DeMarcus Ware's Inclusion on 2000s' Decade Team Marks Another AP Gaffe

[BubbleScreen]

The author is right, Derrick Brooks is also worthy of the all-Decade team.

OK, so that's all he got right. Julian Peterson and Lance Briggs do not keep O-coordinators up at night wondering how they'll block/avoid them. Joey Porter was a very good player on a dominant defense, but he was never at Ware's level.

 

[Hostile]

The author is right, Derrick Brooks is also worthy of the all-Decade team.

OK, so that's all he got right. Julian Peterson and Lance Briggs do not keep O-coordinators up at night wondering how they'll block/avoid them. Joey Porter was a very good player on a dominant defense, but he was never at Ware's level.

Since only the 12 players who are participating in the Pro Bowl are revealed so far why does anyone assume Brooks is excluded? The need to rush to judgment? Premature evaluation.

 

[percyhoward]

Brooks will be on the first team, obviously.

There's no intelligent argument that can be made against Ware. The only question is, will he be first or second team?

 

[Manster68]

Well, here is my take on all of this.

1. Ware played on half of the seasons for this past decade.

2. Ware has dominated every year he played.

3. Ware was the focal point of a team who underwent a transformation from the 4-3 defense to the 3-4.

4. Hall of Famers should not have to rely on numbers, but rather on presence and if he "Tips the Scales."

In other words: When you watch him play, do you say to yourself, "Wow, THIS is a Hall of Fame player."

That is what I have seen in Demarcus Ware. The man tips the scales and makes everybody around him better. He does put up some big numbers too. However, that is of less importance to me.

If Ware played only three or less seasons this past decade, then I can understand this article somewhat.

But the reasons I mentioned above support his truly earned acceptance as the best outside linebacker of this past decade.

That, and his gaffe about blaming the Associated Press loses all credibility with me.

 

[percyhoward]

nfl.com says that, according to the selection guidelines, only a player's performance during the decade can be taken into consideration.

Outside Linebackers 2000-2009
AP first team All-Pro selections
Derrick Brooks 4
DeMarcus Ware 3
(several) 1

Common sense says Brooks and Ware would be the two first-team OLB's on an all-decade team that necessarily included two OLB's. Historically, these teams have included two OLB's, but it's hard to tell how the voters looked at it this year, because they were only asked to choose six linebackers (meaning three first-team LB's). There was no distinction made about inside or outside LB.

King and Gosselin are both members of the selection committee, and they've already published their teams. Both included two OLB's on their team, and in both cases their selections were laughable.

Gosselin: Brooks and Keith Brooking
King: Brooks and Mike Vrabel

If their selections are an indicator of what the committee did as a whole, then the good news is that they did indeed feel they had to include two OUTSIDE backers. The bad news of course would be that there might not have been enough of them who even considered Ware at all, because of the timing factor, and someone like a Porter could make it ahead of him.

It will be interesting.