Tag: all-decade team

Broncos WR Diontae Spencer nominated for CFL’s All-Decade Team

Broncos returner Diontae Spencer has been nominated for the CFL’s All-Decade Team.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Diontae Spencer has been nominated for the Canadian Football League’s All-Decade Team as a kick returner. Fans can vote for Spencer on the CFL’s website.

Spencer (5-8, 163 pounds) signed with the Toronto Argonauts in 2014 after short offseason stints with the St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears. He then spent four seasons in Canada, splitting time with the Argonauts and Ottawa Redblacks.

Spencer earned East All-Star nods in 2017 and 2018 and was named a CFL All-Star in 2018. He set the CFL single-game record for all-purpose yards (496) in 2017 against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Last summer, Spencer went to training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers but failed to make their 53-man roster. He was then claimed off waivers by the Broncos and was quickly named Denver’s starting returner.

Spencer earned Pro Bowl alternate honors after his first season with the Broncos. He totaled 644 return yards in 2019, averaging 29.1 yards per return on kickoffs.

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WATCH: Falcons All-Decade defensive line highlights

We’ve already examined safeties Ricardo Allen and William Moore, and now, let’s take a look at the All-Decade team’s starting front-four.

The entire writing and editing staff for the Atlanta Falcons has done an outstanding job of unveiling the All-Decade team during a very slow news period.

So far, just the defensive and special teams starters have been released. We’ve already looked at safeties Ricardo Allen and William Moore, and now, let’s check out the All-Decade team’s front-four.

Grady Jarrett and Jonathan Babineaux are the two starting defensive tackles, surrounded by ends Jonathan Abraham and Vic Beasley.

Watch the highlight video of the four former and current Falcons below, as shared by the team’s Twitter account:

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WATCH: Falcons All-Decade safety highlights

The Atlanta Falcons have been putting together their all-decade team over the past week, and so far just the the defensive and special-teams starters have been unveiled. 

The Atlanta Falcons have been putting together their all-decade team over the past week, and so far just the the defensive and special-teams starters have been unveiled.

At safety, the top-voted players were William Moore — a second-round pick in 2009 — and Ricardo Allen — a fifth-round pick in 2014.

Moore was a key part of Atlanta’s defense from 2009-2014, recording 314 tackles (239 solo), 14 interceptions and 10 forced fumbles over six seasons. Meanwhile, Allen remains one of the team’s key defensive players.

Check out the highlight video of Moore and Allen below, as tweeted by the Falcons’ Twitter account.

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Steelers get 11 of 22 starters on ESPN AFC North All-Decade team

Steelers get 11 of 22 starters on ESPN AFC North All-Decade team

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ESPN has been putting in the work, creating All-Decade teams for every division in the NFL. Out of 22 starters on offense and defense, 11 of them came from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Here is how the two teams broke down.

Offense

QB Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers, 2004-present
RB Le’Veon Bell, Steelers, 2013-18
RB Ray Rice, Ravens, 2008-13
WR Antonio Brown, Steelers, 2010-18
WR A.J. Green, Bengals, 2011-present
OT Joe Thomas, Browns, 2007-17
OT Andrew Whitworth, Bengals, 2006-16
G Marshal Yanda, Ravens, 2007-19
G David DeCastro, Steelers, 2012-present
C Maurkice Pouncey, Steelers, 2010-present
TE Heath Miller, Steelers, 2005-15

Defense

DE Carlos Dunlap, Bengals, 2010-present
DT Geno Atkins, Bengals, 2010-present
DE Cameron Heyward, Steelers, 2011-present
OLB Terrell Suggs, Ravens, 2003-18
ILB C.J. Mosley, Ravens, 2014-18
ILB Lawrence Timmons, Steelers, 2007-16
OLB James Harrison, Steelers, 2002-12, 2014-17; Bengals, 2013
CB Joe Haden, Browns, 2010-16; Steelers, 2017-present
CB Adam Jones, Bengals, 2010-17
S Ed Reed, Ravens, 2002-12
S Troy Polamalu, Steelers, 2003-14

Pittsburgh was absolutely loaded during the 2010s. Unfortunately for all that individual talent, Pittsburgh was never able to parlay it into a Super Bowl championship. The Steelers lost the Super Bowl in 2010 and despite making the playoffs six times in the decade, after that Super Bowl loss, the Steelers have gone winless in the playoffs in five more trips.

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Two current Broncos defenders made PFF’s All-Decade Team

The Broncos have two current defenders on PFF’s list of the best players from the 2010s decade.

Two current members of the Denver Broncos’ defense made Pro Football Focus’ list of the Top 101 players from the 2010s decade: outside linebacker Von Miller (No. 7) and defensive lineman Jurrell Casey (No. 96).

“There has been no better pure pass-rusher of the decade than Von Miller, who hit the ground running as a rookie and posted eight consecutive seasons with a PFF grade north of 90.0 to begin his career,” PFF’s Sam Monson wrote.

Miller was named the MVP of Super Bowl 50 and has totaled 106 sacks in his career. Casey, a five-time Pro Bowler, owns 51 career sacks.

“[Casey] has notched at least 40 total pressures in every year since a slow first couple of campaigns in the NFL,” Monson wrote on PFF’s website.

The list of former Broncos who made the cut includes four-time Pro Bowler Chris Harris (No. 12), two-time Super Bowl champion Peyton Manning (No. 18), guard Evan Mathis (No. 14) — who helped the Broncos win Super Bowl 50 — wide receiver Brandon Marshall (No. 61), cornerback Aqib Talib (No. 85) and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (No. 87).

Dez Bryant and Sanders made the cut but, surprising, Demaryius Thomas did not. Thomas earned five Pro Bowl nods and won a Super Bowl during the 2010s. Bryant earned three Pro Bowl selections but didn’t have any deep postseason runs with the Cowboys.

Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is ranked No. 1 on the list.

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Calvin Johnson checks in at 16 on PFF’s All-Decade team

Pro Football Focus put together an All-Decade team and former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson landed 16th on their list.

Pro Football Focus put together an All-Decade team and former Detroit Lions all-world wide receiver Calvin Johnson landed 16th on their list.

Ranked at 16 may feel a bit too low but there are a few factors that need to be considered. PFF noted that “this list isn’t an evaluation of talent, but rather of production, efficiency and performance over a specific time period — in this case, the entire decade.”

While that alone wouldn’t negatively impact Johnson, it’s also worth noting that he only played in six of the 10 seasons and “playing time was factored into the decisions, too; somebody who played twice as much within the decade was given some level of preference over players who played only a few seasons in the 2010s.”

Here’s PFF’s reasoning for Johnson’s ranking:

Calvin Johnson walked away from the game at the height of his powers, and only that held him back from the very top of this list. He left on the back of five straight seasons with a PFF grade of 88.0 or higher, and over the six seasons he played within the decade, he never had a grade lower than 83.0. He scored a touchdown on almost 7% of targets, the third-highest rate of any receiver with 800 or more targets over the decade. Calvin Johnson was one of the most physically imposing receivers ever to play the game and was virtually unstoppable at his best. Even though he played just 60% of the decade, he was one of the best 20 players to feature in it.

On behalf of Lions Wire, congratulations to Johnson on the recognition.

Former Texas running back listed on PFF’s All-Decade Top 101 players

Former Texas legend Jamaal Charles was listed as one of the top 100 NFL players of the last decade.

Pro Football Focus will be releasing a list of the top 101 NFL players from the 2010’s. From Monday to Thursday of this week, each section will feature roughly 20 players who have been ranked in order by production, efficiency and performance.

While PFF strives to do their best to vote on these particular players in terms of all positions created equal, playoffs and playing time will also factor in. Realistically, some talented players whose careers were overlapped between decades may appear lower on the list than others.

While only the back end of the list has been released thus far, a former Texas legend cracked the top 100. Running back Jamaal Charles was listed at No. 86, just before wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

According to PFF, Charles’ speed and production over the last few seasons of his career were enough to land him on this prestigious list.

“One of the fastest running backs to play the game, Jamaal Charles had track speed that would break angles and statistics because of how difficult he was to hit, let alone tackle. Though the decade caught only the last few seasons of his career, the sample size for running backs is lower than it is for most positions. And even in those seasons, Charles averaged 5.3 yards per carry, 2.5 of which came after contact. He forced 157 missed tackles on 1,151 carries and generated a first down or touchdown on 26% of his carries.”

After being selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft,  his career didn’t begin to take off until the tail end of the 2009 season. All it took was one game to remember his name. Against the Denver Broncos in Week 17, Charles rushed for 259 yards on 25 carries, breaking the Chiefs’ single-game rushing record.

He never looked back, racking up countless All-Pro seasons. Although Charles had brief stints with the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars beginning in 2017, he ultimately retired on May 1 of 2019 after signing a one-day contract with the Chiefs. To this day, Charles remains the Chiefs’ career leader in rushing yards.

As a true freshman at Texas, Charles saw playing time in all 13 games, including the BCS National Championship. However, it was his junior season that sticks out most.

Charles led the Big 12 Conference in total rushing yards (1,619) and total rushing touchdowns (18). It was impressive enough to forego his senior season and begin his professional career.

Keep an eye out on several other Longhorns to crack the list later this week.

Doug Baldwin No. 77 on PFF’s Top-101 players of the decade

Pro Football Focus is ranking the top 101 players from the last decade, and Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin is No. 77 overall.

Pro Football Focus decided to go above and beyond their recent all-decade team release, and is now ranking the top-101 players from the last decade.

Numbers 75-101 were released on Monday morning, and former Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin made the list at No. 77 overall.

Greg Olsen, who signed with the Seahawks back in February, is on the list ast well at No. 81.

Baldwin cracks the list just behind Dez Bryant and ahead of fellow wideouts Keenan Allen, Emmanuel Sanders and Odell Beckham, Jr.

Baldwin is perhaps the best undrafted free agent in franchise history, joining the team in 2011 and putting together an extremely stellar eight-year career that was unfortunately cut short after the 2019 season due to injuries.

Baldwin was a two-time Pro Bowler and led the league in touchdown receptions in 2015, cementing himself as one of the most reliable pass catchers in the game and challenging the prototype that No. 1 receivers couldn’t also be smaller, slot guys.

Baldwin will be the first of many Seahawks on the top-101 list, which will likely also include Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson, as well as each member of the Legion of Boom: Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor.

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Seattle Seahawks announce 2010s All-Decade Team

The Seattle Seahawks have announced their 2010s All-Decade Team with the most impactful players at each of the key positions.

Right on the heels of the NFL’s All-Decade Team, the Seattle Seahawks have announced a squad of their own. Seahawks.com reporter John Bowl put together a list of the most impactful players over the last 10 years by position. So without further ado, here is a look at the Seahawks’ 2010s All-Decade Team.

Quarterback: Russell Wilson

Running back/Fullback: Marshawn Lynch, Chris Carson and Michael Robinson

Wide receiver: Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, Golden Tate and Jermaine Kearse

Tight End: Zach Miller and Jimmy Graham

Offensive Line: Tackle Duane Brown, tackle Russell Okung, center Max Unger, guard J.R. Sweezy and guard D.J. Fluker

Defensive Line: Defensive end Michael Bennett, defensive end Cliff Avril, defensive end Frank Clark, defensive end Red Bryant, defensive end Chris Clemons, defensive tackle Jarran Reed, defensive tackle Brandon Mebane and defensive tackle Tony McDaniel

Linebacker: Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright and Bruce Irvin

Cornerback: Richard Sherman, Shaquill Griffin and Brandon Browner

Safety: Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor

Specialists: Punter Jon Ryan, kicker Stephen Hauschka, long snapper Clint Gresham kick returner/punt returner Leon Washington

Special Teams: Linebacker Heath Farwell, wide receiver Ricardo Lockette, defensive back DeShawn Shead, cornerback Neiko Thorpe, linebacker Mike Morgan and safety Chris Maragos.

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NFL.com names Von Miller 2nd-best player of the decade

NFL.com has declared Von Miller the league’s second-best player of the last decade.

Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller was named to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team this week. NFL.com’s Adam Rank took praise for Miller a step further, declaring him the second-best player of the decade.

Miller is ranked No. 2 on Rank’s list of the top players of the decade, behind only quarterback Tom Brady. Miller is ranked higher than star defender Aaron Donald (No. 3), J.J. Watt (No. 4) and Luke Kuechly (No. 5).

“The Broncos’ edge rusher finished the decade with seven All-Pro selections (three first-team honors), a league-leading 106 sacks and a Defensive Rookie of the Year award,” Rank wrote. “Most importantly, though, he won a Super Bowl MVP award (in Super Bowl 50).”

Miller has plenty of accolades but he is yet to win a Defensive Player of the Year award. Miller has 18/1 odds to take home DPOY honors this season. Even if he doesn’t manage to ever win that award, Miller will likely be viewed as a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he retires.

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