They lost to the Vikings 30-14 in the 1974 Wildcard Round, and they were defeated by the Rams 35-23 in the opening round of the playoffs in 1975. But his Hall of Fame candidacy has been stuck in semifinalist limbo. Anderson went on to duel with Walsh and Montana's 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. 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. By the time Rivers is retired for five years, the "San Diego Chargers" will be as relevant as the Dayton Triangles, and Hall voters will be too busy rubber-stamping Tom Brady and Drew Brees to get to a guy from a lost city who couldn't win the big one. The Lions drafted him as a running back. Angel Di Maria. Hull never lived to see himself make a Hall of Fame semifinalist list, as he died of liver failure at age 50 in 2011. In Super Bowl IX, Edwards killed a drive and darn near Vikings intended receiver John Gilliam on a hellacious hit near the goal line. 100-91). At 67 Buckner also has a wide arsenal of pass rush moves to pressure the quarterback. It's Bryant Young, whorecorded 89.5 sacks for the 49ers, 23 more than Haley. The Packers believed they were a veteran quarterback away from a playoff run in 1974, so head coach/GM Dan Devine acquired the 34-year-old Rams quarterback by surrendering a ransom of draft picks huge enough to cause even Ryan Pace to do a spit take: two first-rounders, two second-rounders and a third-rounder. Both Courtland Sutton and teammate Tim Patrick could easily make this list together as neither player is discussed nearly enough. The problem with Dierdorf is he played for a lot of bad Cardinals teams. David was a crucial component of the Bucs defense during their playoff run in 2020 that culminated in a Super Bowl victory. Tom Jackson. Teams kept doing something special to get their hands on Hadl. Fleming was a reliable backup tight end/wide receiver who played with four Super Bowl-winners (and one NFL champion) in a dozen seasons. Player B was a one-time MVP who played in two Pro Bowl games. It's not that Ellard, an Olympic-caliber triple-jumper with 4.4 speed, didn't know what he was doing. Its easy to forget the Seahawks had some pretty good teams way back when, even a few playoff ones. Bates finished tied for 6th in 2020 with 15 passes defended. This list begins with a quarterback who is preparing to play in the 2015 NFL regular season. 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. Not Fred Dean. Henry Ellard spent the first five seasons of his NFL career returning punts and putting up humdrum receiving stats. As a pass blocker, Moton has developed into a steady presence capable of holding his own, and at times even dominating top pass rushers that include Joey Bosa and Cameron Jordan. Overall, the total still ranks ninth at the position. Two 10-interception seasons, with 57 career interceptions. For a few years, he was not only the best guard in the NFL, but the most important. 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. Try Dave Krieg. In his most prolific early season, he caught 54 passes for 811 yards and five touchdowns. The admission probably slams the door of the Hall of Fame on Brown forever. #5. That may be unfair to players like Robinson, Jerry Kramer and L.C. Bottom line: Few remember Glen Edwards as the fearless strong safety with the Steelers first two Super Bowl teams. No one plays guard expecting fame and accolades, least of all Wisniewski, who is worthy of all the gritty cliches you can sling at him. Jones has also recorded at least 100 tackles every year since entering the league with the exception of 2018 when he played in only 6 games. 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. We look at the 10 most underrated players in football at the moment. He reached the playoffs as a rookie backup in 2004 and a 32-year-old backup in 2015, but zero times in the decade in between. McDole was known as "The Dancing Bear" because of his nimble feet, one of the coolest nicknames ever. Steve Atwater. Rivers' excellence, longevity and ability to barely dodge immortality make him the John Hadl of his era. 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. But McCree did fumble. He had one sack in four games, all Rams victories. Ryan needed surgery and was in constant pain for the rest of his career. Man Utd's double winning It takes years of playing the wrong position for the wrong team in the wrong league at the wrong time. He was an iron man for a powerhouse franchise that reached four Super Bowls while playing many of their home games in arctic conditions. Membership on various All-1960s teams. The AFL was an eight- to 10-team league, so All-Pro selections were easier to come by. 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. Brown is now best known as a television personality. 2022 NFL Mock Draft: Jacksonville Jaguars overtake Detroit for No. WebA key ingredient of arguably the best back four to grace the game Mauro Tassoti, him, Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini the Milan central defender made more than 450 Not only was Fleming good enough to stick with great teams, but he also was the luckiest son of a gun on the face of the earth. Lambeau Field was an icy outpost; the Packers still played a handful of home games in Milwaukee back then. 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. He played the run with authority (721 career solo tackles). He's not the kind of player a wise organization sheds to cut expenses. Guards don't make the Hall of Fame unless they win multiple Super Bowls or play forever. Edouard Mendy of Chelsea celebrates after his sides victory in the Premier League match 2. Through the 2018 season, Vinatieri checked in at 81 (56 of 69) and 99 (70 of 71), respectively. Quarterback is the most important position in organized football and maybe in all of sports, so it should be no surprise that men who play QB dominate the top spots of this list. He took over as the Bears' featured offensive weapon after the Super Bowl Shuffle years. Brett Favre may be the player most responsible for bringing spectacle and success back to Titletown, but Butler brought back celebration. Feyenoord v VVV Venlo - Eredivisie. St. This past offseason, Juszczyk signed a five-year $27M contract to return to the 49ers, making him the highest-paid fullback in football by a wide margin. While Stafford's game is Hall of Fame worthy, an 0-3 career record in the playoffs on some flawed Lions teams has done little to elevate his name into the conversation of top QBs. Chiesa is a winger who plays for Juventus. 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. Much of the Saints' offensive success in Evans' prime years is rightfully credited to Brees. Teams: Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Super Bowl championships: Three (1991, 1997, 1998). But there is no player; fans themselves get to "leap" into the statue for photo ops. "Because when the ball was thrown, I knew I had better ball skills and would go up and get it.". Shanahan uses Juszczyk as a traditional lead blocking back, but he provides plenty of versatility out of the backfield and with the ball in his hands. Raphael Guerreiro of Borussia Dortmund Looks By the time the 49ers are great again, Bowman may be in his early 30s or on another team. Not one of the Jim Harbaugh-era guys. He was a Pro Bowler in 1974 and 75, and he was an All-Pro selection from 1976-78. Yes, Marshall amassed that sack total by playing foreverhe started270 games (plus 19 playoff starts) from 1961 through 1979. 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. The Colts accused Ryan of running up the score in the 27-0 championship rout of 1964. While Graham's sack numbers have never hit double digits, he remains a complete player and Super Bowl champion. Gheorghe Hagi, Romania. Allen made a lot of plays. An undrafted quarterback out of the late Milton College (Wisconsin), Krieg got them to the postseason four times and the AFC championship game once. 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. He helped the Packers win a Super Bowl. Wide receiver Chase Claypool stole headlines as a rookie in 2020, while teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster always seems to attract headlines one way or another. "I dont get it. Young was a devastating interior pass-rusher who recorded 30 sacks in the three-year span from 1998 through 2000. "When I was there, the thing we were missing was that explosive type of offense, and the new coach brought that in.". Hence, the Campbell video. The Rams eventually acquired Jim Everett and opened up their offense, transforming Ellard into one of the NFL's most dangerous deep threats. The start to his career is Hall of Fame worthy and includes a Super Bowl championship while with the New England Patriots. But Anderson was an extraordinary talent. Both of those seasons came, ironically enough, after Allen and Buddy were separated. WebDespite being just 20-years-old, Pedri has become a key player for Barcelona The midfielder names his former teammate Lionel Messi as the 'best' ever He hopes to The guy should demand a recount, I tell ya. The USFL may not have been the NFL in terms of quality, but being the Luke Kuechly of a league that featured Herschel Walker, Jim Kelly and Steve Young should count for something. They say you know an offensive lineman is doing a great job when his name is rarely brought up, but its time Moton is talked about more for his success. He was overshadowed by more famous teammates throughout his career. Addiction soon began consuming Smith's career, and then his life. He headed to Washington and moved from the weak to strong side. "It pissed me off," Fletcher replied. The NFL is now full of receivers like Mason, but few of them are as productive as he was for over a decade. FanDuel NFL 2021: Best lineup for Week 16, Jets HC Robert Saleh tests positive for COVID, could miss Jaguars game, LeVeon Bell fires back on Twitter at fans trolling him for signing with Buccaneers. 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?