Super Bowl Preview

First off, I would like to point out (because I am a prick) how close I was on the Championship Weekend predictions.
Jets @ Colts
Mine: 27-10 Colts
Actual: 30-17 Colts

Vikings @ Saints
Mine: 31-27 Saints
Actual: 31-28 Saints

Ok. I just had to get that out of my system. Lets take an advanced look at what should be an awesome Super Bowl.

6:25 EST
New Orleans Saints: 15-3 vs. Indianapolis Colts: 16-2 (-5)
Outlook: It doesn't take Tom Jackson to figure out that this will be a high scoring game. Both teams are elite at QB and have tons of weapons to get the ball to.
Biggest question mark: How much blitzing will Greg Williams do?
Drew Brees is good against be blitz but Manning is better. Brees also can be rattled by a good defense end (see Ware, DeMarcus). The Saints don't have an elite 4 man rush so they will need to bring 5-6 players consistently. Manning eats up the blitz better than any QB in the NFL though (see Jets, New York)
Key Matchup #1: Jonathan Stinchcomb vs Robert Mathis
With Freeney's looming ankle injury, it will be up to Robert Mathis to aplly pressure on Brees and squeeze the pocket. No one in the NFL is better at stepping up in the pocket and making throws than Brees. Also, New Orleans will attempt to run underneath the speed rushing Mathis, and Stinchcomb will need to push him around.
Key Matchup #2: Peyton Manning vs. Darren Sharper
2 of the best at their position in the NFL in a non-stop chess match that will last all game. Sharper is known for his ability to read quarterbacks and ball hawk as good as anyone. Peyton Manning is Peyton Manning. However, keep in mind that Manning threw 16 INTs the season and was intercepted twice by Ed Reed in the Divisional Round win over Baltimore (only 1 couted, the other was called back by a penalty). If Manning can keep Sharper guessing wrong and get behind him, goodnight.
Possible deciding factor #1: Special Teams
Pop quiz: Who is the kick and punt returner for Indianapolis?? Now how about New Orleans???
Yeah. New Orleans definitely has the advantage here. Despite his short comings as an every down back, Reggie Bush is explosive when you give him space (i.e. punt return). In week 16, Brad Smith of the jets took a kick return 106 yards and set an NFL record. If New Orleans can swing field position in their favor, or take one back, they will have a lot better chance of winning.
Possible deciding factor #2: The Final Countdown
There were no teams better in the last 2 minutes of each half of putting points on the board then Indy and N.O., nor were there 2 better QBs than Manning and Brees. This game has the "team to score last wins" tag written all over it.
Prediction: Saints 34-30; I just have this feeling that the Saints will ride the energy of this game early and jump out to a 24-10 lead at the half. Manning is the best at adjusting in the NFL. Down 30-27 with a hair over 2 minutes left, Brees will rally and score a TD to win 34-30 and give the city of New Orleans a well deserved Super Bowl.
MVP: Brees 27-38 362 yrds 3 TDs

Last Week:
line 1-1
picks 2-0

Playoffs:
line 1-5
picks 4-2

Tebow to provide greatest Super Bowl Halftime ever

MIAMI, FL -
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell seemed to not have done his research before he made his decision on the Super Bowl Halftime Show this year. If you have not heard, The Who will be preforming at Halftime of Super Bowl XLIV this Sunday. Goodell thought this choice would manage to follow the theme that the NFL has followed since the infamous Janet Jackson "wardrobe malfunction" of Super Bowl XXXVIII of "safe" and "conservative". What Goodell didn't realize is that Pete Townshend of The Who was on the "Watchdog" list for the UK for 5 years from 2003-2008, due to child pornography being found on his computer. Townshend claimed it was in research of a book he was doing. Now, a local child advocacy group is passing out fliers among 1,500 homes near Dolphin Stadium to warn the local people of an arrested pedophile being there. In light of the situation, Roger Goodell has decided to change his plans for the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

The new plan is to highlight someone that has not received enough media attention, Tim Tebow. Tebow spent all of last week at the Senior Bowl practices, showing of his skills for NFL scouts. Despite already being claimed as a saint in the state of Florida, some critics feel he does not have all the necessary skills to play as a pro QB. One team scout said, "Tim reads defenses slower than a 2-year would read The Wallstreet Journal... cover to cover."

In order to shed some positive light on Tebow, the NFL thought it could show his other attributes in order to increase his likeliness of being drafter early. Tebow had planned to have a anti-abortion commercial shown during the Super Bowl, but several liberal groups are STRONGLY urging CBS not to show it. Since the commercial might not air, the NFL jumped into action. Goodell said, "He (Tebow) is a fan favorite and the media orgasms every time they talk about him. We need to keep him relevant as long as possible. His college skills have little to no transfer ability into the NFL, so we hope to fool a bad GM into drafting him in the 1st or 2nd round. That way we will be able to get plenty of media attention going his way."

Goodell claims that the goal of the halftime show is to "Show off all of the other skills Tebow has that have nothing to do with being an NFL QB". It is scheduled to include an interpretive dance to show off Tim's intangibles, him reading a children's book to kids to show his ability to read a defense, a live circumcision of a Haitian refugee to show good hands, and then Tebow will instruct a group of boy scouts on how to tie knots to show is amazing leadership skills.

In an exclusive interview with an enthusiastic Tebow, he stated, "Yeah this should be great. I hope after I finish this presentation, scouts will be able to look past my awful footwork, atrocious mechanics and delivery, and my terrible accuracy. I promise you one thing, a lot of good will come out of this. You will never see a person in the country work as hard as I will on this. You will never see someone push those kids to tie knots during this competition as hard as I will. God bless."

Anti-Farve fan found higher than kite: Tebow news ended it.

OIL CITY, PA -
Jason Rogers, 26, of Oil City was found dead Tuesday in his home at 10:46am EST. Police were call to his house after a 911 call was made by friend Greg Watson, stating that Rogers stopped talking mid-conversation. Watson states that it sounded as if Rogers stopped breathing for about a minute, then the phone hit the floor and Watson heard Rogers give out a loud sigh. Watson proceeded to call several times to ensure Rogers was ok.


Further police investigation revealed the following:

Watson received a text message from his friend Jason Rogers at 2:24pm EST on Sunday saying "I hope that ---hole Favre end his 3rd straight season with a pick and ruins it for his team, again." Watson shook it off saying "Jason was a renowned Farve-hater even since his first fake retirement after the end of the 2008 NFC Championship game.

"(Rogers) used to go on and on about how much he hated all the media exposure that Farve would get. We used watch SportsCenter religiously every day to soak up as much football info as we could. But once all the Farve loving went down, he hasn't been the same" says Watson. "He reached the point where he would either leave the room, or go on a 5 minute rant every time he saw anything involving Favre."

editors note:

Brett Favre is the Quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. Favre has gone back and forth about returning to play in the NFL for the past 2 years. He had left he previous 2 teams, the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets, on bad terms. Farve has received a significant amount of media exposed since he initially began speaking of retiring 24 months ago. He threw an interception to end the season each of the previous 2 seasons, ending things for his team as well. Sunday night in the NFC Championship game, Farve threw an interception that eliminated his team, the Minnesota Vikings, from being able to attempt a game winning field goal. The Vikings never touched the ball again, and lost to the New Orleans Saints 31-28 in overtime.

"Upon seeing the result of the game, it appears he(Rogers) went into a state of euphoria" states Dr. Gomez of St. Joseph's Presbyterian Hospital "He was so pleased with the result, that his mind could not comprehend whatever had taken place." After Rogers did not show up for work Monday, Watson was given a phone call from a fellow employee of Roger's. Watson again tried to reach Rogers but was unsuccessful.

"Tuesday Morning around 10:30, I tried calling him(Rogers) one additional time. He finally answered" said Watson. "He said he had been on such a 'high' from the result of yet another Farve disaster, he could not function. He said 'I was so happy that ********er got what he had coming, and the media can go **** themselves.'"

I asked Watson to continue, but he was unable to hold back tears and asked to be excused. Investigating Officer Gates, who took Watson's statement, said "Rogers continued with 'The only thing in the world that could make me happier, is if Tim Tebow is failing at Senior Week and NFL scouts are loosing faith'. Tebow is struggling with footwork, mechanics and accuracy. Watson then proceeded to update Rogers on the situation. This lead to Rogers going into a state of ecstasy that he could not recover. He had a stroke, brain aneurysm and went into cardiac arrest simultaneously. He died instantly."

NFL Championship Weekend

A surprising development came about last weekend when the Chargers fell apart and lost at home to the Jets. We now look at a rematch from week 16 in Indianapolis, and the game people have wanted to see since week 3 in New Orleans.

3:00pm EST
New York Jets: 11-7 @ Indianapolis Colts: 15-2 (-7.5)
Outlook: I am guessing when Curtis Painter was growing up in Vincennes, IN and wanted to be a famous NFL quarterback, this is not what he had in mind. The Colts failure at perfection was dumped on his shoulders, when they replaced their starters while leading 15-10 in the 3rd quarter against the Jets in week 16. Indy went on to loose 29-16 and opened the door for New York to make the playoffs. This is being media-titled "Painter Bowl II".
Biggest Question Mark: How much of a factor will Darrell Revis be in shutting down Reggie Wayne? If he does, will the Jets be able to cover Dallas Clark and the other weapons at Mannings disposal?
Key Matchup: New York Jets running game vs. Indianapolis front 7
The Jets showed how dangerous their running game can be the last 2 weeks in playoffs victories. The Colts have a very fast and very solid defense run by their front 7.
Prediction: Indianapolis 27-10. Midnight is striking on this Cinderella story. Indy will shut them down just like they did to Baltimore last week.

6:40pm EST
Minnesota Vikings 13-4 @ New Orleans Saints: 14-3 (-3.5)
Outlook: The trend in the NFC playoffs this year has been teams putting up Tecmo Bowl type points. Expect more of the same from this game. 2 of the NFL's top scoring teams in a dome. This could make for a great game.
Biggest Question Mark: Will the Viking pass rush be able to get to Brees?
Games where the Vikings front 4 has had issues getting to the QB has allowed opponents to be able to complete passes easily. No one is better at creating formations and miss matches then Sean Payton. Look for him to move the pocket to give Brees time to make plays.
Key Matchup: Jabari Greer vs. Sidney Rice
Rice has been the best receiver for Minnesota all year. Greer was having an All-Pro year before needing hernia surgery half way through the season. He returned last week and shut down the league best receiver, Larry Fitzgerald. If he can keep Rice in check and make a big play or 2, Favre will have big issues.
Prediction: Saints 31-27. Brees will need to have a very good day, and he will be up to the challenge at home.

Last Week:

Spread: 0-4
Picks: 2-2

NFL Divisonal Round

I know I missed the Divisional Playoff (the lines were pretty bad) but let’s take a look at what this weekend holds for us.
Lines as of Friday morning

Saturday 4:30 EST
Arizona Cardinals: 11-6 @ New Orleans Saints: 13-3 (-7)
Outlook: This game has all the makings of a shootout, but there really is no way it can live up to the hype. The Saints defense is well rested after taking the last month off.
Biggest Questions Mark: Health. The Saints had issues with injuries which helped lead to their losses at the end of the season. The Cards fought off injuries last week to defeat the Packers, but they will need Anquan Boldin to pull off a win this week.
Key Matchup: Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell vs. Cards rush defense.
Arizona was 17th in rush defense, and people forget that New Orleans was one of the top rushing teams this season until injuries. Sean Payton will look to a now rested Thomas and Bell to keep Warner and Fitzgerald off the field.
Prediction: Saints 31-27 With the Saints running out the clock on a tired Cards defense.

Saturday 8:15 EST
Baltimore Ravens: 10-7 @ Indianapolis Colts: 14-2 (-6)
Outlook: Will the Colts be rusty after not playing a meaning full game for a month? Will Peyton Manning be able to exploit the holes in the Baltimore secondary? Will Joe Flacco’s leaking hip allow him to post a QB rating over 10.0?
Biggest Question Mark: The Colts have lost in their first game all 3 times in the Manning era when resting their players and getting a first round bye (including last year). Will that trend continue?
Key Matchup: Baltimore front-7 blitz vs. Indianapolis O-line
The Ravens constant pressure of Tom Brady last week is what lead to the 3 INTs and strip-sack in their rout of the Pats. Indy has a great offensive line, and no one gets touched less than Manning.
Prediction: Colts win 20-17 with yet another Manning game winning drive.

Sunday 1:00 EST
Dallas Cowboys:12-5 @ Minnesota Vikings 12-4 (-3)
Outlook: Romo grew up in Wisconsin idolizing Brett Favre. Now he has to chance to knock him out of the playoffs and possibly into a permanent retirement. Adrian Peterson hasn’t had a 100-yrd game in weeks, and this would be a great time to get one.
Biggest Question Mark: Who is going to dominate the crowd? In their loss to the Eagles in this exact situation last year, nearly 1/3 of the crowd was Eagles fans. Dallas has an even bigger fan base.
Key Matchup: Dallas pass rush vs. Minnesota O-line
With Spence, Ratliff and Ware, Dallas is able to only rush 4 or 5 and get after the QB. McNabb was on the run the entire time the last 2 weeks. Farve is much less mobile but does have a quick release.
Prediction: Dallas 27-17 The pass rush is too much to handle, and Tony Romo grows up in from of our very eyes.

Sunday 4:40pm EST
New York Jets: 10-7 @ San Diego Chargers: 13-3 (-7)
Outlook: At kickoff, it will have been 2 days shy of 3 months since San Diego last lost a game. They lost to Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Denver. All 3 teams either made the playoffs, or were in the hunt until the final Sunday. If you eliminate last week and the 2 games that Indy and Cincy phoned in to end the season, the last time the Jets won a game against a good team was week 2 vs. New England. Sanchez is due for a bad game.
Biggest Question Mark: Revis will be able to cover Vincent Jackson, even though Jackson has a 6” height advantage. The question is what NY is going to do about Antonio Gates and Malcolm Floyd?
Key Matchup: Shone Green and Thomas Jones vs. San Diego rush defense
We all know Rivers and the Chargers can march up and down the field without issues. If the Jets can run the ball, control the tempo of the game, and keep the offense off the field, they might be able to win this game.
Prediction: Chargers 31-13 Sanchez returns to form and turns it over 3 times. Rivers captializes

NFL season wrap-up

A look back at what my playoff and regular season picks were for the season.
I didn't do too bad. (3/6 on NFC teams 4/6 on AFC) (15 Pro Bowl starters. Several others I picked are alternates)

Here were my picks from mid-season review.

Let's recap all the things I was dumb enough to open my mouth about.

Team most likely to have a major drop off from last year:
My picks: Dolphins, Cardinals, Panthers, Broncos
Result: pretty good
Dolphins, Panthers and Broncos finished better than I though at 8-8 but missed the playoffs. Cardinals are the same team as last year and will need another miracle run to make the Super Bowl again this year.

Player most likely to have a down year:
My Picks: Jay Cutler - QB Bears; Anquan Boldin - WR Cardinals
Result: Cutler- Jackpot; Boldin - ok
Cutler lead the NFL in INTs and if it were not for a great last 2 games of the year, had a good chance to have the most INTs in the last 34 years in the NFL. Boldin still got to 84 catches and over 1,000 yards but finished with only 4 TDs

Player most likely to have a return to All Pro:
My picks: Larry Johnson - RB Chiefs; Joseph Addai - RB Colts
Results: Major strike out
Can I take a mulligan on this one? Johnson has been a disaster but somehow weaseled into the playoffs. Addai has scored a lot of TDs, but the Colts continue to struggle to run the ball.

Team most likely to shock the NFL:
My picks: San Francisco 49ers; New Orleans Saints
Result: Jackpot
Saints flirted with perfection till a late season collapse, but still finished as the NFC's #1 seed at 13-3. 49ers had an up and down year, but did finish 8-8.

Break-out Player of the Year:
My picks: Leon Washington - RB Jets; Jonathan Vilma - LB Saints
Result: Not quite there
Washington was hurt for most of the season. Vilma made the Pro Bowl as a back up.

Now my bold predictions from Mid-Season.

1) Neither the Saints or Colts will finish 16-0.
Result: Winner
Not that crazy of a pick. NFL is just too hard to do this, and they were both going to rest their starters.

2) Chris Johnson will break the rushing record this year (2,105 yards)
Result: Almost
He did break the yards from scrimmage record and ended up with 2,006 rushing yards. I expected him to have at least 2 more of those 200+ yard games in his final 8, but never did.

3) The New York Giants will finish 8-8
Result: Winner
Despite starting 5-0, they completely collapsed on Eli's injured heel. Who knew their defense would be that bad?

4) The Houston Texans will make the playoffs
Result: Missed it by a hair
Had the Colts and Bengals not phoned in their games to the Jets in the last 2 weeks, Houston would have been in. The Texans should have won 1 more game and gotten in regardless, but at least they finished with their first winning season ever (9-7).

5) 7 teams will finish 4-12 or worse
Result: Close
Oakland and Cleveland both managed to beat the Steelers and got to 5 wins. As for the rest of the teams... ouch.

Steelers/Packers “Game for the Ages?”

(article is a celebrity submission by Aaron Zirkle)

Being a spectator at the December 20th offensive death match between the Packers and the Steelers, or should I say Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger, one thing can be concluded; “This was the game of the year.” Not only did this game have a quarterback surpass 500 passing yards (Big Ben 503) for the first time in the NFL this year, and only the 3rd time this decade, but the game combined for 868 passing yards. The most by two quarterbacks in any single NFL game this year.

Having these two heroic performances seasaw back and forth for victory was really something special. Based on both single game performances by one quarterback, and the combined performance by both quarterbacks this is something rarely seen. The overall statistics can help actually appreciate how good this game was. In the 15 weeks of this year’s NFL season, there have only been 4 performances by a quarterback that exceeded 400 passing yards: Big Ben (417), Rivers (436), McNabb (450), and Stafford (422). Only five games had quarterbacks combined for 700 plus passing yards, the highest being 786 by Campbell (367) and Brees (419) in week 13.

If you’re a lover of quarterbacks and team’s winning games by throwing the ball, my heart goes out to you if you missed this game. It truly was a game for the ages. Along with the statistics, the lead changed four times in the last eight minutes of the fourth quarter, including a touchdown as time expired. Despite the heartbreak of being a Green Bay Packer fan watching this game unfold as it did, I am able to take a step back and truly appreciate the year’s best NFL game to date.

NFL All-Decade 1st Team Defense

Peter King put out his All-2000's team on sportsillustrated.com this week. King is a great writer, and I usually respect his work, but I have to disagree on a number of his selections. He tried to make a case for Mike Vrabel to be 1 of the 2 best OLBs in the NFL in the 2000's. Little to much Patriot love for me. It seems he focused too much on recent performance, and not a much on the entire decade. It was almost as if he though about it long enough for his Hot Pocket to heat up.

If you are wondering how I came up with my selections, I decided more on personal statistics then team success. I know present the REAL All-Decade team.

DE
Jason Taylor

10 Seasons
579 Tackles
110 Sacks
7 INTs
38 Fumbles Forced
3 Touchdowns

Taylor, a native of the Pittsburgh area, had more sacks than any other player during the 2000's. He was NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2006. His athleticism transformed what the prototype D-end is now.



DT
Warren Sapp
8 Seasons
349 Tackles
54.5 Sacks
3 INTs
9 Forced Fumbles

Sapp really came into his own starting in 2000 when he recorded 16.5 sacks, an insane number for a defensive tackles. Much like Taylor, his athleticism at his position was something rarely seen before. Sapp would have made an All-Decade trash talk team too.

DT
La'roi Glover
9 Seasons
385 Tackles
58.5 Sacks
2 INTs
11 Forced Fumbles

Glover manged to 1-up Sapp and actually had 17 sacks in 2000. A journey man through the decade, he continued to put up solid numbers year in and year out. A true pass rushing defensive tackle.


DE
Michael Strahan
8 Seasons
485 Tackles
89 Sacks
14 Forced Fumbles

Strahan played like Hall of Fame DE Reggie End. A strong side, run stopping end that was great a rushing the passer. (a rare thing to see) In route to averaging 11 sacks a season, he broke the single season sack record in 2001 with 22.5. Helped shut down the 18-0 New England Patriots in one of the biggest Super Bowl upsets ever.


OLB
Derrick Brooks
9 Seasons
1035 Tackles
9 Sacks
17 INTs
16 Forced Fumbles
6 Touchdowns

Brooks never was a blitzer averaging only 1 sack per year. He was however, the most versitile linebacker the league may have ever seen. Recorded over 1,000 in 9 years as an outside linebacker. Was elected Defensive POY in 2002 and went to to lead the leagues best defense to a dominant performance in the Super Bowl.

ILB
Ray Lewis
10 Seasons
1146 Tackels
22.5 Sacks
21 INTs
12 Forced Fumbles
2 TDs

Lewis has a nose for the ball and loves to make the big hit when needed. A motivational leader has been cirticized for his warm up antics, but manages to always be making the play. Defensive POY in 2000 and Super MVP later that year.

ILB
London Fletcher
10 Seasons
1343 Tackles
15 INTs
12 Forced Fumbles
2 TDs

The undersized Fletcher has 200 more tackles than any other player this decade, and leads the NFL yet again so far this year. He has been consistent year in and year out and always ends up around the football.


OLB
Joey Porter
10 Seasons
576 Tackles
88 Sacks
12 INTs
22 Forced Fumbles
1 TD

THE blitzing linebacker of the 2000's. He was a force playing in the Pittsburgh 3-4 defensive skeem. After being shown the door, Porter went to Miami and still can be a nightmare for QBs.

CB
Champ Bailey
10 Seasons
799 Tackles
39 INTs
146 Passes Defended
1 Sack
3 Touchdowns

Helped create the term "shut-down corner" which is now WAAAAY overused to describe a good cover corner. As good in couverage as Deon Sanders, but is more than willing to get in there and make a hit. Lead all CBs in INTs, and would have had more but teams stopped throwing his way.

CB
Ronde Barber
10 Seasons
813 Tackles
34 INTs
160 Passes Defended
21 Sacks
7 Touchdowns

Barber became the quintisential blitzing corner in the Tampa 2 skeem. Had an obscene 21 sacks as a corner to go with 160 passes defended.

S
Ed Reed
8 Seasons
454 Tackles
46 INTs
97 Passes Defended
5 Sack
6 Touchdowns

An instant impact player since being drafted out of the "U" in 2002. Loves to make big returns out INTs, fumbles and missed field goals. The 2nd best ball-hawking player this decade.


S
Darren Sharper
10 Seasons

657 Tackles
57 INTs
114 Passes Defended
6.5 Sacks
9 TDs


Definitely the best safety of this decade and my choice for the Defensive Player of the Decade. Has 11 more INTs than any other player over the last 10 years. Has been booted from teams twice, but continues to excel. Is now helping revive the Saints defense down on the bayou.

NFL All-Decade 1st Team Offense

Peter King put out his All-2000's team on sportsillustrated.com this week. King is a great writer, and I usually respect his work, but I have to disagree on a number of his selections. He tried to make a case for Mike Vrabel to be 1 of the 2 best OLBs in the NFL in the 2000's. Little to much Patriot love for me. It seems he focused too much on recent performance, and not a much on the entire decade. It was almost as if he though about it long enough for his Hot Pocket to heat up.

If you are wondering how I came up with my selections, I decided more on personal statistics then team success. I know present the REAL All-Decade team.

QB
Peyton Manning
10 Seasons
3,5o4 completions
41,439 yards
306 TDs
133 INTs
The most prolific passer of the decade. Has more than 11,000 passing yards more than Brady and almost 100 more touchdowns. 3 MVPs and is currently making a strong case for # 4.



RB
Ladanian Tomlinson
10 Seasons
12,321 rush yards
135 TDs
521 Receptions
3867 receiving yards
15 Touchdowns

Ladanian Tomlinson did to the 2000's what Barry Sanders did to the 1990's. Broke the single season record for touchdowns, won league MVP and is the fastest player ever to 150 career touchdowns.

FB
Lorenzo Neal
10 Seasons

Blocked for Corey Dillon in the early part of the decade, Tomlinson till 2008, now blocks for Ray Rice in Baltimore. Needless to say, some of their success can be attributed to his hard work.

WR
Randy Moss
10 Seasons
762 Receptions
11803 Yards
116 Touchdowns

Other than when he gave up on playing during his time in Oakland, Moss has been virtually unstoppable. Broke the single season record for receiving TDs in 2007. Has more TD receptions than anyone else during the 2000's.


WR
Torry Holt
10 Seasons
861 Receptions

12462 Yards
68 Touchdowns

Because of how bad St. Louis has been over the past few years, people forget how amazing Holt has been. Has more receptions and yards than any other receiver in the 10 years span (70 more catches than Harrison, 569 more yards than Moss).

WR
Terrell Owens
10 Seasons
772 Receptions
10305 Yards
112 Touchdowns

He might be annoying, but Owens has been a physical phenom for the last 10 years. A strong physical receiver with break away speed. He is 2nd only to Moss in TDs, and that is by just 4.

TE
Tony Gonzalez
10 Seasons

817 Catches
9840 Yards
66 Touchdowns

This was the easiest pick of all the positions. No one comes close to Gonzalez in production.


OT
Walter Jones
10 Seasons

8 time Pro Bowl selection

One of the 2 biggest reasons that Shaun Alexander was able to have so much success in Seattle. Open holes big enough to drive an 18-wheeler through. Helped take Seattle to Super Bowl in 2006.


OG
Steve Hutchinson
9 Seasons
6 time Pro Bowl selection

The other reason Alexander was so great in the northwest. It was close between him and Will Shields, but I have Hutch the nod. He will get another Pro Bowl selection this year to tie Shields with 7. Plus Steve now blocks for an even better running back in Minnesota, Adrian Peterson.


C
Kevin Mawae
10 Seasons
6 time Pro Bowl selection

Has the same number of Pro Bowls as Matt Birk, but Kevin Mawae was much more dominant. He reinvented the Center position. Before him, you never saw centers pulling. Now they all have to be athletic enough to do it. This year, he is blocking for the speed demon Chris Johnson.

OG
Alan Faneca
10 Seasons
8 time Pro Bowl selection

Spent most of the 2000's with the Steelers. Won a Super Bowl ring and cleared the way for Jerome Bettis to run into the record books. Now is still dominating next to Nick Mangold for the #1 rushing ranked New York Jets


OT
Jonathan Ogden
10 Seasons
8 time Pro Bowl Selection

Like Jones, has been to 8 Pro Bowls out of 9. Completely consumed the left side of the line of scrimmage. Helped Jamal Lewis get over 2000 yrds in a season.



K
Matt Stover
10 Seasons

FGs: 269/309 (87%)
XPs: 303/303
Points: 1110

The most accurate kicker in NFL history (at least to me) made an obscene 87% of his field goals during the 2000's and NEVER missed an extra point.

NFL All-Decade 2nd team

Peter King put out his All-2000's team on sportsillustrated.com this week. I do respect him a writer, but I disagree with some of his choices. I have decided to present the 1st and 2nd All-Decade team. (Statistics up through week 13 of 2009 season)

2nd team (# of seasons play in 2000's)
Offense

QB- Tom Brady (10) : 2602 completions; 30084 yards; 219 TDs; 96 INTs
RB- Shaun Alexander (9): 9453 rush yrds; 100 TDs; 1520 rec yards; 12 TDs
FB - Tony Richardson (10): Blocked for both Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson in KC
WR- Marvin Harrison (9): 791 rec; 10166 yrds; 95 TDs
WR- Hines Ward (10): 796 rec; 9818 yrds; 71 TDs
TE- Antiono Gates (7): 467 rec; 6060 yrds; 55 TDs
OT- Orlando Pace (10): 6 Pro Bowls
OG- Will Shields (7): 7 Pro Bowls
C- Matt Birk (10): 6 Pro Bowls
OG- Larry Allen (7): 6 Pro Bowls
OT- William Roaf (6): 5 Pro Bowls

Defense:

DE- Julius Peppers (8): 375 tackles; 79 sacks; 5 INTs; 30 Forced Fumbles; 2 TDs
DT- Richard Seymour (9)- 392 tackles; 43 sacks; 2 INTs; 4 FFs
DT- Kevin Williams (7)- 322 tackles; 48.5 sacks; 4 INTs; 4 FFs; 2 TDs
DE- Patrick Kearney (10) - 435 tackles; 80 sacks; 3 INTs; 20 FFs
LB- Keith Brooking (10)- 1092 tackles; 18 sacks; 11 INTs; 6 FFs
ILB- Brian Urlacher (10)- 1058 tackles; 37.5 sacks; 17 INTs; 8 FFs; 1 TD
ILB- James Farrior (10)- 1068 tackles; 24 sacks; 10 INTs; 15 FFs; 1 TD
OLB- Julian Peterson (10)- 700 tackles; 50.5 sacks; 8 INTs; 20 FFs
CB- Charles Woodson (10)- 578 tackles; 37 INTs; 105 Pass Defended; 11.5 sacks; 6 TDs
CB- Ty Law (10)- 525 tackles; 32 INTs; 98 DEF; 3 sacks; 4 TDs
S- Brian Dawkins (10)- 702 tackles; 22 INTs; 111 DEF; 17.5 sacks
S- Troy Polamalu (7)- 453 tackles; 20 INTs; 70 DEF; 7 sacks; 1 TD

K- David Akers (10)- 253/306 FG (83%); 382/387 XP ; 1141 points