• May 14, 2024

Philadelphia Eagles All-Decade Team

I already went through and put together my Top 25 players of the decade in the NFL, so why not keep that going with an All-Decade Eagles team?  Some of these were flat-out obvious, while others took some serious thinking. 

Regardless, this is here for everyone to argue with.¬† Like I said before, that’s why these lists are made, to start some debates and stir the pot.¬† So, let the pot be stirred…

Offense:

QB:  Donovan McNabb – It was between him and Mike McMahon.

RB:  Brian Westbrook – Some of these positions aren’t even up for discussion.

RB:  Duce Staley – I think he gets to be Westbrook’s backup.  The Duce was on the loose quite a bit in the early part of the decade.

FB:¬† Cecil Martin – This is a tough one because the Eagles have used many fullbacks.¬† Cecil Martin is a good choice.¬† I don‚Äôt think I can give this to Thomas Tapeh or Jon Ritchie.¬† Let‚Äôs stick with Cecil.¬† Weaver is probably their best fullback over this time period, but he hasn’t even been here for a year.¬†

WR:  Terrell Owens – Say what you want, he absolutely dominated when he was in Philly for those 1 ½ years or so.

WR:  DeSean Jackson – These are your two starters.  Jackson has only been here for two years and has already proven to be one of the biggest playmakers of the decade.

WR:  Reggie Brown – Wow, it’s come to this.  Before you get all upset with me, who else would you pick?  It’s got to be him or Pinkston.  Kevin Curtis had one good year and then got banged up.  Torrance Small?  James Thrash?  Billy McMullen?  Freddie Mitchell?  Jason Avant doesn’t start and hasn’t done it long enough.  Hank Baskett?

TE:  Chad Lewis – You didn’t want me to give this to L.J. Smith, did you?  I don’t think Celek has done it long enough to be considered.  Lewis was a really nice target for a while.

OT:¬† Tra Thomas/Jon Runyan ‚Äì I combined these because they both are on the team for the same reason:¬† They played at a very high level the whole time….and there is no way you can make a case for anyone else.¬†

G:  Shawn Andrews – Yes, he’s been a pain in the butt at times or hurt or both.  But when he’s healthy and out there on the field he might be the best guard in football.

G:  Jermane Mayberry – You could make an argument for Todd Herremans at the other guard position, but I’m sticking with Mayberry.  He played in Philly until 2004 and was very good in his time here.

C:¬† Jamaal Jackson ‚Äì He edges out Bubba Miller (just kidding…I think).¬† Hank Fraley was just ok, and I think too many people had overrated him because John Madden would circle his stomach on television and then talk about how much turkey he could eat at Thanksgiving.¬† Jackson is the guy here.

Defense:

DE:¬† Hugh Douglas ‚Äì It‚Äôs between Douglas and Kearse and I just don‚Äôt think Kearse got it done while he played for the Eagles.¬† He made a lot of money and didn‚Äôt produce well enough as far as I’m concerned.¬† Hugh was a fan favorite and played like it.¬† No, he wasn‚Äôt around for a lot of this decade, but when he was (the first time, not when he came back), he showed up and balled.

DE:  Trent Cole – Simply the best defensive end of the decade for the Eagles.  Imagine if he had help on the other side?

DT:  Corey Simon – Just fyi, I’m going with a three-tackle rotation.  Simon was an excellent defensive tackle from his very first play when he caught Troy Aikman’s toe and got him to the ground.

DT:  Mike Patterson – Doesn’t get into the backfield as much as I’d like, but still a very productive, very solid tackle.

DT:  Brodrick Bunkley – He and Patterson have been a great combo for the Eagles defense.

LB:  Jeremiah Trotter – The only sure-fire lock of all the linebackers.  He isn’t making this list for what he’s doing now of course, but this is for the first two stints.

LB:  Stewart Bradley – This is how thin the linebackers are around here.  Everyone loves Bradley’s talent and thinks he’ll be great, and I agree.  But we have a guy on an all-decade list that’s played essentially one season.

LB:  Carlos Emmons – Always loved Carlos and miss his ability to shut down opposing tight ends.  Certainly an underrated player for the Eagles.

S:  Brian Dawkins – I won’t waste anyone’s time explaining why.

S:  Michael Lewis – Tough call here.  You can make the case for Quintin Mikell.  But, Lewis was a heck of a player from 2002-2006 and maybe if he’s in the NFC Championship game instead of Blaine Bishop, the Eagles head to a Super Bowl.  Eventually, the Eagles soured on his pass coverage skills and moved in another direction, but Lewis was still very good.

CB:  Sheldon Brown – I typed him first because he’s the only obvious one for me.  In his rookie year in 2002, he wasn’t starting, but he laid the wood to Dallas’ Reggie Swinton on kick coverage and proved he would go out and hit people.  One of my favorite plays of the decade.  He got a starting spot in 2004 and hasn’t looked back.

CB:  Troy Vincent – Great player, great leader.  My only question with putting Troy on here was whether or not I felt he did it enough in this decade.  I answered yes to my question.

CB:  Lito Sheppard – This is a tough one, but I just keep thinking of all those big picks for TD’s.  Or the pick against Carolina in 2006 in the corner of the end zone that helped kick start that winning streak. Something went south with him around here (money) and it was never the same.  But for a while, he wasn’t someone you wanted to mess with.

Special Teams:

P: Sean Landeta ‚Äì It has to be Landeta.¬† I went back to the question I had to ask myself about Troy Vincent‚Ķ.did he do it enough in this decade?¬† Yes, because remember he came back in 2005, which gave him about four years during the 00‚Äôs.¬† He‚Äôs definitely the best punter of the group.¬†¬† My decision was made easier by the fact that there is no way I would put Dirk Johnson or Sav Rocca on here.¬† They weren‚Äôt here very long either (Dirk was actually here for a few years too and wasn’t bad, but his shank out of his own end zone in the Super Bowl still haunts me) and they can‚Äôt hold a candle to Landeta‚Äôs foot.

K:  David Akers – I wrestled with this one for hours.

KR:  Brian Mitchell – How much do the Eagles miss his reliability on kick returns?  I might put him on here just for getting the party started in the 2002 NFC Championship game…..even if the party only lasted 10 minutes.

PR: DeSean Jackson – This is the first GCobb.com Eagles all-decade team to have a guy make the team as a starting WR and special teams player.   Congratulations on making history, DeSean.

GCOBB

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