Crucial but underrated players

[Chargers]

Mike Williams 

[Trentwannabe]

LB Matt Milano 

when he gets extended or signed by another team in free agency for over $12mil per year I expect to see a lot of “who?” In the comments. 

[Jakuvious]

For KC, I think Daniel Sorensen is definitely the best example here. Chiefs fans have not always agreed on him, exactly. He's kind of this awkward tweener where he doesn't have the range to really be a full-time deep zone guy, he's not quite agile enough to always line up in the slot, the size isn't there to play LB full-time, but he is good enough at all of those things and more to be a really crucial and versatile chess piece that enables and allows our other DBs and LBs to be used in the ways that best suit them. And his instincts and film study often allow him individually to still shine despite his weaknesses. He's an absolutely fantastic full-time special teamer as well.

He is, at times, polarizing amongst KC fans, because periodically a coaching choice or an injury thrusts him into a full-time role, where his weaknesses pop in a little more. But when he has been in his best role, as a nickel/dime linebacker, as a blitzing S, as the primary backup to like 5 different defenders, he's been a difference maker for us. He was a huge component of the divisional game comeback this year, too. Pretty clutch, in general. He's made a few game saving plays over the years. In the 5 playoff games these past two seasons he's had like 40 tackles, an INT, a forced fumble, a couple PDs, and the big tackle on the fake punt to force a turnover against Houston.

[whitehops]

for the vikings, in the past it has been linval joseph and now it'll likely be michael pierce. having a dominant NT is crucial for mike zimmer's defense because it lets him play 6 in the box on early downs and get more bodies in coverage. it also coerces teams to run more (against a light box) but having a dominant NT effectively negates whatever advantage the offense has running the ball numbers-wise. 

 

so it tempts teams to take the more inefficient route (running the ball) because they think they have an advantage, then they end up running the ball ineffectively anyways. it gets teams behind the chains and allows zimmer to dial up his creative third down blitzes.

[KingOfNewYork]

DE Foley Fatukasi- absolute stud of a 3-4 D-Linemen. Elite against the run and pushes the pocket to open up blitzing lanes. Todd Bowles loved this kid and saw his potential. 

[INbengalfan]

For the Bengals, the first two names that come to mind are Sam Hubbard and Brandon Wilson.

 

Hubbard has the versatility to allow the defense to play 5-2, 4-3 or 3-4 without changing much personnel.  

Wilson is a classic tweener DB and plays high safety and slot CB.  Plus he is a beast on kick returns and gave the faulty offense much shorter fields last year as the primary KR

[ReadyToThump]

Corey Linsley for the Packers. Strong as an ox and seems to be a great locker room guy. Doesn't get much recognition but he's led whats been a pretty damn good OL in Green Bay since '14 (sans injury).

Also the league should watch out for CB Chandon Sullivan. 

[sp6488]

9 hours ago, Ray Reed said:

Our run defense has fared very poorly the past few years when Brandon Williams has been out. 

Not sure he fits the criteria exactly. I think Nick Boyle May be a better fit. I’m guessing a lot of other fans aren’t aware that he had the most snaps of any Ravens TE in 2019. 

[Shady Slim]

how has this thread gone two pages and been littered with pats discourse without reference to duron harmon

[e16bball]

This is a tough one for the Redskins. Of late, anyone remotely decent tends to become pretty prominent because of the dearth of high-end talents on the roster. 

The guy who stands out as potentially underrated, though, is Matt Ioannidis. He doesn’t have the big name (metaphorically; in a literal sense it’s quite large) or the high draft pick profile that all the other Redskins’ DL have. Unlike all the blue chippers in that group, he’s a former 5th round pick who got cut and worked his way back onto the roster from the practice squad. 

Despite that, he’s probably been the best player on the DL over the last two seasons. He led the DL in snaps last year, and threw in 150 snaps on special teams as well. He’s ludicrously strong (see below) and he has a knack for getting to the QB (16 sacks), even from the 3-4 DE spot. 

It will be interesting to see how he handles the transition to the 4-3 DT spot, and one of the biggest issues Redskins fans are wondering about is how they’ll split up the snaps and get each of Allen, Payne, and Ioannidis on the field enough. 

[EvilenFroggen]

We're in such upheaval I don't think I have an answer for Carolina.  Our defense is basically all new...I'll go with JJ Jansen, our stalwart long snapper.  Traded by the Packers eleven years ago, he's watched dynasties rise and fall, all the while living by this heartfelt philosophy: "Just keep snapping."

[BroncoBruin]

Because Denver was so irrelevant last year, I doubt NFL fans in general understand how good AJ Johnson is. Basically hadn’t played football in five years (you may remember him in college at Tennessee), Fangio puts him in the lineup after the Broncos’ 0-4 start and was an immediate game changing presence. Nobody knew what to expect and he was probably the best player on the field in his first game.

He’s enormous for a modern day off ball LB but he moves better than you’d expect and he’s so long, he’s able to affect passing lanes. Showed real talent as a blitzer and brings some serious thump every time he makes contact. Fangio admitted he made a lot of mental errors so he could be in store for an even bigger year as he grows more comfortable in the defense. 

Edited July 6, 2020 by BroncoBruin

[kingseanjohn]

10 hours ago, Jakuvious said:

For KC, I think Daniel Sorensen is definitely the best example here. Chiefs fans have not always agreed on him, exactly. He's kind of this awkward tweener where he doesn't have the range to really be a full-time deep zone guy, he's not quite agile enough to always line up in the slot, the size isn't there to play LB full-time, but he is good enough at all of those things and more to be a really crucial and versatile chess piece that enables and allows our other DBs and LBs to be used in the ways that best suit them. And his instincts and film study often allow him individually to still shine despite his weaknesses. He's an absolutely fantastic full-time special teamer as well.

He is, at times, polarizing amongst KC fans, because periodically a coaching choice or an injury thrusts him into a full-time role, where his weaknesses pop in a little more. But when he has been in his best role, as a nickel/dime linebacker, as a blitzing S, as the primary backup to like 5 different defenders, he's been a difference maker for us. He was a huge component of the divisional game comeback this year, too. Pretty clutch, in general. He's made a few game saving plays over the years. In the 5 playoff games these past two seasons he's had like 40 tackles, an INT, a forced fumble, a couple PDs, and the big tackle on the fake punt to force a turnover against Houston.

That's an acceptable answer. My first thought was Mike Pennel. Our run defense changed drastically once he arrived.

He only logged 1 sack and 24 tackles but he excelled where it doesn't show up in the stat sheets.

[Hunter2_1]

12 hours ago, Trentwannabe said:

LB Matt Milano 

when he gets extended or signed by another team in free agency for over $12mil per year I expect to see a lot of “who?” In the comments. 

and he's a handsome b'trd.

[Hunter2_1]

6 hours ago, Shady Slim said:

how has this thread gone two pages and been littered with pats discourse without reference to duron harmon

Gotta wait for the Lions fans to realise. When he first picks off the last pass of the game to ice the contest, this thread will be waiting