By: JJ Lanier

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

With the 2010’s in our rearview mirror it was only a matter of time before the All-Decade NFL Team was announced.

While there were some individual teams that had more representation than the entire NFC South, it’s not as though the division was under appreciated, garnering five players itself.

Julio Jones- The NFL records and Awards & Honors section of Jones’ Wikipedia page reads like one of those Lifetime Achievement speeches at the Oscars; there are twenty-five currently listed.

Jones is that rare case where he may not have ever been the best receiver in the NFL at any point over the past ten years, but when you look at the totality of the decade, you could argue there wasn’t anyone better.

The Atlanta wide out still has a number of productive seasons left in him and I wouldn’t be shocked to see his name on the Best Of…. list for this upcoming decade.

Alex Mack & Jahri Evans- My dad, who is a newspaper editor, recently joked with me that sports writers are like wide receivers (divas) and editors are more like the lineman (unsung heroes).

I joked I would at least compare him to a defensive lineman, since most fans actually had an idea who those players are. I should know more about both players, and offensive linemen in general, but I don’t root for either Atlanta or New Orleans (or any of the teams Evans has subsequently played for) and my brain only has a finite amount of space to hold information.

Most of that storage is currently being used to hold useless pop culture references and the multiple storylines in Tiger King. That said, both players are obviously considered to be the best at their positions, hence the award, and you’ll certainly not get any argument from me.

Julius Peppers- Depending on the day, my favorite Carolina Panther rotates between Cam Newton, Steve Smith, and Julius Peppers.

Now, I’m taking some liberties even including Peppers since he spent the better part of this last decade playing in Chicago and Green Bay, but he began and ended his career with the Panthers, so that’s my reasoning.

I was a bit surprised to see his name on this list since his production had dropped over the latter half of the decade, but still glad he made it.

Peppers’ incredible athleticism was one of the more incredible displays I’ve seen from an athlete, in any sport. If only he hadn’t gone to UNC.

Luke Kuechly- There was a stretch of time where Kuechly was the best defensive player in the NFL.

Besides his athletic ability, I loved his mental approach to the game. One of the things the former linebacker was known for was his ability to call out the opposition’s play based on their formation and pre-snap movement.

Had injuries not pushed him into an early retirement I truly think he could’ve been not only one of the greatest linebackers of the decade, but one of the greatest of all time.

I’m sure there’s a player or two you feel was deserving of being added to the list, but it’s a difficult job that, for the most part I think the Hall of Fame did a pretty decent job of putting it together.

There is so much talent in the NFL right now, I can only imagine what the next All-Decade team will look like.