bubba9497 Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 WHO'S THE MOST OVERRATED PLAYER IN THE WHOLE DAMN NFL? http://espn.go.com/page2/s/bloc/031119.html Look, the Writers' Bloc would be the last group to take lightly the idea of anybody being "overrated" -- especially after all the things people have said about us. But after the Bucs discarded Keyshawn like a used dish towel, try as we might, we could not avert our eyes. Personally, we'd never say that Keyshawn is overrated -- well, all of us but Ralph Wiley -- but we'd be remiss if we didn't point out that at least one well-respected Super Bowl-winning coach (the one who most closely resembles a horror movie star) obviously believes that to be the case. So, in addition to the man from USC, we offer 10 nominees for the title of Most Overrated NFLer. Keyshawn Johnson | By Ralph Wiley Hmmm ... so, Keyshawn Johnson being declared inactive by Tampa made the Writers' Bloc think of overrated football players. Whatever for? Could it be that Key makes a case for himself not for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and certainly not for diplomatic attache to the U.N., but for being Kwame Brown before Kwame Brown? It's not just that Keyshawn is basically insecure because he runs 4.6, and that only on a good day; it's that he's a possession receiver and doesn't know it. He's not Marvin Harrison, much less a young Jerry Rice. That's OK. Who is? But Keyshawn believes he is such an impact player, on that level, and so he can't help but be a disappointment, to the team that hires him, certainly, but mostly to himself. He was No. 1 in the entire draft. That doesn't happen to any receiver, much less to a a guy who finds out he's a possession receiver, and that his peers are, best-case scenario, Keenan McCardell and Hines Ward -- fine enough ballplayers, just not all-timers. Keyshawn, although I'm sure this will come more as a shock to him than you, is not an all-timer. I don't really know who the most overrated player in the NFL is. Kurt Warner, maybe? But I do have a clue on who the most disappointing player in the NFL might be. Can you say Trojan Man, hombre? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Warren Sapp | By Tom Friend Keyshawn Johnson now, Warren Sapp later. If the Bucs are sincere about clearing out all narcissists, the fat defensive tackle has got to go, too. Keyshawn got by for years on a name and good book title, but he's got nothing on Sapp, who this year has only gotten physical in warmups Not only is Sapp overrated, he'll tell you he's underrated. Take nothing he says seriously. He has shown decent hands as a secret tight end this year ("I want to see if I can get to the Pro Bowl both ways," he says), but if he goes to Hawaii this year, there ought to be a California recall. No one doubles him anymore, not with other more dangerous teammates like Anthony McFarland and Simeon Rice, and I hate to break this to you, but he's 11th -- 11th!!!!!! -- on his team in tackles. He has three sacks to his name this year, and yet there was this guy in New Orleans, Grady Jackson, who got cut for non-production ... and Grady has 3½! Not good timing, either. Warren, who has a $6.6 million base salary, is a free agent come February, and the Bucs won't enter the bidding ... if there's any bidding at all. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chris Hovan | By Tim Keown To begin, there's nothing at all fresh about the pro-wrestling thing. It's tired, it's tacky and it brings up so many bad images (death by 35 is one, unfortunately) that it's a wonder any professional team athlete still adopts the persona. Well, maybe it's no wonder, since every time someone like Minnesota's Chris Hovan runs the schtick, every camera focuses in and every reporter breaks out a new tape. All the hair and the tattoos and the buffoonery will get you the attention, but it can't hide the stark truth: one sack and 13 tackles through 10 games. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill Romanowski | By Luke Cyphers In the same vein ... Bill Romanowski. "He's a guy you hate when he's on the other team, but when he's on your team ..." you hate him more. Unless it's his legal team. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeremy Shockey | By Eric Neel It's not so much that Jeremy Shockey's overrated as a talent ... ... though I will say the Messiah Train got rolling mighty early, and the Gotham press got itself worked up in a particularly eager lather over him, and I'll also say that with the possible exception of Dave Casper, I don't buy superstar tight end talk at all, and if I DID buy it, I'd be buying up shares of Tony Gonzalez and diversifying my portfolio with some Dallas Clark long before I spent a penny on stock in young Jeremy ... it's that he's overrated as a personality, a tough guy, and a force. His calculated shaggy 'do and his cartoonish, potty-mouth badmouthing are straight off the junior high playground. He's about as believable, relevant, interesting and intimidating as William Zabka playing the headbanded bully in "The Karate Kid." He ain't controversial, he's clownish, in that I'm-bored-can-we-go-now-I-hate-the-circus sort of way. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 1972 Miami Dolphins | By Steve Wulf The most overrated NFLer of this -- or any -- season is a team: the 1972 Miami Dolphins. When the Bengals beat the Chiefs on Sunday, we all envisioned those great old Fish popping corks in celebration of their continued distinction as the only undefeated team in NFL history. But they were also just about the luckiest stiffs in NFL history. Those Dolphins beat only two teams with winning records that year, and those two were 8-6. Their regular-season opponents had an aggregate winning percentage of .396; their schedule was easier than 99 percent of the schedules from 1950 to 1972. They had three close victories in the regular season, over the Vikings (16-14), Bills (24-23) and Jets (28-24) -- none of whom made the playoffs. And once in the postseason, the Dolphins barely beat the Browns (20-14), Steelers (21-17) and Redskins (14-7). They were a memorable bunch, what with Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, Mercury Morris, Jake Scott, Bob Griese, Nick Buonoconti and Garo Yepremian. But never forget their soft schedule, either. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ricky Williams | By David Schoenfield When will NFL teams learn? You don't build a playoff team around a running back. Especially one like Ricky Williams, who has had one great season in his career. Well, sort of. Williams led the NFL in rushing last season, but the Dolphins didn't even make the playoffs. But that's not a shocker: None of the top 11 rushers in 2002 made the postseason. This season is a little better, as five of the top 11 (although just one of the top five) running backs are currently in a playoff position, including Williams and the 6-4 Dolphins. But don't thank Williams for that; he's averaging just 3.3 yards per carry and has lost three fumbles. Franchise player? Don't fool yourself. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daunte Culpepper | By Eric Adelson Who led the league in turnovers last year? Not Tiki. Not Ricky. It was Daunte Culpepper. He had 32. Last week he had five, leading to 21 Raider points. Culpepper has been sacked 20 times -- more than 24 other QBs. Daunte's fierce, and fast, and fun to watch, but the truth is that mobile quarterbacks as a whole are overrated. When they leave the pocket, they confuse not only the defense but also the offense. Blocking assignments and running routes get muddled. In Culpepper's four wins, he has run for 84 yards. In his four losses, he has rushed for 148. Oh, and he lost three games to a back injury on a touchdown run against Detroit. Sure, I'd love to have Daunte on my fantasy team, but I don't know if I want him or any other mobile QB on my NFL team. Name one double-threat QB, besides Steve Young, who has won a Super Bowl. Think Terrell Owens, after playing a couple games with Tim Rattay instead of Jeff Garcia, would disagree? I'm sorry Mike Vick isn't around to blow up my theory. But he's on the sidelines because of an injury sustained while scrambling. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Vick | By Jim Caple Don't get me wrong -- Michael Vick is a fantastic, exciting player. I'm just not convinced that after 17 starts, he has reinvented the game. There was so much hype for Vick last year that you would have thought he had gotten engaged to J-Lo. We ran a poll and more people said they would draft Vick at age 22 than Joe Montana, Brett Favre and John Elway combined. Yes, Vick threw for 2,936 yards and ran for 777 last year, his first full season as a starter. Those are great numbers, but we've seen it before. Donovan McNabb had similar totals three years ago. So did Daunte Culpepper last year. And in 1990, Randall Cunningham rushed for nearly 1,000 yards while throwing for almost 3,500. Let's wish Vick a healthy return and see what he can do over a couple seasons before ordering his Hall of Fame bust. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kurt Warner | By Dan Shanoff As a human-interest story, Kurt Warner's dream season in '99 ranks among the all-time best in NFL history. (He almost single-handedly rekindled my fizzled interest in pro football.) Since '99, he has been exposed as -- cue ominous music -- "a system quarterback." Because of his great personal story, Warner gets way too much credit; because of Mike Martz's grating personality, the Rams' brilliant offensive scheme doesn't get enough. Not many QBs could have offered Warner's back-story, but many QBs -- from 1999's would-be Warner, Trent Green, to his eventual replacement, Marc Bulger -- could have performed similarly on the field. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paul Tagliabue | By Patrick Hruby Oh, sure -- pick on the crippled Vick. The irritatingly God-fearing Warner. The simply irritating Shockey. Easy targets, all of them, especially since they can't hit back without the threat of a lawsuit (hey, we know how much they make, even if it isn't guaranteed). But truth be told, you're fingering the wrong guys. The most overrated person in football isn't a player. It's the man behind the curtain: Paul Tagliabue. The man collects hosannas like trading cards, encomiums like stamps. And for what? Because the NFL is the undisputed King of Leagues? Whoop-dee-damn-do. Put a monkey behind the commissioner's desk, and the league would still be riding Master and Commander over the choppy swells of the sports world. The product is just that good. Granted, Tags deserves kudos for steering the good ship Football. But keep in mind: It's a really big boat. And the icebergs out there look like popsicles. Tags is just a steady, reassuring hand, the jolly cap'n on a cruise (controlled) ship. The owners, players, networks and fans all power the enterprise. When they decide to go along and get along, life is all good. It's often said that coaches get more credit than they should for wins, and more blame for losses. As much as it pains me to slag a fellow Georgetown grad, the same goes for Tagliabue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljer Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 No Donovan McNabb???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbooma Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Hovan at least the others have done something instead of yapp all the time and talk about qb families :hammer: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Am I the only one who kind of cringed all the way down the list, wondering if a certain linebacker was going to be on it? :paranoid: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCS Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 I don't know. Does scrolling down to the bottom really fast, then going back up, then "browsing" the piece rather quickly with a hand covering my squinted eyes count as cringing? :whew: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbooma Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Originally posted by Om Am I the only one who kind of cringed all the way down the list, wondering if a certain linebacker was going to be on it? :paranoid: at least he has made the pro bowl :paranoid: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Or cornerback? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heavy Jumbo Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Originally posted by Om Am I the only one who kind of cringed all the way down the list, wondering if a certain linebacker was going to be on it? :paranoid: What about a certain CB? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phat Hog Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Originally posted by ljer No Donovan McNabb???? I was surprised McNabb wasn’t on the list… guess everyone is scared they’ll wind up in rehab next week if they mention it… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathByLinebacker Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Originally posted by jbooma at least he has made the pro bowl :paranoid: So has Mike Alstott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleSteve Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Originally posted by Phat Hog I was surprised McNabb wasn’t on the list… guess everyone is scared they’ll wind up in rehab next week if they mention it… I wasn't. It's been done before, so to speak. Anyway, a number of those listed are more overrated than McNabb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Originally posted by Om Am I the only one who kind of cringed all the way down the list, wondering if a certain linebacker was going to be on it? :paranoid: Yeah, where was Urlacher? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heavy Jumbo Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Originally posted by DeathByLinebacker So has Mike Alstott So has McNabb, Shockey, Bailey, Arrington, Samuels, and most of the other overated players out there. That's ususally how they become overated, by going to the Pro Bowl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phat Hog Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Originally posted by Blazers21 ..... Anyway, a number of those listed are more overrated than McNabb. No arguments there.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 I'm not suggesting LA's overrated, by the way. What's funny about LA is that the only people who really seem to say that are fans of teams we're about to play when they troll by these parts. They can't seem to stop saying that Skins fans "overrate" the guy. People in the league generally seem to think he's a damn good young 'backer still learning on the fly, suffering from the yearly change in philosophy and coaching since he's been in the league. And I rarely see him hyped by league people as they seem to do with others, from R. Lewis who deserves it to Urlacher who doesn't. I'm not sure I've ever heard an actual NFL guy hype Lavar. Seems to me that if we were to actually give a rat's ass about this kind of discussion regarding LA, that should be the only criteria we'd care about. I could generally care less what fans of other teams say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleSteve Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Originally posted by Om I could generally care less what fans of other teams say. Om, That's my position on McNabb. His peers don't think he's overrated. The rest of us do, though, including many Eagles fans. Maybe when he wins the big one. Nah, never happen... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimster Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 This guy must be the first to say that about Shockey ..first columist anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 LOL @ the '72 Dolphins. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom [Giants fan] Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Man, this guy said Shockey is overrated. I hope the Giants get rid of him now. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red&BlueRivalry Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 I really hate overrated lists because they take away from the fact that football is a team game and just give writers a chance to dog on someone. When the talent around a player declines, sure he looks overrated, but one player cannot carry a team by himself. Players always get the distinction of being overrated when their team suddenly starts losing or the talent dwindles. Look at that list, all those players are on teams that are having disappointing seasons or in slumps like the Vikings. I like underrated lists because there a lot of players that will never receive the attention they should until their team wins and they have the necessary talent around them. The Cowboys MLB Dat Nguyen and LT Flozell Adams are suddenly getting Pro Bowl notoriety when they're playing at the same level they have been the last few years. They didn't suddenly decide to play great football four to five years into their career. It's just the Cowboys are in the spotlight again with Parcells, a winning record, and some of the minor adjustments to the Cowboys roster this year that has improved the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yomar Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Lavar is overrated, he gets treated like a great and he isn't one ... physical freak who doesn't play smart all the time, but you can't teach speed so I am still hopeful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 I've said for a long time that Shockey is the most overrated. Glad to see I'm not the only person who thinks that way. Sure he's got talent but he's not the superstar that his mouth and the press make him out to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryman of the North Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Good lord Donovan Mcrap is among the worst rated starting qbs in the league and he gets called the best qb in the nfc east. and he doesnt make the list im with the guy who said people are afraids to tell it like it is or theyll get bashed and have to go in to rehab! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyGator Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Under-rated: The refs on the Carolina Panthers' payroll. The NFL has served notice though. Shockey is a little overrated this year, but he's been injured a lot. A healthy Shockey would be might TE though. He gets away with a lot of taunting though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba9497 Posted November 21, 2003 Author Share Posted November 21, 2003 Me-Shawn's Hall of Fame scam By Jason Whitlock Page 2 columnist http://www.espn.go.com/page2/s/whitlock/031120.html What Me-shawn Johnson has never been able to accept is that in terms of football skills, he's Wayne Chrebet with a suntan, a bad attitude and questionable hands. Me-shawn has never owned the necessary ingredients -- speed, savvy, heart, soft hands -- to be a lead receiver. It would be easy for me to rip Me-shawn today. Jon Gruden and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers delivered Me his long overdue comeuppance, benching Me for the season and dealing his Hall of Fame pursuit a major setback. The news of Me's demise gave me a feeling of giddiness and restored my faith in football justice. Happier times: Keyshawn's Bucs teammates celebrate after he scores a rare touchdown. But I'd prefer to take the column road less traveled. I'd like to salute Me-shawn for his marketing genius. For nearly eight NFL seasons, he fooled the media and several NFL coaches into believing he was a big star. The Jets and the Bucs wasted high draft picks and millions of dollars on Me, and built passing games around the slow-footed, undersized tight end who trick-or-treated as a go-to receiver. Me-shawn scribbled "Just Throw Me the Damn Ball," and Bill Parcells, Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden all obeyed. Me put up decent numbers. He reached 600 receptions faster than anyone besides Marvin Harrison, and appeared in three Pro Bowls. When Me-shawn talked of making the Hall of Fame, the conversation didn't elicit the deafening level of laughter it should have. People took Me-shawn seriously. Me was the shrewdest self-promoter since Brian Bosworth. Me-shawn was The Great Black Hope. We marveled at his size -- 6-foot-4, 215 chiseled pounds -- got caught up in his stats and thought we were looking at a young Jerry Rice with a nasty personality defect. In a league reluctant to make a significant trade, the Bucs surrendered two first-round draft picks to get Me, and then handed him a $56-million contract. Again, no one laughed. Me had everyone fooled. He ran his mouth so much that the media and NFL coaches failed to look at his actual production and recognize that Me had more in common with Chrebet, the ultimate possession receiver, than Rice, the ultimate receiving weapon. In his 19-year career, Rice has 83 receptions of more than 40 yards. Me and Chrebet have nine receptions of more than 40 yards. Jerry has 192 TD receptions. Me and Chrebet have 48 and 40, respectively. Rice and Me have similar athleticism, size and speed. But Me can't match Rice's football intellect. On the flip side, Rice can't match Me's marketing intellect. You have to hand it to Me-shawn. He knows exactly what he is, and he knows he's pulled off one of the great scams in marketing history. That's why he wore such a huge smile when he chatted with Dan Patrick on Tuesday's SportsCenter. For a man who had allegedly been publicly humiliated, Me-shawn looked as happy as a Cincinnati Bengal as he talked about being deactivated. Me was probably counting his money and contemplating his early vacation plans. Gruden busted Me-shawn for armed robbery, and the Bucs punished him with six weeks of paid probation. Me got away with the smoothest heist since Tim Robbins' Shawshank Redemption. Me may never get credit for his business savvy. He may have fooled the media, but we've never loved Me the way we love Deion Sanders and the other great quotes. Prime Time backed up his bluster with Hall of Fame play, and Prime's teammates fawned all over him. So Deion is known as a marketing whiz ahead of his time. The nickname, the jewelry, the late 1980s jeri curl, the clothes, the end- zone celebrations, the trash talk ... they're all part of Deion's legend. They'll all be shipped to Canton with Deion. But what about Me, the $56-million possession receiver with bad hands and a cancerous locker-room demeanor? The Great Black Hope belongs in Canton, too. But for different reasons. Me talked his way into millions of dollars, gravy-trained a Super Bowl ring off the backs of Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, Simeon Rice and John Lynch, stole credibility by pretending to be one of Bill Parcells' "guys" and once put together a signature 106-reception, one-TD season. Me will always be remembered for doing whatever it took to outshine the Jets' little mascot flashlight. And that's the legacy that should earn him a bust in Canton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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