I decided to rank the elite NFL players who called it quits while in Seattle. This list does not include lifelong Seahawks, like Steve Largent and Walter Jones, or even Marshawn Lynch – who might have played his final down last season (although with Beast mode, you can never be sure).
Instead, this list will focus on players who spent one year (or in many cases, less than a year) in Seattle to shut the door on their extensive – often Hall of Fame worthy – careers.
The Jets Wire names the Jets 2010’s all-decade team with New York’s franchise-worst 10-year stretch ending with a 7-9 finish.
The Jets’ decade started with an AFC Championship appearance, but since then they’ve endured one of the worst stretches in franchise history.
New York has only had one season since in which it was over .500 and failed to return to the playoffs. The Jets have now gone nine consecutive seasons without a playoff berth and a record four straight losing seasons after faring 10-6 in 2015.
To finish off the decade, the Jets went 6-2 after a 1-7 finish, but they still have yet to play meaningful football beyond the first week of January. It seems Gang Green has its quarterback of the future, but does it have enough to start off the next decade with a playoff trip?
Decisions for the future are coming. For now, let’s take a look at the Jets’ 2010s all-decade team:
Offense
East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker (87) and New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) celebrate Marshall’s touchdown during the second half at MetLife Stadium. The Jets defeated the Patriots 26-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
QB Mark Sanchez: Sanchez was consistently average during his time in New York, but that’s enough to be the team’s best quarterback of the decade. He was the only one to lead Gang Green to the playoffs in this decade. During his time as New York’s signal-caller, Sanchez went 33-29, a much more impressive record than what Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh McCown. The hope is that Sam Darnold will do more to earn the nod 10 years from now.
RB Chris Ivory: Acquired via trade in one of John Idzik’s first moves as New York’s general manager, Ivory had a rather productive three-year tenure in green and white. He ran for over 800 yards in all three seasons, including going over 1,000 yards in 2015.
WR Brandon Marshall: Marshall spent just two seasons with New York, but his 2015 was enough to garner a mention on this list. Marshall set the team record for catches and yards and tied Don Maynard for touchdowns. In 2015, Marshall had 109 catches for 1,502 yards and 14 touchdowns.
WR Eric Decker: Paired with Marshall, the Jets had one of the most dynamic passing attacks in the league. He could never establish himself as a No. 1 target, but Decker put up those numbers opposite of Marshall. In 2015, Decker had 80 receptions for 1,027 yards and 12 touchdowns.
WR Santonio Holmes: While Holmes’ Jets career ended on a sour note, he is still largely responsible for helping New York reach its second AFC Championship Game in as many seasons. While his statistics don’t tell the whole story because of his four-game suspension to the begin the season, Holmes was as clutch as can be when it counted.
TE Dustin Keller: One of the more productive tight ends in the history of the franchise, the Jets have been unable to replicate Keller’s success since he departed New York. He finished his six-year tenure with the Jets catching 241 passes for 2,876 yards and 17 scores.
OT D’Brickashaw Ferguson: Ferguson was a staple on the Jets offensive line. He was the glue that kept the left side together and New York never had to worry about it quarterback’s blindside when he was on the field.
OG James Carpenter: Carpenter was the best the Jets had to offer at left guard during the decade. He was a reliable fixture brought in by Idzik and started every single game for New York from 2015-17.
C Nick Mangold: An All-Pro in 2010, Mangold would appear in five of his seven Pro Bowl appearances during the 2010s. The Jets are still itching to find a competent center as his replacement.
OG Brandon Moore: Moore is more famous for Mark Sanchez running into his behind, but he is the best the Jets had at right guard from 2010 on.
RT Damien Woody: While Woody has now spent more time as an ESPN personality than with Gang Green this decade, he provided the most stability at a position that has been a thorn in the Jets’ side.
Honorable Mentions: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, RB Bilal Powell, RB Shonn Greene, WR Robby Anderson, OG Brian Winters, OT Kelvin Beachum.
On the eve of a new decade, we’re counting down the Bears’ best games of this past decade — including some real blasts from the past.
Between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2019, the Chicago Bears played 164 games, including three playoff games, compiling a record of 78-86. Surprising playoff runs in 2010 and 2018 were sandwiched around lengthy stretches of mediocrity from 2013-2017, and fans were treated to a below-average product for much of the decade.
Still, there were quite a few bright spots for the NFL’s charter franchise during the last 10 years, including memorable games that provided thrilling victories. As a disappointing 2019 season concludes, let’s look back on some of the better games and moments the ’10s had to offer.
To kick off the next decade as we enter 2020, here are my top 20 Bears games from the 2010s.
20. 2019, Week 14, Cowboys at Bears
Bears 31 – Cowboys 24: Easily the best game of an otherwise disappointing season, the Bears offense came alive in primetime against the Cowboys, with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky accounting for all four touchdowns with his arm and legs in arguably his best game as a Bear. On defense, despite not creating a turnover, the unit frustrated the Cowboys offense all evening with QB pressures and excellent play from their secondary. The matchup was a pseudo-playoff game, with the Bears keeping their hopes alive for one more week in a complete-team win.
19. 2018, Week 8, Bears at Bills
Bears 41 – Bills 9: While the Buffalo Bills weren’t a powerhouse in 2018, the Bears defense still made their offense look completely inept in a blowout. Forcing four turnovers, including three interceptions from quarterback Nathan Peterman, the Bears scored twice on defense thanks to outside linebacker Leonard Floyd’s pick six and safety Eddie Jackson’s fumble recovery, and limited the Bills’ offense to just 264 yards. The reason this game isn’t higher on the list is due to the Bears offensive performance, as they gained just 190 yards.
18. 2011, Week 1, Falcons at Bears
Bears 30 – Falcons 12: No, this wasn’t the Bears-Falcons matchup that saw the debut of quarterback Mike Glennon, this was the first game following the Bears heartbreaking loss to the Packers in the NFC Championship game. Led by quarterback Jay Cutler, who threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns, the Bears won convincingly against the reigning NFC South champions and held the Falcon offense to just six points. This game also featured an impressive performance from Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher, who had an interception and a fumble recovery for a score. The defense had a total of three takeaways and started the 2011 season with a bang.
Former New York Giants WR Brandon Marshall ripped his ex-Jets teammates, Darrelle Revis and Sheldon Richardson, for their 2015 failures.
Former New York Giants wide receiver Brandon Marshall is still sour over how the 2015 season concluded for his then-New York Jets, imploding in Week 17 against the Buffalo Bills and subsequently missing the playoffs.
Four years later and Marshall has not let go of that frustration, and he’s got cornerback cornerback Darrelle Revis and Sheldon Richardson to thank for that.
“But that’s Darrelle Revis, that’s Sheldon Richardson … the big guys that we were counting on, they didn’t show up … being brutally honest. That whole year on that defensive side, man … if those guys were who we thought they were, we probably would have went on to just crush the playoffs.”
Instead, the Jets finished with a 10-6 record and just missed out on the playoffs due to their Week 17 loss and a win by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That season, Revis was in his second stint with the team, having signed a deal for $16 million after spending some time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots, earning a Super Bowl ring in the process. He appeared in just 14 games that season and was a shell of his former self.
In that Week 17 game, he surrendered 11 receptions and 136 yards to then-Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins, while Richardson recorded six tackles.
Marshall, meanwhile, caught eight passes for 126 yards in the game. In his 13 seasons, he never once made the NFL Playoffs.
Former Jets WR Brandon Marshall accuses Darrelle Revis, Sheldon Richardson of stealing money during infamous 2015 collapse in Buffalo.
The Jets 2019 season finale ends in Buffalo, the same place where Brandon Marshall’s playoff hopes died four years ago.
Marshall, one of the better wide receivers of his generation, played with seven teams from 2006-18 and never appeared in the playoffs. Prior to the 2015 season, Marshall was traded to the Jets as a new regime sought its No. 1 wide receiver. He finished the season with 109 receptions on 174 targets for 1,502 yards and14 touchdowns.
Marshall’s best chance at postseason play came in his first season with Gang Green. The Jets stood at 10-5 after beating the New England Patriots in a walk-off overtime thriller the week before. All that was needed was a win over the Bills in Week 17 and New York would be in the playoffs.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned.
The Jets lost to Buffalo and missed the postseason. Marshall felt like he was robbed of a career first and he’s still angered about the events that transpired in the Jets’ Week 17 collapse in Buffalo. Never one to hold back, Marshall took shots at former teammates over the most important game of his career.
“But that’s Darrelle Revis, that’s Sheldon Richardson … the big guys that we were counting on, they didn’t show up … being brutally honest. That whole year on that defensive side, man … if those guys were who we thought they were, we probably would have went on to just crush the playoffs.”
The Jets had a simple task. Win and they clinched a Wild Card berth. Unfortunately for Marshall, the team crumbled under pressure. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three backbreaking interceptions as Rex Ryan got the last laugh in the Bills 22-17 Week 17 upset. Marshall caught eight passes for 126 yards and a score in the game, but it wasn’t enough.
Revis reunited with the team who drafted him when he signed a lucrative contract upwards of $16 million per year in March of 2015. He proved to be a shell of his former self and no longer posed as shutdown threat that he did when he first donned the green and white.
In that Week 17 game, Revis was tasked with covering Sammy Watkins, who wound up catching 11 passes for 136 yards in winning fashion. In the trenches, Richardson six total tackles and two TFLs.
Marshall and Richardson have a long-standing feud that boiled over in the Jets locker room following a 24-3 loss to the Chiefs during the 2016 season, in which Fitzpatrick threw six interceptions.
Since then, Marshall has decided to take the high-road in what he described as a “one-sided feud.” However, he could no longer bite his tongue regarding postseason play. Marshall’s 13-year career never went beyond the first week of January.
In his eyes, he has some former teammates to blame for that.
Former Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall set an NFL record with 21 receptions in a single game on Dec. 13, 2009.
On Dec. 13, 2009 — one decade ago today — former Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall set an NFL record with 21 receptions in a single game. That record still stands today.
Marshall’s record-breaking performance came in a losing effort as Denver fell to the Indianapolis Colts 28-16 on the road. The Peyton Manning-led Colts jumped up to a 21-0 lead before former Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton connected with Marshall for two scores to make things interesting.
Denver got within five points (21-16) in the fourth quarter but Manning sealed the game with a third touchdown pass to tight end Dallas Clark with 2:25 remaining, ensuring the Broncos wouldn’t have enough time to catch up.
“I believe it was one of those games where, whenever you accomplish something like that, it definitely feels good,” Marshall said after the loss. “But we have goals, and our only goal is to win games. I’d definitely trade in a couple of those catches for a win.”
Marshall spent the first four years of his career with the Broncos — 2009 ended up being his final season in Denver. Former coach Josh McDaniels benched the receiver in Week 17 for being late to a physical therapy session and then traded Marshall to the Miami Dolphins in April.
Marshall went on to spend time with five more NFL teams before retiring after the 2018 season. The six-time Pro Bowler caught 970 passes for 12,351 yards and 83 touchdowns during his 13-year career.
Marshall’s 327 receptions with Denver rank 10th in franchise history and his 25 touchdown catches rank 13th, just below Emmanuel Sanders (28).
