Quarterbacks: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn
I think it is obvious who the quarterbacks should be for the All-Decade team. Aaron Rodgers won multiple MVP awards and was named to the All-Decade NFL team. Despite breaking his collarbone twice, Rodgers led the Packers to the playoffs eight times during the decade, including a victory in Super Bowl XLV against Pittsburgh. His accuracy his off the charts and arm strength is incredible. Rodgers threw for more than 4,000 yards on six occasions throughout the decade and five of the six seasons he played all 16 games. He had one of the best seasons a quarterback has ever had in 2011, throwing for a career-high 4,643 and 45 touchdowns to only six interceptions, despite sitting out the last game of the season. During the decade, he threw 305 touchdowns to only 63 interceptions, a touchdown to interception ratio of 4.84:1. Insane. First-ballot Hall of Famer. There was obviously no other choice for the starter.
The backup choice was easy too. Matt Flynn showed he could handle the NFL with two performances. In 2010, he filled in for Rodgers, who suffered a concussion at Detroit the previous week, against the best team in the NFL on the road. Despite the loss, the former LSU standout threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns. The next year, he threw for 480 yards and six scores, including the game-winner to Jermichael Finley with 1:13 left, in a 45-41 victory over the Lions on the last game of the regular season. He cemented his place in Packers lore with a comeback victory at Dallas, rallying Green Bay from a 26-3 deficit to win at the Cowboys. Without that comeback, Rodgers doesn't get the opportunity to throw the winner to Randall Cobb in the 2013 finale and get the team into the playoffs.
Running Backs: Aaron Jones, Eddie Lacy, James Starks
The top two are obvious choices. Ever since his rookie season, Jones has showed flashes. He put it all together in 2019, leading the league in touchdowns with 19 and rushing for nearly 1,000 yards and have nearly 600 more through the air. Jones is on his way to big things with the Packers. In his three seasons, he has rushed for 2,260 yards and added 702 more as a receiver. If he and the Packers can hammer out an extension, Jones could be in store for several more monster seasons in front of him.
People like to tease Eddie Lacy due to his weight, but in his first few years, he balled out with the Packers. As a rookie, Lacy rushed more nearly 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns en route to becoming the first Packers running back to be named to the Pro Bowl since John Brockington in the early 1970s. Lacy followed that up with another fantastic season in 2014, rushing for 1,139 and nine touchdowns and adding 427 more through the air and four more scores. His career tailed off after those two years, but those two fantastic seasons have more than earned him a spot on the All-Decade team. As a late-round rookie, it took James Starks awhile to break in. But when he did, he really made an impact. In the playoffs following the 2010 season, Starks ran for 123 yards on 23 carries, helping the Packers to a 21-16 victory at Philadelphia. In the four games en route to a Super Bowl win, Starks ran for 315 yards. He even ran for 52 yards on just 11 carries against a great Pittsburgh defense in the Super Bowl. Despite never being the workhorse back, he ran for 2,506 yards and 4.1 yards per carry in his seven seasons in Titletown.
Fullback: John Kuhn
John Kuhn was a tremendous fullback for the Packers and a fan favorite. He was the lead blocker for Eddie Lacy in his best years, but his best block came in the 2013 regular season finale. On the deciding fourth down play, Kuhn came over to block an unblocked Julius Peppers, letting Aaron Rodgers escape outside the pocket. Rodgers launched the game-winning touchdown to Randall Cobb, but Kuhn made that possible by blocking Peppers on the edge. He was a three-time Pro Bowler during the decade, made First Team All-Pro in 2014 and Second Team All-Pro in 2011.
Wide Receivers: Davante Adams, Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings, James Jones, Randall Cobb, Donald Driver
I decided to go with six wide receivers since all were massive parts of the offense throughout the decade. Davante Adams had a nice rookie season in 2014, followed by a rough sophomore campaign which was plagued by drops. Since then, he has been the key to the Packers receiving core. Over the past four seasons, Adams has averaged 86 catches, 1,066 yards and 10 touchdowns per season. His 1,386 receiving yards in 2018 was sixth in Packers history for a season and his 111 receptions ranked second. He will likely be on the next All-Decade team as well. Jordy was also incredible, finishing with nearly 8,000 receiving yards in his Packers career and over 7,000 in the decade. Nelson came on at the end of 2010 with 124 yards in a week 16 win against New York and a 140-yard effort in the Super Bowl XLV win. He followed that up with 1,263 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2011. He had 1,000 receiving yards on four occasions and had double digit touchdown receptions in three seasons. The guy was a monster. He made the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro team in 2014.
Greg Jennings and Donald Driver only played three seasons in Green Bay this past decade, but in Jennings' case, he put the team on his back. Jennings had Pro Bowl seasons in 2010 and 2011, averaging nearly 1,100 yards and 10.5 touchdowns in those two seasons. His two touchdowns in the Super Bowl will always be memorable to Packers fans. He left following the 2012 season to join the rival Vikings, but that does not take away what he accomplished in Green Bay. Driver was on his last legs at the start of the decade, but he still deserved to be on the team. He had a little more than 1,000 yards receiving in the decade, but he made some big plays. In 2010, he made an incredible play, breaking a number of tackles on his way to the end zone for a 61-yard score against San Francisco.
The versatile Randall Cobb burst onto the scene as a rookie with a touchdown reception and kickoff return for a touchdown in the 42-34 win against New Orleans. In his second year, he caught 80 passes for 954 yards and eight scores. His best season came in 2014 when he grabbed 91 balls for 1,287 yards and scored 12 touchdowns, all career highs. That earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl. Cobb was a terrific slot guy for the Packers and had 5,524 receiving yards for the Packers during his eight years in Titletown. Finally, James Jones was extremely productive during his time with the franchise. While he never had a 1,000-yard season, he never was below 635 yards either. His specialty was catching touchdowns. In 2012, the San Jose State product scored 14 touchdowns. He caught 37 touchdowns in his five seasons in the decade and came back to help save the Green Bay passing attack in 2015 after Jordy Nelson was lost with a torn ACL. Jones had nearly 900 yards receiving and eight touchdowns. Jones was a really solid player who deserves this recognition.
Tight Ends: Jermichael Finley, Jared Cook, Richard Rodgers
Jermichael Finley had a good career with the Packers, but unfortunately, it was cut short due to injury, and the team had trouble looking for his replacement the rest of the decade. In the four years he played in the decade, Finley had more than 2,000 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns. All that was done as a secondary option to the likes of Jordy and Jennings. Jermichael was a really good player who would have had a great career had he not had it cut short due to injury.
Jared Cook only played one season in Green Bay, and even he missed several games in that season. He only had 377 yards receiving in 10 games in the regular season, but came alive in the playoffs with 218 yards in the three games. He had six receptions and 103 yards and a score in the upset at Dallas, including the long reception late in the game that set up the game-winning field goal by Mason Crosby. Like Cook, Richard Rodgers will always be remembered for one play. Rodgers had 1,166 yards receiving in his four-year Packers career, but will always be remembered for his Hail Mary reception to beat Detroit in 2015. He was a steady contributor and earned the third string tight end nod.
Offensive Tackles: David Bakhtiari, Bryan Bulaga, Marshall Newhouse, Daryn Colledge
The starters are obvious, as Bryan Bulaga played the entire decade as the right tackle for the Packers, while David Bakhtiari started from day one, beginning in 2013. DBak has started 106 games in those seven years, protecting Aaron Rodgers' blind side. He has earned two Pro Bowl appearances (and should be more), as well as earning First Team All-Pro in 2018 and Second Team All-Pro in 2016, 2017 and 2019. A few more great years and Bakhtiari will be headed to Canton. Bryan Bulaga was one of the best right tackles in the NFL when healthy. Bulaga started Super Bowl XLV as a rookie and has been an anchor along the right side of the offensive line throughout the decade.
After those two, it was tough to choose reserves. While Daryn Colledge was mostly a guard in the NFL, I decided to put him at tackle here since he could play it like he did in college, and quite frankly, there were much better options at guard than tackle for this team. Like Bulaga, Colledge started the Packers Super Bowl win. He only played one year in Green Bay during the decade, but he was a solid offensive lineman with the Packers. Marshall Newhouse started 31 games in his three seasons with Green Bay. He played decent at times and would be a decent depth option at tackle on this team.
Offensive Guards: Josh Sitton, T.J. Lang, J.C. Tretter, Elgton Jenkins
There were some really good choices for the guard position for this past decade. Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang are the clear-cut starters add were the main guys throughout the first portion of the decade. Sitton was a starter when the Packers beat the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV and made the Pro Bowl four times, including three times in his six years with the Packers in the decade. He was named First Team All-Pro in 2014 and Second Team All-Pro in 2013 and 2015. Lang was a star as well and him and Sitton were teammates from 2009-2015. Lang made the Pro Bowl in his final season in Green Bay and the pairing were arguably the top pair of guards in the NFL during their time together.
JC Tretter only started 10 games for Green Bay in his four seasons with Titletown, but he was always ready when called upon. He filled in admirably for Corey Linsley at center in 2016, which helped him get paid on the open market by the Cleveland Browns. Elgton Jenkins has only played one year with the Packers, but he had such a great season that he deserved to be on this list. He had such a terrific year that he was named to the Pro Football Writer's Association's All-Rookie team. There is a good chance he will also be named to the next All-Decade team as well.
Centers: Scott Wells, Corey Linsley
Scott Wells and Corey Linsley are the obvious choices at the center position. Wells was the starter for the Packers on the Super Bowl team of 2010 and followed that up with a Pro Bowl appearance the following year. In his two years during the decade with Green Bay, he started all 32 games and was the leader of the offensive line.
A few seasons after Wells left for St. Louis, Corey Linsley was drafted by Green Bay. He was expected to be the backup to JC Tretter, but an injury to Tretter moved Linsley to the starting position and he hasn't looked back. Since drafted in 2014, he has played in and started 86 games at center for the Green & Gold. He has been a huge part of the offensive line since the day he was drafted and deserves to be on this team.
Defensive Line: Mike Daniels, Kenny Clark, B.J. Raji, Ryan Pickett, Johnny Jolly, Letroy Guion
It was a difficult decision to pick out how many defensive linemen were to make this team. Mike Daniels. Mike Daniels was a wall up front for the Green Bay defense for several years. He came on in his second season. Despite only starting one game, Daniels had 6.5 sacks. That was the first year of five consecutive seasons with at least four sacks, even though he was defensive lineman in a 3-4 defense. In 2017, he made the Pro Bowl when he registered five sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Kenny Clark and B.J. Raji round out the starters. Everybody knows Raji from his mammoth pick six at Chicago in the NFC Championship, but he was a really good player as well. He started at least 14 games five times in his seven years in the NFL. B.J. made the Pro Bowl in 2011, but his best year was probably 2010. Raji recorded 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and nine quarterback hits. For his career, he had 11 sacks and 24 tackles for loss. Clark is still ascending, but he has been a beast so far in his four-year career. After being a rotational player as a rookie, he has been a starter his last three years. In those three years, he has 16.5 sacks and 24 tackles for loss and the numbers don't even tell all of the story. Clark will be a monster in the league for years and I am willing to bet he will make an appearance on the next All-Decade team as well.
The backups were a little tougher to choose. Ryan Pickett was a sure thing. He was a starter on the Super Bowl team and was in on one of the key plays of the big game, helping knock the ball loose from Rashad Mendenhall, helping the Packers win their 13th championship. He was a steady presence along the Packers defensive line throughout his time in Titletown. Despite missing time for violating the league's substance abuse policy, he came back for a year in 2013 and was solid. He played in 13 games and recorded 21 tackles, with six of them being for loss. He also forced a fumble. Letroy Guion came over from Minnesota and made an impact. He was a starter in two of his three seasons with the Packers. Letroy was solid up front, helping the team become a good run defense. He also added 3.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss in 2014.
EDGEs: Clay Matthews, Za'Darius Smith, Julius Peppers, Nick Perry, Mike Neal
Green Bay has certainly been blessed with some terrific pass rushers The Claymaker was one of the best pass rushers in franchise history and has the Packers record for most sacks in team history with 91.5. Matthews had four double digit sack seasons in his first six years, including his first two. Clay had 61 sacks in his first six seasons before his production started declining. However, he showed his versatility when moving to inside linebacker the second half of 2014 with the Packers struggling on defense. Clay had an incredible Green Bay career and earns a spot on this team. The other starter has only played one year in Green Bay, but it was so impressive that it earns him a starting nod on this All-Decade team. After playing well in limited snaps in Baltimore, Za'Darius Smith came over in free agency and was a huge difference maker for the Packers pass rush. Smith's 13.5 sacks are tied for the fifth-most in franchise history for a single season and helped lead the Green & Gold to the NFC Championship game. He also had 17 tackles for loss and a whopping 37 quarterback hits. He was given a massive deal in free agency, but lived up to it and more.
Julius Peppers only played three years in Green Bay, but in his short time, he racked up 25 sacks and earned a spot in the 2015 Pro Bowl. In 2014, he sacked opposing quarterbacks seven times, recorded two pick sixes and recovered three fumbles. Ha and Clay formed one of the best pass rushing duos in the league. Nick Perry did not come into his own until his fifth year in the league when he recorded 11 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hits. He followed that up with seven sacks in 2017. Those were his only two real productive years, but they were good enough to make the All-Decade team. Mike Neal was a consistent pass rusher, recording 19 sacks in his career, having between four and five his final four seasons. Neal wasn't great, but he was solid and earns the final EDGE rusher spot on this team.
Inside Linebackers: Blake Martinez, Desmond Bishop, A.J. Hawk, Brad Jones
The Packers haven't really valued the position in recent years, but there have still been solid players at the position. Tackling machine Blake Martinez has been one of the leading tacklers in the NFL the past three years, averaging 148 tackles per season. Blake was never an incredible linebacker for Green Bay, but he was a solid one, for sure. He would be starting with Desmond Bishop, who was a solid one in the first half of the decade. In his two years starting, he tallied 218 tackles, eight sacks and 13 tackles for loss. He even had eight passes defensed in 2010, including picking off a Brett Favre pass and taking it back to the house. He started in Super Bowl XLV.
Like Bishop, Hawk was also on the Super Bowl-winning team. Hawk started at least 13 games in his five seasons in the decade. He made at least 100 tackles three times and intercepted three passes in 2010, including a big interception off Favre in the 28-24 victory against Minnesota. A.J. also had 10 sacks in those five seasons and 31 tackles for loss. Brad Jones was a steady contributor with his best seasons coming in 2012 and 2013. In those seasons, he 161 tackles and 15 tackles for loss. He had five passes defensed in 2012.
Cornerbacks: Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams, Sam Shields, Damarious Randall, Jaire Alexander, Casey Hayward
I was originally going to have just five on the team, but all six are worthy of inclusion, without question. The No. 1 cornerback is Charles Woodson. His best years in the decade came in 2010 and 2011, earning a Pro Bowl nod each season. In those two season, he picked off a combined nine passes, returning two of them for scores. He was a do-it-all corner: a great coverage man, tackler (205 tackles in the three seasons), seven forced fumbles, 5.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits. Wood helped the Packers hoist the Lombardi Trophy in 2011. He is a Packers legend. On the other side of the All-Decade defense is Tramon Williams. His run of interceptions in the playoffs helped Green Bay hoist the Lombardi. His pick six at the end of the half against Atlanta turned the game from a close one into a rout. Tramon's pick of Matt Ryan the possession earlier turned the game around in the Packers favor. He also ended the Wild Card game, picking off Michael Vick. Williams earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2010 when he intercepted a career-high six passes. In his seven seasons with the Packers over the decade, he intercepted 20 passes. Without Tramon, Green Bay does not have its fourth Super Bowl victory.
Sam Shields was a hit immediately. The undrafted free agent rookie made his biggest impact in the NFC Championship game, picking off two passes, including the dagger to finish off the Bears late in the game. His blitz of Caleb Hanie also caused the Bears quarterback to rush his throw, which was picked off and returned for a score. Over his Packers career, he intercepted 18 passes, including a career-high four in both 2011 and 2014, earning a Pro Bowl nod in the latter year. Despite his differences with the coaching staff, Damarious Randall made plays in his Packers career, especially early on. As a rookie, he picked off three passes, including returning one for a score at Oakland. He also made a key pick six in a comeback win at Dallas in 2017. He made plays, and was playing some of his best football down the stretch in 2017.
Jaire Alexander has only played a few years, but he is quickly turning into one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL. Many teams don't even bother throwing his way any more, but he still managed to intercept three passes. Jaire is also not shy about sticking his nose in as well, making plays tackling as well. Casey Hayward was a solid cornerback for Green Bay, especially as a rookie when he intercepted six passes. However, he never was the same in Green Bay. He was picking it back up in his final two seasons with the Green & Gold. Hayward scored twice in 2014, on a pick six vs. Chicago and a fumble return vs. Philadelphia. He was a good player with the Packers who turned into a great one with the Chargers.
Safeties: Nick Collins, Micah Hyde, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Morgan Burnett
Nick Collins barely played more than one year in the decade, which was a shame. He still deserves to be on this team. Unfortunately, his career came to an end in early 2011 at Carolina, which ended a possible Hall of Fame career. With four interceptions, he made the Pro Bowl in 2010, and that does not even count the biggest play of his career: a pick six in the Super Bowl against Pittsburgh. He also added a pair of fumble recoveries, with one of them going for a score. It is just a shame he had a career-ending injury early in 2011. Micah Hyde makes the team in two spots. The first one is at safety. Hyde was a solid player for the Packers and was playing his best toward the end of 2016. He had eight interceptions combined in his final three seasons and made a great play for a pick in the upset over Dallas in the 2016 Divisional Round.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was a playmaker for the team. His tackling and tackling angles sometimes lacked, but he was a ballhawk in the secondary. In his 4+ seasons in Green Bay, he tallied 14 interceptions. In 2016, he had five picks, earning him a Pro Bowl selection. Morgan Burnett didn't do a whole lot flashy, but he was solid at everything. He made nine interceptions with the Packers, including a career-high three in 2011. He preferred to stick his nose in, though. On three occasions he made at least 100 tackles and in two others he had 93 and 96. Burnett was a solid safety for the Packers and is a worthy inclusion on this list.
Long Snapper: Brett Goode
Brett Goode was the long snapper throughout almost the entire decade and there should be no other player even considered for this spot. The fact that he was a long snapper for 10 years means he was pretty darn good at his job.
Kicker: Mason Crosby
Obviously Mason is the winner here because he was the only kicker the Packers had this decade. Crosby had a few rough years in there, especially in 2012 when he hit just 21-of-33 field goals, including badly missing a potential game-tying field goal against Indianapolis, and missing four field goals and an extra point in Detroit in 2018. Ever since that game, he has gone 41-of-45 in the field goal department. His biggest kicks came in the 2016 Divisional Round against Dallas. Mason drilled two 50+-yard field goals in the closing minutes, including a 51-yard field goal as time expired to send Green Bay into the NFC Championship game. Crosby has had a great career in Titletown and is the franchise's all-time leading scorer.
Punter: Tim Masthay
Tim Masthay was the punter was half the decade and was the punter for the Packers when they won the Super Bowl in February 2011. He averaged 44.2 yards per punt in his six-year career with the Packers. In 2011, he set franchise records for gross and net punting averages for a season with a 45.6 gross and 38.6 net yard average. Masthay was a solid punter for the Packers and deserves this spot as the All-Decade punter.
Kick Returner: Randall Cobb
Randall Cobb was a great return man for the Packers. In his first game with the team, he returned a kick 108 yards for a touchdown in a 42-34 victory against New Orleans. He averaged 27.7 yards per kick return as a rookie and 25.4 yards per return. Cobb's long kick return for a touchdown is the last time it has happened.
Punt Returner: Micah Hyde
Micah Hyde was easily the best punt returner for the Packers this past decade, and ever since he left, the team has been looking for a competent punt returner. Green Bay had five punt return scores in the decade: two by Randall Cobb and three by Hyde. Micah had two in 2014 and nearly 16 yards per punt return. His last one was the opening score against Detroit that helped Green Bay clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs. He also returned one in 2013 at Minnesota and he averaged more than 12 yards per punt return that season. For his Packers career, he averaged a shade under 10 yards per punt return. The Packers would love to have that type of production right about now.
Head Coach: Mike McCarthy
Player of the Decade: Aaron Rodgers
No comments:
Post a Comment