Stevan Ridley on NFL.com's All-Underrated Team

In an offense that is commanded by future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Tom Brady, it's tough to claim some of the spotlight. Even still, second-year running back Stevan Ridley turned some heads after a breakout season. Running for over 1,200 yards and scoring 12 TD's, Ridley became a picture of excitement for Patriots fans. To us, Ridley is as much of a star as anyone. To the rest of the league however, his name still hasn't broken the surface as an above-average player.

NFL.com just released what they titled as the 'All-Underrated Team' highlighted by guys like Cam Newton and Daryl Washington. Ridley was elected as the team's running back. Writer Elliot Harrison took a second to define what exactly NFL.com meant when they called these player 'underrated':

These players are all major contributors, not glorified backups. We tried not to confuse underrated with "never heard of." While you know most players, these are guys who deserve some more props.

Without further adieu, here's Patriots running back Stevan Ridley's description by NFL.com:

"Probably because he's part of a Patriots backfield-by-committee and partially because he takes handoffs from Tom Brady, Ridley's 1,263 yards and 12 TDs in 2012 were somehow overlooked."

The future is bright for the young RB. Coming off of a concussion that he sustained in the AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens, his performance will be tracked carefully by the team and fans. Hopefully if all goes well for Ridley, one day he won't be considered 'underrated' anymore. Maybe Stevan Ridley could become a household name. He also has the sweetest touchdown celebration in the game (along with Aaron Hernandez).