2 former Panthers players make NFL’s All-Decade Team

Two former Carolina Panthers players have been named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s.

Defensive end Julius Peppers spent most of the decade playing for the Bears and the Packers, but he returned to Carolina to finish his career. Peppers announced his retirement in February of 2019.

Middle linebacker Luke Kuechly was a first-round pick by the Panthers in 2012. He and Bobby Wagner will go down together as the best off-ball linebackers of their generation. In a shocking development, Kuechly announced his retirement in January.

Between the two of them, they totaled 16 Pro Bowls, eight All-Pros and two defensive Rookie of the Year awards. Both should be locks to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame when they are eligible.

Here is the complete list for the all-decade team, per NFL.com.

Offense

QB Tom Brady
QB Aaron Rodgers
RB Frank Gore
RB Marshawn Lynch
RB LeSean McCoy
RB Adrian Peterson
WR Antonio Brown
WR Larry Fitzgerald
WR Calvin Johnson
WR Julio Jones
FLEX Darren Sproles
TE Rob Gronkowski
TE Travis Kelce
OT Jason Peters
OT Tyron Smith
OT Joe Staley
OT Joe Thomas
OG Jahri Evans
OG Logan Mankins
OG Zack Martin
OG Marshal Yanda
C Alex Mack
C Maurkice Pouncey

Defense

DE Calais Campbell
DE Cameron Jordan
DE Julius Peppers
DE J.J. Watt
DT Geno Atkins
DT Fletcher Cox
DT Aaron Donald
DT Ndamukong Suh
LB Chandler Jones
LB Luke Kuechly
LB Khalil Mack
LB Von Miller*
LB Bobby Wagner
LB Patrick Willis
CB Patrick Peterson
CB Darrelle Revis
CB Richard Sherman
S Eric Berry
S Earl Thomas
S Eric Weddle
DB Chris Harris Jr.
DB Tyrann Mathieu

Specialists

P Johnny Hekker
P Shane Lechler
K Stephen Gostkowski
K Justin Tucker
PR Tyreek Hill
PR Darren Sproles
KR Devin Hester
KR Cordarrelle Patterson

Coaches

Bill Belichick
Pete Carroll

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6 Chiefs players named to NFL’s 2010s All-Decade team

The Kansas City Chiefs have the second-most players on the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade team.

The NFL and the Pro Football Hall of Fame have announced that a total of 52 players and two head coaches have been selected for the 2010s All-Decade team.

The Kansas City Chiefs have the second-most players named to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade team with six total players. That group includes three players currently on the team and three former players. Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill and Tyrann Mathieu headline the group as the current players and LeSean McCoy, Eric Berry and Darrelle Revis are the former players named to the team.

A name noticeably absent from the list is Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. It’s hard to compete with the achievements of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers— the two quarterbacks selected for this particular decade. Mahomes only has two years in this decade, despite those being two of the best years by a QB in NFL history. I suspect that Mahomes will have a shot at being a unanimous selection for the 2020s decade.

None of the players for the Chiefs were among the eight players voted in as unanimous selections. Every player besides Hill made the list at their primary position, while Hill was voted in a punt return specialist.

The great thing for Kansas City is that the three players that are still on the roster should still have many good years ahead of them. None of them are over 30 years old and all of them remain under contract through the 2021 NFL season.

Texans DE J.J. Watt named to NFL 2010s All-Decade team

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade team.

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt was named to the NFL 2010 All-Decade Team on Monday.

The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year is the only active member of the Texans to land on the list.

Watt notched 20.5 sacks two times in his career, 2012 and 2014 and led the NFL in the statistic in 2012 and 2015. In addition to earning three defensive player of the year honors, Watt also collected five first-team All-Pros along with five Pro Bowl selections.

The former 2011 first-round pick from Wisconsin had his 2016 season limited to three games with a herniated disc and his 2017 season curtailed to five games with a fractured tibial plateau. In 2018, Watt returned for a full 16-game slate and made All-Pro, but a torn pectoral in Week 8 of 2019 knocked him out of the rest of the regular season. Watt returned for the playoffs and helped Houston to a 22-19 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC wild-card at NRG Stadium.

“That’s why you do it,” Watt said on Jan. 4. “That’s why you take the risk. That’s why you put in the work. That’s why you do the rehab. That’s why you do all of it. For those moments, to be out there with the guys, to be a part of the team, to try and help the team win, to try and bring that spark.”

Watt was one of eight players who were voted unanimously to the list. The other seven players were quarterback Tom Brady, running back Adrian Peterson, guard Marshal Yanda, left tackle Joe Thomas, defensive tackle Aaron Donald, outside linebacker Von Miller, and kicker Justin Tucker.

The only other player on the list who was with the Texans at one time was Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, who played his 2018 season in Houston. Mathieu had spent 2013-17 playing for the Arizona Cardinals.

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Rams 2010s All-Decade Team: Defense and special teams

Breaking down the best defensive and special teams players to play for the Rams during the 2010s.

Despite an up-and-down decade on offense, the Rams have had one of the better defenses in the NFL since Jeff Fisher took over as head coach in 2012. They had a fearsome pass rush even before Aaron Donald arrived and their secondary has always been a tough out for opposing quarterbacks. The Rams became known for their defensive identity before Sean McVay arrived, and they continued to shine under McVay and Wade Phillips.

There are a lot of players deserving of a spot on the Rams 2010s All-Decade Team, at least compared to the other side of the ball. To choose this group, we only factored in the achievements of a player during their time with the Rams between 2010-2019. For example, Chris Long’s first two years with the Rams did not affect his status on this list.

You can read the selections for offense here. We’ll start with the defensive line, and we’ll end with special teams.

Defensive end/EDGE: Robert Quinn (2011-2017) & Chris Long (2010-2015)

Since the Rams ran two different styles of defense last decade, we’ll be combining some positions here. But this is one of the most obvious choices of the entire list.

Robert Quinn’s 2013 season was one for the ages. Quinn recorded 19 sacks, 23 tackles for loss, 34 quarterback hits, seven forced fumbles, and even scored a touchdown. He was named a First-Team All-Pro, the only All-Pro selection of the decade for a Rams defensive player not named Aaron Donald, and won the PFWA Defensive Player of the Year award.

The rest of Quinn’s tenure with the Rams wasn’t too shabby. He totaled 62.5 sacks in his seven years with the team, which is tied for the fourth-most in franchise history. He’ll likely go down as one of the more underrated Rams.

Though Chris Long’s numbers weren’t as flashy as Quinn’s, he was a perfect complement to him on the other side of the defensive line. In addition 45.5 sacks and 56 tackles for loss during his six years with the Rams last decade, Long was a locker room leader, a team captain, and a well-respected teammate. Players have long been vocal about how much they enjoyed playing with him.

Despite spending eight seasons with the Rams, Long will be remembered for what he accomplished in his three seasons after leaving. He won back-to-back Super Bowls with the Patriots and Eagles in addition to being selected as the Walter Payton Man of the Year in his final NFL season. Regardless, the bulk of his career starts happened with the Rams, and he’s more than deserving of a spot on this list.

Honorable Mention: William Hayes

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Rams 2010s All-Decade Team: Offense

Breaking down the best offensive players to play for the Los Angeles (and St. Louis) Rams during the 2010s.

The 2010s were quite an eventful decade for the Rams franchise. They played in two different cities, had the first overall pick twice, played in a Super Bowl, drafted a generational talent and a massive bust in the first round of the same draft, won two games in a season, hired a coach who produced a timeless meme, and hired another coach who changed how teams hire coaches in the NFL.

There were some incredible highs and some devastating lows. This list is no different. There are players on this list that would make anybody’s overall NFL All-Decade team, and there are players on this list that maybe shouldn’t have even been starting games in the NFL. The Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams of the 2010s were a rollercoaster ride. This list will give you a chance to relive it.

To select our All-Decade Team, we only considered what players did between the 2010 and 2019 seasons. For example, when considering Steven Jackson, we wouldn’t take into account his entire career with the Rams, just his three years playing for the team this decade.

Let’s get into it, starting with the offense.

Quarterback: Jared Goff (2016 – 2019)

(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Goff is the only real option here. In his three full seasons as the Rams starting quarterback, Goff threw for 13,130 yards while completing 63% of his passes. He tossed 82 touchdown passes against 35 interceptions and added five touchdowns on the ground. His rookie season may have been abysmal, but Goff bounced back with two very impressive seasons in 2017 and 2018. He was the first Rams quarterback to be selected to back-to-back Pro Bowls since Kurt Warner in 2000-2001.

Most importantly, he’s helped the team win football games – something the Rams’ other QBs from last decade struggled to do. The Rams have put together three straight winning seasons for the first time since the days of the Greatest Show on Turf. Goff played a significant role in leading the Rams to a 13-3 record and a Super Bowl appearance in 2018. He holds a 33-14 record as the Rams starting quarterback since 2017.

Goff left a lot to be desired in 2019, but his overall tenure with the Rams has been a success. Let’s hope he can return to form in 2020 and cement himself as the quarterback for next decade’s team.

Honorable Mention: Sam Bradford

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Top 10 Broncos moments from the past decade

The 2010s are just about behind us. Here is a look back at the top moments of the decade for the Denver Broncos.

With the close of the Denver Broncos’ 2019 season, we also get set to close out an entire decade.

Between 2010 and 2019, the Broncos had some very up-and-down seasons, experiencing the ultimate success and some of the worst years in franchise history across the past decade.

Over the past 10 seasons, the Broncos had an 89-71 win-loss record, which is pretty good considering they closed the decade with three straight losing seasons.

But here, we’re only going to focus on the positive and give you a chance to relive the best moments from the past 10 years. With that, we present the top 10 Broncos moments from the past decade.

Honorable mention: Von Miller becomes sack king

For nearly 25 years, Simon Fletcher sat atop the team’s record book, finishing his playing career with 97.5 career sacks. It became clear years ago that as long as he stayed in Denver, Miller would break that record.

He accomplished the feat in December 2018 with a sack of Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns, taking Fletcher out of the top spot.

This likely would have made the top 10 if it didn’t occur during one of the worst Broncos seasons in franchise history, a fact that really seemed to take from the moment.

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Broncos OLB Von Miller named to NFL.com’s All-Decade Team

Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team this week.

Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller was named to NFL.com’s 2010s All-Decade Team this week. He is the only Broncos player who made the team.

Miller (6-3, 250 pounds) was selected by the Broncos with the second overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft after winning the Butkus Award (given to college football’s best linebacker) while at Texas A&M.

Miller is one of two “edge rushers” on the all-decade team, joining Houston Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt. Miller and Watt have combined to total 201 sacks over the last decade.

Here is what NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling had to say about Miller:

Why is Watt only second in sacks over the past 10 years? Because edge-rushing terror Von Miller amassed 105 to go with a league-best 26 forced fumbles over the same span. He was the linchpin and Super Bowl MVP on a swarming defense that a biased John Elway considers the best he’s ever seen.

Miller is the Broncos’ all-time leader in sacks, an eight-time Pro Bowler, a seven-time All-Pro and now a member of an all-decade team.

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UGA football all-decade team

Georgia football all-decade team from UGA Wire

Over the last decade, Georgia has produced some of the most NFL talent in the country. Unfortunately there are no championships to show for it, but this all-decade UGA football team could give any other school a run for their money.

There’s a decent chance I forgot some greats on this list. Please comment or reply on social media with your team!

QB: Aaron Murray

(Honorable mention: Aaaron Murray)

This compilation of players from 2010-current had some tough choices. Aaron Murray, the SEC’s all-time leading passer; or Jake Fromm, a two-time SEC East champion, a Rose Bowl winner and a national title runner-up? We went with Murray, taking overall consistency and what the two had to work with into consideration.

RB: Todd Gurley

RB: Nick Chubb, Sony Michel

Running backs were not too difficult. Todd Gurley may have had the lowest stats of the group, but he was the best. Probably the best running back in all of college football since 2010, actually.

But how can we leave Nick Chubb and Sony Michel off the list? We can’t. Therefore, we didn’t. One could throw D’Andre Swift on this list as an honorable mention as well, but it’s hard to out-do the other three guys on this list.

WR: AJ Green

WR: Malcolm Mitchell

WR: Tavarres King

(Honorable mentions: Chris Conley, Terry Godwin, Mecole Hardman)

AJ Green, though he only played one year this decade, was too good to leave off this list. He still is one of the most purely talented receivers I’ve ever seen in college. Tavarres King worked his way up the Georgia record books during his productive career in Athens. We all remember Malcolm Mitchell’s success at Georgia, most notably his game-winning touchdown vs the No. 2 ranked Florida Gators in 2012.

Green, King and Mitchell rank 3rd, 4th and 6th on Georgia’s all-time leading receiving list.

TE: Orson Charles

TE: Arthur Lynch

(Honorable mention: Isaac Nauta)

Orson Charles is one of Georgia’s all-time greats at the tight end position, finishing his career with 1,370 yards and 10 touchdowns. He played his final two season in 2010 and 2011, helping Georgia to the 2011 SEC Championship Game. Then there’s Arthur Lynch, who had 900 receiving yards in two seasons, and was one of Aaron Murray’s favorite receivers.

LT: Andrew Thomas

LG: Isaiah Wynn

C: David Andrews

RG: Cordy Glenn

RT: John Theus

I would not want to go up against this offensive line, and I don’t think many defenders would want to either. Andrew Thomas, though still young, has proven he is great. Isaiah Wynn was a first round draft pick of the Patriots. David Andrews was more important to Georgia than any other offensive lineman I can remember. Cordy Glenn may not have been listed as a right guard, but he did start 4 games at the position at Georgia and was one of the most versatile players in UGA history. John Theus played in 43 consecutive games at Georgia and was one of college football’s most dominant linemen.

DEFENSE

LE: Justin Houston (Only played in 2010)

DT: Trent Thompson

NT: Jon Jenkins

RE: Jonathan Ledbetter

(Honorable mention: Ray Drew, Cornelius Washington, Abry Jones))

Justin Houston is an outside linebacker, but he’d still be awfully disruptive at defensive end. Trent Thompson may have left too early, however, in his final year at Georgia he played a big role in helping UGA to the national title.

OLB: Jarvis Jones

ILB: Roquan Smith

ILB: Alec Ogletree

OLB: Lorenzo Carter

(Honorable mention: Leonard Floyd, Davin Bellamy, Amarlo Herrera, Mike Gilliard, Christian Robinson)

Could you imagine this group of linebackers? Plus there’s still Justin Houston on that d-line. Jarivs Jones was one of the best pass rusher I’ve ever seen. Roquan Smith is THE best collegiate linebacker I’ve ever seen. Alec Ogletree was simply a playmaker. Lorenzo Carter was a fierce edge rusher, and his blocked kick against Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl earned him a starting role here.

Take a look at those honorable mentions. Those guys could form their own frightening linebacker group.

CB: Deandre Baker

CB: Brandon Boykin

S: Bacarri Rambo

S: JR Reed

(Honorable mention: Shawn Williams, Damian Swan, Dom Sanders)

Not a bad group here, either. Deandre Baker was an easy choice. Brandon Boykin was a monster, and he was one of the game’s most versatile players as well. Bacarri Rambo and Dominick Sanders are tied for first on Georgia’s list of all-time leading interceptions with 16, but we bumped JR Reed up to the No. 2 spot amongst safeties after all his success in Athens.

Shawn Williams was hard to leave off, especially because of what he meant to Georgia. He was a leader on that 2012 team and is having a very nice NFL career with the Bengals.

K: Rodrigo Blankenship

P: Drew Butler

(Honorable mention: Marshall Morgan, Blair Walsh)

Hot Rod is Hot Rod. Drew Butler was a Ray Guy award winner. Easy picks. Although, Cam Nizialek did quite well for his one season in Athens during the 2017 Rose Bowl run.