This article was originally published on the now defunct GridFe.com site. In an effort to preserve some of the material from that site, I am republishing the article on Football Perspective. Below is the full article, unchanged from its original form.

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As the league becomes increasingly reliant on the passing game, the need for players to support or defend passing offenses increases, while run oriented players see a concomitant decrease in necessity. Because of this, I have included a third receiver spot and space for a defensive back in the slot. However, with a hundred years of NFL football in the rearview, it feels right to include some traditional roster spots with a nod to the past. Thus, fullbacks, nose tackles and linebackers also have a home on the GridFe all decade team for the 2010s. ^[1]Given how long the league fielded 43 and 34 defenses as base personnel, this team will pay homage by including four linebacker slots.

Here’s the squad

Pos	First Team	Second Team	Third Team
QB	Tom Brady	Drew Brees	Aaron Rodgers
RB	Adrian Peterson	LeSean McCoy	Marshawn Lynch
FB	Kyle Juszczyk	Anthony Sherman	Jerome Felton
WR	Julio Jones	Larry Fitzgerald	Jordy Nelson
WR	Antonio Brown	DeAndre Hopkins	Mike Evans
WR	Calvin Johnson	A.J. Green	Demaryius Thomas
TE	Rob Gronkowski	Travis Kelce	Jimmy Graham
LT	Joe Thomas	Jason Peters	Tyron Smith
LG	Evan Mathis	Logan Mankins	Josh Sitton
OC	Alex Mack	Jason Kelce	Nick Mangold
RG	Marshal Yanda	Zack Martin	Brandon Brooks
RT	Mitchell Schwartz	Lane Johnson	Zach Strief
ED	J.J. Watt	Khalil Mack	Justin Houston
ED	Von Miller	Cameron Wake	Michael Bennett
ID	Aaron Donald	Fletcher Cox	Ndamukong Suh
ID	Geno Atkins	Calais Campbell	Jurrell Casey
NT	Damon Harrison	Vince Wilfork	Haloti Ngata
OLB	Lavonte David	Karlos Dansby	Sean Lee
OLB	Thomas Davis	Stephen Tulloch	K.J. Wright
ILB	Luke Kuechly	Patrick Willis	Navorro Bowman
ILB	Bobby Wagner	Derrick Johnson	Dont'a Hightower
CB	Richard Sherman	Darrelle Revis	Stephon Gilmore
CB	Patrick Peterson	Casey Hayward	Darius Slay
SLOT	Chris Harris Jr.	Tyrann Mathieu	Nickell Robey-Coleman
FS	Earl Thomas	Eric Weddle	Devin McCourty
SS	Kam Chancellor	Eric Berry	Harrison Smith
K	Justin Tucker	Stephen Gostkowski	Matt Bryant
P	Johnny Hekker	Thomas Morstead	Sam Koch
KR	Cordarrelle Patterson	Jacoby Jones	Percy Harvin
PR	Devin Hester	Julian Edelman	Marcus Sherels
ST	Matthew Slater	Justin Bethel	Michael Thomas
HC	Bill Belichick	Andy Reid	John Harbaugh

All Decade Offense

QUARTERBACK

Tom Brady is the obvious choice. Three player of the year awards, three more rings, two Super Bowl MVPs, and a string of efficient and productive seasons. The greatest legacy of any player in history. What more can you ask for?

RUNNING BACK

This was a hard choice, but it was hard to overlook Adrian Peterson‘s peak. The last running back to take home an MVP award, he used a rare blend of speed, power, and balance to churn out yards despite often running into loaded boxes.

FULLBACK

There have been better blockers in the Moose Johnston mold, but Kyle Juszczyk was the most consistently excellent fullback this decade. He did his job as a lead blocker, kept his quarterbacks upright in pass pro, and added value as a receiver.

WIDE RECEIVER

Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, and Calvin Johnson are three of the most dominant receivers in history, even after accounting for this pass happy decade. Jones and Brown played almost the full decade as dominant starters. Johnson only played six years in the 2010s, but they were dominant seasons that included the single season yardage record.

TIGHT END

Rob Gronkowski is the clear pick, and there was never another name in consideration. No tight end in history has boasted a better combination of receiving, blocking, and production. He dominated his position like few players in history have, and he did it without ever playing at full strength.

LEFT TACKLE

For 10,363 straight snaps, Joe Thomas put on a pass blocking clinic. Despite being charged with protecting a bevy of completely oblivious quarterbacks, Thomas locked down his side of the line more effectively than all but a handful of tackles in history. ^[2]Anthony Munoz, Walter Jones, Ron Mix, Dan Dierdorf, and Mike Kenn come to mind.

LEFT GUARD

Evan Mathis played for four different teams and took care of business everywhere he went. ^[3]Okay, he barely played in Arizona, but he was good in limited action. He was always solid in pass pro, and he is among the finest run blockers of his generation. Rarely making flashy, bulldozing blocks, Mathis nonetheless won a high rate of his battles and did so with technique.

CENTER

If Nick Mangold‘s career shifted a few years later, he would be the easy choice. However, based solely on 2010-2019, Alex Mack is the top guy. Mack hasn’t demonstrated any glaring weaknesses as a blocker. He can block the pass and the run with aplomb, and he has shown he can do so in different schemes and in front of different passers.

RIGHT GUARD

In a fair world, Marshal Yanda would waltz right into the Hall of Fame. He has never had a bad or even average season, and he has thrived on either side and even at tackle. His peak in the middle of the decade included some of the finest guard play in history.

RIGHT TACKLE

Mitchell Schwartz is a pass pro virtuoso who has aged like fine wine. When finally paired with a quarterback worthy of his talents, people finally took notice. His performance during the Chiefs Super Bowl run will ^[4]should be talked about for years to come.

All Decade Defense

EDGE DEFENDER

J.J. Watt and Von Miller were chalk. At his peak, Watt was the best player in the game, regardless of position. He owns three defensive player of the year awards, and he was a permanent resident in opposing backfields. Miller has one of the greatest first steps of any defenders ever to do it, a talent he has used to become the premier rushbacker of his generation. He’s also the rare edge rusher who excels in coverage.

INTERIOR DEFENDER

Aaron Donald took over where Watt left off, staking his claim as the best player in the league several years running. He is the best pass rushing tackle since Alan Page and also destroys rushing games in the backfield. Geno Atkins entered the league without much fanfare, but he quickly established himself as one of the best interior rushers in modern history. Relatively small and compact, both defenders use tremendous leverage and technique to best the opposition.

NOSE TACKLE

It would not be a stretch to call Damon Harrison the top run stuffer in history. He held up and disengaged blockers with seeming ease. Snacks was often the first player to the rusher and nearly always brought his man down.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER

Lavonte David and Thomas Davis were all around stud linebackers who could attack the line of scrimmage or hold their own in coverage. David is among the best in recent history at making plays in the backfield, and Davis used his experience as a college safety to become one of the better cover backers of the decade.

MIDDLE/INSIDE LINEBACKER

Luke Kuechly and Bobby Wagner were easy choices. Both entered in 2012, and both started 118 games. The pair were consistently the top two inside linebackers in the land, combining superb coverage skills with excellent instincts and sound tackling.

CORNERBACK

Patrick Peterson and Richard Sherman are two corners who are markedly different but nonetheless incredible. Peterson was a high pick with uncanny athleticism who tracked top receivers and made his name as a press man specialist. Sherman was an afterthought without blazing speed who used his brain to work his way into the top playmaking corner of the decade.

SLOT DEFENDER

Chris Harris Jr. almost never has a bad day at the office and has cemented his status as the top slot cornerback in history. Typically playing in space, Harris has shown he can quickly break in or out to take away his man, and he has been a sure tackler when offenses tried to test him on the edge.

FREE SAFETY

Earl Thomas is in the Ed Reed / Nolan Cromwell mold of unparalleled range safeties who can make plays on the ball and erase the deep pass. His ability to patrol sideline to sideline was a vital component to one of the great defenses of the modern era. Although not known as a thumper, he could lay the wood when he wanted to

STRONG SAFETY

The third member of the Legion of Boom secondary to make the team, Kam Chancellor was the enforcer of the group. His ability to blow up running backs, receivers, or even linemen often set the tone for the game and provided a noticeable energy boost to his teammates.

All Decade Special Teams

KICKER

Justin Tucker is the best kicker of all time. In the greatest era for kicking the game has ever seen, Tucker clearly stands out above the rest. Kicking in Baltimore and playing in the cold outdoors of the AFC North, he still boasts the best statistical profile of any kicker and has managed to avoid the rollercoaster ride taken by most at his position.

PUNTER

Johnny Hekker is likely the top punter in history. Several punters have had big legs, while others have had good accuracy. Others still have been able to pose a threat on fakes. Hekker combines all of these at a high level. He has bailed out bad offenses with booming rainbows and bought some time for good offenses with precision drops. If you must punt, Hekker is the guy you want doing it.

KICK RETURNER

Rule changes have made kickoff return specialist less of a commodity than they used to be. In another era, Cordarrelle Patterson may have been discussed reverently as a dangerous weapon who essentially provided his offenses with a free first down. He has led the league in average thrice and only had one season below 28 yards per return. His decade-best seven return touchdowns are a cherry on top.

PUNT RETURNER

Devin Hester‘s most legendary work as a punt returner came in 2006 and 2007. This decade doesn’t include those seasons, but Hester nevertheless still ranks first among all punt returners in both average and touchdowns. He may end up as the first player in Canton based on his return skills, and his threat to score and turn the tide of a game is the reason.

SPECIAL TEAMER

Often, special teamers get Pro Bowl nods and postseason honors based on their name rather than their performance. (When someone preaches to you about the greatest of all time, rarely can that person give you a top ten or even a top five list.) However, Matthew Slater is the rare special teams star who actually deserved most of his awards and acclaim. He’s not a playmaker like Ivory Sully, but he has been a consistent and disciplined coverage specialist year after year.

All Decade Coaches

HEAD COACH

After overseeing the dynasty of the 2000s, Bill Belichick somehow outdid himself in the 2010s. His Patriots have averaged 12.5 wins per season on their way to all ten AFC East titles in the decade. The lone year New England failed to win at least 12 games was 2018, when they won 11 before winning three straight postseason bouts to capture their third Super Bowl win since 2010. Belichick’s squads have also lost two other title games in dramatic fashion and have won at least one playoff game in all but the decade’s bookend seasons.