We asked, you answered.
In the first part of our All-Decade series, we take a look at the 2010s offense. On Twitter, @PhiladelphiaSN for those of you living under a rock, we put out some polls over the course of Monday and Tuesday asking for your vote on who should represent the decade at each position. Without further ado, let's see how you voted!
Quarterback - Carson Wentz
Who else? Okay, so maybe the Super Bowl winning quarterback had a chance. Maybe one of the most dynamic quarterbacks this league has ever seen had a chance (Vick). But those two were really the only contenders to Wentz's spot on this list (sorry Liam, Bradford had no shot).
Wentz is one of nine quarterbacks in NFL history to have 70 or more touchdown passes within his first three seasons. Out of those nine, he is one of two (Russell Wilson) to have thrown less than 30 interceptions. All of this in only 40 games.
Last season, he set the longest streak in NFL history of consecutive games with at least one touchdown and one or fewer interceptions (22 games) and tied Peyton Manning's NFL record of four straight games of 30 pass attempts and a rating over 115.
He already has the single season franchise record for passing touchdowns in a season with 33. This guy is everything the team has been missing since the departure of Donovan McNabb.
Obviously the injury concern is there. He has missed eight of 48 total games since he's been in the league and he's coming off of a fractured back, so he'll need to prove he's not "injury-prone" so the non-believers can believe.
It's only a matter of time before Wentz becomes the second quarterback in Eagles history to lead the team to a Super Bowl win. Don't be surprised if it's sooner rather than later.
Oh and get ready for more of this:
https://twitter.com/LoganBanker_19/status/1142775561791479809
Running Back - LeSean McCoy
The Eagles' all time leading rusher ran (no pun intended... ok maybe a little) away with the vote, garnering 95% of the fans' votes.
McCoy, now with the Buffalo Bills, spent his first six seasons with the Eagles after being drafted by them in the second round of the 2009 draft. At the time of his departure (trade), he ranked first in Eagles history in career rushing yards, third in rushing touchdowns, fifth in total touchdowns, and third among Eagles' running backs in career receptions.
He also owns the Eagles' single season rushing record with 1,607 in 2013 and owns the Eagles' single season rushing touchdown record with 17 in 2011.
With the Eagles, he was a two time First Team All-Pro and three time Pro Bowler.
Unfortunately he was traded to the Bills in 2015 for linebacker Kiko Alonso, thanks a lot Chip.
We could all wonder how much McCoy could've improved his game and improved the team if he never left, but the ripple effect of his trade led to the drafting of Wentz, so fans shouldn't still feel angry about the trade.
Wide Receivers - DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery, Jason Avant
Our receivers for the All-2010s team comes with two current Eagles and one former.
DeSean "D-Jax" Jackson is back with the team after a five year hiatus with two terrible teams. Another casualty of Chip Kelly's ineptitude, Jackson comes back looking to move into the top three on the Eagles' all time receiving yards list.
Going into his 12th season, Jackson sits 347 yards shy of Mike Quick's third place spot and 1,295 yards behind Pete Retzlaff's second place spot.
Does Jackson still have what it takes to be an elite weapon for Carson Wentz? Well, according to ProFootballFocus, Jackson is the NFL's leader in deep receiving yards, deep receptions, yards after the catch, and deep touchdowns over the past ten seasons. Yeah, ten. Not last season. The past ten seasons. He's still got it, and we should all be excited to see Wentz's deep ball to Jackson (first play of the season????).
Alshon Jeffery has been everything as advertised during his two seasons with the Eagles. He became the number one receiver the Eagles were lacking prior to his arrival, and, more importantly, he did good on his Super Bowl prediction (who cares if he said that while with the Bears):
https://twitter.com/JimmyKempski/status/933017774699565057
He has 1,632 receiving yards with the Eagles in his two seasons with the team, 128 more than the next highest, but in three fewer games. He's also been Wentz's and Foles' best friend when he's been targeted:
https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1148664884122570752
Despite his costly drop in the divisional round against the Saints, he has been as sure handed as can be. We'll be seeing more of this:
https://twitter.com/EagleFanProbs/status/1139273442396651521
Jason Avant's eight year career with the Eagles wasn't a spectacular one, but it was pretty solid.
He averaged 2.6 receptions per game for 31.4 yards and had 12 total touchdowns over those eight seasons. Over his entire career with the Eagles, with includes years before 2010, Avant was eighth among wide receivers with over 250 receptions in catch percentage (via Pro Football Reference). Pretty reliable.
However, his most famous play wasn't a catch. It was his crucial block on DeSean Jackson's Miracle at the Meadowlands punt return:
https://twitter.com/RobTornoe/status/440886350766551040
Tight End - Zach Ertz
Another player looking to move up in career ranks for the Eagles is Zach Ertz, who is the All 2010s tight end as voted by the fans.
Ertz currently sits at 4,827 yards, 171 away from Brent Celek's tight end record for the Eagles. Ertz should hit that mark in the second game of the season. He's already the team's all time leader in receptions for tight ends with 437, thanks in part to his historic 116 receptions last season, and is 152 receptions shy of the all time receptions mark for the Eagles.
As previously stated, Ertz had a monster year last season with 116 receptions, breaking Cowboys tight end Jason Witten's previous record of 110.
He's been with the team since 2013, six seasons, and you should expect him around another ten. Ertz has all the tools to become an all time great tight end and we could see his name on the All-2020s list when it's time for that.
Offensive line on next page!
Offensive Tackle - Jason Peters and Lane Johnson
The current bookends for the Eagles' offensive line highlight the 2010s offensive line. In the Twitter poll, where you can select only one, the fans were almost split on who to select for the team:
https://twitter.com/PhiladelphiaSN/status/1148573937753886720
Leading the vote is the Bodyguard Jason Peters. He's been the Eagles' left tackle since 2009 and has done a stellar job since.
The Eagles traded a first, fourth, and sixth round pick to Buffalo for Peters back in 2009, the same draft capital they sent this year to the Ravens to move up and select Andre Dillard, Peters' heir apparent.
Peters' ProFootballFocus grade of 92.8 since 2009 is fourth most among left tackles since that time, behind names like Joe Thomas, Andrew Whitworth, and Joe Staley.
He played and started in all 16 games last season, however his snap count was only at 79.49%. So out of 1,092 snaps, he played in 868 of them. He also played 100% of the snaps in only six games. Peters has had an amazing, hall of fame worthy career with the Eagles, but 2019 might be his last.
Lane Johnson has been one of the best, if not the best, right tackle in the league since making his debut in 2013. His combination of size and athleticism has been crucial in his career while protecting quarterbacks like Michael Vick and Carson Wentz, both of whom can use their legs very well.
In the playoff game against the Bears, look at just how dominant he was against the great Khalil Mack:
https://twitter.com/BaldyNFL/status/1082727820068032514
He's started every game he's played in the NFL, however it's only been 80 of a possible 96. A ten game suspension in 2016 limited him to just six games, and the other six games that he's missed throughout his career have been to knee injuries. However, since that suspension, he's only missed two games total in 2017 and 2018 and looks healthy as ever going into 2019.
Offensive Guard - Brandon Brooks and Evan Mathis
Brandon Brooks signed with the Eagles in 2016 after four seasons in Houston. Playing and starting in 46 out of a possible 48 games with the Eagles, Brooks has been a stalwart on the offensive line.
Last season, Brooks received a 98.9 pass blocking grade from ProFootballFocus, tied for the league lead. In Week 17, Brooks allowed a sack. That sentence would be pretty worthless without context, right? Here's the context: it was his first sack allowed in 1,889 pass blocks. That streak is the longest streak without allowing a sack for a guard in 13 years, according to ProFootballFocus.
In the Eagles loss to the Saints in the divisional round of the playoffs, Brooks suffered a torn Achilles, putting the start of the 2019 season in jeopardy. He's been posting Twitter updates on his progress, showing that he's ahead of schedule, but the Eagles would be smart not to rush him.
In Evan Mathis' 12 year career, he made the Pro Bowl twice and the First Team All-Pro list once, all of these coming with the Eagles.
During his four years in Philly, Mathis played and started in 56 out of 64 possible games.
In Philly, fans LOVE players who turn it up another level against division rivals. Well, according to ProFootballFocus, Mathis received a 94.3 career grade against Dallas and a 92.0 career grade against Washington. In a combined 674 pass blocking snaps between the two teams, Mathis allowed 16 pressures and zero sacks. Dominance.
Going into the 2014 season, Mathis was ranked seventh on ProFootballFocus' top 101 players. He was ranked one ahead of LeSean McCoy. He was THAT good.
Imagine a guard tandem of Mathis and Brooks; Wentz would have the cleanest pocket!
Center - Jason Kelce
Speaking of top 101 players, Kelce comes in 64th on this year's list.
Arguably the best center in the NFL, Kelce was the best ranked run blocking center and the second best pass blocking center in 2018, according to ProFootballFocus.
He has been selected to two straight First Team All-Pro's and is a two time Pro Bowler. Funny thing is, those two Pro Bowls haven't come in his All-Pro years, go figure.
Kelce is on a four year streak of starting all 16 games, and he's done so in six of eight seasons overall.
This All 2010s offense would have what it takes to take on any team in the NFL today, but would the defense match up just as well? Stay tuned for the All 2010s Defense edition coming soon!
Follow us at @PhiladelphiaSN and myself at @Infante54!
