Double G Sports Metro Area All-Decade NFL Team

The teams we cover here at Double G Sports have had varying levels of success over the past ten seasons.  The Eagles and Giants have both won Super Bowls, although the Giants win seems like forever ago.  Hell, even the Jets made it to two AFC Championship games with Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez at the helm.

The Eagles have been the most consistent team over the past five seasons and Nick Foles has forever solidified himself as a Philadelphia legend.  The Giants and Jets have both struggled over the past few seasons, with the Giants recently firing their head coach Pat Shurmur.  Let’s take a look back at the best at each position.

Offense

Tackle – Jason Peters – Philadelphia Eagles

It was a tough choice between D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Peters, but Peters has been the stalwart on some good Philadelphia teams.  Although he’s been injured of late, he deserves the nod.

Guard – Chris Snee – New York Giants

A staple on the Giants’ championship teams, Chris Snee was one of the most underrated offensive linemen not only in New York but in the entire league.  It’s well deserved that he was the number one choice.

Center – Nick Mangold – New York Jets

There could only be one player to choose as the best center of the decade.  Although Mangold didn’t play through the decade, he will be a future Ring of Honor recipient and most likely a Hall of Fame lineman.

Quarterback – Eli Manning – New York Giants

Even though Manning was never the best quarterback in the league, he is a future Hall of Famer and his resume speaks for itself.  Even with a weak last three to four years, winning a championship in the decade propels him over everyone else.

Wide Receivers – Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz – New York Giants

Manning’s mates at different times deserve to both be on this list.  It was tough keeping Desean Jackson or Santonio Holmes off this list but there have been very few receivers as dynamic as Odell Beckham Jr.  The one-handed catch against the Cowboys made this spot Beckham’s to lose.

As for Cruz, he is still one of the more underappreciated receivers in New York history.  He ran into a lot of injury troubles at the end of his run with the Giants, but propelling from a practice squad player to a Pro Bowl wide receiver is an incredible feat.

Running Back – Lesean McCoy – Philadelphia Eagles

Shady McCoy never won a championship in Philly, but his legacy lives on forever.  He was one of the most dynamic players not named Desean Jackson to come from the Eagles.

Shady was the ultimate dual-threat running back.  He could make cuts on a dime and also catch pretty much any pass out of the backfield.  He is comparable to Le’Veon Bell, only even more dynamic during his prime years.

Defense

Defensive End – Justin Tuck – New York Giants

It was a tough choice between Tuck and Justin Pierre-Paul.  However, Tuck gets the nod because of his longevity and his incredible ability to rush the quarterback.

Tuck is a Super Bowl champion and one of the staples on the feisty 2011 New York Giants’ defense.  He’ll have his name up in the Giants’ Ring of Honor soon enough.

Defensive Tackle – Fletcher Cox – Philadelphia Eagles

Cox is one of the most athletic DTs in the entire league.  Still going strong, he was the obvious choice.  Had Snacks Harrison stayed in New York for just a bit longer, it might be a tough decision.

Cox is the leader of the Eagles’ defense and part of the reason why they were able to pressure Tom Brady in their Super Bowl victory.  Without him, the Eagles might still be bannerless.

Linebacker – David Harris – New York Jets

David Harris never fully got his due.  He was always overshadowed on a ferocious Jets’ defense but he was the most consistent player on that side.

Harris could be one of the best linebackers in Jets’ history given his tenure, stats and ability to tackle.  Because he was quiet, he never got the praise that he deserved.

Linebacker – Mathias Kiwanuka – New York Giants

Another unsung hero on a stacked Giants’ defense, Kiwanuka was the field general for those great Giant teams.  Coming from Boston College, Kiwanuka was the ultimate hybrid defensive end/linebacker.

He is a two-time Super Bowl champion and part of the ferocious defense that kept knocking Tom Brady down in the Giants’ two Super Bowl victories.

Cornerbacks – Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie – New York Jets

Probably the most prolific cornerback duo in the NFL at the time, Revis and Cromartie were two of the very best in the league at the same time.  Revis was so good he even had a whole island named after him.  He was a shutdown corner for many years, and although his second tenure with the Jets wasn’t great he was still an incredible force.

Cromartie was underrated because he was overshadowed by his partner on the other side.  Considering most other teams tried to avoid Revis, Cromartie arguably got the tougher matchups most times.  He was a multiple time Pro Bowler with both the Jets and the Chargers and formed a great pair with Revis.

Safety – Malcolm Jenkins – Philadelphia Eagles

It was a very close battle between the aforementioned Jenkins and Antrel Rolle of the New York Giants.  However, because of recency bias and the fact that Jenkins is one of the best free agent signings in Eagles’ history, he gets the nod.

Jenkins was a key part of the Eagles’ improbable run to the Super Bowl.  He’s still with the team and although he isn’t as productive as he once was, is still quarterbacking a good Eagles’ defense.