The Stars of the Downtrodden

Can Anyone Here Me Out Here?

Consider them the All-Stars of the scrap heap. The diamonds in the rubbish. Shining stars in bastions of darkness. Their teams didn't sniff the playoffs. These players aren't booking any sort of travel to Hawaii - at least not for a Pro Bowl.

Yet, they are just as deserving of some recognition as anyone else. It's not their fault that they play in crappy media markets for squads that ended the season about a thousand miles from .500 ensuring with their putrid play that national audiences would rarely see them in action.

So, we took a look around the League at the rosters of the downtrodden to see who was due for a little more love. Here are 10 players wallowing away in relative obscurity who did a damn fine job for their squads in 2008. Maybe in '09 their teams will put more than five wins together so that someone might actually notice:

1. Julian Peterson, Seattle Seahawks: While he's certainly not an unknown, Peterson's performance in Seattle went less recognized then in prior seasons. Regardless, the four-time Pro Bowler out up stellar numbers, recording 86 tackles, along with five sacks and four forced fumbles for the 4-12 Hawks.

2. D'Qwell Jackson, Cleveland Browns: Tell me you've heard of D'Qwell Jackson, and I'll tell you you're full of s*&t. I'm a very big football fan, and if you gave me 20 chances to name the NFL's leading tackler in 2008 it wouldn't have mattered. Even with 50 shots, Jackson wouldn't have come across these lips. After accumulating 154 tackles, two forced fumbles and three interceptions the third-year linebacker out of Maryland deserves at least a few shout-outs, no?

3. Oshiomogho Atogwe, St. Louis Rams: Nobody noticed much of anything in St. Louis this year except a whole lot of losing. Which could explain why Atogwe's name is not tossed around all that much among NFL commentators and pundits. But maybe it should be. We're certainly not saying anything derogatory about Ed Reed (we would never), but five picks, six forced fumbles and 85 tackles is nothin' to sneeze at neither.

4. Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions: A ray of hope in an abyss of darkness, C.J. continued his rapid development in 2008. Consider the leaps...from 48 catches in his rookie campaign to 78 receptions in '08...756 yards t0 1,331...four touchdowns to 12. Calvin is the man in Detroit, which is like being called skinny in a room full on contestants on the Biggest Loser. It's nice, but...Let's hope for his sake a few wins are in the cards for next year's Lions. It's about time some more folks got to see this kid. Megatron lives, indeed.

5. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars: If you're like me, you knew Jones-Drew was a nice, little back. You've seen this bowling ball bounce off of folks and break big runs. I give you credit, though, if you don't see the Jags play very often and are aware of just how good an all-around football player is Jones-Drew. A few numbers to nibble on for we, the less enlightened:

- 824 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns
- 62 catches for 565 and another two scores
- Oh, yes, and lest we forget 13 kickoff returns for another couple hundred yards

6. Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City Chiefs: Name a great current Chief. Ready. Set. Go. Tony Gonzalez? Good answer. Very original. And, yes, he's ridiculous. Another fantastic year and one more Pro Bowl invitation. But do you know about Mr. Bowe? The second-year receiver out of LSU quietly racked up 86 grabs, over 1,000 yards and seven TDs. Who knew? Chances are the country will hear more about Bowe and a lot more of the talented young Chiefs once the Herminator is shown the door.

7. Kirk Morrison, Oakland Raiders: Another little-known tackling machine, Morrison ranked second in the NFL trailing only D'Qwell. Morrison registered 135 stops. He also added a sack, an interception and two forced fumbles for Rob Ryan's bunch.

8. John Carlson, Seattle Seahawks: It's rare a rookie leads an NFL team in receptions. But a rookie tight end? Probably doesn't bode well for your team's playoff chances, but it does say a bit about John Carlson. Carlson, in his first season out of Notre Dame, paced the 'Hawks with 55 receptions and also got into the endzone five times, more than any of his teammates (wow, that's really bad).

9. T.J. Houshmanzadeh, Cincinnati Bengals: While everyone zapped on and on about Ocho-whatever, T.J. Who's-your-mama just kept on proving he's the best, most consistent receiver on the Bengals, not to mention one of the top pass catchers in the AFC. Although his numbers were down slightly with Harvard gunslinger Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm for half the season, TJ still managed over 90 catches, 900+ yards and four TDs. Think maybe he misses Carson Palmer? Just a wee bit?

10. Jason Hanson, Detroit Lions: First off, at 0-16 you're damn right the Lions were getting another player on this list. So, here's our real question. How in the world did Jason Hanson not make the Pro Bowl? Honestly, I watch the Giants every week being in the NY market. I understand the old man had a good year, but how 'bout Hanson?! Sure, he missed one of 22 field goals. Give the man a break. He did go 8-for-8 from 50+. I don't remember hearing a stat like that...like ever. Seriously. It ain't easy being a Lion, I assume.