The Detroit Lions 2010s All-Decade team on defense
By Jon Poole
The start of a new year for the Detroit Lions puts an end to a decade of disappointment. Let’s take a look back at the All-Decade defense from 2010-19.
The Detroit Lions made it through another decade without much to offer besides some great player performances. So, instead of re-hashing to the bad memories, let’s take go over some of the best performances on the defensive side with an All-Decade team on defense. You can read the offensive side in part one; here.
The formations used were 11-personnel on offense and a 4-3 on defense. Due to those being the most used throughout the 2010s. Talent also trumps production in this exercise, with the one criteria that the player must have been rostered a full season and played at least 14 games with the Lions from 2010-2019.
Let’s get defensive …
Defensive Tackle
The Lions have had some real talent in the interior of their defensive line recently. Though two names stick out initially, Ndamukong Suh and Damon Harrison.
Suh is a lock but I’m not so quick to throw Harrison in there. Harrison’s half a season in with the Lions in 2018 may have been even better than any season stretch Suh had in Detroit, but that was it as he was bad in 2019.
So who would be next in line? Nick Fairley? Fairley had a good four years in Detroit but was never great.
A’Shawn Robinson? Had a really good 2018, but I wouldn’t even call his other three seasons good showings.
Haloti Ngata? Nah, bigger name than a producer in for the Lions.
How about C.J. Mosley? Only played to seasons in Detroit but they were both better than anything A’Shawn or Ngata put together.
Due to talent trumping overall production in this exercise, I still have to go with Harrison as his 2018 season was the best performance the Lions got from a DT in the past 10 years.
All-Decade DTs: Ndamukong Suh, Damon Harrison