Chicago Bears: The Most Overrated and Underrated Player at Each Position
In football, as with all sports, you have those unsung heroes whose play is overshadowed by bigger-named stars who perform at the elite level. They make the above-average performers around them look mediocre. You will also have your "tallest little person in the room" players who are entirely overhyped because they are surrounded, either currently or historically, by general ineptitude.
Today, we look at some of those who were overhyped, as well as those who were overshadowed on a position-by-position basis. So follow me as we look at some of the most overrated and underrated Bears of all time.
Offensive Line
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Most Overrated—Tom Thayer: Part of the '85 Super Bowl squad and the blocking unit that cleared the way for Walter Payton to run his way into the record books, Thayer (and to a slightly lesser extent, Keith Van Horn) benefited from the greatness of some of the other linemen around him.
More than any other position group, the offensive line plays as a unit. Playing next to Jay Hilgenberg, Mark Bortz and Jimbo Covert helped to hide Thayer's flaws. Thayer wasn't a bad guard. He just wasn't the great guard that many Bears fans seem to remember him as.
Most Underrated—James "Big Cat" Williams: Originally drafted as a defensive tackle in 1991, Williams got some time on the defensive line, rotating out William Perry and Steve McMichael in his rookie season. With the emergence of fellow '91 draft pick Chris Zorich in 1992, Williams had a hard time making the game-day roster.
But Coach Mike Ditka saw something in Williams and moved him to the right tackle spot in late November, and the rest is history. Williams went on to road-grate in front of 1,000-yard rushers Rashaan Salaam, Raymont Harris, James Allen and Anthony Thomas and blocked for Curtis Enis as he rushed for over 900 yards in 12 starts. Note those names. And note that none of them did anything relevent after leaving Chicago and the safety of Big Cat's blocking.
Yet when offensive tackles are discussed in Chicago, Williams' name is seldom thrown in as anything but an afterthought. He was voted as a Pro Bowl alternate in 1998 and to the Pro Bowl in 2001. He was released for cap reasons after the 2002 season, and the Bears have struggled to replace him ever since.
Tight End
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Most Overrated—James "Robocop" Thornton: Thornton is the perfect example of a workout warrior whose training in the gym didn't translate onto the football field. Fans hyped him for his guns, but his actual accomplishments weren't so great. He averaged less than 20 receptions, around 230 yards and about a touchdown a season. He always seemed afraid to take a hit, and he wasn't an effective blocker.
After seven seasons, one of which he didn't play due to injury, he was released and found a spot on the Oilers' roster—where he did absolutely nothing.
Most Underrated—Desmond Clark: Clark is the anti-Thornton. In his seven seasons as a starter in Chicago, he put up 2,627 yards, 18 touchdowns and 241 receptions. This placed him 20th, 17th and ninth all-time, respectively, on the Bears' franchise leaderboard. Not bad for a TE playing for a team with a 91-season history.
He managed to fend off receiving tight end and first round pick Greg Olson for two seasons before finally sharing starting duties. This year, he was inexplicably off the game-day roster for most of the season. But his time with Chicago has been productive, and Clark has definitely been underrated by the fans and the coaching staff. (Brandon Manumaleuna was ranked dead last over the past three seasons as a blocker and wasn't used as a receiver, yet the Bears paid him nearly $7 million last season while sitting Clark, who is a better receiver and blocker. Go figure.)
Wide Reciever
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Most Overrated—Bernard Berrian: Berrian was an average receiver in the vain of Johnny Knox or Devin Hester. Yet, he left Chicago heralded as a legitimate No. 1 receiver and got a contract from the Vikings that reflected that. He has never crossed the 1,000-yard mark in his career and arguably wasn't even the best receiver on the team when he left.
There were several other options for this position (Muhsin Muhammad and Willie Gault came immediately to mind,) but none fit the bill of overrated quite like good ole' Berrian.
Most Underrated—Jeff Graham: Who? In Graham's two seasons in Chicago, he put up two of the best statistical seasons in Chicago history. His '95 effort ranks second all time in yards and sixth all time in receptions. His '94 season ranks in the Top 20 in both as well.
Considering the Bears' 91-year history, a guy who most don't even remember posting 2,245 yards, 150 receptions and eight touchdowns in two seasons ranks him tops among the underrated.
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Running Back
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Most Overrated—Anthony Thomas: Thomas came into the league looking like the answer the Bears had sought to their rushing woes since Neal Anderson retired. But his production was short lived, and just a few years later he was sitting on benches in New Orleans, Dallas and Buffalo.
Most Underrated—Thomas Jones: It doesn't matter where Jones goes, someone is always looking for his replacement. Yet he always produces. Think about this, when looking at the list of the most productive seasons in Bears history by a rusher, Walter Payton holds nine of those seasons.
The other is held not by Gale Sayers or Neal Anderson or Rick Casares. It's held by Thomas Jones, the only Bears' running back, besides Payton, to break 1,300 yards in a season. Though he came in looking like a bust after being drafted with the seventh overall pick by the Cardinals, Jones came into his own in Chicago and has done nothing but help team win ever since.
He isn't just one of the most underrated players in Chicago history. He might be one of the most underrated RBs in NFL history.
Quarterback
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Most Overrated—Kyle Orton: Neckbeard himself. Orton got a reputation as a winner in Chicago. Of course, that came on the backs of the dominant Bears defense. Orton's rookie season saw him go 10-5 as a starter...while throwing nine touchdowns to 13 interceptions with 12 fumbles.
In fact, the Orton-led offense scored all of 218 points in 2005. Had the defense not held teams to only 202 points and scored 42 points themselves, Orton would be looking at a losing record in Chicago. Orton's reputation was built on the disapproval rating of Rex Grossman, not on his own abilities. He's become a pretty good quarterback in Denver. But in Chicago, he was below average and highly overrated.
Most Underrated—Jim McMahon: Some people are going to see this and ask how McMahon could possibly be underrated. But I also considered McMahon as the most overrated quarterback. He very well could have filled both of these slots. Fans are bipolar on the Punky QB.
But let's be fair. McMahon won a lot of games. And unlike Orton, McMahon actually had to do something to win some of those games. Take the Miracle in Minnesota, for example.
McMahon couldn't start because of back spasms and wasn't supposed to play. But with the Bears losing the game, McMahon badgered Ditka until he was allowed in. On his first play, he threw a touchdown. He then threw two more in the next seven minutes, and the Bears won—in dramatic fashion—a game that set the tone for the '85 Championship season.
Many of the players on that team, offensive and defensive players, have pointed to that game and that performance as the turning point for the Bears that year. That was where they started to truly believe they could win it all.
McMahon is often considered the best of a weak quarterback history in the Bears' Super Bowl era. But to be fair, McMahon should be considered great regardless of the group of poor quarterbacks that bracket his career in Chi-Town.
Defensive Tackle
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Most Overrated—William Perry: "The Fridge" was a ton of fun for Chicago fans and the most-memorable defensive tackle of the '80s. But he wasn't even the best DT on his team. Steve McMichael (who I seriously considered for most underrated) was easily the best DT of that era.
Perry is more myth than legend, largely in part to his comic contributions to the offense, where he was used as a blocking, rushing and receiving option to humiliate opposing teams. I will say this for the Fridge, he was possibly the most athletic 340-pound man in the history of the game. This guy was even courted by the diving coach at Clemson. Seriously.
Most Underrated—Anthony Adams: Adams gets no respect. The guy doesn't produce many sacks, so the fact that the Bears ranked first in the league defending the run up the middle (his primary job) is ignored by most. But Adams has been the one consistent player on the Bears' line over the past few years. And his consistent is the good kind.
Defensive End
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Most Overrated—Adewale Ogunleye: The Bears gave away their only true No. 1 wide receiver in Marty Booker to get 'Wale. He gave the Bears a slightly above-average DE for six seasons.
The Nigerian prince (Yes, he really is a prince in Nigeria, folks) wasn't bad at all. But considering his contract, what the Bears gave up for him and his relative inability to defend the run, I'd call Ogunleye overrated. Especially when you consider his fellow DE...
Most Underrated—Alex Brown: Brown frequently had the same amount of sacks that Ogunleye did, was a better run defender and was a better pass defender. Yet he made a fraction of Ogunleye's salary for most of his career and usually was an afterthought to fans, who focused on the more well-known Ogunleye.
Linebacker
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Most Overrated—Warrick Holdman: Much was made of Jerry Angelo's ineptitude when he forgot to check the box that would have required teams to give Chicago compensation if they signed Warrick Holdman. And it was well deserved.
But the linebacker in question wasn't nearly the loss that he was made out to be. Holdman's five years in Chicago amounted to three sacks, one interception and 278 tackles. That sounds about like two down years for the guy who replaced him: Lance Briggs.
Most Underrated—Hunter Hillenmeyer: Hillenmeyer, even though he played more frequently as a reserve, had more sacks and more interceptions; and similar pass defense, tackle and forced fumble numbers when compared to Holdman.
Additionally, Hillenmeyer was the only player on the Bears' roster capable of stabilizing the defense when Brian Urlacher was injured for the entire 2009 season. He may not have had the physical gifts of some of the other Bears' LBs, but he had the heart, intelligence and leadership skills the team needed.
His retirement this offseason due to concussions is a bigger blow to the Bears' defense than most realize.
Defensive Back
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Most Overrated—Todd Bell: Bell was an all-pro strong safety who held out the entire '85 Championship season for a bigger contract. It didn't work out so well for him.
He missed out on a Super Bowl ring and was exposed as a benefactor of Buddy Ryan's 4-6 defense when Dave Duerson stepped in and outplayed him in his absence. Yet fans still look at him as one of the Bears' great safeties.
In fact, after the holdout, Bell never returned to the form that made him a one-hit wonder during '84. Duerson went on to two Super Bowl rings with two teams and five all-pro selections.
Most Underrated—Tony Parrish: There were several options that came to mind here, with Duerson and Charles Tillman topping the list. But Parrish might be the ultimate in underrated players. He was dominant but not flashy.
Year in and year out, the coaches and sportswriters would vote Parrish into the Pro Bowl, and year in and year out, the fans would vote in some flashy, mouthy defender to take his place. Parrish spent four seasons in Chicago and accumulated eight interceptions, six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, 272 tackles and a defensive touchdown.
The release of Parrish was another of those made by Jerry Angelo in an (rumored) attempt to take apart the defense and diminish then-coach Dick Jauron's power. It proved to be a costly mistake, as Parrish would go on to record 22 interceptions, three forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and 50 passes defended in the next three-and-a-half years for San Francisco before injuries derailed his career.
And there you have it, folks! The most overrated and underrated players by position in modern Bears' history. Let us know what you think below!
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