All-Conference and All-League Teams
The John Constantine Unitas Memorial All-AFC Team
1st Team Offense
QB: Tom Brady-New England
RB: Ray Rice-Baltimore
RB: Arian Foster-Houston
RB: Maurice Jones-Drew-Jacksonville
FB: Marcel Reece-Oakland
WR: Wes Welker-New England
WR: Mike Wallace-Pittsburgh
TE: Rob Gronkowski-New England
OL: Buffalo Bills
PK: Rob Bironas-Tennessee
KR: Joe McKnight-New York Jets
Comments: Many of these guys have already been covered in this blog entry and only merit a quick review. Tom Brady led all AFC QB’s in completions, passing yards, yards per game, yards per attempt, completion percentage, passing TD’s, and QB rating.
Ray Rice led all AFC RB’s in runs for 40+ yards, receptions, receiving yards, total yards, and total TD’s. He was tied for 1st among AFC RB’s in receiving TD’s; 2nd in rushing attempts and yards; 3rd in receiving yards per game and total yards per game; tied 4th in runs of 20+ yards; 5th in rushing yards per game and yards per catch; and 10th in yards per rush.
Arian Foster led all AFC RB’s in yards per catch, receiving yards per game, and total yards per game. He was 2nd among AFC RB’s in rushing yards per game, receiving yards per game, and total TD’s; 3rd in rushing yards, carries, yards per rush, runs of 40+ yards, and total yards; 4th in receptions and receiving TD’s; and tied 8th in runs of 20+ yards.
Maurice Jones-Drew led all AFC RB’s in rushing yards, carries, and rushing yards per game. He was tied 1st among AFC RB’s in receiving TD’s; 2nd in total yards; tied 3rd in total TD’s; 4th in total yards per game; tied 4th in runs of 20+ yards; tied 5th in runs of 40+ yards; 7th in yards per catch; tied 7th in receptions; 9th in receiving yards; 10th in receiving yards per game; and 11th in yards per rush.
Wes Welker led all AFC WR’s in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving yards per game. He’s was tied 1st among AFC WR’s in receiving TD’s and receptions of 20+ yards, and tied 5th in receptions of 40+ yards.
Rob Gronkowski led all AFC TE’s in receptions, receiving yards, receiving yards per game, receiving TD’s, receptions of 20+ yards, and receptions of 40+ yards. He was also 2nd among AFC TE’s in yards per catch.
Rob Bironas was 2nd among AFC kickers in FG percentage; tied 2nd in TB; 3rd in FG’s of 50+ yards and 50+ yards FG percentage; tied 4th in total FG’s and FG’s of 40+ yards; 5th in 40+ yards FG percentage; 6th in TB%; and 7th in scoring.
Now on to the guys who we haven’t covered until now. It’s always tough to rank fullbacks and offensive lines. A lot of what fullbacks do is block, and just like with individual offensive linemen, I can’t really judge that very well. So with fullbacks I look at the rushing/receiving stats, the offensive stats of their team, and I take blocking reputation into account.
Marcel Reece played in only 12 games for the Raiders but he actually got more touches than most FB’s. He carried 17 times for 112 yards, averaging 6.6 yards per rush, and running for 7 first downs. He was even more involved as a pass catcher, totaling 27 receptions for 301 yards and 2 TD’s, averaging 11.1 yards per catch, and catching passes for 11 first downs. Reece led all AFC FB’s in both rushing and receiving yards.
If you’re surprised that I came up with the Bills as the top OL in the AFC, trust me, so was I. However, I found that they had the best overall numbers (at least among the ones that I looked at). The Bills were 7th in the AFC in rushing yards and 8th in rushing TD’s, but they led the league in yards per rush. Remember, they were without Fred Jackson for the final 6 games. The Bills also allowed the fewest sacks in the AFC.
Football Outsiders ranks offensive lines in several ways. Their Adjusted Line Yards rank O-lines in terms of run blocking. The Bills ranked 8th among AFC teams in those rankings. The part of that formula that I value the most is Power Success, which measures how well an offense did running the ball in short yardage and obvious run situations. The Bills ranked 2nd among AFC teams in the that category. FO’s Adjusted Sack Rate is their pass blocking ratings system and the Bills ranked 1st in that category among AFC teams.
Taking all of those numbers together and comparing that against other lines, I decided Buffalo had the best overall offensive line in the AFC.
Pittsburgh burner WR Mike Wallace matched his breakthrough 2010 season with a similar output in 2011. Wallace hauled in 72 passes for 1193 yards and 8 TD, averaging 74.6 yards per game and 16.6 yards per catch. Pittsburgh’s #1 receiver caught 18 passes of 20+ yards and 7 of 40+ yards.
In Pittsburgh’s OT loss at Denver in the WC round Wallace caught just 3 passes for 26 yards, but he did have a 1-yard TD run. Make Wallace was tied 1st among NFC receivers in 40+ catches; 3rd in yards; tied 3rd in TD; 4th in yards per game; 6th in yards per catch; tied 6th in 20+ catches; and 7th in receptions.
Joe McKnight was once again one of the best and most underrated kickoff return men around. He led all AFC kick returners with 1073 KR yards, a 31.6 average, and 5 returns of 40+ yards. McKnight had 1 KR TD (tied 1st) and tallied 27 returns of 20+ yards (4th).
1st Team Defense
DE: Jabaal Sheard-Cleveland
DE: Jeremy Mincey-Jacksonville
DT: Vince Wilfork-New England
DT: Haloti Ngata-Baltimore
OLB: Terrell Suggs-Baltimore
OLB: Tamba Hali-Kansas City
ILB: David Harris-New York Jets
ILB: Derrick Johnson-Kansas City
MLB: D’Qwell Jackson-Cleveland
CB: Lardarius Webb-Baltimore
CB: Kyle Arrington-New England
SS: George Wilson-Buffalo
FS: Reggie Nelson-Cincinnati
P: Brandon Fields-Miami
PR: Jacoby Jones-Houston
Comments: A quick review of the guys who have already been covered in this blog entry. Jabaal Sheard led all AFC DL in forced fumbles. He was 2nd among AFC DL in stuffs; tied 4th in solo tackles; tied 5th in sacks; and tied 10th in total tackles.
Terrell Suggs led all AFC LB’s in sacks and forced fumbles. He was tied 3rd among AFC LB’s in INT; tied 5th in stuffs; and 8th in PD.
D’Qwell Jackson led all AFC LB’s in total tackles and solo tackles. He was tied 1st among AFC LB’s in FR; 2nd in stuffs; and tied 10th in INT.
Lardarius Webb was tied 1st among AFC CB’s in INT TD; 2nd in INT; tied 2nd in PD; tied 3rd in sacks; tied 5th in FF; 7th in solo tackles; and 8th in total tackles.
Brandon Fields was 2nd among AFC punters in average, net average, and percentage of punts inside the 20; tied 2nd in punts inside the 20; 3rd in punts inside the 10; and 11th in TB%.
Now to the new guys.
Jeremy Mincey had a very good season playing defensive end. Mincey posted 57 Total, 40 Solo, 8 sacks, and 4 FF from his DE spot. He was all over the place, recording an INT, an FR, 4 stuffs, and 1 PD. Mincey finished tied 2nd among AFC DL in FF; tied 3rd in INT; tied 4th in Solo; 7th in sacks; tied 7th in Total; and tied 9th in FR.
There are plenty of stars on Baltimore’s defense but DT Haloti Ngata is a key, though often overshadowed, rock on the line. This season Ngata racked up 64-36-28 (Tot-Solo-Ast) and 5 sacks, while recording 2 FF, 3 FR, and an FR returned for a TD. Ngata had 5 PD and 3 stuffs. He’s just a force. In Baltimore’s win over Houston in the divisional round Ngata posted 3-2-1 and a FF. The next week against the Pats he recorded 3 Tot and a PD. Ngata was tied 1st among AFC DL in FR and FR TD; tied 2nd in PD; 3rd in Ast and Tot; tied 5th in FF; and tied 10th in Solo.
Vince Wilfork was his usual monster/freak self in the middle for NE this season. He posted 52-29-23 with 3.5 sacks, 6 stuffs, 3 PD, and 1 FF. Wilfork continued to show his athletic skills, picking off 2 passes, recovering a pair of fumbles, and returning 1 for a TD. Wilfork was tied for 1st among all AFC DL in INT and FR TD; tied 3rd in FR; tied 5th in Ast; and tied 12th in Tot.
KC’s Tamba Hali is a speed rusher who also makes plays as a run stopper. This season Hali posted 66-48-12 and again wreaked havoc in the backfield, recording 12 sacks, 4 FF, and 4 stuffs. He was 2nd among all AFC LB’s in sacks and tied 2nd in FF.
David Harris isn’t a sack man or a tackle machine. He’s a versatile player that can do all of that and plays excellent pass coverage. Harris posted 86-65-21, 5 sacks, and 3 stuffs this season. He excelled as a pass defender, picking off 4 passes, returning 1 for a TD, and racking up 9 PD. Harris led all AFC LB’s in INT. He was tied 1st among AFC LB’s in INT TD and tied 2nd in PD.
Derrick Johnson had an excellent season for KC, posting 131-104-27 with 2 sacks, 2 INT, 1 FF, 9 PD, 1 FR, and 8 stuffs. Johnson was 2nd among all AFC LB’s in Solo; tied 2nd in PD; 3rd in Tot; tied 3rd in INT and stuffs; and tied 9th in FR.
Kyle Arrington led all AFC CB’s with 7 picks and posted 88-66-22 with 13 PD and 1 FR. He was 2nd among all AFC CB’s in Tot and Solo; tied 2nd in Ast; tied 3rd in FR; and tied 11th in PD.
George Wilson played in only 13 games for the Bills but still managed to post 106-78-28 with 4 INT, 6 PD, 2 FF, 1.5 stuffs, and 1 FR. Wilson was tied 3rd among all AFC safeties in INT, FF, and FR, and 4th in Tot, Solo, and Ast.
Reggie Nelson was the playmaker in Cincinnati’s secondary, posting 85-59-26 with 2 sacks, 4 INT, 1 INT TD, 2 FF, 12 PD, and 1 stuff. Nelson had 6 tackles (5 solo) and 1 TFL in the Bengals playoff loss to Houston. He was tied 1st among all AFC safeties in INT TD; tied 3rd in INT, FF, and PD; tied 4th in sacks; tied 6th in Ast; 12th in Tot; and tied 12th in Solo.
Jacoby Jones had a very solid season as Houston’s punt return man, finishing 2nd among AFC punt returners with 518 return yards. Jones averaged 10.6 yards per return (9th) and returned 1 punt for a TD (tied 1st). He led all AFC punt returners with 5 returns of 40+ yards and was tied for 1st with 7 returns of 20+ yards. Jones also chipped in as a receiver, catching 31 passes for 512 yards and 2 TD’s. He had 9 catches for 20+ yards and 1 catch for 40+ yards.
Unfortunately, Jacoby Jones did not have a very good experience in the playoffs. Jones really wasn’t involved in the offense at all in either of Houston’s playoff games and he was completely shut down as a punt returner. Against Cinci, Jones returned 3 punts for just 12 yards. A week later against Baltimore, Jones had a punt return line that was almost hard to believe: 6 returns, 4 total yards, 2 fumbles, 1 fumble lost.
Early in the game, with the Texans leading 3-0 and about to get the ball back deep in their own territory, Jones let a punt bounce and then tried to catch the Ravens off guard by running up and fielding it at the 13, but he muffed it and the Ravens recovered the ball at the 2. Baltimore would score a few plays later and go on to win 20-13.
2nd Team Offense
QB: Ben Roethlisberger-Pittsburgh
RB: Willis McGahee-Denver
RB: Ryan Mathews-San Diego
RB: Fred Jackson-Buffalo
FB: Jacob Hester-San Diego
WR: Brandon Marshall-Miami
WR: Vincent Jackson-San Diego
TE: Aaron Hernandez-New England
OL: San Diego Chargers
PK: Josh Scobee-Jacksonville
KR: Richard Goodman-San Diego
Comments: For the players who have already been discussed in this blog entry, here’s a quick review. Willis McGahee was tied 2nd among AFC RB’s in 20+ runs, receptions of 20+ yards, and receptions of 40+ yards; 4th in rushing yards; 6th in rushing yards per game; tied 8th in 40+ runs; 9th in yards per carry; tied 9th in receiving TD’s; and 10th in total yards and total yards per game.
Aaron Hernandez was 2nd among AFC TE’s in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving yards per game; tied 2nd in receiving TD’s; and 9th in yards per catch.
Josh Scobee led all AFC kickers in FG%. He was 2nd among AFC kickers in TB%; 4th in 50+ FG’s and 50+ FG%; tied 5th in 40+ FG% and TB’s; tied 8th in 40+ FG’s; tied 11th in total FG’s; and 12th in scoring.
The rest of these players have not been covered so far in the blog.
Big Ben Roethlisberger was injured late in the season against the Browns and was really never the same, but he still managed to have the 2nd best season for an AFC QB in 2011. He played in 15 games and threw for 4077 yards and 21 TD’s against 14 picks, completing 63.2% of his passes for 271.8 yards per game. Big Ben posted a 90.1 rating but he lost 5 fumbles and did not score a rushing TD all season.
Roethlisberger was 2nd among AFC QB’s in PCT; 3rd in yards and rating; 4th in yards per game and yards per attempt; and 5th in TD’s. In the Steelers’ loss to Denver in the WC round, Big Ben completed 22 of 40 passes for 289 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT. He ran 3 times for 15 yards, but the high ankle injury really hampered his ability to move in the pocket and be an accurate passer.
Second year RB Ryan Mathews battled injuries again in 2011, playing in only 14 games, but when he did play he produced. Mathews ran for 1091 yards and 6 TD’s, averaging 4.9 yards per carry and 77.9 yards per game. He had 9 runs of 20+ yards. Mathews was also a big factor in the passing game, catching 50 passes for 455 yards, averaging 9.1 yards per catch and 32.5 yards per game. Mathews racked up 1546 total yards, averaging 110.4 total yards per game.
He finished 3rd among all AFC RB’s in receiving yards; 4th in receiving yards per game and total yards; tied 4th in runs of 20+ yards; 5th in rushing yards, receptions, and total yards per game; 6th in yards per catch; 7th in yards per carry and rushing yards per game; and tied 8th in rushing TD’s.
Fred Jackson was having a spectacular year for the Bills until his season ended due to injury after only 10 games. Jackson ended up rushing for 934 yards and 6 TD’s, averaging 93.4 yards per game and 5.5 yards per carry. He had 10 rushes for 20+ yards and 3 for 40+ yards. Jackson caught 39 passes for 442 yards, averaging 44.2 yards per game and 11.3 yards per catch. In just 10 games he racked up 1376 total yards, averaging 137.6 total yards per game.
Fred Jackson led all AFC RB’s in yards per carry. He was 2nd among AFC RB’s in receiving yards per game and total yards per game; tied 2nd in runs for 20+ yards and runs for 40+ yards; 3rd in yards per catch and rushing yards per game; 5th in receiving yards; 8th in total yards; tied 8th in rushing TD’s; tied 10th in receptions; and 12th in rushing yards.
Jacob Hester doesn’t carry the ball much for San Diego but he’s a key part of the rushing attack as a blocking back for Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert. Hester did rush 28 times for 90 yards (2nd best among AFC FB’s) and 8 first downs. He also caught 12 passes for 48 yards, 3 first downs, and a TD (tied 3rd among AFC FB’s).
Speaking of the Chargers, I picked their offensive line for 2nd team All-AFC. San Diego was just 10th in the AFC in rushing yards, but they were 7th in yards per rush and 4th in rushing TD’s. They were 5th in the AFC in sacks allowed. Football Outsiders ranked San Diego 1st in Power Success and 6th in both Adjusted Line Yards and Adjusted Sack Rate.
Brandon Marshall did a decent job staying out of trouble this season, and he had a solid year as a receiver despite not having a great QB to throw him the ball. Marshall caught 81 passes for 1214 yards and 6 TD’s, averaging 15.0 yards per catch and 75.9 yards per game. He had 20 catches of 20+ yards and 4 catches of 40+ yards. Marshall was 2nd among all AFC WR’s in receiving yards; tied for 2nd in receptions; 3rd in yards per game and catches of 20+ yards; tied 5th in catches of 40+ yards; and tied 11th in TD’s.
Vincent Jackson caught only 60 passes this season but he made them count, amassing 1106 yards and 9 TD’s, averaging 69.1 yards per game and 18.4 yards per catch. He had 21 catches of 20+ yards and 4 catches of 40+ yards. Jackson was just 15th among AFC WR’s in catches, but he was tied 1st in catches for 20+ yards and TD’s; 3rd in yards per catch; tied 5th in catches for 40+ yards; 6th in yards; and 9th in yards per game.
Richard Goodman might be the kick return man you’ve never heard of, as he hasn’t had the gig for long and it’s pretty much all he does for San Diego. Goodman is listed as a WR but in 2 seasons with the Chargers he’s caught exactly 1 pass. Goodman handled the KR duties for SD this season and made a major impact, totaling 936 yards (4th best in the AFC), returning 1 kickoff for a TD (tied 1st), and averaging 27.5 yards per return (2nd best). He was tied for 2nd in the AFC with 3 returns of 40+ yards and finished 3rd with 28 returns for 20+ yards.
2nd Team Defense
DE: Robert Mathis-Indianapolis
DE: Andre Carter-New England
DT: Tommy Kelly-Oakland
DT: Geno Atkins-Cincinnati
OLB: Von Miller-Denver
OLB: Connor Barwin-Houston
ILB: Brian Cushing-Houston
ILB: Nick Barnett-Buffalo
MLB: Pat Angerer-Indianapolis
CB: Darrelle Revis-New York Jets
CB: Brandon Flowers-Kansas City
SS: Bernard Pollard-Baltimore
FS: Jarius Byrd-Buffalo
P: Zoltan Mesko-New England
PR: Brandon Tate-Cincinnati
Comments: A quick review of the players we’ve already covered.
Von Miller was tied 3rd among AFC LB’s in sacks; tied 7th in FF; and tied 9th in stuffs.
Zoltan Mesko led all AFC punters in net average. He was 5th among AFC punters in TB%; 8th in average; tied 8th in punts inside 20; 9th in inside 20%; and 10th in punts inside the 10.
The rest of the players haven’t been reviewed yet.
Despite Indy’s troubles, Robert Mathis had another fine year at DE, posting 43-29-14 with 9.5 sacks, 3 FF, 3 FR, 4.5 stuffs, and 1 PD. He was tied 1st among all AFC DL in FR; tied 3rd in sacks; and 4th in FF.
Andre Carter had a very nice year as a rush end for the Pats until he was lost for the year due to injury after 14 games. He could well have made a difference in the Super Bowl. Carter posted 52-31-21 with 10 sacks, 2 FF, 5 stuffs, and 1 PD. He was tied for 1st among AFC DL in sacks; tied 5th in FF; tied 8th in Ast; and tied 12th in Tot.
Tommy Kelly has consistently been one of the better defensive linemen in the game over the last few years. This season he posted 41-27-14 for Oakland with 7.5 sacks, 1 INT, 2 FF, 1 FR, 5 PD, and 0.5 stuffs. He finished tied for 2nd among AFC DL in PD; tied for 3rd in INT; tied for 5th in FF; tied for 8th in sacks; and tied for 9th in FR.
Former Georgia Bulldawg Geno Atkins is starting to fulfill his potential. Atkins posted 47-26-21 this season with 7.5 sacks, 2 FF, 2 FR, 1 FR TD, 5 stuffs, and 3 PD. In Cinci’s playoff game he had 4 tackles (3 solo) and a sack. Among AFC DL, Atkins was tied for 1st in FR TD; tied for 3rd in FR; tied for 5th in FF; and tied for 8th in sacks.
With Mario Williams done for the season early, Connor Barwin really stepped his game up in his 2nd season and made sure that Houston’s pass rush didn’t suffer. He posted 47-34-13 with 11.5 sacks, 1 FF, 7 PD, and 1 stuff. He had 3 solo tackles in the WC round game and 2 solo tackles in the divisional round. Barwin was tied for 3rd among AFC LB’s in sacks and tied 6th in PD.
Houston’s tackle machine is LB Brian Cushing, but he also makes big plays and is good in pass coverage. He posted 114-76-38 with 4 sacks, 2 INT, 2 FF, 5 PD, and 4.5 stuffs. Against the Bengals in the playoffs, Cushing posted 8-5-3 with a stuff. The next week against Baltimore he had 11 tackles (5 solo) and a PD. Among AFC LB’s, Cushing was tied 3rd in INT; 6th in Tot; tied 6th in FF; 7th in Ast; 9th in Solo; and tied 9th in PD.
After an injury plagued final year in Green Bay, veteran linebacker Nick Barnett signed with the Bills for this season and he didn’t appear to be on his last leg. Barnett posted 130-78-52 with 3 sacks, 3 INT, 1 INT TD, 1 FF, 7 stuffs, and 5 PD. Among AFC LB’s, Barnett was tied for 1st in INT TD; 2nd in INT; 3rd in Ast; 4th in Tot; tied 5th in Solo; tied 7th in stuffs; and tied 9th in PD.
Pat Angerer was one of the bright spots for Indianapolis this season. He posted 148-78-70 with a sack, an INT, 2 FF, 1 FR, 8 stuffs, and 3 PD. Angerer led all AFC LB in Ast; was 2nd in Tot; tied 3rd in stuffs; tied 5th in Solo; tied 6th in FF; tied 9th in FR; and tied 10th in INT.
Darrelle Revis talks a lot but he’s also a very good CB. Revis posted 52-41-11 this season with 4 INT, 1 INT TD, 21 PD, and a stuff. He led all AFC CB’s in PD and was tied for 1st in INT TD’s and tied 3rd in interceptions.
Brandon Flowers posted 59-47-12 and 4 INT for the Chiefs, returning 1 INT for a TD and recording 20 PD and 2 stuffs. He was tied 1st among AFC CB’s in INT TD’s; tied 2nd in PD; tied 3rd in INT; and 12th in Total Tackles.
Bernard Pollard is best known for his habit of injury key New England Patriots players at very inopportune times, but he’s also a good player. Pollard posted 75-55-10 this season with 2 sacks, a pick, 3 FF, 13 PD, and 1 FR. Against the Texans he had 5 tackles (3 solo) and a stuff. The next week against New England, Pollard had 12 total tackles (7 solo) and 1 PD. But once again, the main thing he will be remembered for in that game is injuring Rob Gronkowski. Pollard was tied 1st among AFC safeties in FF; 2nd in PD; tied 3rd in FR; and tied 4th in sacks.
Jarius Byrd had a stellar season for the Bills, posting 98-75-23 with a sack, 3 picks, 1 INT for a TD, 3 FF, 8 PD, 2.5 stuffs, and an FR. He was tied for 1st among AFC safeties in FF and INT TD’s; tied for 3rd in FR; 5th in Solo; tied for 5th in INT; 6th in Tot; tied for 7th in PD; tied for 8th in sacks; and tied for 11th in Ast.
The Patriots released Brandon Tate right before the start of the season and the Bengals would be the beneficiaries. Tate led all AFC punt returners with 543 yards, averaging 10.6 yards per return (8th). He took 1 punt back to the house (tied 1st), had 5 returns of 20+ yards (tied 5th), and a pair of returns for 40+ yards (tied 2nd). In the Bengals playoff game, Tate had 3 punt returns for a total of 20 yards and also returned a kick for 22 yards.
The George Halas Memorial All-NFC Team
1st Team Offense
QB: Aaron Rodgers-Green Bay
RB: LeSean McCoy-Philadelphia
RB: Michael Turner-Atlanta
FB: John Kuhn-Green Bay
WR: Calvin Johnson-Detroit
WR: Victor Cruz-New York Giants
WR: Jordy Nelson-Green Bay
TE: Jimmy Graham-New Orleans
OL: New Orleans Saints
PK: David Akers-San Francisco
KR: Randall Cobb-Green Bay
Comments: Many of these guys have already been covered in this blog entry and only merit a quick review. Aaron Rodgers led all NFC QB’s in yards per attempt and QB Rating. He was 2nd among NFC QB’s in completion percentage and touchdowns; 3rd in yards per game; and 4th in total passing yards.
LeSean McCoy led all NFC RB’s in rushing yards per game, rushing TD’s, runs of 20+ yards, total yards, and total TD’s. He was 2nd among NFC RB’s in rushing yards; tied 2nd in receiving TD’s; 3rd in total yards per game; 5th in receptions; tied 5th in 40+ runs; 7th in receiving yards; 8th in yards per carry; 10th in yards per catch; and 11th in receiving yards per game.
Calvin Johnson led all NFC WR’s in yards, yards per game, TD’s, 20+ catches, and 40+ catches. He was 2nd among NFC WR’s in receptions and 7th in yards per catch.
Victor Cruz was 2nd among NFC WR’s in yards, yards per game, yards per catch, and 40+ catches; tied 3rd in 20+ catches; 4th in receptions; and tied 4th in TD’s.
Jeremy Graham led all NFC TE’s in receptions, yards, yards per game, touchdowns, and 20+ catches. He was tied 1st among NFC TE’s in 40+ catches and 4th in yards per catch.
David Akers led all NFC kickers in FG’s and 50+ FG’s. He was 3rd among NFC kickers in 50+ FG%, TB, and TB%; 7th in FG%; and tied 7th in 40+ FG’s.
Randall Cobb led all NFC kick returners in KR average. He was tied 1st among NFC kick returners in TD’s; tied 2nd in 40+ returns; 4th in KR yards; and tied 6th in 20+ returns.
Now on to some players who haven’t yet been covered.
Michael Turner led all NFC running backs with 1340 rushing yards on 301 carries (1st). He averaged 4.5 yards per carry (10th among NFC RB’s), 83.8 yards per game (2nd), and scored 11 TD’s (4th). Turner had 11 runs of 20+ yards (tied 3rd) and 4 runs of 40+ yards (tied 1st). For some reason Turner still wasn’t a big part of the passing game this season, catching only 17 passes for 168 yards. Turner amassed 1508 total yards this season (2nd), averaging 94.3 total yards per game (6th). Michael Turner was a non-factor in Atlanta playoff loss to NYG, rushing 15 times for 41 yards and catching 1 pass for a gain of 5.
For some reason Jordy Nelson gets dismissed as a product of Aaron Rodgers and the other great players around him. I’m not sure why. He’s really good. Nelson caught 68 passes (just tied for 11th among NFC WR’s) for 1263 yards (6th) and 15 touchdowns (2nd), averaging 78.9 yards per game (8th) and 18.6 yards per catch (3rd). Nelson caught 19 passes for 20+ yards (tied 5th) and 7 passes of 40+ yards (tied 4th). In Green Bay’s loss to the Giants in the playoffs, Nelson caught 3 passes for 39 yards.
John Kuhn is well known because of the way Packers fans react when he gets the ball, but he actually is a good player. He rushed 30 times for only 78 yards (1st among NFC FB’s) but he scored 4 TD’s (1st) and picked up 9 first downs. Kuhn also caught 15 passes for 77 yards (4th) and 2 scores (tied 1st). His 6 total TD’s were easily the most by any NFC FB. Kuhn had an 8-yard TD catch against NYG in the playoffs but he also lost a fumble.
The Saints consistently have one of the best offensive lines in the game, even when injuries and other issues force changes in the lineup. New Orleans was 4th in the NFC in rushing yards and yards per rush. They led the NFC in rushing TD’s and in sacks allowed. Football Outsiders ranked New Orleans 1st in Adjusted Line Yards, 3rd in Adjusted Sack Rate, and 5th in Power Success.
1st Team Defense
DE: Jared Allen-Minnesota
DE: Jason Pierre-Paul-New York Giants
DT: Justin Smith-San Francisco
DT: Israel Idonije-Chicago
OLB: DeMarcus Ware-Dallas
OLB: Aldon Smith-San Francisco
ILB: Patrick Willis-San Francisco
ILB: Navorro Bowman-San Francisco
MLB: James Laurinaitis-St. Louis
CB: Brandon Browner-Seattle
CB: Charles Tillman-Chicago
SS: Kam Chancellor-Seattle
FS: Dashon Goldson-San Francisco
P: Andy Lee-San Francisco
PR: Patrick Peterson-Arizona
Comments: A quick review of the guys who have already been covered in this blog entry. Jared Allen led all NFC DL in sacks and FR. He was tied for 1st among NFC DL in safeties; tied 2nd in INT and FF; and 3rd in total tackles and solo tackles.
Jason Pierre-Paul led all NFC DL in total tackles and solo tackles. He was tied for 1st among NFC DL in safeties; 3rd in sacks; 4th in PD; and tied 11th in FF.
DeMarcus Ware led all NFC LB’s in sacks. He was tied 11th among NFC LB’s in FF and tied 12th in FR.
Aldon Smith led all NFC LB’s in safeties. He was 2nd among NFC LB’s in sacks; tied 11th in FF; and tied 12th in FR.
Brandon Browner led all NFC CB’s in PD. He was tied 1st among NFC CB’s in INT TD and tied 2nd in INT.
Charles Tillman led all NFC CB’s in total tackles, solo tackles, and FF. He was tied 1st among NFC CB’s in INT TD; tied 2nd in FR TD; and tied 5th in sacks.
Andy Lee led all NFC punters in average and net average. He was 2nd among NFC punters in punts pinned inside the 10; tied 3rd in punts inside the 20; and 7th in percentage of punts inside the 20.
Patrick Peterson led all NFC punt returners in PR yards, PR TD’s, and 40+ returns. He was 2nd among NFC punt returners in average and tied 3rd in 20+ returns.
The rest of these players haven’t been covered yet in this blog entry.
Justin Smith is a total bad ass on the defensive line. Like Vince Wilfork and Haloti Ngata, stats don’t really do Justin Smith justice. This season he had 58 total tackles (4th best among NFC DL), 45 solo (4th), 7.5 sacks, 3 FF (tied 5th), 1 FR (tied 12th), 2 stuffs, and 2 PD. In the playoffs he had 3 tackles (2 solo) and a sack against the Saints, and then had 7 solo tackles and a sack against the Giants.
Israel Idonije is a hard name to spell. He’s also an underrated member of Chicago’s defense. Idonije was 6th among NFC DL with 52 total tackles and tied 5th with 41 solo. He had 5 sacks, 1 FF, 2 FR (tied 3rd), 1 FR TD (tied 2nd), and 7 stuffs (tied 8th).
Patrick Willis is now the veteran of the San Francisco defense. In just 13 games, Willis posted 97-74-23 with 2 sacks, a pick, 4 FF (tied 1st among NFC LB’s), 2 FR, and 3 stuffs. He led all NFC LB’s with 12 PD. He had 8 solo tackles against the Saints in the divisional round, and then had 8 solo tackles, a sack, and a PD against the Giants in the championship game.
Willis’ partner, Navorro Bowman, really came into his own this season. Bowman recorded 143 total (5th among NFC LB’s) and led all NFC LB’s with 111 solo tackles. He had 2 sacks, 3 FR (tied 1st), 6.5 stuffs (tied 10th), and 8 PD (tied 4th). In SF’s first playoff game Bowman recorded 11 tackles (10 solo). Against the Giants in the conference title game, Bowman recorded 14 total tackles (8 solo) and registered half a sack.
James Laurinaitis recorded 142 total tackles (6th best among NFC LB’s) and 105 solo tackles (2nd) for the Rams. He also had 3 sacks, 2 INT (tied 6th), 1 FR (tied 12th), 9 stuffs (tied 2nd), and 7 PD (tied 8th).
If you’ve never heard of Kam Chancellor don’t worry, most people probably wouldn’t have him as 1st team all-NFC, but Chancellor had a really good statistical season. In 15 games for Seattle, Chancellor posted 97 total (3rd among NFC safeties), 75 solo (tied 4th), 22 Ast (tied 8th), a sack, 4 INT (tied 3rd), 1 FF (tied 9th), 12 PD (2nd), 2 stuffs, and 1 FR (tied 8th).
In just 14 games for the Niners, Dashon Goldson posted 67-55-12 and led all NFC safeties with 6 interceptions. He had 1 FF (tied 9th), 9 PD (tied 8th), 1 stuff, and 1 FR (tied 8th).
2nd Team Offense
QB: Drew Brees-New Orleans
RB: Marshawn Lynch-Seattle
RB: Matt Forte-Chicago
RB: Adrian Peterson-Minnesota
FB: Michael Robinson-Seattle
WR: Larry Fitzgerald-Arizona
WR: Steve Smith-Carolina
TE: Jermichael Finley-Green Bay
OL: Carolina Panthers
PK: Robbie Gould-Chicago
KR: Ted Ginn Jr.-San Francisco
Comments: For the players who have already been discussed in this blog entry, here’s a quick review. Drew Brees led all NFC QB’s in completions, completion PCT, yards, touchdowns, and yards per game. He was 2nd among NFC QB’s in QB rating and 3rd in yards per attempt.
Marshawn Lynch was tied 2nd among NFC RB’s in total TD’s; tied 3rd in rushing TD’s; 4th in rushing yards; 5th in rushing yards per game, total yards, and total yards per game; tied 5th in 40+ runs; and tied 10th in receiving TD’s.
Ted Ginn was tied for 1st among NFC kick returners in KR TD’s; 2nd in average; tied 6th in 20+ returns; 7th in KR yards; and tied 9th in 40+ returns.
Now to the guys we haven’t covered yet.
Matt Forte was having the best season of any running back in the NFL when he was lost for the season due to injury after 12 games. Forte ended up with 997 rushing yards (7th among NFC RB’s) and 3 TD, averaging 83.1 yards per game (3rd) and 4.9 yards per carry (6th). He had 12 runs of 20+ yards (2nd) and 4 runs of 40+ yards (tied 1st). Forte was also a big part of Chicago’s passing game, catching 52 balls (2nd) for 490 yards (2nd) and a score, while averaging 40.8 yards per game (3rd) and 9.4 yards per reception (1st).
Adrian Peterson was also lost for the season after 12 games. AP (or AD if we must) rushed for 970 yards (8th best among NFC RB’s) and 12 TD’s (tied 2nd), averaging 80.8 yards per game (4th) and 4.7 yards per carry (9th). He had 7 runs of 20+ yards (tied 6th) and 3 runs of 40+ yards (tied 3rd). Peterson caught 18 passes for 139 yards and 1 score, averaging 7.7 yards per catch. Peterson finished with 1109 total yards and 13 total TD’s (tied 3rd), averaging 92.4 total yards per game (7th).
Michael Robinson has had an odd path career. He’s a former college QB who is now a fullback for the Seahawks. Robinson carried only 4 times for 7 yards all season. However, he did catch 9 passes for 74 yards and a TD. Plus, he recorded 11 total tackles, forced 2 fumbles, and returned a blocked punt 17 yards for a TD on special teams. And he did a good job opening up holes for the Seattle running backs.
There’s no doubt that Cam Newton’s super skills helped Carolina’s offensive line numbers this season, but you can’t put it all on the QB. Carolina is my 2nd team All-NFC offensive line. The Panthers led the NFC in rushing yards and yards per rush, while finishing 5th in rushing TD’s and 6th in sacks allowed. Football Outsiders had Carolina ranked 2nd in Adjusted Line Yards; 3rd in Power Success; and 11th in Adjusted Sack Rate.
Larry Fitzgerald is still among the top WR’s in the game. He continues to put up numbers without a reliable QB. This year Fitz snagged 80 balls (tied 5th among NFC WR’s) for 1411 yards (3rd) and 8 TD’s (tied 7th), averaging 88.2 yards per game (3rd) and 17.6 yards per catch (6th). He had 25 catches of 20+ (tied 3rd) and 8 catches of 40+ (3rd).
The veteran Steve Smith was nearly as good as Fitz in 2011. Smith caught 79 passes (7th best among NFC WR’s) for 1394 yards (4th) and 7 TD’s (tied 12th), averaging 87.1 yards per game (4th) and 17.6 yards per catch (5th). He had 29 catches for 20+ yards (2nd) and 5 catches for 40+ yards (tied 6th).
Jermichael Finley doesn’t put up huge numbers because there are just so many weapons for Aaron Rodgers to distribute the ball to but he is one of the best in the game. Finley caught 55 passes this season (9th among NFC TE’s) for 767 yards (8th) and 8 TD (2nd), averaging 47.9 yards per game (8th) and 13.9 yards per catch (2nd). He had 14 catches of 20+ (tied 5th) and 1 catch for 40+ (tied 5th).
Robbie Gould has been one of the better kickers around for while and he was again this season, hitting on 28 of 32 FG tries (87.5%). He went 16 for 16 on FG’s of less than 40 yards. Gould has just 6 of 10 on 40-49 yard FG’s, but he went 6 for 6 on 50+ yarders. Gould was tied 1st among NFC kickers in 50+ FG%; 2nd in 50+ FG’s; 4th in FG%; tied 4th in total FG’s; tied 7th in 40+ FG’s; and tied 11th in 40+ FG%. The Bears kicker ranked 5th among NFC kickers with 43 TB’s and was 2nd with a 53.1 TB%. Gould was 7th in the NFC in scoring.
2nd Team Defense
DE: Jason Babin-Philadelphia
DE: Cliff Avril-Detroit
DT: Cullen Jenkins-Philadelphia
DT: Ray McDonald-San Francisco
OLB: Clay Matthews-Green Bay
OLB: Ryan Kerrigan-Washington
ILB: Desmond Bishop-Green Bay
ILB: London Fletcher-Washington
MLB: EJ Henderson-Minnesota
CB: Charles Woodson-Green Bay
CB: Patrick Peterson-Arizona
SS: Darian Stewart-St. Louis
FS: Morgan Burnett-Green Bay
P: Jon Ryan-Seattle
PR: Devin Hester-Chicago
Comments: A quick review of the players we’ve already covered. Cliff Avril led all NFC DL in FF. He was tied 1st among NFC DL in INT TD and defensive TD; 2nd in FR; tied 2nd in INT and FR TD; and tied 5th in sacks.
Patrick Peterson was tied 5th among NFC CB’s in sacks; 10th in solo tackles; and tied 11th in total tackles.
Devin Hester led all NFC punt returners in average. He was tied 1st among NFC punt returners in 20+ returns; 2nd in PR TD’s; tied 2nd in 40+ returns; and 4th in PR yards.
Okay, just a few more new guys to cover.
Jason Babin ran his yap about how good the Eagles were going to be and that didn’t work out too well. But Babin himself had an awesome season. He recorded 18 sacks, 2nd best among NFC DL, and was 10th among NFC DL with 35 solo. He had 3 FF (tied 5th), 1.5 stuffs, and 2 PD.
On that same Philadelphia line, Cullen Jenkins posted 40-38-8 with 5.5 sacks, 1 FR (tied 12th among NFC DL), and 7.5 stuffs (tied 5th).
Ray McDonald has become one of the better defensive linemen in the NFL. He posted 38-29-10 with 5.5 sacks, 2 FF (tied 11th among NFC DL), 1 FR (tied 12th), 2 stuffs, and 2 PD for that nasty Niners defense. After not having much of statistical impact in the first SF playoff game, McDonald recorded 5 total tackles (4 solo), 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble against the Giants a week later.
Clay Matthews didn’t have as big a year as he did last year but he still had a solid season. Matthews posted 50-37-13 with 6 sacks (tied 7th among NFC LB’s), 3 INT (tied 2nd), 1 INT TD (tied 1st), 3 FF (tied 5th), 9 PD (tied 2nd), and 5.5 sacks.
Washington rookie Ryan Kerrigan had a very impressive first season in the league, posting 64-42-22 with 7.5 sacks, (tied 7th among NFC LB’s), 1 INT (tied 13th), 1 INT TD (tied 1st), 4 FF (tied 1st), 4 PD, and 4 stuffs.
Matthews’ teammate Desmond Bishop played in only 13 games but managed to post 115 Tot (tied 7th among NFC LB’s), 90 solo (6th), 5 sacks (tied 9th), 2 FF (tied 10th), 1 PD, and 4.5 stuffs.
London Fletcher just keeps on kicking. He led all NFC LB’s with 166 total tackles and 70 Ast. He recorded 96 solo tackles (4th among NFC LB’s), 1.5 sacks, 2 INT (tied 6th), 3 FF (tied 5th), 8 PD (tied 4th), and 3 stuffs.
EJ Henderson recorded 110 total tackles (tied 11th among NFC LB’s) and 81 solo (13th) at MLB for Minnesota. He also had 2 sacks, 3 FF (tied 5th), 3 PD, and 6.5 stuffs (tied 10th).
Charles Woodson has had an excellent career and produced another very fine season this year, leading all NFC CB’s in INT with 7. In 15 games, Woodson recorded 75 tot (6th among NFC CB’s), 63 solo (7th), 2 sacks (tied 1st), 1 INT TD (tied 5th), 1 FF (tied 4th), 17 PD (tied 5th), 2 stuffs, and 1 FR (tied 2nd).
I don’t know much about Darian Stewart, and perhaps it seems weird to have a Rams DB on an all-conference team, but the guy had a good year. In 15 games, Stewart recorded 84 total tackles (tied 11th among NFC safeties), 67 solo (tied 8th), 3 sacks (2nd), 1 INT, 1 INT TD (tied 1st), 2 FF (tied 2nd), 11 PD (tied 3rd), and 5 stuffs.
Morgan Burnett led all NFC safeties with 106 total tackles. Burnett recorded 78 solo (2nd among NFC safeties), 28 Ast (5th), 1 sack (tied 5th), 3 INT (tied 7th), 2 FF (tied 2nd), 11 PD (tied 3rd), and 2 FR (tied 2nd).
Seattle punter Jon Ryan led all NFC punters with 34 punts inside the 20 and 18 punts inside the 10. Ryan had a 46.6 average (3rd among NFC punters) and a 39.3 net average (6th). Ryan put 35.8% of his punts inside the 20 (9th best among NFC punters) and had an 8.4 TB% (11th).
The Marion Motley Memorial All-Horse Collar Team (NFL)
1st Team Offense
QB: Aaron Rodgers-Green Bay
RB: Ray Rice-Baltimore
RB: LeSean McCoy-Philadelphia
FB: John Kuhn-Green Bay
WR: Calvin Johnson-Detroit
WR: Victor Cruz-New York Giants
WR: Wes Welker-New England
TE: Rob Gronkowski-New England
OL: New Orleans Saints
PK: Rob Bironas-Tennessee
KR: Joe McKnight-New York Jets
1st Team Defense
DE: Jared Allen-Minnesota
DE: Jason Pierre-Paul-New York Giants
DT: Vince Wilfork-New England
DT: Justin Smith-San Francisco
OLB: DeMarcus Ware-Dallas
OLB: Terrell Suggs-Baltimore
ILB: Derrick Johnson-Kansas City
ILB: Patrick Willis-San Francisco
MLB: D’Qwell Jackson-Cleveland
CB: Charles Tillman-Chicago
CB: Brandon Browner-Seattle
SS: George Wilson-Buffalo
FS: Reggie Nelson-Cincinnati
P: Andy Lee-San Francisco
PR: Patrick Peterson-Arizona
2nd Team Offense
QB: Drew Brees-New Orleans
RB: Arian Foster-Houston
RB: Maurice Jones-Drew-Jacksonville
FB: Marcel Reece-Oakland
WR: Larry Fitzgerald-Arizona
WR: Jordy Nelson-Green Bay
WR: Steve Smith-Carolina
TE: Jimmy Graham-New Orleans
OL: Buffalo Bills
PK: Josh Scobee-Jacksonville
KR: Richard Goodman-San Diego
2nd Team Defense
DE: Jason Babin-Philadelphia
DE: Cliff Avril-Detroit
DT: Haloti Ngata-Baltimore
DT: Israel Idonije-Chicago
OLB: Aldon Smith-San Francisco
OLB: Tamba Hali-Kansas City
ILB: Navorro Bowman-San Francisco
ILB: David Harris-New York Jets
MLB: James Laurinaitis-St. Louis
CB: Lardarius Webb-Baltimore
CB: Charles Woodson-Green Bay
SS: Kam Chancellor-Seattle
FS: Jarius Byrd-Buffalo
P: Brandon Fields-Miami
PR: Devin Hester-Chicago
Comments: Since we’ve already covered all of these players (and most of the 1st team vs. 2nd team arguments have already been examined in the individual player award sections) I’m going to use this space to breakdown my All-Conference and All-NFL units by team.
There are a few things to keep in mind. Because I pick an offensive line rather than 5 individual linemen, there are more defensive players than offensive players on my All-Conference and All-League teams, so you could say that my format favors strong defensive teams. I’ll be counting the OL as 1 player, so there are 11 offensive spots and 15 defensive spots on each team.
Kicker and kick returner count as offensive spots, while punter and punt returner go as defensive spots. Also keep in mind that one player can make the team as both an offensive/defensive player and as a returner, but I’ll be considering that to be 2 different players during this breakdown.
AFC 1st Team Offense (number of players per team)
New England: 3
Baltimore: 1
Houston: 1
Jacksonville: 1
Oakland: 1
Pittsburgh: 1
Buffalo: 1
Tennessee: 1
New York Jets: 1
It makes total sense that the Patriots would be represented more than any other team. They were head and shoulders above the rest of the AFC in offense this season. That’s why the Pats held all 3 spots in my AFC MVP award.
AFC 2nd Team Offense
San Diego: 5
Pittsburgh: 1
Denver: 1
Buffalo: 1
Miami: 1
New England: 1
Jacksonville: 1
Obviously, what jumps out at you is that the Chargers hold 5 of the 11 spots. However, only 2 of those 5 are skill position players; the other 3 spots are FB, OL, and KR.
AFC Offense (1st and 2nd Team)
San Diego: 5
New England: 4
Jacksonville: 2
Pittsburgh: 2
Buffalo: 2
Baltimore: 1
Houston: 1
Oakland: 1
Tennessee: 1
New York Jets: 1
Denver: 1
Miami: 1
Again, it looks weird to have the Chargers at the top of the list, considering they didn’t have any 1st team offensive players. 4 of the 16 AFC teams had no offensive players on either team: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Kansas City. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that those 4 teams were shutout of the All-AFC offensive teams.
AFC 1st Team Defense
Baltimore: 3
New England: 2
Kansas City: 2
Cleveland: 2
Jacksonville: 1
Buffalo: 1
Miami: 1
Houston: 1
Cincinnati: 1
New York Jets: 1
It’s no surprise to see Baltimore at the top. The shocker is that there are no Pittsburgh Steelers on the 1st team defense. While they were still a very good defensive team this season, there really weren’t any Pittsburgh defensive players that had great individual seasons, in large part due to injuries.
AFC 2nd Team Defense
Indianapolis: 2
New England: 2
Cincinnati: 2
Houston: 2
Buffalo: 2
Oakland: 1
Denver: 1
New York Jets: 1
Kansas City: 1
Baltimore: 1
I guess seeing the Colts with 2 representatives is kind of surprising. There was obviously more balance on my All-AFC defensive teams than there was on my All-AFC offensive teams.
AFC Defense (1st and 2nd Team)
Baltimore: 4
New England: 4
Kansas City: 3
Cincinnati: 3
Houston: 3
Buffalo: 3
Cleveland: 2
New York Jets: 2
Indianapolis: 2
Miami: 1
Oakland: 1
Denver: 1
Jacksonville: 1
It seems strange that the Patriots ended up with as many representatives as the Ravens. Only 3 teams were completely shutout of the AFC defensive teams: Pittsburgh, Tennessee, and San Diego. All 3 of those teams are surprising. The Chargers have a lot of talent so you’d expect them to have at least 1 representative, and the Titans are rarely a bad defensive team, but clearly the biggest shocker is Pittsburgh.
AFC 1st Team (Offense and Defense)
New England: 5
Baltimore: 4
Kansas City: 2
Cleveland: 2
Houston: 2
Jacksonville: 2
Buffalo: 2
New York Jets: 2
Oakland: 1
Pittsburgh: 1
Tennessee: 1
Miami: 1
Cincinnati: 1
No surprises at the top, as NE and Baltimore were the 2 best teams in the conference. 3 of the 16 AFC teams did not have a representative on the AFC 1st Team: Indianapolis, Denver, and San Diego. The Chargers are a bit of surprise because they are regarded as one of the most talented teams in the league. The Broncos overachieved in a major way this season, while the Colts were the worst team in the conference.
AFC Total (Offense and Defense/1st and 2nd Team)
New England: 8
San Diego: 5
Buffalo: 5
Baltimore: 5
Houston: 4
Jacksonville: 3
Kansas City: 3
Cincinnati: 3
New York Jets: 3
Pittsburgh: 2
Oakland: 2
Denver: 2
Miami: 2
Cleveland: 2
Indianapolis: 2
Tennessee: 1
No surprises at the top, as the Patriots were the best team in the conference. All 16 AFC teams had at least 1 player on the All-AFC teams. It’s interesting that only 1 team (Tennessee) put fewer than 2 players on the All-AFC teams. Buffalo being tied for 2nd most players is surprising.
NFC 1st Team Offense
Green Bay: 4
New Orleans: 2
Philadelphia: 1
Detroit: 1
New York Giants: 1
San Francisco: 1
Atlanta: 1
No surprises here. The Packers were the best NFC team during the regular season so it figures that they would be at the top of this list.
NFC 2nd Team Offense
Seattle: 2
Chicago: 2
Carolina: 2
New Orleans: 1
Minnesota: 1
Arizona: 1
Green Bay: 1
San Francisco: 1
The Seahawks are a bit of a surprise here. Other than that there’s not much of note here.
NFC Offense (1st and 2nd Team)
Green Bay: 5
New Orleans: 3
Seattle: 2
Chicago: 2
Carolina: 2
San Francisco: 2
Philadelphia: 1
Detroit: 1
New York Giants: 1
Atlanta: 1
Minnesota: 1
Arizona: 1
Green Bay and New Orleans were by far the top 2 offensive teams in the NFC so it makes total sense for those 2 teams to be at the top of the list. 4 of the 16 NFC teams were shutout of the All-NFC offensive teams: Washington, Dallas, Tampa Bay, and St. Louis. Only the Cowboys are surprising among those teams.
NFC 1st Team Defense
San Francisco: 6
Chicago: 2
Seattle: 2
New York Giants: 1
Dallas: 1
St. Louis: 1
Minnesota: 1
Arizona: 1
San Francisco’s dominance stands out, but it makes sense because they were clearly the top defensive squad in the conference. And there’s Seattle again with a couple of representatives .
NFC 2nd Team Defense
Green Bay: 4
Philadelphia: 2
Washington: 2
Detroit: 1
San Francisco: 1
Minnesota: 1
Arizona: 1
St. Louis: 1
Seattle: 1
Chicago: 1
Green Bay is a bit of a surprise because as a team their defensive stats were awful. Nothing much else of note here.
NFC Defense (1st and 2nd Team)
San Francisco: 7
Green Bay: 4
Chicago: 3
Seattle: 3
St. Louis: 2
Minnesota: 2
Arizona: 2
Philadelphia: 2
Washington: 2
New York Giants: 1
Dallas: 1
Detroit: 1
Again, you would expect San Fran to have the most representatives because they were the best defensive team in the conference. 4 of the 12 NFC teams did not have a representative on the All-NFC defensive teams: Atlanta, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and Carolina. The obvious thing of note here is that those 4 teams make up the NFC South division. That’s surprising because you don’t necessarily think of the NFC South as being weak defensively.
NFC 1st Team (Offense and Defense)
San Francisco: 7
Green Bay: 4
New Orleans: 2
Chicago: 2
Seattle: 2
New York Giants: 2
Philadelphia: 1
Detroit: 1
Atlanta: 1
Dallas: 1
St. Louis: 1
Minnesota: 1
Arizona: 1
As I mentioned earlier, it’s fair to say that my All-Conference and All-League teams favor strong defensive teams because there are more defensive spots than offensive spots, and perhaps you can see that bias in this list. 3 of the 16 NFC teams failed to place a player on the All-NFC 1st team: Washington, Tampa Bay, and Carolina. Nothing too surprising there.
NFC Total (Offense and Defense/1st and 2nd Team)
Green Bay: 9
San Francisco: 9
Seattle: 5
Chicago: 5
New Orleans: 3
Philadelphia: 3
Minnesota: 3
Arizona: 3
Carolina: 2
Detroit: 2
New York Giants: 2
St. Louis: 2
Washington: 2
Atlanta: 1
Dallas: 1
Green Bay and San Fran obviously dominate this list. Seattle is a surprise at the top. The Bears aren’t surprising because they were one of the best teams in the conference until they were leveled by a serious of devastating injuries. It is surprising in some ways that the Super Bowl champs have as many players on the All-NFC team as the St. Louis Rams. The only NFC team without a single player on the All-NFC team was Tampa Bay. That’s not a surprise, as they were the worst team in football by the end of the season.
NFL 1st Team Offense
Green Bay: 2
New England: 2
Baltimore: 1
Philadelphia: 1
Detroit: 1
New York Giants: 1
New Orleans: 1
Tennessee: 1
New York Jets: 1
Things are much more balanced on my All-NFL teams than they are on my All-Conference teams.
NFL 2nd Team Offense
New Orleans: 2
Jacksonville: 2
Houston: 1
Oakland: 1
Arizona: 1
Green Bay: 1
Carolina: 1
Buffalo: 1
San Diego: 1
It’s weird to see Jacksonville tied with the Saints atop any list concerning offense.
NFL Offense (1st and 2nd Team)
Green Bay: 3
New Orleans: 3
New England: 2
Jacksonville: 2
Baltimore: 1
Philadelphia: 1
Detroit: 1
New York Giants: 1
Tennessee: 1
New York Jets: 1
Houston: 1
Oakland: 1
Arizona: 1
Carolina: 1
Buffalo: 1
San Diego: 1
No surprise at the top, as the Packers, Saints, and Patriots were the top 3 offensive teams in football (although, again, what is Jax doing up there?). Interestingly, exactly half of the 32 NFL teams do not have a player among the All-NFL offensive teams: Miami, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Denver, Kansas City, Washington, Dallas, Minnesota, Chicago, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Seattle.
NFL 1st Team Defense
San Francisco: 3
Minnesota: 1
New York Giants: 1
New England: 1
Dallas: 1
Baltimore: 1
Kansas City: 1
Chicago: 1
Seattle: 1
Buffalo: 1
Cincinnati: 1
Arizona: 1
Cleveland: 1
San Fran being at the top of the list makes sense. The rest of the team is balanced to say the least.
NFL 2nd Team Defense
Baltimore: 2
Chicago: 2
San Francisco: 2
Philadelphia: 1
Detroit: 1
Kansas City: 1
New York Jets: 1
St. Louis: 1
Green Bay: 1
Seattle: 1
Buffalo: 1
Miami: 1
Nothing really of note here. 3 strong defensive teams at the top.
NFL Defense (1st and 2nd Team)
San Francisco: 5
Baltimore: 3
Chicago: 3
Kansas City: 2
Seattle: 2
Buffalo: 2
Minnesota: 1
New York Giants: 1
New England: 1
Dallas: 1
Cincinnati: 1
Arizona: 1
Cleveland: 1
Philadelphia: 1
Detroit: 1
New York Jets: 1
St. Louis: 1
Green Bay: 1
Miami: 1
Everything makes sense here. The defensive team was well balanced. 13 of 32 NFL teams didn’t place a player on the All-NFL defensive team: Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Houston, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Denver, Oakland, San Diego, Washington, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Carolina, and New Orleans. Two entire divisions are amongst that group (AFC South and NFC South), as well as 3 teams from the AFC West. It’s kind of a strange list, because in general these were not the worst defensive teams in the NFL this season. In fact, some of these teams are among the better defensive units in the game.
NFL 1st Team (Offense and Defense)
San Francisco: 3
New England: 3
Green Bay: 2
Baltimore: 2
New York Giants: 2
Philadelphia: 1
Detroit: 1
New Orleans: 1
Tennessee: 1
New York Jets: 1
Minnesota: 1
Dallas: 1
Kansas City: 1
Chicago: 1
Seattle: 1
Buffalo: 1
Cincinnati: 1
Arizona: 1
Cleveland: 1
This is a well balanced team and everything makes sense near the top. 13 of 32 NFL teams did not have a 1st team All-NFL player: Miami, Indianapolis, Houston, Jacksonville, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Denver, Oakland, San Diego, Washington, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and Carolina. It’s interesting to see 4 playoff teams plus the Chargers among those teams.
NFL Total (Offense and Defense/1st and 2nd Team)
San Francisco: 5
Green Bay: 4
Baltimore: 4
New Orleans: 3
Chicago: 3
New England: 3
Buffalo: 3
Jacksonville: 2
Kansas City: 2
Seattle: 2
Philadelphia: 2
Detroit: 2
New York Giants: 2
New York Jets: 2
Arizona: 2
St. Louis: 1
Miami: 1
Carolina: 1
Tennessee: 1
Houston: 1
Oakland: 1
San Diego: 1
Minnesota: 1
Dallas: 1
Cincinnati: 1
Cleveland: 1
This is a well balanced list. Buffalo getting as many players as the Saints and Pats is a bit surprising. 6 of 32 NFL teams did not have a single player on the All-NFL teams: Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Denver, Washington, Atlanta, and Tampa Bay. The Colts and Bucs were 2 of the 3 worst teams in the league this year so it makes sense for them to be shutout. However, the Falcons and Steelers both made the playoffs and had double digit win seasons. Again, it’s not that surprising to see the Broncos here because they massively overachieved.
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