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Question: Can you be overhyped and still be referred to as a star?
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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2779644-nfls-most-overhyped-stars#slide0
NFL's Most Overhyped Stars
BRENT SOBLESKI
Perception and reality often differ regarding star NFL players. Reputations develop even if they're no longer representative of on-field performance and overall skill set. Some stay hyped; others become overhyped.
Lesser-known players can be disappointments, but they're rarely placed on pedestals. Instead, it's those living on name recognition while not producing on the field who fall into the overhyped category.
The natural order takes care of itself on the field even if those on the outside are slow to adjust. Only the best maintain and exceed expectations. The majority experience ups and downs. Original impressions rarely change, though.
It's difficult to admit a once-great veteran or high draft pick isn't as good as believed. As coaches are fond of saying, "The eye in the sky doesn't lie"—and performance is the only thing that matters.
A few of the league's supposed brightest stars aren't what they seem.
WR Sammy Watkins, Kansas City Chiefs
Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press
Sammy Watkins is on his third team in less than a year, yet expectations continue to grow. Usually, a player who moves around so much is considered a disappointment. Watkins has walked into three different situations with more heaped upon his shoulders with each subsequent stop.
The Buffalo Bills spent the fourth overall pick in the 2014 draft to select the wide receiver and then traded him to the Los Angeles Rams in August. He was supposed to blossom into an elite No. 1 target in L.A., but he didn't re-sign with the Rams, instead choosing the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency.
The Chiefs signed Watkins to a surprising three-year, $48 million deal even though he's eclipsed 1,000 yards once in four seasons. The investment is built upon the 24-year-old's long-term potential.
"It's just a great feeling because I'm not just sitting at the X-receiver spot on the backside looking at two-man or a double," Watkins said of his transition to Kansas City's offense, per BJ Kissel of the Chiefs' official site.
"I'm really playing against a slot [cornerback] and getting an advantage on the linebackers, getting an advantage on the safety, and those are the things that I didn't have access to [in the past], and now I do."
Even so, Watkins is no better than the Chiefs' third option behind Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill.
DE Robert Quinn, Miami Dolphins
Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
Robert Quinn is arguably the NFL's most fluid and natural pass-rusher when he's healthy.
"He bends like nobody I've ever seen," Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Matt Burke said, per the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Omar Kelly. "He has rare bendability."
The Dolphins acquired the 28-year-old veteran from the Los Angeles Rams for a 2018 fourth-round draft pick and sixth-round pick swap.
Quinn registered 40 sacks between 2012 and '14 and earned a pair of Pro Bowl berths. But his production during the subsequent campaigns is far less impressive. The 2011 first-round pick recorded 17.5 sacks the last three seasons. The Rams found him expendable since his contract still carried a combined $24.4 million cap hit between this and next year, according to Spotrac.
Some of Quinn's effectiveness has been robbed by injuries. The defensive end needed back surgery two years ago, and he hasn't played a full season since 2014 campaign. The Rams managed his practice time, which allowed Quinn to bounce back to a degree.
The edge defender didn't fit in the Rams' defensive scheme, either, and he should be more comfortable playing in Miami's four-man front. Although, reps must be parceled between a talented group of edge-rushers that features Quinn, Cameron Wake, Andre Branch, William Hayes and last year's first-round pick, Charles Harris.
An injury history, significant price tag and limited reps blunt Quinn's overall impact.
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To read the whole article click the link.
***************************************************************
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2779644-nfls-most-overhyped-stars#slide0
NFL's Most Overhyped Stars
BRENT SOBLESKI
Perception and reality often differ regarding star NFL players. Reputations develop even if they're no longer representative of on-field performance and overall skill set. Some stay hyped; others become overhyped.
Lesser-known players can be disappointments, but they're rarely placed on pedestals. Instead, it's those living on name recognition while not producing on the field who fall into the overhyped category.
The natural order takes care of itself on the field even if those on the outside are slow to adjust. Only the best maintain and exceed expectations. The majority experience ups and downs. Original impressions rarely change, though.
It's difficult to admit a once-great veteran or high draft pick isn't as good as believed. As coaches are fond of saying, "The eye in the sky doesn't lie"—and performance is the only thing that matters.
A few of the league's supposed brightest stars aren't what they seem.
WR Sammy Watkins, Kansas City Chiefs
Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press
Sammy Watkins is on his third team in less than a year, yet expectations continue to grow. Usually, a player who moves around so much is considered a disappointment. Watkins has walked into three different situations with more heaped upon his shoulders with each subsequent stop.
The Buffalo Bills spent the fourth overall pick in the 2014 draft to select the wide receiver and then traded him to the Los Angeles Rams in August. He was supposed to blossom into an elite No. 1 target in L.A., but he didn't re-sign with the Rams, instead choosing the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency.
The Chiefs signed Watkins to a surprising three-year, $48 million deal even though he's eclipsed 1,000 yards once in four seasons. The investment is built upon the 24-year-old's long-term potential.
"It's just a great feeling because I'm not just sitting at the X-receiver spot on the backside looking at two-man or a double," Watkins said of his transition to Kansas City's offense, per BJ Kissel of the Chiefs' official site.
"I'm really playing against a slot [cornerback] and getting an advantage on the linebackers, getting an advantage on the safety, and those are the things that I didn't have access to [in the past], and now I do."
Even so, Watkins is no better than the Chiefs' third option behind Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill.
DE Robert Quinn, Miami Dolphins
Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
Robert Quinn is arguably the NFL's most fluid and natural pass-rusher when he's healthy.
"He bends like nobody I've ever seen," Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Matt Burke said, per the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Omar Kelly. "He has rare bendability."
The Dolphins acquired the 28-year-old veteran from the Los Angeles Rams for a 2018 fourth-round draft pick and sixth-round pick swap.
Quinn registered 40 sacks between 2012 and '14 and earned a pair of Pro Bowl berths. But his production during the subsequent campaigns is far less impressive. The 2011 first-round pick recorded 17.5 sacks the last three seasons. The Rams found him expendable since his contract still carried a combined $24.4 million cap hit between this and next year, according to Spotrac.
Some of Quinn's effectiveness has been robbed by injuries. The defensive end needed back surgery two years ago, and he hasn't played a full season since 2014 campaign. The Rams managed his practice time, which allowed Quinn to bounce back to a degree.
The edge defender didn't fit in the Rams' defensive scheme, either, and he should be more comfortable playing in Miami's four-man front. Although, reps must be parceled between a talented group of edge-rushers that features Quinn, Cameron Wake, Andre Branch, William Hayes and last year's first-round pick, Charles Harris.
An injury history, significant price tag and limited reps blunt Quinn's overall impact.
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To read the whole article click the link.
