J.J. Watt is having another outrageously productive campaign. When I write "outrageously productive" I mean like Lawrence Taylor in his prime on steroids outrageously productive. Peyton Manning just broke the all-time touchdown pass record, and it seems like DeMarco Murray is on pace to hit 2,000 rushing yards before Thanksgiving.
Watt, Manning, Murray and a handful of others deserve the loads of media attention they're getting, but there's a collection of players whose tremendous years are being overshadowed by some of the league's biggest and most popular names. At the midway point of the season, let's name the NFL's "All-Overshadowed Team."
The "headliners" are listed first, followed by the "All-Overshadowed" selections.
(Stats are courtesy of Pro Fooball Focus and ESPN.)
Quarterback
The Headliners: Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Philip Rivers
All-Overshadowed Selections
First Team: Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
Big Ben is 6th in QB Accuracy Percentage (a stat that factors in drops, throwaways, spikes and times in which a quarterback is hit as he throws). His 76.7 rating is higher than the Accuracy Percentage of Andrew Luck, Philip Rivers, Peyton Manning, Tony Romo and Tom Brady. He's also completed 66.7 percent of his passes while under pressure, the best figure in football. Jay Cutler is second at 60.6 percent.
Second Team: Colin Kaepernick, 49ers
Kap is one of the five quarterbacks with an Accuracy Percentage (76.8) higher than Roethlisberger's. Under pressure, Kap's Accuracy Percentage is 68.1 percent, good for 5th in the NFL. What's interesting...his completion percentage under pressure is only 46.8 percent. He's had to throw the ball away 14 times under duress. Only Russell Wilson's been forced to throw it away on more occasions.
Running Back
The Headliners: DeMarco Murray, Arian Foster, Le'Veon Bell, Matt Forte
All-Overshadowed Selections:
First Team: Justin Forsett, Ravens
Forsett has been a member of six NFL teams since entering the league as a seventh-round pick in 2008. He currently has the best yards-per-carry average (5.5) among running backs with at least 60 carries on the season. For a smaller speed back, Forsett's yards-after-contact-per-attempt average of 2.38 is very impressive. That number is higher than the yards-after-contact-per-rush average of backs like Alfred Morris, Matt Forte, LeSean McCoy and Frank Gore.
Second Team: Chris Ivory, Jets
Ivory's a freight train with the football in his hands, as his yards-after-contact-per-rush average of 2.92 trails only Arian Foster among runners with more than 50 carries on the year. He's also forced 26 missed tackles...tied with Marshawn Lynch for third-most in the NFL.
Wide Receiver
The Headliners: Jordy Nelson, Antonio Brown, T.Y. Hilton, Demaryius Thomas
All-Overshadowed Selections:
First Team: Golden Tate, Lions
The Lions have needed Tate to step up in a big way while Calvin Johnson has been sidelined, and he has. The springy wideout is on pace for 110 receptions, 1,600 yards and six touchdowns. For perspective, Tate's career high in receiving yards is just 898. He's also accumulated 380 yards after the catch, the second-most among wide receivers. Demaryius Thomas leads the NFL with 388 yards after the catch.
Second Team: Jeremy Maclin, Eagles
Maclin has been a big-play specialist for the Eagles. He's caught six passes further than 20 yards down the field and has turned those receptions into 223 yards and four touchdowns. The former Missouri Tiger's been super-reliable as well. He's been thrown 39 "catchable" passes and has caught every single one. Four other other wideouts (who've played at least 50 percent of their respective team's snaps) haven't dropped a pass yet, but Maclin's 39 catchable targets are the highest of that prestigious group.
Tight End
The Headliners: Julius Thomas, Rob Gronkowski, Martellus Bennett, Antonio Gates
All-Overshadowed Selections:
First Team: Greg Olsen, Panthers
With 509 yards on 257 routes, Olsen's 1.98 yards-per-route-run figure is 5th among tight ends...better than Martellus Bennett, Antonio Gates, and Julius Thomas. Yes, you are reading correctly. He's accounted for 31 first downs, the most among tight ends, and 6th-most in the entire NFL. Though Olsen isn't the first tight end who comes to mind when we think of "athletic freak matchup nightmares," he actually averages more yards-after-the-catch (5.7 per reception) than well-known names like Rob Gronkowski, Dwayne Allen and the aforementioned trio of Bennett, Gates and Thomas. Very quietly, Olsen is on pace for a 84-catch, 1,018-yard, 10-touchdown season.
Second Team: Zach Ertz, Eagles
Ertz is in an offense with a nice group of weapons, but he's been a big-play machine from his tight end position. A whopping 87.5 percent of his catches have moved the chains, which is first in the league among wide receivers, running backs and tight ends who've registered at least 20 first downs as pass-catchers. He's manufactured seven 20-plus yard gains but is just the 12th-most targeted tight end. He needs more footballs thrown in his direction.
Offensive Line
The Headliners: Tyron Smith, Joe Thomas, Nick Mangold, Jason Peters
All-Overshadowed Selections:
First Team: Andrew Whitworth, Bengals
Whitworth might be one of the most underrated, perennially overshadowed offensive lineman playing today. I'm not sure why either, especially because he blocks for a team that's made the postseason three-straight seasons. Anyway, the Bengals left tackle hasn't allowed a sack, surrendered just one hurry of Andy Dalton and two of his missed blocks have led to quarterback hurries. That's a grand total of three, count 'em, three "pressures" of Dalton, the league's lowest figure among offensive tackles.
Second Team: Kelechi Osemele, Ravens
Baltimore's right guard Marshal Yanda has deservedly received heaps of publicity over his illustrious professional career, but "youngster" Osemele has been even more rock solid this season. On 235 pass-blocking snaps, the former Iowa State standout has given up three total pressures, which includes just one sack.
Defensive Front Seven
The Headliners: J.J. Watt, Von Miller, Rolando McClain, DeAndre Levy
All-Overshadowed Selections:
First Team: Ziggy Ansah, Lions
Ansah's overshadowed on his own team by the likes of Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley and even DeAndre Levy. He has accumulated 26 quarterback pressures on just 188 pass-rushing snaps this season. Five of the six 4-3 defensive ends with more pressures have rushed the passer more than 200 times. Ansah has 4.5 sacks on the year and has forced two fumbles. He's become a key cog up front in Detroit.
Second Team: Jerry Hughes, Bills
In terms of financial investment, Mario Williams is the prized possession on Buffalo's defensive line, but Jerry Hughes has been the team's most efficient edge rusher in 2014. A former first-round pick who "busted" in Indianapolis before being traded to the Bills in the 2013 offseason, Hughes has 31 quarterback pressures this year, a number that trails only Ryan Kerrigan, Justin Houston and Cameron Wake among 3-4 outside linebackers and 4-3 defensive ends. It's worth noting that Hughes plays right defensive end for the Bills, so he's faced star left tackles Jermon Bushrod, Branden Albert and Duane Brown.
Secondary
The Headliners: Richard Sherman, Brandon Flowers, Darrelle Revis, Eric Weddle, Earl Thomas
All-Overshadowed Selections
First Team: Chris Harris Jr., Broncos
Harris Jr. is probably the finest cornerback in the NFL right now. His cover snaps-per-reception-allowed figure of 17.6 is the best in football. Also, his "Ballskills Rating" is the highest in the NFL. Let me explain. The Broncos defensive back has allowed 16 receptions this season on passes thrown to receivers he was covering. But he's intercepted two throws and defended seven others, for a "ballskills score" of nine. Therefore, his ballskills score-to-reception percentage of 56.25 is the best among cornerbacks who've played at least 60 percent of their respective team's snaps. He's also tied for first with Atlanta's Robert Alford in ballskills score-to-target ratio.
Second Team: George Iloka, Bengals
Don't throw toward Mr. Iloka. Just don't do it. Quarterbacks have ignored that advice on 13 separate instances in this season, and the results haven't been pretty for them. Iloka has allowed just six catches on those targets for 89 yards. The former Boise State Bronco has two interceptions and five defended passes. He's made his presence felt on the back end of Cincinnati's defense in 2014.
