CBS Sportsline: Lavar Arrington - Most overrated

[HittinSkinz]

http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/8622837

Hype.

If an NFL player gets it, he can live off it for years. If he doesn't, it's a tough fight to get the credit he deserves.

Which brings us to the CBS SportsLine.com annual list of underrated/overrated players for each of the league's 32 teams.

After his breakthrough season in 2004, Detroit's James Hall won't be underrated for long. (Getty Images)

Every team has a player -- or players -- who gets way too much credit, a player living off a reputation. By contrast, each team has a handful of players who don't get nearly the due they deserve for whatever reason.

Maybe it's lack of name recognition.

Maybe they play in a small market.

Maybe they avoid the hype.

For the list, we pick one overrated and one underrated player from each team, although several teams had multiple players in each category, making for tough choices.

So who are the most overrated and most underrated players from among our 64, giving them those titles throughout the league?

Washington Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington is the choice as the most-overrated player. Arrington has all the tools to be a truly dominant player. But misuse in schemes, plus a tendency to freelance too much as well as injury troubles (he played just four games last season), have stunted his development.

POLL

Who is the NFL's most overrated player?

LaVar Arrington

Drew Brees

Joey Galloway

John Lynch

Chad Pennington

Warren Sapp

Zach Thomas

Arrington was considered the potential second coming of Lawrence Taylor when he came out of Penn State in 2000. Instead, he's been a big tease.

As for the most-underrated player, we'll go with Detroit Lions defensive end James Hall.

Who, you say?

Hall had 11½ sacks in 2004 to lead the Lions and finish seventh overall in the league.

At 6-feet-2, 280 pounds, Hall has decent speed off the corner and he plays with a relentless style that makes him tough to block coming from the right side of the defense.

Entering his sixth season, Hall had 11½ sacks in his first four seasons combined before becoming a pass-rush force last season. Playing next to Pro Bowl tackle Shaun Rogers helps, but it also takes away from the attention Hall deserves.

The Lions did the smart thing before the 2004 season, locking him up to a contract through the 2008 season. This 28-year-old is coming into his prime, and pass rushers are worth a ton on the open market. If Hall can continue to develop, 15 sacks is a number that isn't out of the question.

If he gets that, he may get the due he deserves. In the meantime, here's a little attention that should be coming his way as the league's most-underrated player.

[jrockster21]

Question; how long did it take LT to turn into LT? Was he immediately a dominating force his rookie season?

[PCS]

Ummmm. Hate to do this, but about 9 or so threads down from this one.

http://www.extremeskins.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=105431

[jrockster21]

Originally posted by Park City Skins

Ummmm. Hate to do this, but about 9 or so threads down from this one.

http://www.extremeskins.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=105431

I thought this thread looked familiar....

[Fred Jones]

Just want to congratulate Park for his diligence and attention to detail in noticing the thread had already been posted. If it was in my power to do so I would nominate Park for assistant Moderater of the night.

[MaddogCT]

Originally posted by jrockster77

Question; how long did it take LT to turn into LT? Was he immediately a dominating force his rookie season?

NFL Defensive Player of the Year 1981 and 1982 his first two seasons.

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