The long summer break between NFL training camp and the mostly-voluntary practice sessions after the draft is a great time to reflect and recognize some of the great players who built today’s game. And this time we’re taking a different angle. Throughout July, we’ll be rolling out our picks for the NFC South All-Decade Teams — highlighting the best players from the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s (so far).
First up? That’s the quarterbacks, headlining the NFC South All-Decade Team of the 2010s. But before we get to the picks, let’s talk about how we made them.
Methodology
There’s numbers to our madness. One key stat we’re relying on is Approximate Value from Pro Football Reference, which PFR defines as “an attempt to put a single number on the seasonal value of a player at any position from any year.” In practice, that means giving higher numbers to player who start more games, play more snaps, and do more to help their team win by racking up yards, scoring touchdowns, creating turnovers and sacking quarterbacks, and so on. But that isn’t the only number.
We’re also assigning point values to being named a first-team All-Pro (ten points), second-team All-Pro (five points), and Pro Bowler (three points). All-Pro honors are the more prestigious award, compared to Pro Bowls, and making the first team carries a real distinction; check the results from the Associated Press and often you’ll see the first teamer getting two-thirds or more of the votes. Still, being voted onto the Pro Bowl roster by fans is worth something, too.
And then we’re adding those numbers together. Remember, these are all-decade teams for the NFC South, which didn’t exist until 2002, and only contributions on the four teams in the division factor into our formula. So Drew Brees earning a Pro Bowl nod with the San Diego Chargers in 2005 doesn’t help him, for example.
First team: Drew Brees
- Team: New Orleans Saints, 2006 to 2009
- AV: 62
- Honors: All-Pro first team (1), All-Pro second team (2), Pro Bowler (3)
- Score: 91
Brees arrived in 2006 and was chosen for three Pro Bowls, just like Michael Vick (more on him in a minute), but he was also recognized as an All-Pro three times; he made the first All-Pro first team in 2006 and was a second teamer in both 2008 and 2009. He led the league in passing yards twice in 2006 (4,418) and 2008 (5,069, his first 5,000-yard season). Brees also threw 34 touchdown passes in both 2008 and 2009, leading the league in that category, too. And, oh yeah — he won Super Bowl XLIV. That doesn’t factor into our methodology since it’s a team achievement, but it’s always worth mentioning.
Second team: Michael Vick
- Team: Atlanta Falcons, 2001 to 2006
- AV: 64
- Honors: Pro Bowler (3)
- Score: 73
Vick was a remarkably gifted athlete, and while his best years as a passer didn’t come in Atlanta (he threw nearly as many interceptions as touchdowns between 2004 and 2005, 25 to 29) he made for an extremely challenging opponent. He made plays with his legs like few quarterbacks have been able to, totaling 3,859 career rushing yards and averaging an NFL-record 7.0 yards per carry, more than making up for his scattershot production as a passer. Better coaching could have changed the trajectory of his career — we saw just that when he returned from a 21-month prison sentence and two-year suspension, and landed with Andy Reid on the Philadelphia Eagles.
Honorable mention: Jake Delhomme
- Teams: Carolina Panthers (2003 to 2009), New Orleans Saints (2002)
- AV: 61
- Honors: Pro Bowler (1)
- Score: 64
Credit where it’s due; Delhomme appeared in a couple of games for the Saints and didn’t show much, but he reinvented himself after joining the Panthers. Delhomme broke out as a starter in 2003 with 3,219 yards and 19 touchdown passes against 16 interceptions, leading seven game-winning drives on the way to a 10-5 finish and a Super Bowl berth. He stepped up the next season with a career-best 3,886 passing yards and 29 touchdowns (and just 15 interceptions). Carolina fielded their best teams in the 2000s with Delhomme at quarterback.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Which quarterbacks are on our NFC South All-Decade Team of the 2000s?
