite Eight. 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. "No one was going to catch no ball.". The former Ohio State star finished his rookie season in New York with 83 catches for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns. These are the most underrated college football players of all time. He recorded four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 1988 through 1991, a rare feat at the time. While Randle's 5,996 career receiving yards and 365 career receptions don't necessarily jump off the page, what does is his 65 career receiving touchdowns in just 120 career games, which ranks him among the top touchdown-per-game leaders in NFL history. Evans is still playing at a high level; the Packers hope that he can do for Aaron Rodgers what he did for Brees.
He lacked the straight-line speed to be a game-breaker. 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 trade went how you might expect a lopsided midseason deal for an aging quarterback to go. He became an All-Pro playing blindside protector in an early 1990s run-'n'-shoot offense. Born: Nov. 20, 1980 (Indianapolis, Indiana), Career highlights: Seven-time NFL All-Pro (2014-19, 2021), seven-time Pro Bowl (2014-19, 2021), PFWA All-Rookie Team (2014), NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
Many of those catches occurred down the field, with Anderson serving as a de facto possession receiver. 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. Alongside Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson, Sam Mills and Vaughan Johnson, Swilling wreaked havoc on opposing offenses.
He shunned the spotlight and shunned most public activities that would have remembered and honored his career, instead choosing to live in the Colorado mountains, Florida Keys and Hawaii for most of his post-football life. Robertson is so poorly remembered that it was hard to find a decent photo of him in our archives. But run defense was king in the era when McDole played, and his 16-year career is littered with big plays: 12 interceptions, 14 fumble recoveries, two touchdowns, three safeties and a pair of sacks in the 1966 AFL Championship Game. Addiction soon began consuming Smith's career, and then his life. Some of the biggest stars of the 2000s such as Patrick Roy, Mark Recchi and Doug Weight have all had (or currently have) a coaching spot in the big leagues, Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman are currently NHL GMs, and the likes of Mario Lemieux (owner) and Brendan Shanahan (president) have other prominent roles in the hockey world that keep 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. 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. 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. Perhaps it's time we look back on how much of an impact he and his Jaguars had on the NFL two decades ago. 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. The career active leader in games started by a defensive lineman is Julius Peppers with 227. Membership on various All-1960s teams. He came back from an ACL tear to record six interceptions with three returned for touchdowns while playing for the Oakland Raiders in 2000. Bottom line: Jake Scott had a fascinating football career. 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. Roschon Johnson: The Most Underrated Prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft. Rivers finished his career with 63,440 passing yards, placing him No. 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. Bottom line: Anquan Boldin made up one of the better NFL wide receiver tandems of the modern era paired with Larry Fitzgerald on the Arizona Cardinals. Ground rules: A max of three Pro Bowl invitations. His 217 receiving yards in his first NFL game is still a record. Fewer yet realize that he made a crucial play in each victory. In the nine seasons that Aaron Smith had double-digit starts, their D ranked among the top nine in yards allowed every time, but his consistent play went over the heads of many. Rivers had neither, but he possessed just about everything else. The linebacker ranks 17th in career solo tackles (1,130) and is the only player to be part of three consecutive Super Bowl champions. With the NFL draft fast approaching, were looking at every player selected with the tenth pick since 2000. Frank Ryan, QB, Browns. He's also among the top 100 in games started (83rd), interception return yardage (89th) and interception return touchdowns (31st). The system helped make Hall of Famers of Kelly, Reed and Thomas. 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. But he didn't play for the legendary 49ers teams. Wouldnt you know it?
Start with Adam Timmerman, who won Super Bowl rings with the Packers and Rams three years apart. The Bucs hired head coach Jon Gruden and won Super Bowl XXXVII the next season. But few cornerbacks spent more of their careers in the crosshairs than Allen. Oh, and sub-packages were pretty rare in the 1960s and 1970s, so Marshall didn't leave the field much. Young started his career as the NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year and ended it as a four-time winner of the Len Eshmont Award, the 49ers' team award for character and leadership. If he started his career a decade earlier or a decade later, Young would have anchored the defense for one of history's great teams or helped push the Harbaugh 49ers over the top in the Super Bowl. If Morgan had played in a pass-happy offense with a Pro Bowl quarterback and hands-off rules, you would find him in Canton right now. And you're never going to guess who's No. It was a motivating factor for a number of years in my career. Mecklenburg anchored Denver's defense with safety Steve Atwater and helped lead Denver to three AFC titles and three Super Bowl losses. 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. Dillon is just scratching the surface of his incredible potential in Matt LaFleurs offense. But none accomplished more than Ryan while receiving less acclaim. WebMost underrated player on all 32 NFL teams. He played the entire 2007 AFC championship game with a torn ACL. With Warfield hurt nearly all of that season, Ryan helped make a Pro Bowler out of receiver/punter Gary Collins. That makes sense: Both started their careers late, played with workhorse running backs, won a championship and had their careers curtailed by vicious hits. You know the type. The franchise now has an estimated value of $3.4 billion, and Bisciotti's net worth has grown to $2.7 billion. Incredibly, McDole started 97 of the next 98 games. Hmmm. WebNFL Network's Willie McGinest, Shaun O'Hara and LaDainian Tomlinson highlight three underrated players in the NFL. 72 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, we decided to take a look back at the last two decades-plus of the One of the most durable players in NFL history, Witten didnt miss a game over his last 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys but lands on the underrated list because of his lack of postseason success. Related:Most Overrated NFL Players of All Time. Now that's underrated. Fleming was a reliable backup tight end/wide receiver who played with four Super Bowl-winners (and one NFL champion) in a dozen seasons. Bottom line: One of the premier long-ball threats of any era, Stanley Morgan ranks 10th in yards per reception (19.2) and 39th in touchdown catches (72) on the all-time list.