The Jaguars have received very little recognition in NFL.com 's Top 100 players in 2011 countdown. Only one Jaguar has been mentioned so far: Maurice Jones-Drew. It doesn't help with the team's perceived lack of respect. With thirty-two teams, the average team will have three players make the list. Obviously, that's not the way the list has worked so far. The Cowboys have five players, and once Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady go up on the board, the Patriots, Packers and Colts will have five apiece as well. The Jaguars don't ever win popularity contests like that one, but they do make an impact on another kind of list.
Yahoo Sports recently released their choices for an "all-underrated team." They recognized twenty-six players whose talents are underrated by fans around the league. If you're interested in seeing the lists, check the links over in the fanshots section. It could be an enjoyable read for Jaguars fans, however, because the list is littered with "underrated" Jaguars players.
Two of the fourteen "underrated" offensive players from anywhere in the league were Jaguars: Marcedes Lewis and Eugene Monroe. Two of the twelve "underrated" defensive players were Jaguars as well: Terrance Knighton and Daryl Smith. The Jaguars are only one team out of thirty-two but the team had four of the twenty-six most underrated players.
Put plainly, talent is talent. It doesn't matter who recognizes it or doesn't. The Jaguars' lack of representation on the Top 100 list would suggest that the team doesn't have any big stars aside from MJD, but the extensive presence on the "underrated" list suggests that there is lots of hidden talent in the Jaguars roster.
Personally, I like it that way. I like to see this team flying under the radar. The spotlight is nice, but there's no better way to turn up the heat than to have the whole world talking about you in the preseason. There were several teams last year that were highly regarded by the media who flopped during the season: The Vikings were thought to be contenders, they turned out to be old fogies. The Cowboys and Chargers were both said to have "the best roster, on paper, of any team" in the NFL and niether of those teams even won their division.
I'll close with a quote taken from Jay-Z. The Jigga Man asks during a cameo on Kanye's Album "Which would you rather be? Overpaid or Underrated?" Me, I'd be happy to be underrated any day of the week, because it means there is talent present, and talent is what really wins games in the NFL.