Eric Berry, Cordarrelle Patterson named to NFL 2010s all-decade team

It was a lean decade for Tennessee football. The Volunteers came out of the Phillip Fulmer era and quickly went in and out of the Lane Kiffin era, setting up Derek Dooley with a rebuild entering the 2010s. It didn’t go well, to say the least. That was the beginning of a tough stretch for the program, and you can point to the lack of overall NFL talent as to why.

But there were a couple of bright spots to come out of Knoxville during that time. In this week’s release of the 2010s all-decade team, two Volunteers were included on the list. Eric Berry, who was selected 5th overall by the Kansas Chiefs, was named to the team. Cordarrelle Patterson, a late first round selection of the Minnesota Vikings, was also on the team as a returner.

Berry is currently a free agent, looking to make a comeback after sitting out last season. He’s a five time pro bowler, including three all-pro selections. The do-it-all safety was also the NFL’s comeback player of the year in 2015, battling back from lymphoma.

Patterson is entering year two of a ten million dollar deal with the Chicago Bears. He’s didn’t exactly pan out as a wide receiver, but he’s made his impact as a returner and a gadget player through the years. Patterson has seven career return touchdowns in the NFL, averaging 29.9 yards per return.

Full 2010s All-Decade Team

OFFENSE

QB Tom Brady

QB Aaron Rodgers

RB Frank Gore

RB Marshawn Lynch

RB LeSean McCoy

RB Adrian Peterson

WR Antonio Brown

WR Larry Fitzgerald

WR Calvin Johnson

WR Julio Jones

FLEX Darren Sproles

TE Rob Gronkowski

TE Travis Kelce

OT Jason Peters

OT Tyron Smith

OT Joe Staley

OT Joe Thomas

OG Jahri Evans

OG Logan Mankins

OG Zack Martin

OG Marshal Yanda

C Alex Mack

C Maurkice Pouncey

DEFENSE

DE Calais Campbell

DE Cameron Jordan

DE Julius Peppers

DE J.J. Watt

DT Geno Atkins

DT Fletcher Cox

DT Aaron Donald

DT Ndamukong Suh

LB Chandler Jones

LB Luke Kuechly

LB Khalil Mack

LB Von Miller

LB Bobby Wagner

LB Patrick Willis

CB Patrick Peterson

CB Darrelle Revis

CB Richard Sherman

S Eric Berry

S Earl Thomas

S Eric Weddle

DB Chris Harris Jr.

DB Tyrann Mathieu

SPECIALISTS

P Johnny Hekker

P Shane Lechler

K Stephen Gostkowski

K Justin Tucker

PR Tyreek Hill

PR Darren Sproles

KR Devin Hester

KR Cordarrelle Patterson

COACHES

Bill Belichick

Pete Carroll