Most Underrated Players: NFC East

The NFL announced the 2008/2009 Pro Bowl rosters earlier this week, heralding some of the league's Most Valuable Players (and a few underachieving fan favorites). It got me thinking about all the solid players that were left off the list. So here's my list of the most underrated players from each NFL team.

This list is subjective, but I do have a few rules:
1. No one who made the Pro Bowl will be considered.
2. Stats aren't everything. Consistency is key.
3. Most of these players aren't nationally known. Some of them are only familiar to die-hard fans.

So let's get started with the NFC East:

Dallas Cowboys – The Cowboys were far-and-away the most over-hyped team heading into this season. Nearly everyone was willing to write them a free pass to the Super Bowl, allowing them to forgo those pesky regular season games. Well, nearly one season later and they’re on the verge of missing out on the playoffs entirely. You can make as many excuses as you want, but this team just isn’t that good. So how do you choose an underrated player from such an overrated team?

The easy answer would be Tashard Choice. A 4th round draft pick forced into a starting role because of injuries to Marion Barber and Felix ones. He has played very well, but with all the praise and coverage he’s been getting these last few weeks you’d think he was a perennial all-pro. Ultimately, Choice is the closes thing to an unheralded player the league’s most overexposed team has, so I have to give him the nod.

New York Giants – The Giants were the hottest team in the NFC through the first 12 weeks, but they’ve been stumbling towards the playoffs since. The Giants boast one of the league’s strongest ground games, so it would be easy to nominate an offensive lineman, but two of their linemen were selected to the Pro Bowl. That’s hardly underrated. Ultimately, I’m going with Steve Smith.

Smith has flown under the radar, letting receivers like Burress, Toomer and Hixon dominate the headlines, but Smith has been steady all season long. He leads the team in receptions with 52 and is second with 530 yards. He isn’t flashy – his longest reception is only 30 yards – but he has good hands and he knows how to move the chains. Every catch he makes seems to go for a first down.

Philadelphia Eagles – If you look at the statistics (ranked in the top 5 in almost every offensive and defensive category) you’d think the Eagles should be closer to 14-0 at this point in the season, but they have struggled at times on both sides of the ball.

Brian Dawkins and Asante Samuel were given Pro Bowl love this season, but the most consistent Eagle on defense has been Quintin Mikell. He’s second on the team with 82 tackles, second with 3 interceptions and has 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. He’s been one of the most consistent performers on an up-and-down team. This guy deserved a Pro Bowl nod this season.

Washington Redskins – There’s no question who the most unheralded player on this team is: Rookie Strong Safety Chris Horton. It’s rare to see a 7th rounder latch on with any team, let alone contribute, especially as a rookie.

Horton is third on the team in tackles with 65, and leads the ‘Skins with 3 interceptions to go along with a sack. If this kid keeps up this pace he’ll be a future all-pro.