Taylor is one of two defensive ends to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year this decade.
As we continue in Part 2 of this series we will detail the All Decade Defense after dealing with the offense in Part 1 which you can check out here. And further ado here is the All Decade Defense.
DE: Jason Taylor, Michael Strahan
Defensive end has several worthy candidates but Strahan and Taylor stood out among the rest.
Taylor has been to six Por Bowls and recorded over ten sacks six times this decade including 18.5 sacks in 2002. He is also one of two defensive ends to win Defensive Player of the Year this decade, which he did in 2006.
Strahan had a record 2001 season in which he set the single season sack record recording 22.5 sacks. Although the record breaking one against Favre is questionable there is no doubting Strahan’s ability. He took home Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2001 and helped lead the Giants to an unlikely Super Bowl victory in 2007.
Runner Ups: Julius Peppers, Richard Seymour, Dwight Freeney, Simeon Rice
DT: Warren Sapp, La’Roi Glover
Defensive tackle was one of the hardest positions to pick because of no player has truly dominated this decade. In the end I give the honors to both Sapp and Glover with Kevin Williams a close third but if Williams has a dominant 2009 season he may bump one of the guys off.
Sapp, a member of the 1990’s All Decade Team, was the most feared defensive tackle in the game when he played. He was selected to four Pro Bowls and had 54.5 sacks this decade. He also helped transform the Buccaneers from basement crawler into Super Bowl champion.
Glover did his damage in the first half of the decade earing six strait Pro Bowl appearances from 2000-2005. He complied 58 sacks this decade including and astounding 17 in 2000 while with the Saints.
Runner Ups: Kevin Williams, Casey Hampton, Kris Jenkins, Jamal Williams
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