In a league of Donovan McNabbs and Tony Romos, star power reigns supreme while leadership and skill seem to go mostly unnoticed. Teams that haven't made the postseason or lost in the first few rounds hardly gain the recognition they deserve, especially their quarterbacks.
Let's look at some of the top five most underrated quarterbacks in the league today.
5. Chad Pennington - Miami Dolphins
Criticized for having a weak arm and being "past his prime," Pennington was released by the New York Jets (the only team he has played for) in favor of Brett Favre. He was picked up by the lowly Miami Dolphins to try and give them some stability behind center.
Now, the Dolphins finally have a leader, a veteran they can turn to and a general on the battlefield. Along with new coach Tony Sparano, Pennington has fueled Miami's resurgence, leading them to a 6-4 record.
Pennington has thrown eight touchdowns and five interceptions up to date and has completed 67 percent of his passes.
First, nearly getting benched in favor of Kellen Clemens, and then getting released by NY definitely warrants his tag as underrated.
4. Shaun Hill - San Francisco 49ers
There is absolutely no reason J.T. O'Sullivan should have been started over Hill. No reason at all. Hill started three games in 2007 and ended it with five TDs and a single interception. Thus far in '08 he has put up nearly identical numbers.
Hill has shown great poise in the pocket, despite the porous play of his offensive line, and doesn't try and force the ball nearly as much as O'Sullivan did. He also has a quicker release and better mobility.
I truly believe the 'Niners have a keeper in Shaun Hill and that if they can build off of him and Patrick Willis, they could sneak into the playoffs next year.
3. Matt Hasselbeck - Seattle Seahawks
After being Favre's understudy for two years in Green Bay, Hasselbeck became the starter for the Seattle Seahawks. Since then, he has been the undisputed leader of that offense and even carried the whole team to the playoffs in the 2007 season.
Hasselbeck has displayed great arm strength, patience and mobility in the pocket. He has been to the Super Bowl once, but is yet to get a ring.
This year he and his team have been hampered by injuries and as a result they have played poorly.
Throughout his entire career, this quarterback hasn't been given enough credit for the things he has done.
2. Carson Palmer - Cincinnati Bengals
Could you imagine how good this guy would be if he were on a good team? I mean seriously, he has played exceptionally even though he's behind center for the Bungles.
The USC star rode his college success and brought it with him into the pros.
Without him, the Bengals would be 10X worse. He leads that team and is the shining star amongst a group of overpaid criminals. It's too bad injuries have kept him sidelined this year or Cincinnati would have beaten the Eagles, instead of forcing a tie.
One thing's for sure, he would have at least known a tie was a possibility, unlike Donovan McNabb.
1. Jeff Garcia - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Five years of playing solid football in San Francisco got him replaced. Short stints in Cleveland and Detroit looked to be his final days.
Enter the year 2006.
Donovan McNabb goes down with yet another injury, and suddenly the playoff hopes of the Eagles look grim. Until second string quarterback Jeff Garcia walks on to the field.
In the eight games Garcia started for the Philadelphia Eagles, he threw 10 touchdowns and only two interceptions. He compiled a QB rating of 95.8 and completed over 60 percent of his passes, even leading his team to a playoff win.
What does he get for such great play? He gets shafted.
Instead of Philly keeping him around to backup McNabb, they traded him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In 2007, he had a great year as the Bucs starter. Once again, he led his team to the playoffs (though he would lose to the eventual Super Bowl champs in the first round).
Garcia has the mobility of a college quarterback, despite his age, and on multiple occasions will scramble for a first down instead of forcing a throw. He plays at a frantic pace and leads his team by example.
What does Jon Gruden do with his playoff quarterback? Benches him in favor of Chicago reject Brian Griese. Thats the worst decision I've ever seen Gruden make in his tenure as an NFL head coach, and that, my friends, is why he is the No. 1 most underrated quarterback in the league.
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about 1 month ago
u do realize that Carson Palmer is out for the season right? there is no way he can be underrated right now because he's hurt. And when he's healthy, he's never underrated, everybody puts him near the top of the QBs in the league.
from about 1 month ago
Hey Eddie,
Yes I do know Palmer is out for the season. He's still an NFL quarterback in the league today though, so I felt it appropriate to mention him.
Despite the fact a lot of people put him near the top I still think he is underrated. If he were on a team like the Patriots or the Cowboys, everyone would rank him #1 or 2 in the league.
from about 1 month ago
I agree with Eddie here. I don't know anybody that doesn't think Carson Palmer is one of the best QBs in the league. I feel bad for him with his injuries.
I totally agree with Chad Pennington to an extent. He doesn't have the strongest arm for an NFL QB but, despite being a hated Jet, I've always liked Pennington. And even though I hope he throws six intereceptions this weekend, as a player and person I admire him. I thought he handled taking the starting job from Vinne T. with a ton of class.
Which brings me to my next point. There's always an arguement about if "the system" makes a QB. I think for both Pennington and Garcia on the list, that it does. Garcia is a good West Coast offense, short passing game QB and has some scrambling ability to keep plays alive. I am not so confident he would do as well in a more wide open, spread, throw it every down offense like Kurt Warner is now playing. Ditto with Chad Pennington. And I am not at all knocking Garcia, I think he belongs on your list, that's just an observation.
from about 1 month ago
Appreciate the comment C, if we wanted to be entirely truthful for a second, I only put Carson Palmer on here for this exact reason. I knew people would argue it. That just means more comments and more free expression about the others.
from about 1 month ago
Oh i totally agree with u on all of these guys Sean, except for Palmer. He would definitely be better if he was on a team like the 'Boys or the Pats. But you have to remember that teams like that can make anybody look good, I mean look at a guy like Matt Cassel.
I actually think that since Palmer plays on such a bad team, and plays as well as he does with what he has to work with, it makes him even better. Any QB can win throwing to guys like Randy Moss, TO, or Jason Witten, but it takes a really good QB to win with a team like the Bengals.
about 1 month ago
Great article. I really like your writing. One thing...you do realize that we as Eagles fans are fully aware of how good Jeff Garcia was right? We do understand that he was the reason we made the playoffs. We did let him go, but that was because we drafted Kolb. And I think Garcia is one of the most underrated quarterbacks of all time. He saved our season and the Bucs. He was great with SF but nobody remembers because he wasnt as good as Montana or Young. If he had 3 or 4 more seasons like he did in his prime with SF, he'd be in the Hall of Fame.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks a lot Bryn,
I'm glad to hear that Eagles fans do appreciate him. I think Philly still would've been smarter to keep him as number 2 because of how injury-prone McNabb is. That would have given Kolb some extra time to sit back and learn as well as making them less inclined to play a hurt McNabb.
from about 1 month ago
Yeah, I wish we would have kept him. Definitely.
from about 1 month ago
How you feeling about the upcoming game against Baltimore?
about 1 month ago
Actually, the argument that "This person would be amazing on a better team" is stupid. Of course they would be, because they are on a good team!
A player is not good until they show they are good on a crappy team. Obviously, they have to have some talent to help those teams be good. Look at Tom Brady for example, if he were not on the Patriots, he wouldn't be as good as he is, but he has talent that a usual 8-8 team would probably be between the 10-6 to 12-4 range. Tom Brady is not amazing, when he is the quarterback of the New England Patriots, he knows that he can toss the ball up there just right and there will be a receiver there (most likely Randy Moss) to catch it.
Chad Pennington is a good choice here I think. Carson Palmer was overrated when he was drafted if you ask me. Look what the guy has done for that team? Absolutely nothing. He may have taken them to the playoffs ONCE. I think, I can't even remember. That means if he did, they were there for one round and they were out.
Saying Carson Palmer would be amazing on a better team is like saying Jon Kitna would be amazing on a better team.
from about 1 month ago
Lol. Once again, thank God I put Carson Palmer on this list or I would never have gotten any comments. I love reading people bash this guy because in all honesty, he is overrated. Like I said earlier, I put him on the list so people would argue it, which you have done beautifully Mike. Thanks for the comment.
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