I’ve always admired NFL players who pass on the bait when asked about their “rating” or “legacy.” While the latter is at least a little dependent on their own overall actions, almost everything about how a player’s career is perceived is out of their control. If a teammate blows coverage and they get docked with a touchdown allowed on their own statistics, are they going to risk being labeled as “petty” as well by pointing that out?
So it is with that trepidation in mind we present the second half of our most underrated players list. Underrated according to whom? Well, me, one of those nefarious types who assign nebulous terms like rating and legacy to people. As I mentioned in the AFC post, some of this is just waving my arms and saying, “I had no idea how good this guy was until I dug into it more.” Some of this is coaches I speak to asking, “Why doesn’t anyone talk about this guy?” This isn’t an exact science, but instead, it’s a fun way to look at some players, both known and unknown, who have a major impact on the games we watch every week.
