At the end of the regular season, we
asked our writers to pick our eighth annual FFEx All-Pro Team. All of the
votes were cast after the start of the postseason, so playoff performances
may have influenced the voting.
This year’s 50-man squad had at least
one representative from 23 teams. The NFC champion Bears led the way with
six players, followed by five each from the Colts and the Chargers. The
Chiefs finished fourth, placing four players on the squad.
The two teams who played in Super Bowl
XL, the Seahawks and the Steelers, combined to put only three players on
this year’s squad. The beleaguered Cleveland Browns failed to place a
player on the roster for the fifth straight year, the longest such streak
for any NFL club.
The Chargers had the most unanimous
selections (3): TE Antonio Gates, OLB Shawne Merriman, and RB
LaDainian Tomlinson. There were seven other unanimous selections:
Chicago ILB Brian Urlacher, Indianapolis WR Marvin Harrison,
Indianapolis QB Peyton Manning, Miami DE Jason Taylor, New
England CB Asante Samuel, New Orleans QB Drew Brees, and
Seattle OT Walter Jones.
Harrison was named to the team for a
record-setting eighth consecutive year, while Baltimore OT Jonathan Ogden
and Kansas City TE Tony Gonzalez both made the team for the seventh
time in the last eight years. Pittsburgh guard Alan Faneca made his
six straight appearance on the roster. Manning and Minnesota guard Steve
Hutchinson made the team for the fourth consecutive year.
For the first time ever, this year’s
All-Pro squad featured more than one rookie – Houston ILB DeMeco Ryans,
who finished second in the league with 155 tackles, and Chicago special
teamer Devin Hester, who led the league with six return touchdowns.
Ironically, neither player was a first-round pick in April’s draft.
With just 50 available roster spots,
there are always a number of good players left off the squad. Tennessee OLB
Keith Bulluck (145 tackles) didn’t make the team for the first time
in five years. Other unfortunate omissions were St. Louis QB Marc Bulger,
QB Carson Palmer, Houston WR Andre Johnson (NFL-best 103
catches), Green Bay WR Donald Driver, Green Bay DE Aaron Kampman,
San Diego DT Jamal Williams, and Buffalo MLB London Fletcher.
I was particularly disappointed that Kampman, who racked up an unbelievable
88 tackles and 15 sacks this season, did not make the squad.
Tomlinson dethroned Seattle RB Shaun
Alexander as the FFEx Offensive Player of the Year. The San Diego
running back won the award in a landslide, garnering 83.3 percent of the
votes. The only other player to receive a vote was Brees. Tomlinson
shattered Alexander’s touchdown record (set in 2005) by scoring 31 times,
and he also threw for a pair of TDs, helping the Chargers to a league-best
14-2 record. Tomlinson finished with an NFL-high 1,815 yards on 348 carries
and added 56 receptions for 508 yards.
Taylor won the Defensive Player of the
Year award in convincing fashion. The Miami defensive end received 66.7
percent of the votes, with Denver CB Champ Bailey and Merriman
splitting the rest. In my estimation, Taylor didn’t have a spectacular
season, but he was solid in every major statistical category, recording 62
tackles, 13.5 sacks, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and two
touchdowns. Had Merriman (17 sacks in 12 games) not been suspended for four
games, he undoubtedly would have won the award.
New Orleans head coach Sean Payton
ran away with the FFEx Coach of the Year award, receiving 83.3 percent of
the votes. The only other coach to get a vote was Eric Mangini of
the Jets. Due to Payton’s personnel moves and creative play calling, the
Saints finished the season with the league’s top-ranked offense. He led New
Orleans to a 10-6 record during the regular season and a trip to the NFC
Championship at Chicago. The Bears ended the Saints’ Super Bowl run, but
considering that the club was 3-13 in 2005, their 2006 season was a
remarkable turnaround, to say the least.
2006-07 All-Pro Roster
