Most overrated player ever?

[Flowtrain]

Namath doesn't have a whole lot going for him in the stats department, other than being the first player to surpass 4,000 yards. Of course, his era also included a time during which even Unitas had more TDs than INTs in only 8 of his 18 seasons. And there's also the issue of Namath playing much of his career with injured knees.

But the Hall was established to honor those who had an outstanding contribution to the game. This is true whether it's players who amassed great stats, coaches who fielded tremendous teams, owners who delivered prominent franchises, or even commissioners who helped forge the league.

Namath was inducted, in part, because he was an excellent QB in his day, but more importantly, because he was incredibly instrumental in legitimizing the AFL and paving the way for the merger of a united league.

Sure, it's easy to find a QB who tossed more TDs. But how many of those QBs were more influential in reformulating the league's structure or adding popularity?

This isn't to say that Namath is just as good of QB as some have romanticized. But it is to say that, even if that is the case, his basis for being in the Hall is as rock solid as that of anyone else.

To ask whether he's the most overrated player in the Hall pretty much misses most of the point as to why he's there in the first place.