NEW YORK -- The NFL's All-Decade Team has John Elway
throwing passes to Jerry Rice with Bill Parcells watching on the
sidelines.
Elway, who passed for more than 30,000 yards and led the Denver
Broncos to two Super Bowl triumphs, and Rice, who caught
103 touchdown passes for the San Francisco 49ers, were among the
players named to the All-Decade Team of the 1990s Tuesday.
The coach of the squad is Parcells, who won a Super Bowl with
the New York Giants before taking the New England Patriots to a
Super Bowl in 1996 and the New York Jets to an AFC title game
two years later.
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| John Elway scores what will be the final touchdown of his career in Super Bowl XXXIII.(AP) | |
The team was selected by the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection
committee. Only a person's performance last decade was used as
criteria in the voting.
Rice, Tennessee Titans guard Bruce Matthews, former Detroit
Lions running back Barry Sanders, Washington Redskins defensive
end Bruce Smith and Carolina Panthers defensive end Reggie White
were the only unanimous choices to the team.
Deion Sanders of the Washington Redskins and former Detroit star
Mel Gray were the only players to make the team at two
positions. Sanders was named first-team cornerback and punt
returner while Gray made the second team as both a kick and punt
returner.
Rice, Smith and White are among seven individuals making their
second appearance on an All-Decade team after being named for
the 1980s. Kickers Morten Andersen and Gary Anderson, punter
Sean Landeta and safety Ronnie Lott, who will be inducted into
the Hall of Fame this weekend, also are in that category.
The remainder of the first-team offense includes running back
Emmitt Smith, wide receiver Cris Carter, tight end Shannon
Sharpe, tackles William Roaf and Gary Zimmerman, guard Randall
McDaniel and center Dermontti Dawson.
Rounding out the first-team defense are tackles Cortez Kennedy,
and John Randle, linebackers Kevin Greene, Junior Seau and
Derrick Thomas, cornerback Rod Woodson and safeties Steve
Atwater and LeRoy Butler.
As for specialists, Andersen was the kicker, Darren Bennett the
punter and Michael Bates the kickoff returner on the first team.
Quarterback Brett Favre and coach Marv Levy were among those
named to the All-Decade second team.
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