Football season is upon us. In a couple seemingly long weeks, Sundays at my house will consist of nothing but eating terrible food, drinking beer, and yelling at the TV constantly, so in other words, Sundays won’t change much, except during football season I’m usually sad by the end of the day on Sunday due to the fact that I’m a Jacksonville Jaguars fan. The arrow seems to be pointing up for the Jaguars, but I am still predicting many sad Sundays; so instead of dwelling over if my team will win 4 or 6 games this year, I’ve decided to put better use to my time. Every year there are ongoing preseason debates on who the best is going to be, whether it be best player, best team, best coach etc. there is always speculation and predictions being thrown around from the many different talking heads. As my readers know, I’m a big fan of hypothetical situations, and I had one presented to me recently. A friend of mine called me up and said, “ What division has the most talent across the board?” so, instead of going with a simple answer like “ Oh dude, it’s definitely the NFC West”, I’ve decided to make the answer a lot more complex than anyone would ever want to hear and actually create “All-Division” teams, if you will. What I’ve done is very self-explanatory; throughout the last week I have been researching the rosters from all the teams in the NFL broken down by division. After breaking down these rosters I’ve created 8 NFL teams by compressing each division into one team instead of four.
The Method To My Madness
- I’ve chosen the most talented players at each position in their respective divisions, based on what they have done in the league, not necessarily looking at systems etc. (we can argue over which players are “system” players all we want, I’m looking at past/present production)
- I’ve only chosen players who are currently healthy and playing this year
- I’ve only chosen starters, so yes, each team will only consist of 24 players (Kicker and Punter along with 11 starters on each side of the ball)
- Rookies will not be eligible, as we can speculate, but we really have no clue as to how good they will or will not end up being.
- After each player, I will provide a brief explanation as to why that player was chosen, and why I chose them over other potential candidates. Once again, this will be a BRIEF explanation.
- I’m not including Fullbacks, sorry, but they are a dying breed in football and some teams don’t even use one
AFC East
Offense
QB: Tom Brady – This one is a no-brainer
HB: CJ Spiller – The AFC East isn’t very running back heavy, so this one came down to Chris Johnson and CJ Spiller. I think Johnson is on the backside of his career, and Spiller is still very young, we will see how he does this year.
LT: Branden Albert- Albert is a Pro-Bowl LT who is starting off with a new team this year, but he has proven himself to get the slight edge over Nate Solder in this division.
LG: Logan Mankins- Mankins has played at a high level for a long time in this league. He is easily the best LG in the AFC East.
C: Nick Mangold- I went with him because of his name.. just kidding, it came down to him or Mike Pouncey. Pouncey is younger and very talented, but he is also hurt and seems to be somewhat of a loose cannon off the field, plus Mangold is often referredto as the best C in the NFL, so the choice wasn’t to difficult here.
RG: Dan Connolly- He is not as big of a name as Willie Colon, but I think he gets the slight nod over him due to recent production. Colon has been consistently decent throughout his career, but Connolly is younger, and seems ready to keep building on his performances.
RT: Sebastian Vollmer- Not a whole lot of star-studded RT in the AFC East, but Vollmer is definitely no pushover. He has been solid for the Patriots for 5 years. Hopefully he can come back from this broken leg and produce like he has in the past.
WR1: Mike Wallace- This comes down to if you trust Eric Decker or not. Wallace had a sub-par year last year, but it was his first year in the offense, look for him to bounce back this year.
WR2: Eric Decker- Don’t worry Jets fans, your guy comes in a close second to Wallace. I still think Decker was hyped up a little to much, and Manning made him look a lot better than he really is, but we will see how right/wrong I am in two short weeks.
WR3: Danny Amendola- If this guy could stay healthy he would be one of the better receivers in the league. When Amendola is on the field, he is one of the best slot-receivers out there.
TE: Rob Gronkowski- This guy would win the title for “King Of The Douches”, but he is also an extremely gifted football player. If he comes back from injury as even half the player he was then he will still be the best TE in the AFC East.
Defense- We will go with the 4-3 defensive layout here, as ¾ teams in the AFC East use that as their base defense.
LDE: Cameron Wake- Ninkonvich is definitely an honorable mention here, but he’s not Cameron Wake, and it’s not close.
RDE- Mario Williams- Williams has been a beast in this league ever since being picked first overall by the Texans. Chandler Jones is a good player, and Sheldon Richardson is showing signs of becoming great, but Williams is the clear- cut choice here.
LDT: Vince Wilfork- Wilfork is coming off a major injury, but he has also been one of the best DT in the game for quite some time. He easily earns the nod here; hopefully he comes back with as much fire as the Vince Wilfork we all know.
RDT: Kyle Williams- The other Williams on the Bills front line is also no slouch. He has been selected to the Pro-Bowl 3 out of the last 4 years, and looks to continue after having a solid season last year.
WLB: Phillip Wheeler- Weak side Linebackers aren’t to elite in the AFC East, it came down to Quinton Coples or Phillip Wheeler. Wheeler wasn’t a great pass rusher last year, but he did have 118 combined tackles, where Coples had 4 sacks but only 38 combined tackles. I had to give the nod to Wheeler, but look for Coples to take that next step this upcoming season.
SLB: Calvin Pace- I found out that the AFC East is loaded with slightly above average Strong side Linebackers. Pace may not be a tackling machine, but he is coming off a 10-sack season, so I had to give him the slight nod over Dont’a Hightower of the Patriots.
MLB: Brandon Spikes- Once again, plenty of good above-average guys, but no one that is clearly elite. Brandon Spikes is not a bad option at Middle Linebacker, and he makes the cut over Jerod Mayo, although not by much.
LCB: Darrelle Revis- Revis may not be “Revis Island” anymore, but he is still a top 5 CB in this league, and although there are good rising corners in the AFC East such as Grimes, Milliner, and Gilmore, this position still easily goes to Revis.
RCB: Brandon Browner- This came down to Finnegan and Browner. They are both coming off disappointing seasons, but I think coaching will be the key here. Belichick will find a way to utilize Browner. This could be a bias selection as I have always been a huge Browner fan, but we will see how it plays out.
SS: Reshad Jones- This came down to Reshad Jones or Dawan Landry. This was extremely close, and neither would be the wrong answer, but Jones had slightly better tape last year, and his statistics were a notch better.
FS: Devin McCourty- Louis Delmas is a new member of the Dolphins, and he has produced greatly for the Lions in the past, but this still goes to McCourty. Delmas was released for a reason, and McCourty is coming off a pretty good season. Once again, you couldn’t go wrong with either of these guys, but we are choosing the best of the best, and McCourty fits the bill.
Summary: For an “All-Division” team, this doesn’t necessarily scream elite, but this team would cause a lot more problems than one might think. Tom Brady would make guys like Wallace and Decker go to another level, and this defense isn’t full of pushovers. Whenever you have Brady as your QB, you have a chance, but when you have a team full of other near-elite players, they would easily compete in games against other “All Division” teams.
AFC North
Offense
QB: Ben Roethlisberger- I hate to name a probable rapist to this team, but I’m going off skill, not how they behave as a human. Joe Flacco is an honorable mention here, but I’m not sold on him, and don’t get me started on Andy Dalton.
HB: Ray Rice- Here I go again, I’ve now named a rapist and a wife-beater as the first two players on this team. Let me re-iterate so I don’t suffer the same fate as poor Stephen A. Smith in saying, I am basing this team off of production ON THE FIELD, and on the field, Ray Rice is the clear cut answer as the best HB in this division.
LT: Joe Thomas- Thomas might be the best LT in the NFL. He is 29, and has made the last 7 Pro Bowls. The Cleveland Browns offensive line is actually extremely good at a couple positions, if they can continue to grow, then this may be the perfect place for Johnny Football.
LG: Kelechi Osemele- This was an extremely tough pick, because there aren’t any elite LG in this division whatsoever. This pick was based off of a little bit of looking back at stats, but it’s not as if this guy is elite or anything along those lines.
C: Alex Mack- Alex Mack was pursued heavily by the Jaguars this offseason, and the Browns still matched the offer with no hesitation. Maurkice Pouncey is no slouch, but Alex Mack might be the best C in the NFL.
RG: Marshal Yanda- Yanda has made the Pro-Bowl in the last 3 seasons. He has been one of the strong points for the Ravens OL, and he pretty easily gets the pick here as the best RG in the division.
RT: Andre Smith- This is another one that Smith shouldn’t necessarily be real proud of. I couldn’t find any of the RT in this division that really stood out from any of the others. I went with Andre Smith because he has been consistent, although somewhat of a disappointment when it comes to being a previous top 10 pick. Don’t get to cocky with this selection Andre.
WR1: AJ Green- AJ Green is probably a top 3 receiver in the NFL, so I don’t really need to mention why is getting the pick for best receiver in the AFC North.
WR2: Josh Gordon*– The asterisk is due to the fact that he may be out for the year, but he’s not injured so I am keeping him here. With Green and Gordon as your 2 outside receivers, this would be a ridiculously scary group.
WR3: Steve Smith– You could go Antonio Brown here, but as a slot receiver it doesn’t get much better than Steve Smith. Throughout the preseason he has made some pretty good plays to show that he has still got it, I’ll take him over Brown on this team.
TE: Jordan Cameron– This is a pretty good TE division. No Jimmy Grahams or Rob Gronkowskis in the division, but a lot of above average guys. I think Cameron can be elite, and I believe he is just a step above guys like Pitta and Miller.
Defense- This will be done off of a 3-4 basis, as the majority uses that as their base.
LDE: Carlos Dunlap- Dunlap is easily the best LDE in this division, coming off a solid 7.5 sack season; he has been a consistent force for a few years now.
RDE: Wallace Gilberry- Another solid pick here, not anything on JJ Watt’s level, but still a force with another solid 7.5 sack outing last year. This DE tandem wouldn’t put up crazy numbers, but they are definitely serviceable.
NT: Haloti Ngata- This could go to Geno Atkins, but since he usually plays DT and Ngata is a true NT, I would have to give the slight edge to Ngata. Not to mention that Haloti Ngata has been one of the best NT in the game for quite a while now, plus Atkins is coming off of a severe injury.
LOLB: Terrell Suggs- Suggs is coming off another solid 10-sack season. Kruger is also a good choice, but I wouldn’t hesitate when picking Suggs here.
ROLB: Elvis Dumervil- Dumervil had a solid debut season with the Ravens last year, registering 9.5 sacks. The Ravens take both outside linebacker spots in this team.
LILB: Ray Maualuga- If I was choosing rookies then I would look at Ryan Shazier and CJ Mosley here, but I’m not, and Maualuga is no slouch. He is technically a MLB, but since this is a 3-4 team, we are looking at him as a LILB for this situation.
RILB: Karlos Dansby- Dansby isn’t quite as elite as he used to be, but he is still a force in this league. Coming off a 6.5 sack outing, he looks to build on that with a new coach and focus on coming back even stronger this year. Timmons and Smith are both good options here too, but Dansby has the slight edge.
LCB: Joe Haden- One of the elite CB in the NFL, Haden is clearly the number one CB here, even though there are some other notable CB in this division.
RCB: Ladarius Webb- William Gay and Leon Hall are both notable in this area too, but I think the slight edge goes to Ladarius Webb, look for him to have a decent season this year.
SS: Troy Polamalu- He has an injury history, but when on the field Polamalu is one of the best SS to ever play the game. Elam and Whitner are both great, but Polamalu is on a level of his own.
FS: Reggie Nelson- A Jaguar failure, Nelson came to the Bengals and started turning into a near elite player. He provides a quick spark, and has earned his spot on the AFC North All Division team.
Summary: This is a team that could be very scary on defense, with an offense that could put up points. The biggest concern on this team is their offensive line, against other All Division teams, they might not be able to hold up against the best D-lines out there, but if they could then Big Ben would have a field day with the group of receivers he had lining next to him, a scary team to say the least.
AFC South
Offense
QB: Andrew Luck- This one makes my job easy, Luck is the front-runner in this division, and it’s really not close.
HB: Arian Foster- He has had some injury problems, and he might not be the Arian that we know from a few years back, but he is still the better than guys such as Toby Gerhart (unproven) and Trent Richardson (terrible). Foster wins this pick by a landslide.
LT: Michael Roos- Roos is getting older, but he is still a consistent LT in this league. He has a Pro-Bowl to his name, and a couple all-pro years to go along with that. The AFC South isn’t to deep at LT, so Roos takes this one here.
LG: Zane Beadles- Beadles is coming off a pretty good year with the Broncos, and has a Pro-Bowl selection to his name from 2012. The jury is still out on how he will mold with the Jaguars plan, but they paid him good money in free agency, so they must have some hope that he can continue to play at a high level.
C: Chris Myers- Chris used to be a Pro-Bowl caliber C/G, his production has dropped off slightly due to the fact that he is 32 years old. There are a lot of college standouts at center among the AFC South (mainly Pac-12 coincidentally), but the only C with real accomplishments in the NFL in this division is Myers, a solid pick here.
RG: Chance Warmack- There are literally ZERO RG that stand out in the AFC South. Warmack is coming into his second year, and has a huge upside. I put him here because he has the best potential to be great, and quite honestly, he’s probably the best player at his position in this division right now as well.
RT: Michael Oher- Mr. Blind Side hasn’t been an elite RT in this league, but he’s no slouch either. Oher is a little bit inconsistent, but when he plays well he tends to play at an extremely high level. I’m starting to learn that the offensive lines need work almost across the board in the AFC South, that should start happening sooner rather than later.
WR1: Andre Johnson- Andre Johnson may or may not want out of Houston we aren’t quite sure. What I do know is that he has been one of the best WR in the game for quite some time, and his production is still there. Reggie Wayne is considered as the top receiver here, but it was Johnson all along.
WR2: Reggie Wayne- Reggie is coming off of an ACL tear, and he is 35 years old meaning his time is quickly running out as an elite NFL receiver. That being said, he was still on pace for an 1,200 yard season last year when he got hurt, so we haven’t seen that drop off quite yet. It also doesn’t hurt that the AFC South isn’t WR heavy.
WR3: Cecil Shorts III- Some may argue that Hakeem Nicks should be here, and maybe he should, but I’ve seen Shorts play and I know what he is capable of. Shorts is in a contract year, and is still aiming for his first 1,000-yard season. He would have easily broken it last year, but he missed the last three games of the season. Look for Shorts to have a big year this year (1,200+ yards) if he can stay on the field for a good amount of time.
TE: Delanie Walker- Coby Fleener and Mercedes Lewis were looked at here too, Lewis isn’t consistent enough, and while I think Fleener will take this spot in a year or two he isn’t quite there yet. Delanie Walker is coming off of a 600 yard, 6 TD season, this isn’t Jimmy Graham numbers, but it definitely makes him a threat. Look for him to have an even stronger season this year if his starting QB can play more than 8 games.
Defense- 3-4 D base is what most teams in this division use
LDE: JJ Watt: I didn’t even have to do any research here, Watt is probably the best DE in the league right now, so he definitely takes this position with ease.
RDE: Chris Clemons: Clemons had an ACL tear, and has slown down a little bit, but he is still a 8-12 sack guy when healthy, and there is a lot of unproven talent at the DE position in the South.
NT: Sen’Derrick Marks: OK, I know he isn’t technically a NT, but he has to find a way onto this team. Marks had a quietly huge year with the Jaguars last year, and so far in the preseason all he has done is build on it. Disagree all you want, but this is the right choice here.
LOLB: Jadeveon Clowney- I know, I’m breaking my own rules, I had to, just this once. There are 0 elite LOLB in this division, so I couldn’t overlook Clowney simply because he is a rookie. I know he is unproven, and has shown a little trouble in the pass coverage area, but look for him to be a force for a long time in this league. Sorry I broke the rule, it won’t happen again.
ROLB: Robert Mathis- Mathis recently got in trouble for PED use, but that’s not the question here. I am asking myself who has been the best at this position in this division, and Mathis is the clear choice. He is coming off of a 19.5 sack season, so yea… I think that says enough.
LILB: Brian Cushing- Cushing has had some downfalls. His PED trouble, and now the injury bug, but when he is on the field he’s one of the better ILB that the NFL has to offer.
RILB: Paul Posluszny- I will just call him Poz because I hate spelling that last name, and even though he is technically just a MLB because he plays in a 4-3 defense, he deserves to be here. Although he is not a sack machine, he is coming off a Pro-Bowl year with 162 combined tackles, 3 sacks and 2 interceptions. Look for him to build off of this as the captain of a Gus Bradley ran defense that seems to be getting better and better by the game.
LCB: Vontae Davis- I guess I never knew that the AFC South didn’t really have an elite CB in the whole division. There are a couple guys with a lot of potential, such as Dwayne Gratz, but so far it looks like it could be a toss up between Davis, Jonathan Joseph and maybe Alan Ball for the top CB. Not any big names, and definitely not a strong suit in this division.
RCB: Jonathan Joseph- Jonathan Joseph has seen somewhat of a dip in production, but look for him to bounce back this year under Romeo Crennel. Once again, AFC South not loaded with top tier CB by any means.
SS: Bernard Pollard- I’m giving this position to Bernard Pollard by a hair over Jonathan Cyprien of the Jaguars. Pollard has similar numbers to Cyprien, but has been doing it longer and had a couple more INT’s than Cyprien managed last year. Look for Cyprien to possibly take the crown for best SS in the AFC South from Pollard by this seasons end.
FS: Michael Griffin- This was a toss up between Laron Landry and Michael Griffin. Landry is a hard-hitting SS, and probably the bigger name here, but the recent stats go to Griffin by about half a notch, so he gets the position here, making it a very narrow sweep for the Titans at the Safety position in this division.
Summary: Overall, the AFC South is one of the weaker divisions in the NFL. They have a lot of potential to turn that around in a couple years, but as of now they sit near the bottom when it comes to division strength. I was still able to put together a pretty solid team though, as there are individual players that are near elite in many areas on the field. Offensive line and secondary would be major problems on this team when faced up against other All-Division teams though.
AFC West
Offense
QB: Peyton Manning- So far, the QB selection has been the easiest for me in every division. Manning the clear-cut answer, especially coming off of the season he had last year. Look for him to have another big outing in 2014-15.
HB: Jamaal Charles- Ryan Mathews was good last year, and MJD and DMC are both elite when healthy, but Charles has been one of the best RB in the NFL for a couple years now (top 5), and if he can stop dropping boxes on his feet it looks like there is no reason to believe he won’t continue that trend this upcoming season.
LT: Ryan Clady- Clady is not only the best LT in this division, he is one of the better LT in the league. If he continues his consistent trend, which it seems like he will, then there is no reason to put anyone else in this position.
LG: Kevin Boothe- This pick was less sexy than Chris Berman playing the Hasselhoff part on Baywatch. I couldn’t find any LG in this division that stood out. Boothe simply has a more consistent track record than any of the others, so he gets the pick here. He hasn’t been terrible, but nothing screams great about him, if it did, he probably wouldn’t play for the Raiders….
C: Nick Hardwick- This pick was almost as bad as the previous. These picks are actually kind of hard, because there is no one that stands out, so I usually have to dig a little deeper to find something that separates one from the others. Hardwick at least has a Pro-Bowl on his resume, although it was 7 years ago, he still plays at a consistent average level and unfortunately that wins him this spot as the best C in the AFC West.
RG: Louis Vasquez- Vasquez saved me from having to make three terrible picks in a row. He is coming off of a Pro-Bowl season, and no one else in the division has anything close to that. Let’s see if he can build on his work from last year.
RT: DJ Fluker- This pick wasn’t much easier than the C or LG positions. Fluker didn’t have a great season last year; he was hurt for some of it and played decent but not great for the rest. He has a lot of potential though, and this is only his second year in the NFL, so look for him to have a strong season and show why the Chargers drafted him 11th overall.
WR1: Demaryius Thomas- Thomas is coming off of a monster 1,400 yard 14 TD year, and he doesn’t look to be slowing down at all. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him break 1,500 yards this year, he is pretty easily the best WR in this division.
WR2: Keenan Allen- Allen is not a huge name yet, but he did have a 1,050 yard season with 10 TD last year, and he was a rookie. Look for him to build on it this year, and don’t be surprised when he puts up 1,200 yards and 12 TD.
WR3: Wes Welker- I know technically Welker is hurt as he went down with a concussion a couple days ago, but USUALLY concussions don’t hold people out for to long, and even though he has had problems with it lately, I still look for him to be back in the lineup within a couple weeks. When he is healthy, he has been the best slot receiver in the last 5-7 years.
TE: Julius Thomas- If we were going on overall career, this would definitely be Antonio Gates, and while Gates’ numbers are still pretty good, this position is now Thomas’ to lose. Thomas is coming off of an 800 yard 12 TD campaign, whether or not you think Manning is to thank for that is not the point, Thomas has been more superior as of late and he gets the pick here.
Defense- 2 teams in this division play with a 3-4 base, and 2 play with a 4-3, I’m going with a 4-3 format, because the last two divisions have been 3-4, I like symmetry.
LDE: Justin Tuck- I know Tuck is technically playing RDE, but I’m picking the two best DE in the division, not based on specific position. In a second you will see why I didn’t just wait and put Tuck at his slated position.
RDE: Demarcus Ware- See, told ya I had a good reason for moving Tuck to LDE. Ware has been one of the best DE in the NFL for the last 8-10 years. He is in a new jersey this year, but don’t count on him slowing down just yet.
LDT: Dontari Poe- Technically, Poe is a NT, but he is still one of the best DT in this division, so I would put him at the LDT spot for this team.
RDT: Terrance Knighton- Knighton has played very well sinceleaving the Jaguars, and coming over to Denver. He doesn’t put up huge numbers, but not many DT do in this league. They are very undervalued, because they aren’t “stats” guys, but ask anyone inside the Broncos organization and I guarantee they tell you that Knighton has helped a lot.
WLB: Justin Houston- Once again, he is technically a LOLB, but I will put him at WLB on this team. He is one of the best LB in the NFL let alone the AFC West. Coming off of an 11-sack season even with a decent injury, look for Houston to continue to be a force on this KC defense.
MLB: Derrick Johnson- Another KC player getting in the mix. Johnson has been a great leader of the KC defense, with 2 INT’s and 4.5 sacks last year his numbers don’t look off the charts, but he is worth a lot more than what shows on paper. Johnson is one of the better ILB in the NFL, don’t look for that to change this year.
SLB: Tamba Hali- The Chiefs get the sweep in the LB category. I know people are probably screaming that Von Miller should be the pick here, but he only produced 5 sacks last year, and is coming off of an ACL tear. Hali recorded 11 sacks and an INT as a leader of the Chiefs defense, and he has been consistently great throughout his career. It was a close call, and I felt a little bad doing it, but I had to give this spot to Hali, sorry Bronco fans.
LCB: Aqib Talib- Talib wasn’t great with the Bucs, but lit it up with the Pats for the last couple of years. Look for him to continue his upward trend under John Fox. The AFC West is loaded with B-level CB’s so this was kind of a tough choice, but ultimately I think it will be the right one.
RCB: Sean Smith- This was an even tougher choice than Talib. Carlos Rogers was a candidate here, as was Brandon Flowers and DJ Hayden, but in the end I went with Smith. Sean Smith is coming off a decent year, nothing special but not terrible by any means. I believe is potential is a little higher than Hayden and Rogers, that is ultimately why I put him in the position.
SS: Eric Berry- Choosing between Eric Berry and TJ Ward was one of the tougher decisions in this whole process, but I had to go with Berry in the end. Ward is entering a new system, he may get better, but we just don’t know yet. Berry has been consistent throughout his career at KC, and he has a couple more INT’s and FF to his name, this was a tough choice in the end and one of the ones I’m least confident in making.
Summary: The AFC West may not be one of the toughest divisions in football, but it might be one of the tougher All-Division teams out there. The offensive line is somewhat of a problem here, but that is literally the only area on this roster that isn’t elite or very close to it. This would be a formidable team, and quite possibly the best All-Division team in the AFC.
Wrapping It Up
The AFC teams are all set, and every time I go back and look at them, I wish more and more that they could become a reality. Is this how it was back when there weren’t as many NFL teams? Was the talent just loaded on a few select teams like we are seeing today, or was there simply not as much talent back then? I think it might be the former. Anyways, the AFC teams look pretty good, and I know I wouldn’t want to go up against any of them. Look for my “All Division” Teams NFC Edition coming tomorrow.
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