100 Most Likable American Athletes (80-71)

Weeks ago, I started looking at the most likable athletes in this country following the retirements of Derek Jeter and Champ Bailey. That continues today with the latest look at some awesome American athletes. First, let's look back at what we have gone over so far...
Preview
100-91
90-81

80. Ben Zobrist

Eureka, Illinois

Current Team: Oakland A's

Ben Zobrist is one of the most versatile players in Major League Baseball. He plays second base, shortstop, and outfield. Not only that, but he plays solid defense at each of these positions. Zobrist has a very high walk rate and thus a high on base percentage. To think he was once traded by the Astros for Aubrey Huff will make you cry if you are a Houston fan. Although, he was just traded to the Oakland A's, so maybe you will cry if you are a Rays fan too. Another cool thing about Zobrist is that he uses his wife's song as his entrance music. His wife is Christian singer Julianna Zobrist and the song is called "Behind Me." Additionally, Zobrist stars as himself in the 2013 movie Ring the Bell. I honestly, did not know this movie existed, but will be checking it out now because it seems interesting. Zobrist does more charity than most including being the guy who students can take to school through a contest. The above picture is Zobrist going to school with a kid in Largo and making that kid's dream come true. Ben Zobrist is also a very strong Christian, but one that doesn't believe in forcing his beliefs on others. However, when asked, Zobrist will share those beliefs. He does not smoke, do drugs, or drink. Additionally, every interview I have seen with Zobrist has him mentioning how blessed he has been through his career and in life. That is a likable guy. A guy that can always talk about their blessings and praise others and not a me first guy.

79. Candace Parker

St. Louis, Missouri

Current Team: Los Angeles Sparks

Candace Parker is the first and only female basketball player on this list. However, she is someone that absolutely does belong on it. Parker is the first woman to ever dunk in a NCAA Tournament game and 1st to dunk twice in a pro game. She is the 2nd woman to ever dunk in a WNBA game. At Tennessee, she was listed as a Guard, Forward, and Center while she went on to win 2 National Championships. Additionally, in 2009, Parker was voted favorite female athlete at the Teen Choice Awards. The icon was also a guest star on Nickelodeon's Figure It Out. She has been on the last two gold medal teams for Team USA. Two WNBA MVP awards belong to her as well. At one time Parker was listed in People Magazine's 100 most beautiful people. She is an incredibly beautiful person as she has volunteered time and money to the following charities, D.A.R.E., Loaves and Fishes, PETA, March of Dimes, and the Ronald McDonald House. Now not everyone loves PETA, but we can expect her work with them. Everyone can admit that those other charities are some of the best ones we have. Parker is a really great person.

78. Jason Witten

Elizabethton, Tennessee

Current Team: Dallas Cowboys

Jason Witten is easily the most likable player on the Dallas Cowboys. While many fans despise the Cowboys, everyone likes Witten. I like Witten eventhough I wrote a piece that he was overrated (which I stand by).In fact, it is easy to argue that he is overrated all-time because he is so liked. The dude does his job, is Romo's safety valve and is a very good blocker. Add that to the fact that he is low key while on the Cowboys and I think you know why people like him so much. Then, the charity work seals the deal. No NFL player does substantially more charity work than Jason Witten. He is very involved in many charity efforts. His Score Foundation does a lot of good in Texas and Tennessee. You can find more about his foundation on his website.

77. Ryan Suter

Madison, Wisconsin

Current Team: Minnesota Wild

Suter is a defenseman for the Minnesota Wild that was on the National Hockey Team. His dad was on the "Miracle on Ice" team so there is some legacy to Suter's likability and hockey ability as well. He was an alternate captain on the 2010 team that won silver for the US and has represented the US 10 times in international competition. Suter won 3 gold medals as a junior player. On international play, Suter says "I feel it's an honor to wear the Team USA Jersey and every time I'm on the ice I play my hardest and give everything I have. Playing for Team USA is one of those things you look forward to. When I got the call and was asked to play on this team, it was an easy answer. It didn't matter who was on the team or who the coach was. It's just an honor to wear the jersey and compete for your country."
It doesn't get much more likable than that.

76. Ali Krieger
Dumfries, VA

Current Team: Washington Spirit

Krieger is a legend at her high school in Woodbridge, VA and at Penn State. With Krieger, Penn State won four consecutive Big 10 Titles. Then she graduated and moved on to the National Team where she gained her fame as an excellent defender. She was the only national player playing club overseas until 2013 when she decided to play in the US. Unfortunately, she didn't play much in 2012 CONCAF Olympic Qualifying because she tore her ACL in that first match. Back in 2011, she was awesome though. Krieger was one of 4 women to play every minute of the Women's World Cup. Her claim to fame that season was connecting on the fifth penalty kick to win a shootout thriller against Brazil in the World Cup Quaterfinal. Back in 2008 she earned her first spot on an international roster other than the youth national teams she was already on. Krieger was also on the 2010 Women's World Cup Qualifying Team. It seems that she will be on the National Team for a good chunk of time.

75. Allison Schmitt

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Swimming

This young lady made the list for her success with USA Swimming in the Olympics. During the last Olympic Games in London, Schmitt won 5 medals, 3 of which were gold. In all major international competition, Schmitt has won 9 gold medals and 14 medals in all. In addition she won 4 National Championships at Georgia and led the Lady Bulldogs to a team national championship in 2013. She began training with Michael Phelps in preparation for the Olympics in 2008. After starting her career at Georgia, she trained with Phelps and coach Bob Bowman in Baltimore during the summers and breaks. Now that her college career is over, we look forward to what Schmitt can accomplish in 2016.

74. Aries Merritt

Chicago, Illinois

Track & Field

Aries Merritt is the fastest short distance hurdler in the United States. He currently holds the World Record in the 110m hurdles with a time of 12.80. That time was set back on September 7, 2012. It was a record set in Brussels right after his Olympic Gold Medal win in London. His gold medal winning time was 12.92. He also won the World Indoor Championships that year in Istanbul. Merritt won a gold medal at the World Junior Championships back in 2004. In 2012, Merritt was the USATF Fans' Choice Breakthrough Athlete of the Year. Merritt is 29 and should have one more great Olympics in him.

73. Tim Hudson

Columbus, Georgia

Current Team: San Fransisco Giants

Tim Hudson has been a starting pitcher in Oakland, Atlanta, and now San Francisco. It is with the San Francisco Giants that Hudson finally got that World Series Ring. However, Hudson has been very good for a very long time and beloved by his peers and fans. Heading into his final season in 2015, Hudson will have much fanfare, although it will not get to Derek Jeter level. The longtime pitcher has 2,016 strikeouts, 214 wins, and 13 shutouts over his career. He has somehow managed to do that while maintaining a 3.45 E,R,A, Those stats during the steroid era where he never had any hint of suspicion on himself. Hudson also had the most wins of any pitcher in 2000, is a 4x All-Star, and was the Comeback Player of the Year in 2010. While those numbers appear to fall just short of the Hall of Fame, there is no doubting that Hudson is one of the best players in the game. In addition to those on the field exploits, he received a nomination for the Roberto Clemente Award in both 2006 and 2007. That award is given for the player who best combines excellence on and off the field. Time Hudson is as good as they come.

72. April Ross

Costa Mesa, California

Professional Volleyball

As you can tell by the photo, April Ross is a USA Beach Volleyball Player. She burst onto the beach scene in 2006 winning the AVP Rookie of the Year award. She teamed with Jennifer Kessy to beat the #1 team of May-Treanor and Walsh-Jennings in 2008 in a monumental upset. They then won the silver medal in the Olympics of 2012 losing to the same duo they upset. In June 2013, Ross began training with Walsh-Jennings in preparation for the 2016 Olympics. She will likely soar up this list following her performance with her new partner.  In fact, the duo went undefeated in this past 2014 season. However, she is still able to make the list now at this spot and a strong choice for it given her international success representing the USA.

71. Zach Johnson

Iowa City, Iowa

PGA Tour

Johnson is one of the most famous PGA Tour Golfers around. He has 11 tour wins and everyone seems to like the guy. His best season as a pro was 2003, where he was the tour's leading money winner and he was player of the year for the Nationwide Tour. That raised him to the PGA level the following season. This guy was only the number 2 player on the Drake University golf team and somehow managed to get to that elite status in the pros through lots of hard work. He has a great work ethic without some of the physical tools that some of the other golfers have. It is part of the reason that Johnson is so liked. His best result by far, is a win at the 2007 Masters. That win is his only major title and he hasn't come incredibly close to another major win. Although he did finish 3rd at the 2010 US Open. Still, people love and remember Johnson for that win and how he goes about his business. Another reason that this guy is likable is the work of his foundation. Through the link I provided you can learn more about the foundation and even look at its tax returns. I hope for a very strong 2015 for Zach Johnson on the tour.

-Noland

Most Overrated Athletes In the NFL

Some of these were a lot tougher than others, but all of these players are not quite as good as advertised.

Quarterback
Carson Palmer               Arizona Cardinals
Carson Palmer had mild success in Cincinnati and the team got much better after he left. At the time he was considered the 3rd best QB in the league which was and still is a complete joke. This guy was never a top QB and was never the answer, but teams keep giving him a shot. After failing to bring success to the Raiders, Palmer's newest victim is the Arizona Cardinals. He just threw another interception as I wrote this also.


Runningback
Reggie Bush                   Detroit Lions
Reggie Bush is the most overrated prospect of all-time. I will never forget how much nonsense the Texans got for passing on this guy for a much better football player. Reggie Bush is electrifying, but his skillset is limited. He has to be used the right way to be effective and he is very replaceable. Far from the game changer he was pumped up to be and still is pumped up to be by many.

Wide Receiver
Dez Bryant                     Dallas Cowboys
Roddy White                  Atlanta Falcons
Percy Harvin                  Seattle Seahawks
Dez Bryant is a great receiver, but some consider him the #2 receiver in the game. He was also ranked as the 35th best player in the entire league which is a joke. Good football player, but not elite like he is made out to be. Call me when he does something in the playoffs, if the Cowboys ever make it there.
Roddy White might be the biggest idiot in the NFL. His most recent offense was saying an entire jury should kill themselves. Seriously where does this guy get off telling another human to take their life. Roddy White is credited by many as being the top threat in Atlanta's passing game, but he isn't. Julio Jones and even Tony Gonzalez at times create far bigger matchup problems than White. He is good, but again not elite. Having Matt Ryan definitely helps Roddy out too.
Percy Harvin may be the most overrated player I can remember. He is supposed to be this amazing gamebreaker, but can't stay on the field. Now for the Seahawks, Harvin is again hurt. He has to produce before he can be the difference maker that he is made out to be. He does not make the Seahawks the favorite.





Tight End
Jason Witten                   Dallas Cowboys
I wrote a detailed piece just on Witten a few days ago. Click on the Jason Witten tab at the bottom of this post if you want to read it.

Offensive Tackle
Russell Okung                 Seattle Seahawks
D'Brickashaw Ferguson   New York Jets
Russell Okung made the Pro Bowl, but he wasn't on the field every game again this year. This guy should have to be on the field to make a Pro Bowl. Okung was named a starter over Trent Williams in the Pro Bowl even though Williams is a much better player. Donald Penn is also better than Okung.
D'Brickashaw is considered by some the best Jets player and one of the best tackles in the game. Ferguson is neither of those and until Jake Long left could be considered the weakest starting tackle in the AFC East.


Guard
Maurice Pouncey             Miami Dolphins
Richie Incognito               Miami Dolphins
Richie Incognito made the Pro Bowl somehow need I say more.
Much like his brother Maurice Pouncey has a reputation for being an amazing lineman. He is good, but not great. More than that he obviously is not the brightest as evidenced by the picture to the right.

Center
Maurkice Pouncey            Pittsburgh Steelers
See the write-up for his brother Maurice.

Defensive Tackle
Geno Atkins                     Cincinnati Bengals
Jay Ratliff                          Dallas Cowboys
Geno Atkins is considered by some the best defensive tackle in football. However, if you have been following Atkins during his career, he just is not as good as some others. I just saw video of him getting destroyed by Jermaine Gresham in training camp also. Gresham is a tight end and shouldn't be able to destroy an elite tackle like that. The fact that some consider him better than Ngata is enough to make him overrated in my opinion though.
Jay Ratliff once made a Pro Bowl over BJ Raji. Has there ever been a bigger Pro Bowl snub?

Defensive End
Jason Babin                       Jacksonville Jaguars
Jason Pierre-Paul               New York Giants
Jason Babin was at one point considered a top DE in the NFL. Seriously? The Eagles wised up and cut him last year, but the fact that this guy got that deal and was considered one of the best DE's in football was a joke.
Jason Pierre-Paul is considered a top 5 DE, but why? He is not that good and shouldn't be as high as he is in the top 100.

Linebacker
Justin Houston  and Tambi Hali          
Kansas City Chiefs
Stephen Tulloch              
Detroit Lions
The Kansas City Chiefs had three Pro Bowl linebackers last year. Are you serious? A team with 2 wins had three players from the same unit in the Pro Bowl. Two of these players made the Top 100. I left one of these off because I wanted to include Stephen Tulloch on my overrated list, but this unit is the most overrated group in football. Especially Justin Houston.

Stephen Tulloch was ranked the #51 player in all of football. Tulloch affected the game so much that he never seems to make an impact. The guy doesn't impact the game as much as Kuechley despite a much better defensive line, but somehow he is rated as a better player than the Panthers middle linebacker. He is rated better than every inside linebacker not named Patrick Willis. That is a crime.

Corner
Prince Amukamara               New York Giants
Richard Sherman                  Seattle Seahawks
Prince was supposed to help the Giants secondary return to the Super Bowl. Instead, he was part of the weakest unit on the team. The Giants secondary, especially Amukamara was the reason the team failed to make the playoffs. Amukamara got burned far too often and hopes not to be the Giants' Achilles' Heel this year.
Richard Sherman is considered the best corner in football by many, but quarterbacks challenge Sherman for a reason. They don't do the same with guys like Revis. The true shutdown corners in football. Sherman also tested positive for PEDs and blamed the tester, now where have we seen that before?

Safety
Troy Polamalu                      Pittsburgh Steelers
Eric Berry                             Kansas City Chiefs
At one time, I considered Troy Polamalu the best player in all of football. I still respect Polamalu as a football player. However, I have to be honest and he isn't the same player. He no longer is a top 100 player in this league. Polamalu is still a fantastic football player, but he shouldn't be a Pro Bowler and he shouldn't be a top 100 guy. He's lost a step and just isn't the same guy that dominated the game every snap.
Eric Berry is not the best safety in football. I am told that he is constantly, but it isn't true. He is a good player, but he isn't the best. How could the Chiefs go 2-14 if they have multiple guys that are the best at their positions. This must be the best 2-14 team in NFL history. Yes, their QB situation was awful, but the Chiefs have a lot of overrated players. The only Chiefs player more overrated than Berry is Justin Houston.

-Noland

Yes, Jason Witten IS Overrated

I decided to post my last blog entry about underrated NFL players on facebook. As always, not everything was 100% popular with everyone. I got some positive feedback, but one comment stood out above others. One of my friends whose opinion I value a great deal said that I had the wrong tight end. He said it was somebody that I thought was overrated. This individual said that Jason Witten was the most underrated tight end and I disagree strongly. Therefore, I decided to do a little preview of my overrated list and go into a really in depth look of why I believe Jason Witten is overrated.

Look, Jason Witten is a very talented football player. He is consistently good and I am not trying to say this guy stinks. This guy is great and is my mom's favorite football player (she's a Cowboys fan). However, I hear far too often that he is an all-time great tight end and possibly the top 5 all-time. The guy is nowhere near top 5 all-time and isn't even top 10 all-time. He is good, but overrated currently and definitely all-time. I will break down several areas of his game and stats to try and prove my point.

First, let's start with playoffs, because that is the biggest argument against Witten. Jason Witten has been to the playoffs three times in his career and won 1 playoff game. Obviously, he can't control all of that himself, but it is a factor. Let's examine Witten's numbers in those playoff games though for a better look at the player. In the Cowboys only postseason win during his tenure Witten caught 4 balls for 27 yards. That is far from historically great. His only "good" postseason performance was the next game when he caught 10 balls for 98 yards. Only problem with that is it didn't help the team at all as he had 0 touchdowns and the team lost 34-3. In typical Witten fashion the catches were not in crucial situations and didn't account for much. He missed 3 balls in more critical situations that game. In four career playoff games Witten has caught more than 4 passes once and 0 touchdowns. Much like during the regular season Witten just doesn't seem to be able to find the end zone.

You can't fault the guy for postseason performance only though, so what does he do in the regular season? In 10 seasons, Witten has caught 806 passes for 8,948 yards, and 44 touchdowns. With more than 8,948 yards you would expect more than 44 touchdowns, but I digress. Needless to say in this passing era where some tight ends are catching 20+ TD's a year; Witten has never caught more than 9 touchdowns in a season. He has totaled over 7 touchdowns in a season only once. If scoring is the most important thing you can do, Witten has fallen very short. Over his career, Witten averages 80.6 catches a season, with 895 yards and 4.4 touchdowns. Compare those stats to the best tight end of this era, Tony Gonzalez, and Witten's stats are crushed in yards in touchdowns.

Over his career, Tony Gonzalez has more than double Witten's touchdowns in only 6 more seasons. For instance just this past season Gonzo had 8 touchdowns and Witten had just three. That is with Matt Ryan also having to get the ball to White and Jones. Yes, I know Ryan is a better QB than Romo, but still. Although Witten had more receptions, he had half the TD production. Witten was thrown the ball 36 more times, but only had 17 more catches than Gonzo. Gonzalez averaged .6 more yards per catch so seemingly they were more difficult passes. Over his career Gonzo has averaged .4 more yards per catch than Witten. Not to mention that Gonzalez is 6 years older than Witten and still outproducing him. However, it was Witten that was higher on the Top 100 this year. Witten was #41 and Gonzalez was #47. Do we honestly think Witten is better than Gonzalez? I don't at least. This season Gonzalez had touchdowns in both his playoff games.

Well, just because he isn't better than Gonzalez, doesn't mean he isn't all time great, right?
It doesn't, but the fact that he is rated higher than Gonzalez currently and doesn't outproduce him is a signal that he might be overrated. Let's look at other tight end production in this era because Gonzalez may not be the best season. In 3 seasons a tight end that did not make the Pro Bowl and was not in the Top 100 (Jimmy Graham) has had 25 touchdowns. Graham has averaged more than 8 touchdowns a year and Witten has gotten more than 8 TD's once.
In 7 seasons Vernon Davis, who is a much better blocker than Witten, has 40 touchdowns. Davis has 4 less touchdowns than Witten in 3 less seasons. Davis scored two touchdowns in each postseason game of 2011 and added another one this year as well.
In 3 seasons, Rob Gronkowski has never had less than 10 touchdowns (something Witten has never done) and has 38 on his career. If healthy, Gronk will likely pass Witten's total this year.
In 8 seasons, my choice for most underrated player, Heath Miller has 39 touchdowns. Those 39 touchdowns are only 5 less than Witten in 2 less seasons. Miller like Davis is a much better blocker than Witten. Miller also has 4 postseason touchdowns and two super bowl rings (something Witten likely never will have).
In 11 injury riddled seasons, Todd Heap, another guy that blocked better than Witten, had 42 touchdowns. Heap also had awful QB play and helped get his team consistently in the playoffs.
My choice for #6 tight end all-time is Ben Coates who had 50 touchdowns in 11 seasons. Coates retired in 2000 after winning a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens. He retired in 2000, long before the passing explosion as of late. Coates was a mauler as a blocker compared to Witten.

Factoring everything in there is no way Jason Witten is a top 5 all-time tight end. Heck, I would say he isn't as good as Heath Miller. He is a great player, but is overrated. No way is he better than these guys.
1. Tony Gonzalez
2. Shannon Sharpe
3. Kellen Winslow Sr.
4. John Mackey
5. Ozzie Newsome
6. Ben Coates
7. Dave Casper
8. Mike Ditka
9. Todd Christensen
10. Antonio Gates
Not sure, I have the correct order, but those are the 10 best tight ends ever. Gates has twice as many touchdowns as Witten in the same amount of seasons also. That's why he is at #10.
There are more and there are more comparisons I could make, but for now, just know that Jason Witten is one of the most overrated players in football. Hey, he's a Cowboy, what do you expect?

-Noland