Tag: Underrated

Overrated and underrated teams in preseason AP poll

Here are a few overrated and underrated teams from the preseason AP top 25 poll.

Every year when the AP poll comes out, there really is no point. Rarely does a team end the season where they began the year ranked. In reality, the poll is just put out for people to debate.

Thankfully, college football fans do nothing but debate.

To nobody’s surprise, Alabama will begin the year as the No. 1 team in the country. Five other SEC programs join them, making the joint-most out of the Power Five conferences. The ACC and Big 12 have the fewest with three.

You can see the whole poll here.

Texas debuts at No. 21 and it feels just about right. Many may throw them in the overrated category but for the first time in a while, national expectations seem to be lower for the Longhorns.

Not a lot could be said about a few other programs. There are a few overrated teams, especially in Texas’ future home, the SEC. A couple are underrated as well, despite being within the top 16.

Here are three overrated and three underrated teams from the preseason AP top 25 poll.

1 potential surprise player to watch at each offensive position group during Packers training camp

Which underrated players on offense could surprise during training camp and make the Green Bay Packers’ 53-man roster to start the 2021 season?

The Green Bay Packers are about a month away from the beginning of training camp. The sports world is consumed by the Aaron Rodgers saga, but Packers fans are waiting for practice to start so other storylines can take attention away from a drama-filled offseason.

Among those storylines will be potential breakout players. These are the unsuspecting players who outperform in practice and have an outside shot of making an impact during the regular season. So, we are picking an underrated player at each position that could start making noise when the pads go on and camp begins.

We’ll start with the offense.

Are the Florida Gators perennially overrated or underrated?

CBS Sports attempted to answer that question, measuring performance on a year-to-year basis based on their preseason expectations.

Offseason prediction time can be controversial in college football, and often fans of programs believe their team is being underrated by the national media while their rivals are overhyped.

But what do the numbers say?

CBS Sports attempted to answer that question, measuring which teams overperform or underperform on a year-to-year basis based on their preseason expectations.

Florida was considered “+1” meaning that, on average, it slightly overperforms based on its preseason predictions, but it generally finishes around where it was projected to.

CBS Sports listed the Gators in the “properly ranked” section, along with Arkansas, LSU, Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. Here’s what they had to say about the Gators.

The Gators have been pretty stable over the last two seasons, but the wild ride came during the Jim McElwain years from 2015-17. They surprised everybody by winning the SEC East in 2015 after being picked fifth and did it again the next season after being predicted to finish second. The roller coaster went speeding downhill in 2016 when they finished fifth after being picked to finish second. Not surprisingly, McElwain was fired two months into that season.

And here are the full rankings.

 

 

TEAM

 PERFORMANCE

VS.

HYPE

 AVERAGE

PER

YEAR
Kentucky +9 +1.13
Mississippi State +9 +1.13
Vanderbilt +4 +0.50
Missouri +3 +0.38
Texas A&M +2 +0.25
Ole Miss +1 +0.13
Florida +1 +0.13
Alabama -2 -0.25
LSU -2 -0.25
Arkansas -3 -0.38
Georgia -4 -0.50
Auburn -5 -0.62
Tennessee -5 -0.62
South Carolina -8 -1.00

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Stephen Curry set to launch his own ‘Underrated’ book club on Literati

While he’s not in the NBA Playoffs, Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry is launching his own online “Underrated” book club.

While Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are on the outside of the playoff picture for the first time since 2012, the two-time Most Valuable Player is turning to books.

On Wednesday, Curry announced the launch of his own book club with Literati. Curry’s curated online subscription book service will be called “Underrated.” 

The Warriors point guard’s club will display books focused on underrated stories that highlight overcoming the odds. The six-time All-Star will release works through his club on a monthly basis.

Via Literati:

Stephen Curry, through Underrated, brings forth stories of people who have defied the odds to become more than what others thought they were destined to be. In addition, Curry seeks to identify and spotlight authors with incredible talent but few opportunities. Through this lens, Underrated is composed of powerful stories that range from faith and family to sports and social justice.

In a video on Twitter, Curry said he’s excited to share his “passion” through his book club.

Via @StephenCurry30 on Twitter:

The Davidson product will join Malala Yousafzai and Sir Richard Branson on the Literati platform. Online subscriptions for Curry’s book club start at $20.00 per month. Sign up for the Underrated Book Club on Literati here.

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Steph Curry focuses on strength and stability in latest home workout video

In the latest edition of Underrated Skills and Drills, Steph Curry challenges viewers with a basketball strength workout.

Despite the NBA’s looming return, many around the country are still without an outlet for their basketball fix. With limited access to gyms and courts during the coronavirus pandemic, Stephen Curry is giving hoopers something they can work on from home.

Near the beginning of the COVID-19 stay at home orders, the Golden State Warriors point guard has shared a sequence of home workouts focused basketball. In Curry’s Underrated Skills and Drills series, the two-time Most Valuable Player has posted videos with exercises that focus on shooting, conditioning, passing and ball handling. In a recent video, Curry distributed an inside look at his famed pregame workout routine.

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In the latest edition of Underrated Skills and Drills, Curry shared an upper-body activity that focuses on strength and stability. In the drill, Curry passes the ball from hand to hand while performing a classic pushup workout. On Twitter, Curry urged viewers to challenge themselves with his latest training tip.

Via @StephenCurry30 on Twitter:

With the Golden State Warriors one of the eight teams left out of the Orlando Bubble, Curry will have an extended offseason to continue sharing his workout secrets.

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Steph Curry demonstrates conditioning and ball-handling drill in latest home training video

In his latest Skills and Drills basketball training video series, Stephen Curry is focusing on conditioning and ball handling.

As some gyms and basketball courts remain shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Golden State Warriors point guard is giving hoopers an outlet to work on their game. During quarantine, Steph Curry has released a series of videos with different training routines basketball players can work on from home.

In Curry’s Underrated “Skills and Drills” video series, the two-time Most Valuable Player has demonstrated different workouts for shooting, dribbling, strength and passing. One of his videos included an inside look at Curry’s noted pregame dribbling routine.

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In the latest edition of Skills and Drills, Curry focuses on conditioning and ball handling. With two basketballs, the Davidson product dribbled back and forth in lines that mirror the key and free-throw stripe. During the workout, Curry slid from side to side on the baseline and backpedaled to the free-throw line.

Watch the full drill via @underrated on Twitter:

According to Curry, his at-home basketball-centric workout videos are in for the “long-haul.” The six-time NBA All-Star will continue to release instructional videos for hoopers through the coronavirus pandemic.

Via @StephenCurry30 on Twitter:

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Steph Curry debuts passing and ball-handling at-home hoops workout video

In Stephen Curry’s latest edition of “Skills and Drills,” the Warriors point guard demonstrated a passing and ball-handling workout.

Although the NBA’s restart in the Orlando bubble is looming, court access is still limited due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, Stephen Curry’s “Skills and Drills” workout series is keeping hoopers busy at home.

During quarantine, the Golden State Warriors point guard has been releasing a series of short basketball centric workouts anyone can do from home. Through Curry’s “Underrated Tour,” the two-time Most Valuable Player has broken down his famous pregame dribbling routine, along with shooting, passing and conditioning workouts.

In the latest edition of Skills and Drills, Curry demonstrated a new passing and ball-handling workout for at-home hoopers. The drill incorporates a sequence of frenetic dribbling and crossovers mixed with a one-handed pass off a wall.

Via @StephenCurry30 on Twitter:

Golden State’s six-time All-Star is expected to release more drills and workouts so players can continue to fine-tune their game from home.

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PFF selects Duane Brown as Seahawks’ most underrated player

Pro Football Focus noted that Duane Brown of the Seattle Seahawks has been a top-10 tackle in the NFL since 2006.

The Seattle Seahawks’ offense is considered the team’s biggest strength heading into the 2020 season. Russell Wilson is obviously a big reason why, but the team has loaded up on weapons around him – including Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, Will Dissly, Greg Olsen, Chris Carson, and now Carlos Hyde.

However, it was a member of the offensive line, a known weakness for the Seahawks, who was selected as the team’s most underrated player by Pro Football Focus.

Duane Brown joined the team halfway through the 2017 season, and he has been a steady force at left tackle each of the last three years. He’s not only the team’s best blocker, he is a team leader and mentor – something this team will need a lot this year with so much turnover up front.

Per the article:

The Seahawks’ offensive line has been bad in recent seasons. There is no getting around that. The overall weakness of the group reflects poorly on Brown, but he has been the lone bright spot for nearly his entire tenure in Seattle after nine-plus years with the Houston Texans to begin his career. In fact, Brown (82.2 overall grade since joining the Seahawks) is the only player along the line with an overall grade above 65.0 and 1,000 or more snaps played since 2017. Per PFF WAR, he’s been the eighth-most-valuable offensive tackle in the PFF era that stretches back to 2006. There may still be a lot of questions with the group up front for Russell Wilson, but he can still rely on Brown to provide strong play at left tackle.

Brown will look to lead a unit that could have as many as four new starters next season, depending if Phil Haynes can wrestle a starting job away from Mike Iupati.

Regardless, Brown will be instrumental to this unit’s success in 2020, both on and off the field.

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Brian Schottenheimer explains why Seahawk Russell Wilson is underrated

Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer believes he knows the reason quarterback Russell Wilson remains underrated.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson will continue his campaign for this year’s Most Valuable Player despite constantly being overlooked for the honor.

Seahawks’ offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer recently explained why he thinks Wilson continues to be underrated around the league.

“Unless you truly love the Seahawks and watch the Seahawks, I think what he does just comes so naturally and easy that people underestimate him,” Schottenheimer told CBS Sports’ Will Brinson on the Pick Six Podcast. “I know one thing, I’m thrilled and excited about 2020 because I think the chatter about the MVP votes will motivate him. He is ready to work. He’s always ready to work, but he’s the wrong guy to doubt. He’s the wrong guy to say, ‘Nah, he can’t do that.’

“He will carry a grudge and he will work his ass off to make it go.”

And maybe all the chatter about who throws the best and worst deep ball in the NFL could provide the right challenge.

“It’s not a big secret that Russell Wilson’s an unbelievable deep-ball thrower,” Schottenheimer explained. “Again, I’ve been blessed to be around some great ones and he’s at the top of the list of guys that have that innate ability to add a little bit of air whenever he needs to or kind of take something off it when he needs to fit a ball in deep. He’s terrific at that.”

You can listen to the entire interview on the Pick Six Podcast below.

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