The offensive selections for the Atlanta Falcons 2010-19 All-Decade Team presented by American Family Insurance were announced on Monday and four of the franchise's best players were unanimous picks.
Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez, Matt Ryan and Julio Jones were the unanimous selections for the all-decade team offense. The voting panel for the team consisted of former Falcons players, staff and members of both local and national media.
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Let's take a closer look at just how much of an impact these four players had during the last decade of Falcons football.
| Completions | Yards | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|
| 3,932 | 44,830 | 284 |
Matt Ryan
He changed the franchise.
When Ryan was drafted as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the young quarterback was asked to do a lot.Not only was he tasked with leading the offense to prolific form after arguably the lowest point in the organization's history, he needed to become the face of the franchise.
He's done exactly that.
The former NFL MVP has taken the Falcons to the playoffs six different times in his career thus far (2008,10-12, 16-17) and an NFC Championship in 2016.
Ryan, 35, has started 189 games in his 12-year career and has thrown 4,460 passes for 51,186 yards and 321 touchdowns.
During his 2016 MVP season, Ryan was also named Offensive Player of the Year after finishing the season with a 117.1 quarterback rating.
Roddy White
| Receptions | Receiving yards | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|
| 493 | 6,174 | 36 |
Between his talent, consistency and infectious personality, White is one of the most beloved Falcons of all time.
The four-time Pro Bowler and one-time All Pro was inducted into the Falcons Ring of Honor in December of 2019. White started 149 of 171 games and caught 808 passes for 10,863 yards and 63 touchdowns in his 11-year career.
White finished his career with the Falcons as the all-time leader in receiving yards. Jones now holds the record with 12,215 yards in eight seasons with the club.
White was also praised for his leadership on and off the field. Not only was White instrumental in the development of Matt Ryan, when he entered the league in 2008, but he was also Jones's mentor.
White played a significant role in Atlanta's most successful run as a franchise from 2008-2012, when the Falcons won the NFC South twice and made four trips to the postseason, including the NFC Championship game in 2012.
Julio Jones
| Receptions | Receiving yards | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|
| 797 | 12,215 | 57 |
Jones has proved to be every bit worthy of the blockbuster trade Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff made for him in 2011.
Dimitroff traded five draft picks (a first-, second- and fourth-round pick in 2011 and a first- and fourth-round pick in 2012) to move up to the No. 6 spot in the draft to acquire Jones.
Since he arrived in Atlanta, Jones has done nothing but produce.
The seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time AP All-Pro selection has transformed the wide receiver position in many ways.
His 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame and his elusive speed make him one of the hardest players to defend.
Jones was rewarded a three-year contract extension worth $66 million ahead of the 2019 season, in which he continued to smash the record books.
The 31-year-old broke Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice's record for most receiving yards through a player's first nine seasons. Jones reached the 12,000-yard mark in 125 games, 17 games fewer than it took Rice.
There's no reason to believe Jones won't continue to play at a high level and, if so, he'll be joining Rice in the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day.
Tony Gonzalez
| Receptions | Receiving yards | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|
| 326 | 3,320 | 29 |
From 2009-13, the greatest tight end to ever play in the NFL was a Falcon.
In 80 games in Atlanta, Gonzalez caught 409 passes for 4,187 yards and 35 touchdowns.
When Gonzalez retired at the age of 37, he was a guaranteed first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Similar in the way Jones changed the wide receiver position, Gonzalez transcended the tight end position with his size and catch radius.
In 17 seasons (12 with the Kansas City Chiefs, five with the Falcons), Gonzalez played in 270 games and caught 1,325 passes for 15,127 yards and 111 touchdowns.
In addition to his eye-popping stats, Gonzalez was known for his work ethic.
In the weeks leading up to Gonzalez's Hall of Fame enshrinement, Ryan, Jones and White all commended Gonzalez for his preparation and the way he approached each day on the job.
