The 25 Most Unfairly Labeled Players in the NFL

In the National Football League, there are a number of players who are mislabeled. They have incorrectly been given a reputation as a choker or a soft player or a diva.

For example, any quarterback who has not won a Super Bowl is going to be labeled as a choker, especially if he is a great quarterback in the regular season. 

The following 25 slides highlight the players, coaches and teams who have been mislabeled the most in the NFL. 

The Recent Patriots as "Choke Artists"

Even though they are usually one of the best teams in the NFL, the New England Patriots have lost three straight postseason games. They lost to the Jets in last year's divisional round. The Ravens smoked them in the 2009 wild-card round, and who can forget the Giants upset in Super Bowl XLII?

But that doesn't mean the Patriots are chokers. I think the Ravens might have been a better team in 2009. The Jets weren't better in 2010, and the Giants definitely weren't better in 2007, but fans need to understand that no team can win the Super Bowl every single year. 

Just because you didn't win the Super Bowl, or even a playoff game, doesn't mean you are a choker. 

Tom Brady as a "Choke Artist"

Similar to the entire team, quarterback Tom Brady has been labeled as a choke artist since he has not won a playoff game since 2007.

But he led what should have been a dramatic game-winning touchdown-drive late in the Super Bowl. He did play poorly against the Ravens in 2009, but he threw 299 yards and two touchdowns against the Jets in 2010. 

He's still the best clutch quarterback in the game. He has three rings. He just hasn't won a Super Bowl since 2004. 

Donovan McNabb as "Playoff Choker"

Donovan McNabb has a 9-7 career postseason record and has been to one Super Bowl and five NFC championship games in his 12 years in the NFL.

Yet he will forever be labeled a postseason choker, which isn't fair considering the fact that his defense has rarely, if ever, come up big in a big postseason game. 

LaDainian Tomlinson as a "Washed-Up Running Back"

Last year, LaDainian Tomlinson gained 914 rushing yards and scored six touchdowns with the New York Jets. He averaged 4.2 yards-per-carry, almost a yard higher than the previous season when he averaged just 3.3.

He's 32 years old but he's not washed up. He's a veteran running back who can still produce 60 to 70 yards per game. 

Jay Cutler as a "Quitter"

Jay Cutler famously left the NFC championship against the Green Bay Packers last season with a leg injury. Yet he stood on the sidelines and watched the rest of the game, and received much criticism for having the power to stand but not re-enter the game. 

That's ridiculous. Every quarterback's dream is to lead his team to the Super Bowl. If Cutler could have gone back in the game, he would have. 

The Philadelphia Eagles as the "Dream Team"

First of all, who honestly cares that backup quarterback Vince Young called the Eagles the "dream team?"

Second of all, the Eagles are not the dream team. They haven't won a playoff game since the 2008 season, and even though their roster is packed full of incredible players, many acquired this offseason, they need to perform on the field before all the "dream team" comparisons can be made. 

Eli Manning as a "Clutch Quarterback"

Because of one 83-yard game-winning touchdown drive against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, Eli Manning will forever be considered a clutch quarterback. 

That's a joke. Where was his clutch play when the Giants lost their first playoff game in 2005, 2006 and 2008? Or when the Giants choked down the stretch in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010? 

Adrian Peterson as a "Fumbling Machine"

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson used to be a fumbling machine. He fumbled 20 times in three seasons, an average of once every two-to-three games. He also fumbled three times against the New Orleans Saints in the 2009 NFC championship game.

But he fumbled once last season and appears to have turned into the next Tiki Barber, who also struggled with ball-handling early in his career. 

Peyton Manning as a "Weak Quarterback"

You know the critics who say that Peyton Manning isn't a tough quarterback and he is just lucky to have his consecutive-games-played streak at 208?

That's ridiculous. He missed the entire preseason in 2008 and won the Most Valuable Player award that season. What more could you want from a quarterback?

The neck injury he's struggling with this year? I bet he plays in Week 1. 

Ben Roethlisberger as a "Clutch Postseason Performer"

Three. That's how many Super Bowls Ben Roethlisberger has played in. 

One. That's how many Super Bowls Ben Roethlisberger has played well in.

He led the awesome game-winning touchdown drive in Super Bowl XLIII, but he played very poorly against the Seahawks three years earlier and failed against the Packers with the game on the line last year. 

Andy Reid as a "Playoff Choker"

Andy Reid is probably the second best coach in the National Football League. He's better than Sean Payton, Tom Coughlin, or Mike McCarthy, all of whom have won a Super Bowl.

He gets the Eagles into the postseason almost every year, and usually the team has a deep playoff run. 

He just needs a Super Bowl title to clinch a spot in the Hall of Fame. 

Philip Rivers as a "Playoff Choker"

Rivers' Chargers are just 3-4 in seven postseason games. 

But to be fair, they've lost to some pretty fantastic teams. The 2006 Patriots and 2007 Patriots, in particular, were probably the best teams in the NFL in their respective seasons.

And I will forever have respect for Rivers playing through a torn ACL in 2007.  

Randy Moss as "Washed Up"

Randy Moss is just 34 years old and I don't believe that he has finished his NFL career. 

He's a future Hall of Famer and one of the top wide receivers ever. He was incredible with the Vikings in 1998 and the Patriots in 2007, and when he wants to play, nobody can stop him.

But when he doesn't want to play, like last year, he turns into a nobody.

I predict that he comes back for 2012 and tops 1,000 yards. 

Aaron Rodgers as the "Best QB in the NFL"

Make no mistake. Aaron Rodgers is a fantastic quarterback and will probably be in the Hall of Fame one day. 

But he's not the game's best player, or even the best quarterback, right now. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are definitely better. Philip Rivers and Drew Brees might be better. 

Rodgers is on top of the world now because the Packers won the Super Bowl, but this is exactly how Drew Brees was after 2009. 

James Starks as the "Next Great Running Back"

James Starks rushed for 101 yards and zero touchdowns last season. 

But because he rushed for 123 yards against the Eagles in the wild-card game, he's the next great running back. Nevermind that in the entire postseason, he rushed for just 3.89 yards-per-carry and one touchdown (on 89 carries).

Let's see him do something in the regular season before we anoint him as the next great running back. 

Nnamdi Asomugha and Asante Samuel as the "Best Cornerback Duo"

When the Eagles signed free agent Nnamdi Asomugha this offseason, they were proclaimed to have the top cornerback combination in the National Football League. After all, Asante Samuel intercepted seven passes last year and was a Pro Bowler.

But the Jets combination of Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie is slightly better. Revis is the game's best cornerback and the two have already played together for a year. 

Kevin Kolb as the "Next Aaron Rodgers"

Kevin Kolb is the next Aaron Rodgers. He sat on the bench for four years learning from Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick and Marty Mornhinweg and Andy Reid, just like Rodgers sat on the bench for three years behind Favre.

But shouldn't Kevin Kolb have to do something in the NFL before he is proclaimed the next great quarterback? He has a $63 million contract and he has thrown exactly 11 touchdown passes in his career. 

Chad Johnson as an "Elite Receiver"

Chad Ochocinco is not one of the elite wide receivers in the NFL. He was until a few years ago when his production tailed off tremendously.

Over the last three seasons, he has averaged 806 yards and six touchdowns. Those are the numbers of a No. 2 wide receiver, not a so-called elite receiver. 

Jermichael Finley as the "Next Great Tight End"

Finley has played three seasons in the NFL and really hasn't done anything to solidify his so-called reputation as one of the league's top tight ends. He caught six passes as a rookie, 55 in 2009 and 21 in 2010.

He had one good season, one injury-plagued season, and one season buried on the depth chart. Even in his best season, in 2009, he missed three games due to injuries. 

He could still turn into a great tight end, especially with Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback, but right now he's nothing special. 

Danny Amendola as the "Next Wes Welker"

When Josh McDaniels was the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, he helped develop Wes Welker into the best slot receiver in the NFL. Now he's with the St. Louis Rams as their offensive coordinator and the talk is that he will help turn Danny Amendola into the next Wes Welker.

It's not going to happen. Amendola caught 85 passes last season, and averaged 8.1 yards-per-catch. He scored just three touchdowns. And he only caught so many passes because the Rams had no receiving threats. 

With the addition of Mike Sims-Walker, the return of Donnie Avery and the drafting of Lance Kendricks and Greg Salas, Amendola's catches will go way down.

Rex Ryan as a "Postseason Failure"

Rex Ryan took the Jets to the AFC championship game in each of the last two seasons. In 2009, they entered the postseason as the fifth seed and almost beat the Indianapolis Colts on the road in the conference championship game.

In 2010, they knocked off the division rival New England Patriots in a game that Ryan dubbed the second biggest game in franchise history. 

Ryan is anything but a failure in the postseason. Not a lot of coaches have four postseason victories in their first two seasons. 

Mark Sanchez as a "Good Quarterback"

Mark Sanchez is a below-average starting quarterback. 

In his first season, he threw for 13 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. In 2010, he tossed 17 touchdowns against 13 interceptions. Neither season is remotely impressive and he really doesn't deserve much of the credit for the Jets reaching the AFC championship game in two straight seasons. 

Bob Sanders as an "Elite Defensive Player"

Bob Sanders is not an elite defensive player. Actually, I really wouldn't know since he hasn't been healthy for three seasons in a row now. 

He did win the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2007, but his numbers sure weren't impressive.

Here's an interesting Bob Sanders fact for you to show how overrated he is: Sanders has as many forced fumbles in his career (two) as DeSean Jackson does in his postseason career (two). 

Matt Cassel as a "Great Quarterback"

Matt Cassel had a great season in 2010, throwing for 27 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. But he also benefited from playing some of the worst pass-defenses in the National Football League, and wide receiver Dwayne Bowe caught more than half of Cassel's touchdown passes. Plus he completed just 58 percent of his passes.

Cassel isn't as bad as he was in 2009, but I definitely don't think that he is as good as he was in 2010. Expect something in between. 

Packers as the "Team to Beat in the NFL"

Last year, the Packers sneaked into the postseason with 10 victories, got hot and ended up winning the Super Bowl over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now all of a sudden, they're the next dynasty in the NFL.

They shouldn't even be considered the team to beat in the NFL. The New England Patriots, winners of 14 games last season, are the best team in the league. They scored over 500 points last year and added a number of weapons this past season, including Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth. They have a chance to be literally unstoppable this season.