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I've been promising the chatters on my weekly ESPN SportsNation chats that I will do my annual overrated players column. Now that the season is over, it's time for me to keep my word.
Here are eight players whose metrics and statistics say they aren't as good as their reputations (with Pro Bowl berths weighing heavily in measuring reputation):
Derek Anderson, QB, Cleveland -- Anderson had nine games this past season with a passer rating of less than 80 and topped that mark only once in the final five games of the season. His 19 interceptions ranked 29th worst in that category. His 82.5 season-long passer rating was lower than the passer ratings of Jay Cutler, Matt Schaub, Chad Pennington and Sage Rosenfels. Leading the Browns to 10 wins was impressive, but the sum of Anderson's accomplishments should not have equaled a trip to Honolulu.
Dallas Clark, TE, Indianapolis -- He often is mentioned as being among the elite tight ends in the NFL, but 2007 was the second year in a row he posted a mediocre 6.4 yards per attempt. If Clark played for a non-contender, he would be a relative unknown.
Donald Driver, WR, Green Bay -- He tied for 17th in the league in receptions, was 20th in receiving yards and was 21st in receiving yards per game. Four other Green Bay players had more touchdown receptions than Driver did. It's not that he is a poor receiver by any stretch, but nothing in his numbers suggested he should have been in the Pro Bowl.
Shaun Rogers, DT, Detroit -- He was named the NFC player of the week at one point during the 2007 season, but his 4.4 YPA allowed on point-of-attack runs was quite disappointing for a player who had been dominant in that area in the past. And that wasn't all: 30 of the 97 POA runs directed at Rogers gained at least 5 yards, and 11 went for 10-plus yards.
Richard Seymour, DE, New England -- He has to be given a bit of a break because an injury cost him seven games in 2007, but even once he returned, he played nowhere near his typical level. He allowed 4.2 YPA on POA runs and posted a mediocre 10.5 POA success percentage. Add that to his 1.5 regular-season sacks and zero postseason sacks, and it shows Seymour has a way to go to get his play back up to his reputation.
Jeremy Shockey, TE, N.Y. Giants -- There is a reason for all the talk about whether Kevin Boss is the real long-term solution at tight end for the Giants. Shockey's 6.8 YPA this past season was mediocre, and that doesn't tell the whole story. Take away his 12-catch, 129-yard game against Dallas in Week 10, and Shockey averaged 3.5 receptions and 38 yards in every other game in which he played.
Kyle Vanden Bosch, DE, Tennessee -- Five of Vanden Bosch's 12 sacks were coverage sacks, and a sixth came against Renardo Foster, a rookie backup offensive tackle for the Falcons who had to fill in for Wayne Gandy in Week 4. Vanden Bosch also was a liability against the run, as evidenced by his 4.5 YPA allowed on POA runs and a somewhat average 16.2 POA success percentage.
Mike Vrabel, LB, New England -- Vrabel made the Pro Bowl largely on the strength of his 12.5 sacks, but he is nowhere near the elite pass-rusher that total says he is. Six of his sacks were of the coverage/scheme/run/garbage type, and he had only a single one-on-one sack in the last seven weeks of the regular season. Add his 5.6 YPA allowed on POA runs and zero sacks in the postseason, and it is clear his trip to Hawaii was based on past performance.
KC Joyner, aka The Football Scientist, is a regular contributor to ESPN Insider. His core passing metrics can be found in the ESPN Fantasy Football Magazine, which is on newsstands now. A free sample of his latest release ("Scientific Football 2007") is available on his Web site.
Here are eight players whose metrics and statistics say they aren't as good as their reputations (with Pro Bowl berths weighing heavily in measuring reputation):
Derek Anderson, QB, Cleveland -- Anderson had nine games this past season with a passer rating of less than 80 and topped that mark only once in the final five games of the season. His 19 interceptions ranked 29th worst in that category. His 82.5 season-long passer rating was lower than the passer ratings of Jay Cutler, Matt Schaub, Chad Pennington and Sage Rosenfels. Leading the Browns to 10 wins was impressive, but the sum of Anderson's accomplishments should not have equaled a trip to Honolulu.
Dallas Clark, TE, Indianapolis -- He often is mentioned as being among the elite tight ends in the NFL, but 2007 was the second year in a row he posted a mediocre 6.4 yards per attempt. If Clark played for a non-contender, he would be a relative unknown.
Donald Driver, WR, Green Bay -- He tied for 17th in the league in receptions, was 20th in receiving yards and was 21st in receiving yards per game. Four other Green Bay players had more touchdown receptions than Driver did. It's not that he is a poor receiver by any stretch, but nothing in his numbers suggested he should have been in the Pro Bowl.
Shaun Rogers, DT, Detroit -- He was named the NFC player of the week at one point during the 2007 season, but his 4.4 YPA allowed on point-of-attack runs was quite disappointing for a player who had been dominant in that area in the past. And that wasn't all: 30 of the 97 POA runs directed at Rogers gained at least 5 yards, and 11 went for 10-plus yards.
Richard Seymour, DE, New England -- He has to be given a bit of a break because an injury cost him seven games in 2007, but even once he returned, he played nowhere near his typical level. He allowed 4.2 YPA on POA runs and posted a mediocre 10.5 POA success percentage. Add that to his 1.5 regular-season sacks and zero postseason sacks, and it shows Seymour has a way to go to get his play back up to his reputation.
Jeremy Shockey, TE, N.Y. Giants -- There is a reason for all the talk about whether Kevin Boss is the real long-term solution at tight end for the Giants. Shockey's 6.8 YPA this past season was mediocre, and that doesn't tell the whole story. Take away his 12-catch, 129-yard game against Dallas in Week 10, and Shockey averaged 3.5 receptions and 38 yards in every other game in which he played.
Kyle Vanden Bosch, DE, Tennessee -- Five of Vanden Bosch's 12 sacks were coverage sacks, and a sixth came against Renardo Foster, a rookie backup offensive tackle for the Falcons who had to fill in for Wayne Gandy in Week 4. Vanden Bosch also was a liability against the run, as evidenced by his 4.5 YPA allowed on POA runs and a somewhat average 16.2 POA success percentage.
Mike Vrabel, LB, New England -- Vrabel made the Pro Bowl largely on the strength of his 12.5 sacks, but he is nowhere near the elite pass-rusher that total says he is. Six of his sacks were of the coverage/scheme/run/garbage type, and he had only a single one-on-one sack in the last seven weeks of the regular season. Add his 5.6 YPA allowed on POA runs and zero sacks in the postseason, and it is clear his trip to Hawaii was based on past performance.
KC Joyner, aka The Football Scientist, is a regular contributor to ESPN Insider. His core passing metrics can be found in the ESPN Fantasy Football Magazine, which is on newsstands now. A free sample of his latest release ("Scientific Football 2007") is available on his Web site.
