DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Underrated players.

The NFL has lots of underrated players. Guys who don't seem to make the highlight reels, yet end up with top numbers.

This isn't so much about Browns players. No doubt our guys are the best but rather guys on other teams....guys who you don't think about much, but when you stop to look, they just kept on ticking.

I am going with fellow Gator, RB Fred Taylor. He put up near 12,000 rushing yards, 2000+ receiving yards. Just a guy who put up great numbers year after year, yet he doesn't get a whole lot of cred.

Who do you think needs to be mentioned?

Well, I don't take you as the most super fan of players that played for the Browns, ... if you want to look at history,

William Green I think was underrated, as a Browns rb, that played since ninety nine. Peyton Hillis was Overrated imo, for that matter.

ehh, I was going to think steelers , but I thought of a gator.
I think the @uarterback that went to Indy in this years draft is better than the one that went to the titans, so the indy drafted @uarterback from Florida U, was underrated. a little bit.

As it pertains to the Browns:

Pre "The Return": Gerald McNeil (I was hoping Grant could fill that role today.)

Post "The Return": Lee Suggs (Absolutely no one on the board will agree with me, but I believe this guy could have been better than Green. And, had it not been for his injuries at exactly the wrong time and the Browns going all in on Droughns - I think he in underrated in terms of what he could have done for the team.)

Benjamin Gay the RB, they wouldn't have beaten the Ravens that year without Ben the Rb, he had some, 'side step juke ability'
... and uh,
D'Ernest Johnson? from last year.

I always thought that Corey Dillon was a bit unheralded. And maybe that's just because we had to see him so often

Mercury Morris, Paul Warfield, Bam Bam Ambrose. Still thinking. Great thread idea, Peen!

I'll keep coming back to this thread too as I think of more.

I always thought Eric Metcalf was really ahead of his time. Put him in today's NFL and he's Austin Ekeler

70s

Jerry Sherk DT. Incredible pass rusher

Lydell Mitchell. The Austin Eckler of his day in Baltimore

Ken Anderson. Most underrated player of all time
Only QB with back to back passing titles in 2 different
Decades

80s
Roy Green. Fastest WR in NFL. Played 2 positions
In the NFL. Averaging 20 YPC was normal for him

William Andrews RB. Very punishing RB from Auburn
Who led Falcons to the playoffs

Rick Upchurch. Blazing WR and punt return demon.

90s. Greg Lloyd. Tenacious LB. Big time tone setter
For LeBeaus defense

Herman Moore WR. Overshadowed by Barry Sanders
Exploits. But he could wreck secondaries.

Carl Pickens WR. Best deep threat of the 90s.
Teamed up with Jeff Blake with a explosive passing game

Since the comeback in 99, I think Joe Jurevicius was underrated as to what he meant to the team. Jamir MIller was very solid for us for a couple years. Wihtou thim, our D was much weaker.

Prior to 1999, Waler Johnson was a fixture at DT for nearly a decade in the 60s and 70s. On the offensive side, Greg Pruitt will always be one of my favorite players. In years when we had almost nothing, and I mean almost nothing on offense, he was the offense.

If we are going to include Browns...Bill Nelson was underrated. He gets overlooked on the list of good browns QB's, which when you think about it is a fairly short list.

William Andrews is underrated. He was a darn good back.

I just figured we tend to talk about Browns players a lot and would keep mentioning the same guys we have talked about for years, but by all means if you or others want to talk up underrated Browns, go for it.

You are right. I am not a superfan of individual players. I root for the Browns. I want the players to do well, but I don't actually root for them. If a player comes from another team who I may have disliked for one reason or another. That goes away. He plays for the Browns now. Jamel Lewis might be a fairly recent example. If a player moves on, I don't really follow them to any degree, but do hope they do well enough for their new team.

I root for the Browns. That is why I have held season tickets, this being year 18. I am afraid this may be my last year to do that. I am not getting any younger and health issues are starting to show. It just isn't as easy to make the 600 mile trip up to Cleveland.. I may drop them and just buy a few tickets to a couple of games a year. I have to admit that the idea of streaming through Youtube sounds pretty appealing.

Oops, I guess I wasn't paying attention when I read the thread. I included only Browns players. Below are my non-Browns and mostly underrated. They are also older players, that may have been respected, but today they are almost forgottten. .

George Webster, LB mainly with the Oilers. He was highly regarded but I think he fell to the old AFL bias. He was a very good LB.

When OJ Simpson was running well his OL was obviously good, but Reggie McKenzie seemed to get all the fame. I think Joe DeLamielleure was easily as good if not better. I know he is in the HOF, but when he was in Buffalo, McKenzie's name was always the one spoken about. So, when I say he is underrated, I am speaking of when he was with the Bills. I think later he finally got the respect he deserved.

Jack Snow, WR for the Rams, Ted Kwalick, TE of the 49ers. Mike Reid DT for the Bengals. Another forgotten player because he had a short career due to pursuing a songwriting career.

Rich Jackson of the Broncos was a great player but the Broncos were at best a .500 team when he played.

we could use Michael Dean Perry this year

Good call. Not a home run threat, but it seemed he could get at least 6-7 yards every time he got the ball.