Spotlight on the AFC East's 10 Most Underappreciated Players

The New England Patriots have been the top dog in the AFC East for over a decade. That doesn't mean, though, that the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins are devoid of talent. Not even close.

The talent on those teams just doesn't get hardly the recognition they deserve.

From back-up offensive linemen to fullbacks and even punters, some of the league's most underappreciated players reside in the AFC East.

But which players are the AFC East's most underappreciated? Read through to find out.

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Kyle Love

Vince Wilfork carried the burden for the Patriots defensive line in the form of a team-high 1,173 snaps out of a possible 1,355 (86.5 percent), but in the wake of a great deal of injuries that crippled their depth, it was Kyle Love that stepped up the most. He played in 697 of the team's defensive snaps (51.4 percent), and while he's not the world's best pass-rusher (two sacks in 2012), he was a force in run defense.

How much playing time Love gets going forward remains to be seen, but it's good to know that the Patriots have solid depth at the position, even if few recognize it.

Zoltan Mesko

Rarely, if ever, do punters get the recognition they deserve. This is especially true for Zoltan Mesko, who plays for the Patriots, and therefore, sees the field less than almost any other in the NFL—of all punters that played in every game, Mesko had the fifth-fewest attempts.

Still, Mesko mastered the art of directional punting in the 2011 offseason and was able to pin opponents inside their own 20 on 24 of his 57 attempts (42.1 percent). He also netted 41.5 yards per punt, finishing third in the NFL.

Mesko's marked improvement from 2010 to 2011 largely flew under the radar due to the team's overall success (and subsequent lack of a need for an effective punter), but Mesko has finally given the Patriots an answer at a position where they have lacked one for years.

Dan Connolly

Patriots fans know the value of Dan Connolly, but few others do. When left guard Logan Mankins held out in 2010, Connolly was the guy. When Mankins returned and right guard Steve Neal went down with an injury, Connolly was the guy. Again.

When center Dan Koppen broke his ankle in Week 1 of the 2011 season, Connolly was the guy. All season.

It's probably rare for a guy that starts two seasons as a backup on the roster to end up with 1,877 snaps, but that's exactly what happened with Connolly. His ability to be a jack-of-all-trades makes him a perfect Patriot, and an invaluable one at that.

Not only has he filled in, but he's done very well. He's given up only three sacks in the past two years.

Jim Leonhard

When Rex Ryan came to the Jets in 2009, he brought linebacker Bart Scott and safety Jim Leonhard with him. Having played for Ryan in Baltimore, those two understand the deepest complexities of his defense better than most. 

Leonhard hasn't always been healthy in his career, but when he has been, he's made a big impact on the Jets defense. He is a very effective "quarterback" for the defense, but not only does he know the calls in coverage, he can carry them out as well. He may not be the best run-defending safety, but in the Cover 1 scheme, he doesn't have to be.

It's unfair that Leonhard gets typecast as the undersized white safety that can't cover. While the first two parts of that statement may be true, the third absolutely isn't. Leonhard is set to become a free agent, and although the team must make smart decisions economically, allowing Leonhard to walk means losing one of their best "glue guys" in the secondary.

Mike Devito

In the mold of many 3-4 defensive linemen, Mike Devito is a solid two-gap defensive lineman, meaning that his primary job is to push the pocket and clog the holes at the line. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Devito graded out as the Jets' second-best defensive linemen behind only Sione Pouha in terms of his run defense.

The Jets may be getting for a defensive rebuild, but at 28 years old, there's plenty of tread left on Devito's tires that he should be able to contribute for years to come.

John Conner

"The Terminator" wasn't good for much more than his nickname in 2010, but really turned on the jets in 2011. He may not have taken a great deal of snaps (378 out of 1,128, 33.5 percent), but was used primarily as a run blocker (219 snaps according to Pro Football Focus) and graded out as one of the best blocking fullbacks in the NFL last year in the top 10 per PFF.

As the running game has become more and more of a distant memory in the NFL, the value of fullbacks has died a death quicker than the plague. John Conner may not be able to travel back in time to change that, but he can certainly help the Jets improve their running game, as the team ranked 30th in YPA on the ground (3.8) in 2011.

Chad Rinehart

Guess I have a soft spot for back-up offensive linemen. It's hard to ignore Rinehart's performance in 2011, though. He would have ordinarily been a backup all season long under any other circumstances, but injuries struck Buffalo's offensive line and someone had to step up.

That someone was Rinehart, who took on an increased load with 868 snaps in 2011 as opposed to 209 in 2010. Despite the increased workload, he didn't give up a single sack all season long (according to Pro Football Focus).

The Bills and their fans should take a lot of comfort in knowing that Rinehart waits on the bench should an injury befall one of their starters.

Brian Moorman

Yup. Another punter.

One of the best in the league, though. And unlike Mesko, who gets overshadowed by the team's success, Moorman's success is diminished because his team rarely enjoys success. It's a lose-lose world of underappreciation for punters.

Brian Moorman's punts traveled an average of 48.2 yards, which ranks him as the sixth-best punter in the NFL. 

Matt Moore

Is Matt Moore a franchise-caliber quarterback? Probably not, but he proved he can do enough on the field to help the team earn a win. 

Moore's performance down the stretch may have moved the Dolphins out of contention for one of the draft's top quarterbacks, but the team's improved play overall should be a promising sign for what this team can accomplish with better play at the quarterback position—the Dolphins went from 0-4 under Chad Henne's 79.0 passer rating to 6-6 with Moore's mediocre 87.1. But hey, mediocre's better than bad.

And even though Moore was the quarterback responsible for all of the team's wins, don't expect him to be the one at the helm in 2012.

Randy Starks

Randy Starks is one of the more well-rounded 3-4 defensive linemen, a rare breed that can actually rush the passer (4.5 sacks in 2011) despite his weight (312 pounds). 

The Dolphins defense improved greatly down the stretch, but Starks was a consistent force from start to finish. 

Specifically, he dominated Browns tackle Joe Thomas in a Week 3 loss. His performance helped the Dolphins hold the Browns to under 300 yards of total offense and just 70 rushing yards. He was also a big part of the Dolphins holding the Patriots to zero points in the first half of their Week 16 showdown and had a sack of Tom Brady in that game.