Team of the Decade - the 00's (Defense)

Okay, I've been putting this post off for too long.  Determining the best defensive players in football can be a tricky thing.  It involves what fits the needs of the defensive scheme your team is running.  If you're running a 3-4 you want a big fat guy in the middle and two big-but-not-as-fat guys on the outside of the line, a pass rush specialist at left linebacker, two outside linebackers in the middle and a safety at the right outside position.  For the sake of this list, we're going to determine the players at traditional positions who had the largest impact on football during the decade that was.  Here it is, the long awaited Best Defensive Players of the 00's.

DE - Michael Strahan Big Ol' Michael Strahan was a two time NFC Defensive Player of the Year and in 2001 "broke" the single season sack record with 22.5 (that is if you count Favre laying down for him in the final game of the season in what appeared to me to be a work worthy of the WWE.)


DE - Jason Taylor The only Dancing With The Stars contestant to be named to my 1st team 00's list (Sapp is a runner-up) was originally a third round pick for the Dolphins and went on to 6 Pro Bowls.
Runners Up: Julius Peppers, Dwight Freeney

DT - Kevin Williams Kevin didn't make All Pro his rookie year in 2003, and just missed it in 2005.  Every other season he has played in the NFL, he has been the All Pro (not just Pro Bowl) DT.


DT - Casey Hampton  The big Texan was a first rounder in 2001 and a 5 time Pro Bowler.  He has anchored the defensive line in Pittsburg since, and helped lead them to two Super Bowl wins.
Runners Up: Warren Sapp, Richard Seymour, La'Roi Glover

OLB- Derrick Brooks Derrick went to 8 Pro Bowls in the 00's (11 in all) and was by and large the dominant outside linebacker of the 00's. He was named the 2002 Defensive Player of the Year, having 3 interception returns for touchdowns, then another in Tampa's win over the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII.


OLB - Joey Porter Joey is a troubled man.  He takes his job seriously.  So seriously that during the 2007 offseason he (and 6 "friends") jumped rival offensive lineman Levi Jones in a Las Vegas casino. On the field he was a 4 time Pro Bowler and a crucial member of the Steelers Super Bowl XL team.
Runners Up: Keith Bullock,  Julian Peterson

MLB - Ray Lewis The most dominating defensive player in recent memory, Ray was a 3 time AFC Defensive Player of the Year and 11 time Pro Bowler (8 in the 00's).  He will probably be remembered as the best Middle Linebacker of all time, not for the two stabbing deaths he was alleged to be involved in after Super Bowl XXXIV.


MLB - Brian Urlacher Brian won the 2000 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, 2005 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and 6 Pro Bowls. Yet for some reason, this guy is widely considered one of the most overrated players in the NFL.  His jerseys are one of the top sellers year in and year out, so I think everyone is just jealous.
Runners Up: Zach Thomas, Keith Brooking

CB - Champ Bailey There hasn't been a shut-down corner since Deion left the Cowboys after 1999.  Luckily he went to Washington where he rubbed his magic onto a young Champ Bailey.  He went to 9 Pro Bowls in the 00's (missing 2008).  In a day and age where Corners have about a 3-4 year window of greatness, he has maintained top of the line play for an entire decade.


CB - Ronde Barber Tiki's twin here has been to 5 Pro Bowls, the first in '01 and his latest in '08 disproving my earlier 3-4 year statement.  Ronde helped lead the Bucs to their Super Bowl XXXVII victory and is the sole cornerback member of the 20/20 club (20 INT/20 Sacks).
Runners Up: Ty Law, Troy Vincent

FS - Ed Reed Ed has had 6 All Pro seasons in Baltimore and won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004.  His hobbies include scoring touchdown on defense, any way he can.  He is the only player in history to return a blocked punt, punt, interception, and fumble for touchdowns.  Most impressive is the fact that he has played in 7 post season games with 7 interceptions.
Runners Up: Brian Dawkins, Troy Polamalu

SS - Darren Sharper Darren is a 5 time Pro Bowl player for 3 different teams.  He may not be the most well known player on this list, but over the past 10 years he has been an interception machine (he has 63), and an interception return artist.  A little known stat that the NFL keeps is the interception return yardage stat.  In 2009, an ageless Sharper set this season record at 376 yards (breaking Ed Reeds previous record). With the Saints going to the Super Bowl this year, he could add Super Bowl winner to his resume.
Runners Up: John Lynch, Rodney Harrison

P - Shane Lechler Shane Lechler will go down as the best punter in history. He's a 5 time All Pro player is a rarity in the fact that he is not just a bail-out type punter.  He can put the ball on the other side of the field, making it harder (if his teammates weren't the Raiders) for the offense to score (a term I have coined as "Preemptive Punting"). He currently holds the record for highest punting average in NFL history.
Runners Up: Brian Moorman

KR - Josh Cribbs I'll be honest, Dante Hall had this spot until he returned 2 kickoffs in week 15 against the Chiefs.  That was bad week for Dante Hall, he had his record 7 kickoff returns for touchdowns broken, then tied in front of his former fans, as well as resulting in his omission from my 00's Team of the Decade.  Josh only made 2 pro bowls in the 00's, but did it in fine fashion.
Runners Up: Devin Hester, Dante Hall

Head Coach - Bill Belichick Yes the hoodie is a cheater, a disciplinarian, and genius. He has a 112-48 record in New England, a team he became Head Coach of in 2000, as well as a 14-3 in the playoffs, and has 3 Super Bowl wins to his credit.  He would also be considered the General Manager of the decade, as this is included in his duties (until Pioli hires him in Kansas City).
Runners Up: Tony Dungy