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Two of the most common words thrown around when it comes to analysis of players in today's media age are "overrated" and "underrated." Fans either think that a player is better than he's getting credit for or is worse than he is built up to be. This leads to a number of interesting discussions, and recently NFL.com's Elliot Harrison compiled an All-Underrated Team in the NFL.
One Colt appeared on the list, and he was certainly a deserving selection: left tackle Anthony Castonzo was named to Harrison's All-Underrated Team, writing:
How Castonzo has allowed just six sacks over the last two years is anyone's guess, considering the enormous amount of pass attempts (1,243) the Colts have racked up during that time. Castonzo played the most snaps among tackles last year and gave up all of two sacks.
Castonzo has, without any doubt, been the Colts' best offensive lineman in recent years, and while that's not saying a whole lot, he's been the consistent force up front that has helped the unit stay somewhat decent. In the Colts' passing offense the left tackle position is a crucial one, and having Anthony Castonzo there playing every down and playing well is huge.
As Harrison noted, no offensive lineman played more snaps than Castonzo a year ago, and according to Pro Football Focus he allowed just two sacks and just 33 hurries total despite spending 726 snaps in pass protection, finishing with the eighth-highest pass blocking efficiency in the league. PFF has liked Castonzo for a while, so it's good to see someone else recognize his play as well.
Anthony Castonzo isn't the best left tackle in the league, but he'd be higher up on the list than people might think and he has provided the Colts with very good play and a very consistent presence as he anchors the left side of the line. The team has a lot of issues along the line, but the left tackle position isn't one of them thanks to Castonzo. It's great to see him make this All-Underrated Team, because I'd certainly say that "underrated" is a word that describes Anthony Castonzo.