The Paolantonio Report: The Most Overrated and Underrated Teams, Players, Coaches, and Moments in NFL History

by Sal Paolantonio, Reuben Frank

Examining the legends, the myths, and the overhyped moments of America’s most popular game, Sal Paolantonio goes behind the highlights, the drama, and the numbers to set some things straight—once and for all—about the game played on Sundays. The Paolantonio Report includes chapters analyzing the most underrated and overrated quarterbacks, receivers, running backs, defensive backs, defensive linemen, offensive linemen, linebackers and specialists. For The Catch—Joe Montana to Dwight Clark—overrated. Not even in the top ten moments in NFL history. And Chuck Bednarik, the Eagles linebacker who knocked out Frank Gifford? He wasn't that fearsome, and was considered slow and not a very good tackler. Also look for chapters on the most underrated and overrated coaches, teams, offensive and defensive units, Hall of Famers, Super Bowls, and some of the most underrated and overrated moments in the sport's storied history—with plenty of fun sidebars peppered throughout the book. Using an analytical approach that considers decades of stats, trends, and historical data, The Paolantonio Report is certain to settle many arguments—and probably just as certain to start many more.

Genres: Sports, Football

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reviews for this book are all over the place and I tend to be in the minority. But there are two things to remember when reading it.

First: Any book listing the worst or the best (in this case overrated and underrated) of sports moments becomes outdated within a year of publication since sports is an ongoing activity and something terrific or ridiculous is bound to happen after the book is released and is, therefore, omitted. (The Cubs winning the 2016 World Series is a good example). This book is 10 years old so naturally many readers can think of their favorite or not so favorite moments which may put some of the author's choices in the shade. Which leads me to the second point.....

Second: This is one man's opinion as are all lists of good or bad and seldom does anyone totally agree with someone else's idea of what is great and what is not The author has covered the NFL for ESPN Sports for many years and has a knowledge base that few readers have.....but still, this is just his opinion. I violently disagree with some of his choices but still totally enjoyed the book.

It is a fun read and brings back some good memories of the players, teams, and games that make professional football so exciting.

[Griffin Honthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read but super outdated lmao. Funny to see Sal call randy moss overrated the season before he scored 23 TDs. He also seems to only value interceptions on the defensive side of the ball?? What about FF, TFLs, PDs… Oh well. Good arguments in here and i learned a lot about old players who i thought were legends. Joe Namath sucks hahahaha

[Seth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book on a whim recently and read through it pretty quickly. Sal examines some of the most overrated and underrated players, teams, and moments in NFL history. It was interesting to read his arguments and perspectives. He even went so far as to call some of the players that the media absolutely loves. . . overrated. Even Brett Favre. Even Barry Sanders. Even. . . the '85 Chicago Bears. Gasp! Blasphemy!

The author, Sal Paolantonio, obvioulsy touched a nerve with some folks. Go and read the reviews page for this book at Amazon.com and you can see that some people did not appreciate what he had to say about their football heroes. His whole point was that he wasn't saying that they weren't some of the best players and teams of all-time, he was just simply pointing out that maybe they received a little bit more credit than was warranted given what they actually did on the field.

Of course, he didn't call any Broncos overrated - so maybe I don't understand. I can't imagine what former Denver Bronco could possibly be overrated, since it is likely the most underrated franchise in NFL history. I was pleased to see a couple of former Denver Broncos listed as "underrated" - Lionel Taylor as one of the most underrated wide receivers and Shannon Sharpe as one of the most underrated tight ends.

I had more than a few "amen" moments in reading this book, as he asked some of the questions I have pondered for some time now, such as "Why exactly are Dan Fouts and Warren Moon in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?"

What is underrated is the use of a good editor. Paolantonio made some major factual blunders in this book that were easy for even a casual fan like myself to pick out. He asserted several times that the New England Patriots were the first franchise ever to win three Super Bowls in four seasons. . . although the Dallas Cowboys also accomplished the feat in the 1990s. Also, part of his argument that Marv Levy was the most overrated Hall of Famer of all time was that Levy was outcoached by Barry Switzer in Super Bowl 28. However, Jimmy Johnson was still the coach of the Cowboys at that time. Switzer was the coach of the Cowboys two years later when they beat the Steelers in Super Bowl 30. I don't know how a book goes to press with major errors like this. I'd think that you would have at least a person or two read through it before you hand it in - like the high school term paper. But I guess not!

[Todd Stockslager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasant argument-starter does just what its subtitle states. Written after and including players and starts through the 2006 season, Paolantonio does a good job placing current players in historical context and and bringing older players into focus with cross-generational comparisons. While he uses statistics plentifully, he excels in highlighting head-to-head comparisons in post season games, where results matter more.

It is interesting to see one of his more recent "overrated" assessments vindicated. Writing before the 2007 season, he placed Jeremy Shockey on the list of overrated tight ends, a rating borne out by the Giants late season rush and Super Bowl win with Shockey in street clothes and absent from the locker room and sideline with a season-ending injury.

I was also glad to see that Paolantonio agreed with me (a rabid Steeler fan) that Larry Smith was an overrated Super Bowl MVP for his two interceptions of Neil O'Donnell in the 1996 game. As he points out, Smith was only in position to make those interceptions because he failed to guard any receiver and because O'Donnell threw two horrible passes right two him!

And while I didn't like to see Pittsburgh's own Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swann in the overrated category, I have to agree with the author's arguments that they belong there. He might have balanced that out by mentioning John Stallworth in the underrated list (Art Monk is another deserving wide receiver who could have made that list as well), but it was vindicating to see the great Mel Blount on the underrated side. And Chuck Noll, still the only coach to win four Super Bowls (and with his integrity intact, unlike the egregiously unethical and vastly overrated Bill Belichick), who was never voted NFL Coach of the Year, is surely deserving of an underrated mention.

For a good companion on the baseball side see my review of The Stark Truth: The Most Overrated and Underrated Players in Baseball History.

[Jay Crawford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sal Paolantonio is one of the best reporters on ESPN in my opinion. His information is usually first-rate and dead-on accurate. However, this book was not the best thing I have ever read. There are two reasons why this book was not that good: Number one, it is in a list form followed by statistics. Yeah, his stats are accurate and back his opinions up, but it makes for a monotonous read. Number two, he states the statistics as if it is just a complete abomination that someone is either in or out of the Hall of Fame because of them. Hey, Sal, last time I looked, it was still the Hall of FAME, not the Hall of Gawdy Statistics, or even the Hall of Best Statistics. These people got to the Hall of Fame because of their popularity with the fans. Most of them just happen to have the best stats, but some of them don't.
I did agree, however, on some his opinions. For instance, he states that Dominic Rhodes should have been the MVP of Super Bowl XLI, not Peyton Manning. Manning was average at best in that game, Rhodes had a great game, and he carried the team that night. I like Sal, but his effort at book writing was not that great.

[Joshua · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book really just felt like reading a long ESPN column, which I imagine is how it started. I found myself most interested during the discussion of modern players, and my attention waning when it focused on players before my time. At times it also seemed like Mr. Paolantonio made selections for his lists just to be "different", which just seemed kind of cheap to me.

I'm sure to a more die-hard football fan this book would be more engaging, but for me I found myself skipping to find more familiar names.

[Todd · Rating 1 out of 5]

An easy read, but at times comes off as a guy who thinks his opinion is the only one that counts. And while he states this book and his lists are meant to create debates on each part, sometimes I just come away from it wondering where he thinks he is coming from.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interersting enough arguments, if you like football a lot.

[Tony Valdepenas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have been a much better book if he didn't mention the Eagles or Philly every 3 pages.

[Steve · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not bad...and a unique perspective. But it's another laundry list of my "Top Five" list for a variety of NFL categories. I actually got quite bored with the book halfway through.