You can have the Strahans and the Owenses, but we’ll win games with guys whose sterling play hasn’t yet connected with the masses.
10. Aaron Schobel, Buffalo Bills- How is this guy not a household name? It’s probably because Buffalo is located in Canada. If we were opposing offensive coordinators, we’d no sooner run the ball in his general vicinity than tickle him. One caveat: Half of his 14 sacks last season came in blowout games.
9. Antonio Pierce, New York Giants- Pierce loves to play the no-respect card, maintaining a list of linebackers drafted ahead of him and crossing out their names when they exit the league. Since he can’t perform any better—he’s one of two Giant defenders familiar with the notion of “tackling” and cleans up any number of the team’s messes on his own—we suggest that he raid the Rodney Dangerfield catalog for some self-deprecating color: “Tom Coughlin and I were happy for 20 years. Then we met.” Rim shot!
8. Marion Barber, Dallas Cowboys- Here’s hoping that newly imported coach Wade Phillips continues to give Julius Jones a lion’s share of the carries, as the boys could be Super Bowl bound if they actually put their best players on the field. The only thing Barber doesn’t do better than Jones—better than any back in his division not named Brian Westbrook, in fact—is whine about his role. Mama, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys, Cowboys, or Cowboys fans.
7. Aaron Kampman, Green Bay Packers- In 2006, he added sacks—15 of 'em—to a second straight season of 59 solo tackles. He plays the run as well as he plays the pass, and seems a decent, hard-working sort off the field. If he and his mother were featured on a series of Campbell’s commercial vignettes, we’d probably buy more soup. If he were running for office, we’d adopt his fitness-and-fiscal-prudence platform. We’d follow him into battle and into a monster-truck rally. Kampman is the man.
6. Leigh Bodden, Cleveland Browns- Bodden spends a bit of every season whimpering on the sidelines with gout, a distended pinkie toe, or pancreatic paralysis. When he’s healthy, however, he doesn’t cover the opposing team’s best receiver so much as physically dismantle him. Along with slab-of-sirloin OL Joe Thomas and QB Brady Quinn (yes, we believe), Bodden gives long-suffering Cleveland fans a legit reason to believe that the Browns could be a seven-win team before 2013. Keep shooting for the moon, Browns fans. If you miss, you’ll still find yourself among the stars.
5. Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers- It’s not accurate to say that he’s been underrated; hell, he hasn’t been rated at all. That changes this season, especially now that TE Vernon Davis has a year under his belt. Note to overzealous copy editors: Your union will not underwrite any of the legal costs that emerge after you’re fired for describing Smith as “a San Francisco Treat!” in a headline.
4. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles- Even after three years of Thurman Thomas–esque production, some commentators still call him “Bryant.” He’s Reggie Bush minus the hype and eighth gear, but with a more complete skill set. One wonders if teammate Sheldon Brown was attempting to call attention to this perceptive disparity when he absolutely, thoroughly pulverized Bush during the Saints-Eagles playoff game.
3. Kerry Rhodes, New York Jets- Never mind the 200-plus tackles over the last two seasons, nor his guided-missile approach to defending the run. What he really wants to do is act, as witnessed by his performance as “Bowling Alley Owner” in the upcoming Queen of Media. Seriously, you totally buy that he owns a bowling alley. It’s uncanny.
2. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati Bengals- Unlike teammate Chad Johnson, he doesn’t hire Debbie Allen to choreograph end zone dances or toilet-paper the yards of opposing defensive backs the night before a big game. No, he just catches passes, always in traffic and usually north of the first-down marker. Boooooor-rrrrrring.
1. Adrian Wilson, Arizona Cardinals- Wherever you go, there he is: running stride-for-stride with a tight end down the middle of the field, sneaking up to pulverize a flighty back when he nears the line of scrimmage, etc. He separates receivers from both ball and molars. Imagine a faster Ronnie Lott with a chip on his shoulder from years of losing and anonymity—that’s Wilson.