Overrated/Underrated

[BigBillsFan13]

3 hours ago, Jlowe22 said:

9 hours ago, texans_uk said:

Overrated - The suffix "gate", seriously why does every incident require it? 

I don't mind this.  It immediately gets the point across and is quicker to type out than "deflate scandal" or "spy controversy"

I'm with @texans_uk on this. Here's the issue, the terms 'spy-gate', 'deflate-gate', etc are all derived from the Watergate scandal, but people today use it incorrectly. It was called the Watergate scandal because it was the Watergate hotel. If it was the 4 Seasons, it would have been called the 4 Seasons scandal, not 4 Seasons-gate. The word 'gate' is only there on the original one because it was part of the name of the hotel, not because it was added to denote that it was a scandal. 

Basically, the word 'gate' never meant a scandal, until people today started using it incorrectly. The way people use the term today, the original scandal would be called Watergate-gate.  

[Jlowe22]

10 minutes ago, BigBillsFan13 said:

I'm with @texans_uk on this. Here's the issue, the terms 'spy-gate', 'deflate-gate', etc are all derived from the Watergate scandal, but people today use it incorrectly. It was called the Watergate scandal because it was the Watergate hotel. If it was the 4 Seasons, it would have been called the 4 Seasons scandal, not 4 Seasons-gate. The word 'gate' is only there on the original one because it was part of the name of the hotel, not because it was added to denote that it was a scandal. 

Basically, the word 'gate' never meant a scandal, until people today started using it incorrectly. The way people use the term today, the original scandal would be called Watergate-gate.  

I understand, but that doesn't matter.  Our language is filled with words that have took on different meanings, some drastically so.  And oftentimes that has been due to some initial inaccurate use of the word.  I perfectly understand how annoying it can be, but I personally don't mind it.  Like I said, it's short, concise, and recognizable.

Now the thing I DO mind, is the fact that every little petty scandal that comes up gets blown out of proportion.  Society has an unhealthy obsession with scandals and conspiracies.

[BigBillsFan13]

1 hour ago, Jlowe22 said:

Now the thing I DO mind, is the fact that every little petty scandal that comes up gets blown out of proportion.  Society has an unhealthy obsession with scandals and conspiracies.

This we definitely agree on.

[Hunter2_1]

Overrated: The combine. Like elite Texan said, wow you can bench press 225lb 20 times or jump however high...can you diagnose a play, stack a block, pursue and tackle?

Underrated: Jamming at the line. Put the receiver out of his boots before he has a chance to tear you to pieces.

[atmer]

Overrated - QB mobility. I don't think it's a important attribute to a QB, and I'd rather have a quick read/release than mobility all day long. Just make fast reads and get rid of the ball. What I think is important is the ability to throw accurate passes on the run. That's arguably the most impressive quality of Aaron Rodgers. But if you are only fast or elusive with your legs, I don't really care.
 

Underrated - Special teams specialists. It always amazes me how overlooked it is. So many games are decided on good or bad special teams plays.

[Jlowe22]

5 hours ago, Hunter2_1 said:

Overrated: The combine. Like elite Texan said, wow you can bench press 225lb 20 times or jump however high...can you diagnose a play, stack a block, pursue and tackle?

Underrated: Jamming at the line. Put the receiver out of his boots before he has a chance to tear you to pieces.

Bench press I definitely think is overrated.  The average gym rat can throw up 225 for 25 reps on a bad day.  The average gym rat would be a terrible football player, even at the college level.

The biggest reason I think the combine is overrated is that there is no good way to test someone's mental capacity for football, and especially their performance under pressure.  Guys like Tom Brady probably fall through the cracks all the time.

[Superman(DH23)]

27 minutes ago, Jlowe22 said:

Bench press I definitely think is overrated.  The average gym rat can throw up 225 for 25 reps on a bad day.  The average gym rat would be a terrible football player, even at the college level.

The biggest reason I think the combine is overrated is that there is no good way to test someone's mental capacity for football, and especially their performance under pressure.  Guys like Tom Brady probably fall through the cracks all the time.

While i wont disagree that the underwear olympics is overrated by fans, guys like tom brady, kurt warner, and to a lesser extent russell wilson dont really fall thru the cracks.  Warner went undrafted signed with gb, which was probably the worse team in the league at that time for him to sign with as warner would make it 2 future hofers, a long time middle tier starter and another 5 year starter all on the same team playing the same position.  Warner was clearly outclassed in camp and took development in lower leagues before he was ready to become the qb he eventually became.  Brady was a guy who was smart, didnt have really any tangibles, and had trouble keeping the true sophomore on the bench behind him.  Today we know that hes become one of the greatest of all time but even he will admit his rookie year he was outclassed in camp.  Wilson is a very special case.  He checked every box on the sheet except for 1, height.  If he had been 6'2" hes a first round pick. But what these guys prove is, players dont fall thru the cracks.  The cream rises to the top in the nfl, and every year we hear about the next tom brady but there has yet to truly be one.  Bc guys like warner and brady and wilson are the exceptions that prove the rule

[JAF-N72EX]

Overrated: Can't think of any that has not already been said. 

Underrated: 
Special Teams - It's crazy how 1/3 of an entire teams unit is often seen as a second hand priority in the eyes of most fans and media outlets. Which drives me nuts because it seems like people are so quick to mention things such as a coaches ability to manage the clock and play situational football. But all of that starts with field position, which in turn, is mostly led by the special teams play. For better or worse.

The only sort of praise that you hear about are Kickers and the occasional returners if they happen to be special(no pun intended). Very rarely do you hear about a teams gunner, long snapper, or place holder unless they screw up.  

[Jlowe22]

1 hour ago, Superman(DH23) said:

While i wont disagree that the underwear olympics is overrated by fans, guys like tom brady, kurt warner, and to a lesser extent russell wilson dont really fall thru the cracks.  Warner went undrafted signed with gb, which was probably the worse team in the league at that time for him to sign with as warner would make it 2 future hofers, a long time middle tier starter and another 5 year starter all on the same team playing the same position.  Warner was clearly outclassed in camp and took development in lower leagues before he was ready to become the qb he eventually became.  Brady was a guy who was smart, didnt have really any tangibles, and had trouble keeping the true sophomore on the bench behind him.  Today we know that hes become one of the greatest of all time but even he will admit his rookie year he was outclassed in camp.  Wilson is a very special case.  He checked every box on the sheet except for 1, height.  If he had been 6'2" hes a first round pick. But what these guys prove is, players dont fall thru the cracks.  The cream rises to the top in the nfl, and every year we hear about the next tom brady but there has yet to truly be one.  Bc guys like warner and brady and wilson are the exceptions that prove the rule

But how many players could have been solid starters they we never got to see take the field? I don't think it's some outrageous number, but potentially some do.  I don't have any good alternative to the combine system though.

[Hunter2_1]

Another one for overrated; finishing blocks.

It looks great, especially for us offense-men, but finishing a block once the play has already passed the defender by is just NFL porn, nothing more. Mayock actually uses it to grade Offensive Linemen, and it's just not necessary. It's far more important, as an OL, to just not lose. You don't have to bury someone once the RB has gone 20 yards down the field. 

[PFM18]

Overrated - Icing the Kicker. Almost never works but coaches still try it a lot of the time.

Underrated - NFL Ref Teams. Never understood why the NFL mix and match ref teams for the playoffs. I know they've been selected as the best officials but surely each referee group is a team, and that team should get to do the bigger games together.

[Jlowe22]

3 hours ago, PFM18 said:

Overrated - Icing the Kicker. Almost never works but coaches still try it a lot of the time.

Underrated - NFL Ref Teams. Never understood why the NFL mix and match ref teams for the playoffs. I know they've been selected as the best officials but surely each referee group is a team, and that team should get to do the bigger games together.

Definitely agree with icing the kicker.  I suppose coaches look at it like they can't take the timeouts with them, so may as well try it.  

 

[Hunter2_1]

Yet more overrated:

Wide Receivers. I'm sorry, I know they are feaks of nature and very impressive etc, but it's nearly all on the QB. Not saying WRs aren't important (they are), but the god-like status to which some of them are elevated to irks me. 

Height. Again, important, but overrated and overstated. I wonder what the average is on how often commentators mention height during a game. Give me AB over Mike Evans. Skill and technique over height.

Steven A Smith's massive opinions. Not rated on here (thankfully) but he's still given a national platform, somehow.

[ET80]

21 hours ago, Hunter2_1 said:

Overrated: The combine. Like elite Texan said, wow you can bench press 225lb 20 times or jump however high...can you diagnose a play, stack a block, pursue and tackle?

Now, I know I brought up two events of the combine as my overrated; This being said, I think they're overrated in a vacuum. For all intents and purposes, the combine is a job interview, and you can find out who puts in the time to prep (demonstrating work ethic) and who just rolled out of bed and showed up.

So, while these events held on their own merits have no value, the experience as a whole (including the interviews, medical evaluations, etc) is pretty good.

On this point...overrated? Pro Days. You're getting a chance to rehash things with teams (a 2nd interview, if you would) and the team is able to put you through their own battery of tests, but those 40 times and verticals are worth nothing at all.

[Spartacus]

Overrated: Clutchness. In a game that relies on 22 players on any given play doing their job correctly (not even counting special teams) clutch is just such a dumb arbitrary "talent"
usually used to prop up QBs that didn't do their jobs for 9/10 of a game but had a defense that still kept them in it till the end.

 

Underrated: Nickel Defense. I expect most teams play some form of nickel defense for over half of their defensive stats (In 2015 it was something like 63% of all defensive plays) yet when we talk about starters we usually look at it  from the base defensive alignment (4-3/3-4) which really isn't even the base defense anymore.