I don’t think it is fair to have a list of overrated players if you don’t explain and show who you believe is the most underrated? So here is my list of five players that deserve a little respect.

Philip Rivers – Rivers is San Diego’s savior, and while everyone would like to speak about the big time quarterbacks of Manning, Rodgers and Brady they always leave off Rivers. Rivers has 32k passing yards, 221 touchdowns and a career passer rating of 96. That is amazing, but we fail to hear about Rivers. The guy is a class act, he doesn’t complain about his situation, he just goes out and makes the best of it. I would make him my franchise quarterback anytime.

Vontaze Burfict – You already know that Tez would be on my list. Everyone in the draft world is still upset at Burfict, but the guy is playing like a first rounder. He led the NFL in tackles this year and was in the top 5 last season. The kid is tearing it up and will be due a nice contract extension. Burfict has not had the easiest past, but he is going out and playing hard to prove those critics wrong.

Steve Smith – Carolina Panthers made it deep in the playoffs, but you very rarely hear about Smith. Smith has been on some really bad teams in Carolina, but the only time people talk about him is when he puts on a great performance and talks trash afterwards. He has to talk trash for people to realize he is on the roster, otherwise they would forget about him. He has 12k career receiving yards and 67 touchdowns but people would rather talk about Victor Cruz or Hakeem Nicks.

Frank Gore – Frank Gore is getting older in age, but he is still getting it done. He was one of 13 players to run for a thousand yards this year. That is pretty crazy when you look at his age. Gore is a 30 year old back, that is taking tons of wear and tear. In his career he is very close to eclipsing 10k yards rushing and has scored 60 career touchdowns.

Antonio Brown – People do not give this kid the credit he deserves. He is a Miami boy, that played his college ball for Central Michigan, folks. People in the NFL cannot cover him. They struggle and he is a force in the return game. He is so over looked, but that will not happen for long. Expect him to get a huge pay day soon.