Overrated Players

So, a message board that I frequent had a thread that received significant attention and participation. "5 Most Overrated Players of All-Time." While I prefer to discuss players that are underrated this is a fine topic for offseason discussion but the submission's were stunning.

Gale Sayers(!?!)
Bart Starr(?!?)
Jim Taylor
Joe Namath
Terry Bradshaw
Franco Harris
Bob Griese

In my opinion if Gale Sayers enters into any discussion of most overrated players of all-time all credibility is lost. He's in the discussion for best running back to ever play the game. If you enjoy the running highlights of Barry Sanders you enjoy the running highlights of Gale Sayers. Their styles are different but the jaw-dropping beauty of their runs are the same. The problem that some have with Sayers is the shortness of his career. His career was seriously shortened by injuries. He only played in 68 games. That takes nothing away from his ability. It only takes away from the length of time that we were able to enjoy his incredible ability. Five-time All-Pro. Two-time rushing champ. The list of accomplishments in his short career is ridiculous. So ridiculous that he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame five years after he retired. The minimum wait. Here are a couple of quotes from his peers.

"Sayers? Sure, I've got a defense against him. I just step out of the way and let Willie Wood hit him. Really, I don't think anybody knows how fast Sayers actually is. Only time I've seen him is in the huddle. Once he tucks the football under his arm he's invisible."
-Packers Hall of Fame defensive tackle Henry Jordan

More talking Sayers:
"He's simply the best damn athlete I've seen since I came into the pros."
-Packers Hall of Fame back Paul Hornung

Gale Sayers overrated? Give me a break.

Bart Starr? Some might say that he was simply the caretaker quarterback of one of the NFL's greatest dynasties. Others might say that he was a significant reason for that great dynasty. I fall in the latter group. No team wins five NFL titles in seven years with a mere caretaker at quarterback. Despite a severe lack of wins in the years before Vince Lombardi was hired in 1959 the Packers actually had a decent amount of talent. The only thing missing was direction and and anything resembling consistent quarterback play. Lombardi provided the direction. Starr provided the consistent quarterback play. So what if he didn't provide the statistics of John Unitas or Y.A. Tittle. Starr simply led his team to wins.

Jim Taylor? If Taylor had played in era that didn't include Jim Brown he'd be considered the best fullback of that era. Fullbacks were often the leading ballcarriers in all of the decades prior to 1970. The only year that Jim Brown didn't lead the league in rushing Taylor did.

Joe Namath? I often see Namath in the overrated category. He was as physically gifted as a passer as anyone that has ever played. Like Sayers, his career was seriously limited by injuries. Namath's career was limited more in the quality of it than the length of it. His knees were shaky when he joined the New York Jets and they only got weaker through the pounding of professional football. At times Namath was a fantastic quarterback. It was those times that got him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Great arm. Fantastic release. Great leader. None of the qualities that you find in an overrated quarterback.

Terry Bradshaw? Come on. Four Super Bowl wins. He played with a fantastic defense but he deserves a lot of the credit for all four. And most of the credit for the last two.

Franco Harris? He gets knocked a bunch for running out of bounds to avoid contact. I have to admit that I'd rather see a back of his size take on a defensive back but he was often stepping out of bounds after he'd gained about 20 yards. Harris was one of the best clutch runners in the 1970s. If the Steelers needed five yards to keep a critical, late drive going he usually gained seven.

Bob Griese? See Bart Starr.

I suppose that it's necessary to target Hall of Fame players in any discussion of overrated players. After all, a player has to be highly rated by some to be overrated by others. I just think that those that took part in the thread in question were out of their collective minds. If you list Sayers, you are immediately kicked out of the room. The problem that many supposed critics have is the reliance on statistics. If you look at the career rushing totals of Gale Sayers, with no knowledge of how he got them, you might question his place among the best. Injuries robbed Sayers of an even greater career. It's a damn shame. Sayers turned football into art. A simply beautiful football player. The reliance on football statistics does an even greater disservice to quarterbacks. Receivers too. But especially quarterbacks. You can't compare the passing totals of today's quarterbacks to those of the 1970s and earlier. Before the rule changes of the late 1970s, defensive backs could commit all sorts of crimes against receivers as they ran down the field. Almost anything short of a homicide was considered legal. Defensive linemen could abuse offensive linemen. Quarterbacks could actually be touched without a finding a yellow flag on the ground. It was a much different game. If a quarterback could complete just over 50% of his passes and throw a few more touchdowns than interceptions he'd be in the Pro Bowl. Maybe All-Pro. He might even find himself honored in Canton one fine August day. It was a different game and statistics between the two can't be compared.

If anyone is going to discuss overrated football players don't lead off with Gale Sayers. Or Bart Starr. Or Jim Taylor.....