Prisco's underrated/overrated list

[Fencer]

Overrated-underrated: Polamalu can't cover; Pack's Williams can - NFL - CBSSports.com Football

New England Patriots
Overrated: S Brandon Meriweather. He is a problem when it comes to coverage, yet he goes to Pro Bowls. How does that happen? He even came out on some downs.
Underrated: RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis. He's a grinder who moves the chains. He might never be a big-play runner, but he knows how to get the tough yards.

Asante and Cassell are also his overrated choices for their respective teams.

In general, the biggest positional concentrations on his lists seem to be DB and DL. Probably not coincidentally, he's calling guys "overrated" who make a lot of plays but also blow a bunch, and is calling guys "underrated" who he thinks are reliably good.

 

[Calciumee]

Has he been reading this forum?

We all know that Meri is overrated

 

[DarrylS]

Meriweather perplexes me, on one hand Prisco and many of us believe that he is overrated, but is held in higher esteem by NFL coaches and players. So how do we judge??

BJGE is seriously underrated, my fave.. a north south runner, who seldom gets negative yardage, never fumbles and a really nice guy.

 

[jcdavey]

he nailed it with the chargers

but also stephen cooper shoulda been listed maybe over castillo


as for the polomalu hate, i don't think he's overrated, i think he looked really horrible in the sb though

 

[convertedpatsfan]

Over-rated has a lot of negative connotations, but it shouldn't imply the player is bad. Polamalu is a very good player, but the way the media fawn over him is ridiculous. He can be confused and taken out of the game plan, as NE and GB did.

Meriweather probably makes the over-rated list because of that ridiculous Pro Bowl selection this year, but he's still a fine player and probably one of the top 10 safeties in football. He's not top-5 material or a HOFer, but I don't think you could name 10 better guys at his position.

 

[upstater1]

Prisco has a very good list. It's not hard really to figure out who the overrated guys are. The underrateds are a lot harder.

That being said, though I agree on BM, I think he's so well respected because teams really do fear him over the middle, and if he goes elsewhere the Patriots will need to replace that.

On Polamalu, I totally disagree. No one in the NFL diagnoses plays as fast and gets there with outstanding speed and excellent tackling skills. The guy is a vacuum in the secondary. He's fearsome. Quite honestly, the fact that he gets burned so much is not a problem for him as a player as much as it is for the Steelers defense. They should be gameplanning around Polamalu instead of shunting him into a square hole.

I'd take him on the Patriots anyday and pay him $12 million per knowing that Belichick would find a way to cover the deep middle while Polamalu wreaks havoc. I did see him as the second best player in the league last year. An incredible force of a football player.

 

[ausbacker]

he nailed it with the chargers

but also stephen cooper shoulda been listed maybe over castillo


as for the polomalu hate, i don't think he's overrated, i think he looked really horrible in the sb though

Most of the times Patriots fans watch the Steelers we see Tom Brady abuse Polamalu and the Steelers secondary. He's very good but Ed Reed is so much better.

 

[Rob0729]

Meriweather perplexes me, on one hand Prisco and many of us believe that he is overrated, but is held in higher esteem by NFL coaches and players. So how do we judge??

BJGE is seriously underrated, my fave.. a north south runner, who seldom gets negative yardage, never fumbles and a really nice guy.

The only coach that matters is Belichick and he seems to agree with Prisco since he benched Meriweather this past season for freelancing. I think Ras-I Dowling is going to be his replacement too since I think Meriweather is gone after this season.

As for his being voted to the Pro Bowl, the players and coaches are not immune to voting for overrated players. Happens every year.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

The only coach that matters is Belichick and he seems to agree with Prisco since he benched Meriweather this past season for freelancing. I think Ras-I Dowling is going to be his replacement too since I think Meriweather is gone after this season.

As for his being voted to the Pro Bowl, the players and coaches are not immune to voting for overrated players. Happens every year.

And yet . . .

LB Jerod Mayo -- 1,066 of 1,101 (96.8 percent)
CB Devin McCourty -- 1,050 of 1,101 (95.4 percent)
S Brandon Meriweather -- 881 of 1,101 (80.0 percent) [3rd overall]
CB Kyle Arrington -- 849 of 1,101 (77.1 percent)
S Patrick Chung -- 796 of 1,101 (72.3 percent)
S James Sanders -- 779 of 1,101 (70.8 percent)
CB Darius Butler -- 381 of 1,101 (34.6 percent)
CB Jonathan Wilhite-- 204 of 1,101 (18.5 percent)
S Jarrad Page -- 186 of 1,101 (16.9 percent)
S Sergio Brown -- 86 of 1,101 (7.8 percent)
S Aaron Hernandez -- 2 of 1,101 (.2 percent)

 

[Rob0729]

And yet . . .

LB Jerod Mayo -- 1,066 of 1,101 (96.8 percent)
CB Devin McCourty -- 1,050 of 1,101 (95.4 percent)
S Brandon Meriweather -- 881 of 1,101 (80.0 percent) [3rd overall]
CB Kyle Arrington -- 849 of 1,101 (77.1 percent)
S Patrick Chung -- 796 of 1,101 (72.3 percent)
S James Sanders -- 779 of 1,101 (70.8 percent)
CB Darius Butler -- 381 of 1,101 (34.6 percent)
CB Jonathan Wilhite-- 204 of 1,101 (18.5 percent)
S Jarrad Page -- 186 of 1,101 (16.9 percent)
S Sergio Brown -- 86 of 1,101 (7.8 percent)
S Aaron Hernandez -- 2 of 1,101 (.2 percent)

It is because with McGowan IRed and Jarrad Page injured for most of the season, they only had three healthy safeties (all due respect to Sergio Brown). And the fact that Belichick benched the guy when he needed him so badly was damning.

Meriweather is overrated and in his last year as a Patriot. If Dowling is in fact moved to safety as I think, Meriweather could be backing him up by the end of the season since he is going to be gone anyway after the season barring a change in free agency rules.

 

[ay-yo]

Idk the stats but the Steelers defense always play immensely better with Troy on the field in terms of points per game. Is he the greatest safety of all time? No but he does deserve the recognition he gets.

Seeing those playing time stats has to make you feel that Bodden coming back will make a huge difference for the D. And if Ras-I can push Butler or Arrington down the depth chart we'll be even better.

I think people will be surprised when Merri gets a contract here next off-season (as long as he's reasonable in demands). Him leaving won't improve the team. He's an above average safety and at some point you want your draft picks to become seasoned vets instead of continually getting younger. It's not like his flaws aren't fixable and he can't get better. I'll always take the coaches and players opinions of a guy over anyone else's.

 

[Rob0729]

Over-rated has a lot of negative connotations, but it shouldn't imply the player is bad. Polamalu is a very good player, but the way the media fawn over him is ridiculous. He can be confused and taken out of the game plan, as NE and GB did.

Meriweather probably makes the over-rated list because of that ridiculous Pro Bowl selection this year, but he's still a fine player and probably one of the top 10 safeties in football. He's not top-5 material or a HOFer, but I don't think you could name 10 better guys at his position.

Do you mean safties in general or just free saftey which Meriweather primarily plays. In terms of safeties in general, I don't think he cracks the top 10. In fact, he isn't even the best saftey on this team (that honor goes to Chung). If you are talking FS, he is in the top ten.

Here is a list of safties I think are better or at least you can make a case for them being better than Meriweather of the top of my head (in no particular order):

Chung
Polamula
Ed Reed
Michael Griffin
LaRon Landry
Nick Collins
Adrian Wilson
Antrel Rolle
Chris Hope
Antoine Beathea
[FONT=35d0a63e4a986cf840c10428#4c2a00]Oshiomogho Atogwe[/FONT]
Earl Thomas
Eric Weddle
Ryan Clark
Malcolm Jenkins

 

[Rob0729]

Idk the stats but the Steelers defense always play immensely better with Troy on the field in terms of points per game. Is he the greatest safety of all time? No but he does deserve the recognition he gets.

Seeing those playing time stats has to make you feel that Bodden coming back will make a huge difference for the D. And if Ras-I can push Butler or Arrington down the depth chart we'll be even better.

I think people will be surprised when Merri gets a contract here next off-season (as long as he's reasonable in demands). Him leaving won't improve the team. He's an above average safety and at some point you want your draft picks to become seasoned vets instead of continually getting younger. It's not like his flaws aren't fixable and he can't get better. I'll always take the coaches and players opinions of a guy over anyone else's.

With two Pro Bowl appearances, he is going to want to be paid like a top safety. He is not a top safety. I agree he is above average, but not much above average because he has too much Tebucky Jones in him (playing stupid and making the wrong breaks on the ball).

With his incident this offseason and his price demands probably being in top 3-5 safety money, I seriously doubt he will be here in 2012. He could surprise and take a deep hometown discount, but he is just an above average saftey and not worth elite or top safety money.

As him leaving not making the team better, it depends. If the Pats have to overpay for him and neglect another position because of it, then him staying could hurt the team. If Dowling or someone else steps up and becomes an above average safety, his loss will be minimal.

 

[Deus Irae]

And yet . . .

LB Jerod Mayo -- 1,066 of 1,101 (96.8 percent)
CB Devin McCourty -- 1,050 of 1,101 (95.4 percent)
S Brandon Meriweather -- 881 of 1,101 (80.0 percent) [3rd overall]
CB Kyle Arrington -- 849 of 1,101 (77.1 percent)
S Patrick Chung -- 796 of 1,101 (72.3 percent)
S James Sanders -- 779 of 1,101 (70.8 percent)
CB Darius Butler -- 381 of 1,101 (34.6 percent)
CB Jonathan Wilhite-- 204 of 1,101 (18.5 percent)
S Jarrad Page -- 186 of 1,101 (16.9 percent)
S Sergio Brown -- 86 of 1,101 (7.8 percent)
S Aaron Hernandez -- 2 of 1,101 (.2 percent)

Exactly. Even with the disciplining, and with Chung playing nickel/dime back, Meriweather led all safeties in snap percentage. That's because he was the team's best safety.

Taking a Prisco article seriously is as useless as taking a PFF article seriously.

 

[ay-yo]

As him leaving not making the team better, it depends. If the Pats have to overpay for him and neglect another position because of it, then him staying could hurt the team. If Dowling or someone else steps up and becomes an above average safety, his loss will be minimal.

The thing is safety's don't get paid that much.

Troy got 4 years 30 mil in 2007
Reed got 6 years 40 mil in 2008
Adrian Wilson got 5 years 40 mil in 2009
Kerry Rhodes got 5 years 33.5 mil in 2008

These numbers are less than top players get at just about every other position. So even if we "overpay" and give Merri 6 mil a year it won't really stop us from addressing other positions.

Who else would be in line for a big extension? We normally don't give a big deal to a FA.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

Do you mean safties in general or just free saftey which Meriweather primarily plays. In terms of safeties in general, I don't think he cracks the top 10. In fact, he isn't even the best saftey on this team (that honor goes to Chung). If you are talking FS, he is in the top ten.

Here is a list of safties I think are better or at least you can make a case for them being better than Meriweather of the top of my head (in no particular order):

Chung
Polamula
Ed Reed
Michael Griffin
LaRon Landry
Nick Collins
Adrian Wilson
Antrel Rolle
Chris Hope
Antoine Beathea
[FONT=35d0a63e4a986cf840c10428#4c2a00]Oshiomogho Atogwe[/FONT]
Earl Thomas
Eric Weddle
Ryan Clark
Malcolm Jenkins

Sorry, I should have specified FS. As I said, he's not top 5 but still a top-10 option there and pretty good compared to what most teams have.

Reed and Polamalu belong in their own conversation as HOFers. I'd put Griffin, Landry, Collins, and Wilson together in the next tier. But of the remaining names, I wouldn't think any are more or less the same class of player as Meriweather.

Thomas and Jenkins were quite impressive in their first years as safeties, but it's still only one season. I'd like to see a bit more history. Roy Williams was great for a year or two but ended up being exposed. Both those players have a ton of potential, I admit.

 

[Rob0729]

The thing is safety's don't get paid that much.

Troy got 4 years 30 mil in 2007
Reed got 6 years 40 mil in 2008
Adrian Wilson got 5 years 40 mil in 2009
Kerry Rhodes got 5 years 33.5 mil in 2008

These numbers are less than top players get at just about every other position. So even if we "overpay" and give Merri 6 mil a year it won't really stop us from addressing other positions.

Who else would be in line for a big extension? We normally don't give a big deal to a FA.

You forgot Antrel Rolle. He got 5 years, $37 million. And let's not forget Bob Sanders who got a 5 years, $37.5 million. Meriweather will be looking for about $7 million a year.

Sorry, but Meriweather is likely to get about $7 million a year depending on the new CBA. It isn't a lot in the grand scheme of things, but if they are paying Meriweather $2-3 million more than they want for that position, it still will provent the Patriots from making another move.

Look at Logan Mankins, he is arguably one of the 1-3 best guards in the league and they weren't going to pay him top dollar (the best they offered was #3 guard money). And the top guards don't make much more than the top safeties. In fact, you take away Jahri Evans and I think the top guards make less than the top safeties. You think that that the Pats are pay Meriweather top dollar to be an above average safety? Do you think the Pats are going to pay Meriweather as much or more than they would pay Mankins who is a special player at his position even if it isn't a highly valued position.

Also, don't be surprised if Meriweather is playing for another team in 2011, not having to wait til 2012. I am sure the shooting incident rubbed Belichick and Kraft the wrong way even if he wasn't the one doing the shooting. I am sure Meriweather's admitted insubordination of ignoring the coaches and doing what he wanted on the field also didn't win Belichick over either. Being in the last year of his contract and a two time Pro Bowler, someone might give up a lot for Meriweather based on his reputation over his production. There have been some rumors the Pats may shop him.

I really doubt he will be here next year. The Patriots are not going to pay top dollar for an average player.

 

[Captain Cliche]

Maybe Matt Patricia will straighten him out.

 

[IcyPatriot]

Production is one thing - media hype is another.

Overrated in the media or overpaid. Prisco is part of the group of people who overhype players isn't he?

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

he nailed it with the chargers

but also stephen cooper shoulda been listed maybe over castillo


as for the polomalu hate, i don't think he's overrated, i think he looked really horrible in the sb though

Polumalu is overrated as a player. He is very underrated to what he means to the Steelers defense. They are borderline horrendous without him.

However, he usually isn't very good against elite offenses.

That's why he can elicit different and reasonable opinions.