ST LOUIS, MO - SEPTEMBER 13: Quarterback Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks walks off the field during a timeout in the 2nd half of the game against the St. Louis Rams at Edward Jones Dome on September 13, 2015 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
We're about a quarter of the way through the NFL season.
Week 4 is here and things are starting to take shape. Some teams have flourished, others are still finding their identity and a few haven't lived up to their lofty expectations. Let's focus on that last group.
This week's Mail-it-in Friday topic? Who is the most overrated player in the NFL?
Let's get to work!
RAILING ON RUSSELL
I'm rather fond of Russell Wilson. I think he's mature beyond his years and is unflappable under pressure. Oh, by the way, he's just a fourth-year pro with one Super Bowl title and one more appearance under his belt. Sure, he's a tad robotic and some of his comments about Miracle Water made me raise my eyebrows, but whatever.
The last thing I would call him is overrated. But alas:
It's not just that they feel the Seattle Seahawks QB is overrated, it's their lack of doubt in stating such an opinion. It's the "no doubt about it," and "easily" comments that bother me.
Now, normally I would just deal with such barbs in the same way that my idol T-Sizzle would:
But then I saw this:
Gatormouth,
OH, HELL NO. I was about to respond with a comment that burned with the fire of a thousands stars, but I decided to let someone with facts handle this:
Sam,
I have no idea if what Sam is saying is true, but like every other American, I like that it supports my unchanging view of Russell Wilson as a difference-maker, so I'm going with it. (Note: Sam checked with a correction. Wilson is actually 7-3, and his QB rating is even better at 119. The point remains the same though!)
And someone else chimed in with support:
Daniel,
I almost left Daniel's comment out because I hate when people unleash strings of "hahahahaha" and "LOLOLOLOLOL" and "ROTFLMFAO" on social media along with their comments. And it's also rude to tell people to get off Twitter, no matter how much you disagree with what they're saying.
Don't be a bully, Daniel. But I thank you for your support in this case.
Lonewolf,
No, it's two including myself. Two-and-a-half if you count Daniel's comment. And anyway, shut it! You're a 49ers fan and clearly biased!
Crap, now I'm bullying people.
ANOTHER QB BEING SMACKED AROUND
Russell Wilson wasn't the only quarterback being raked over the coals this week. Check this out:
It seems Sam is on fire this week. He not only offered the final tweet in the above sequence, he even has a table:
Again, I don't know where he got that from, and I'm not looking it up. But if he's actually below Mike Glennon and Jay Cutler, then I can't defend that.
I'm no Luck hater. I think the man is talented, has excellent facial hair game and has had to carry a franchise on his shoulders from Day 1 in the NFL. That's not easy. And yeah, the Colts are sitting at 1-2 at the moment, but he's coming off a season that saw him throw 40 touchdown passes.
Is he a lock for the Hall of Fame? No, I can't say that yet. But he's been in the playoffs every season. That has to count for something.
WHO ELSE IS OVERRATED?
Barry,
Is that a tad harsh? Yes, it is. DeMarco Murray ran for 1,845 yards in 2014. And yes, it was behind a great offensive line in Dallas, but Murray was spectacular in open space and always seemed to make the first man miss.
He had a lot to do with his big numbers last season, so don't sell him short.
That being said, he's gone from flying high to this in 2015:
You've seen the stat by now, but it bears repeating: DeMarco Murray has 21 carries for 11 yards this season and he missed Week 3 with an injury. Eli Manning has more rushing yards at this point and that's disgraceful.
I'm not going to call him overrated, because he's been great (when healthy) up until this point in his career. But he -- and the Eagles offense as a whole -- needs to get it together.
Full disclosure: I have a personal stake in this as Murray is currently on three of my four (way too many) fantasy teams this year.
Brian,
Hey, this isn't multiple choice! I hate when people give me more than one answer. I'm not going to even address your opinion, even if I agreed with it. That's your punishment.
Al,
I'm going to stand up for wide receivers. That's a tough gig because unlike most positions on the field, they're more or less dependent on someone else doing their job right.
First, they have to line up correctly, get past the man in their face at the line of scrimmage and find an open spot in the defense. That's hard enough. Then they have to hope that their quarterback sees them open. And even if the guy throwing the ball sees him, he still has to throw a proper pass that won't get knocked down or get him killed by some opportunistic defensive back.
Take Eric Decker, for instance. He spent two seasons playing with Peyton Manning in Denver and caught an average of 86 receptions per season and brought down 24 total touchdowns. Then he signed with the New York Jets and his production dipped to 74 catches and only five touchdowns in 2014.
Did his skills suddenly erode? No, he just went from playing with a quarterback who could produce to one -- Geno Smith -- who couldn't on a consistent basis. It has to be frustrating.
Who wouldn't blame a receiver for being a bit of a diva? It's annoying to run every play full speed when you're only going to get the ball maybe 6-8 times per game.
Mondo,
Speaking of fantasy, I'm so glad to I didn't take the bait with CJ Anderson. I couldn't believe he was being projected as a first-round pick.
Zack,
I would never call Ndamukong Suh overrated. One, his resume has been stellar before this season and also for the .5 percent chance he somehow sees this mailbag and tracks me down. I don't want any part of that.
However ...
The Dolphins are 1-2 and just got trucked at home by the Bills. I'm not sayin' anything, but I'm just sayin'. The Dolphins DID spend a lot of money on Suh and right at the moment, he's not giving them their money's worth.
But in all fairness to Suh, I think he would say that himself (I hope).
Jason,
Allow me to channel my inner-grade school kid: He's better than you!
Shutup, monkey. Your job is to play the drums and laugh at my jokes. Don't you roll your eyes at me!
KD2K,
First of all, it's Eric Weddle. And second, you're completely wrong. Three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first team All-Pro. And he has this beard:
If anything, the man is underrated.
TJ,
I was really high on Ryan Tannehill when he came into this league. Like need-an-intervention high on him.
I thought he had all the tools when he came out of Texas A&M and I didn't think the Dolphins reached when they took him with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.
This season was going to be the one where Tannehill would prove my genius by joining the elite of NFL quarterbacks. I argued with fellow FOXSports.com NFL editor Ross Jones about it. I refused to back down. I even called Ross names and acted childish about it.
Needless to say, good ole Ryan hasn't backed up my tough talk. He hasn't been bad, but he hasn't been anywhere near what I've built him up to be.
That makes me feel sad. And stupid. But, hey! There's plenty of time left in the season, amirite?
Lonhogger,
Jairus Byrd, eh? Man, I wish there was some comedy there. He may well be overrated, but I wouldn't be the man to prove that.
So, let's move on.
The Future,
As a lifelong Lakers fan ... that's a fair criticism at this point in his career. But if you made that statement six years ago, we'd scrap about this.
Dany,
No .... just, no.
Chris,
Does anyone really expect good things out of Kaepernick these days?
ONE LAST ANNOYING TWEET
James,
Yes, that's fellow FOXSports.com NFL editor -- and all-around bad person -- James Parziale.
Listen here, ass: New York pizza isn't that good. There, I said it. Stop being such a snob.
Alrighty, I'm gonna find a California Pizza Kitchen or a Pizzeria Uno and get fueled up for this week's games. See you next time!
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