FLOWERY BRANCH -- Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones, who was nearly unstoppable at times last season, was named to the All-NFL and All-NFC teams by the Pro Football Writers of America on Monday.
Jones, who was in his fifth-year in the NFL, caught 136 passes for 1,871 yards and eight touchdowns as the Falcons finished 8-8. He was the lone member of the Falcons to make the All-NFL and All-NFC teams.
Jones is one of three players all-time to record 1,800-plus receiving yards in a single season and he is one of five Falcons players to record 1,800-plus yards from scrimmage in a single season (1,871).
Jones and Pittsburgh wide receiver Antonio Brown each finished the season with 136 receptions, which tied them for second on the NFL’s single season reception list. (Marvin Harrison, 143, 2002).
The Carolina Panthers placed a league-high four players – quarterback Cam Newton, center Ryan Kalil, middle linebacker Luke Kuechly and cornerback Josh Norman – on the 2015 All-NFL team, chosen in voting conducted by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Oakland's Khalil Mack made history as the first player to be chosen PFWA All-NFL at two positions in the same year: defensive end and outside linebacker.
Nine players repeated from the PFWA's 2014 All-NFL team: Kuechly, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, Baltimore Ravens guard Marshal Yanda, Dallas Cowboys tackle Tyron Smith, Cleveland Browns tackle Joe Thomas, Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller and Philadelphia Eagles punt returner Darren Sproles. Watt was selected to the PFWA's All-NFL team for the fourth consecutive season, the longest current streak among active players, while Kuechly and Thomas were voted All-NFL for the third consecutive season.
Thomas was voted All-NFL by the PFWA for the sixth time in his career, while Gronkowski and Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson were selected All-NFL for the fourth time. Kalil, Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins, Arizona Cardinals special teamer Justin Bethel, Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry, New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski, St. Louis Rams punter Johnny Hecker, Minnesota Vikings kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson and Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson (punt returner in 2011) were selected to the All-NFL team for a second time. A total of eight players were first-time All-NFL selections.
The Cardinals were second with three All-NFL selections, and five clubs – the Cowboys, Patriots, Raiders, Rams and Vikings –
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
each had two players on the All-NFL team. In all, 17 clubs are represented among the 27 players honored by the PFWA.
The All-NFL offense includes Newton at quarterback, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Doug Martin and Peterson at running back, Brown and the Atlanta Falcons' Julio Jones at wide receiver, Gronkowski at tight end, Kalil at center, Dallas' Zack Martin and Yanda at guard and Smith and Thomas at tackle.
The All-NFL defense includes Mack and Watt at defensive end, Mack and St. Louis' Aaron Donald at defensive tackle, Mack and Miller at outside linebacker, Kuechly at middle linebacker, Norman and Peterson at cornerback and Berry and Arizona's Tyrann Mathieu at safety.
The All-NFL special teams includes Gostkowski at placekicker, Hekker at punter, Patterson at kick returner, Sproles at punt returner and Bethel as the special teamer.
The PFWA also announced the All-AFC and All-NFC teams. The Raiders led all AFC teams with five All-AFC selections (including Mack at both defensive and outside linebacker), while New England had four AFC honorees. The Panthers led all NFC clubs with seven All-NFC selections, while the Cardinals and the Cowboys had three each.
2015 PFWA ALL-NFL TEAM
Offense
QB – Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
RB – Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
WR – Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers*; Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
TE – Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots*
C – Ryan Kalil, Carolina Panthers
G – Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys; Marshal Yanda, Baltimore Ravens*
T – Tyron Smith, Dallas Cowboys*; Joe Thomas, Cleveland Browns#
Defense
DE – Khalil Mack, Oakland Raiders; J.J. Watt, Houston Texans&
DT – Geno Atkins, Cincinnati Bengals; Aaron Donald, St. Louis Rams
OLB – Khalil Mack, Oakland Raiders; Von Miller, Denver Broncos*
MLB – Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers#
CB – Josh Norman, Carolina Panthers; Patrick Peterson, Arizona Cardinals
S – Eric Berry, Kansas City Chiefs; Tyrann Mathieu, Arizona Cardinals
Special Teams
PK – Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots
P – Johnny Hekker, St. Louis Rams
KR – Cordarrelle Patterson, Minnesota Vikings
PR – Darren Sproles, Philadelphia Eagles*
ST – Justin Bethel, Arizona Cardinals
* - repeat selection from 2014
# - consecutive selections in 2013, 2014 and 2015
& - consecutive selections in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015
2015 PFWA ALL-AFC TEAM
Offense
QB – Tom Brady, New England Patriots*
RB – Chris Ivory, New York Jets; Latavius Murray, Oakland Raiders
WR – Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers#; DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
TE – Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots*
C – (tie) Rodney Hudson, Oakland Raiders; Alex Mack, Cleveland Browns
G – David DeCastro, Pittsburgh Steelers; Marshal Yanda, Baltimore Ravens*
T –Joe Thomas, Cleveland Browns#; Andrew Whitworth, Cincinnati Bengals*
Defense
DE – Khalil Mack, Oakland Raiders; J.J. Watt, Houston Texans&
DT – Geno Atkins, Cincinnati Bengals; Ndamukong Suh, Miami Dolphins
OLB – Kahlil Mack, Oakland Raiders; Von Miller, Denver Broncos#
ILB – Derrick Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs
CB – Chris Harris Jr., Denver Broncos*; Marcus Peters, Kansas City Chiefs
S – Eric Berry, Kansas City Chiefs; Reggie Nelson, Cincinnati Bengals
Special Teams
PK – Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots
P – Sam Koch, Baltimore Ravens
KR – Taiwan Jones, Oakland Raiders
PR – Jarvis Landry, Miami Dolphins
ST – Matthew Slater, New England Patriots@
* - repeat selection from 2014
# - consecutive selections in 2013, 2014 and 2015
& - consecutive selections in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015
@ - consecutive selections in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015
2015 PFWA ALL-NFC TEAM
Offense
QB – Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
RB – Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
WR – Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants; Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
TE – Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers*
C – Ryan Kalil, Carolina Panthers
G – Zach Martin, Dallas Cowboys*; Josh Sitton, Green Bay Packers#
T – Tyron Smith, Dallas Cowboys*; Trent Williams, Washington Redskins
Defense
DE – Ezekiel Ansah, Detroit Lions; Michael Bennett, Seattle Seahawks
DT – Aaron Donald, St. Louis Rams; Kawann Short, Carolina Panthers
OLB – Thomas Davis, Carolina Panthers; Lavonte David, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
MLB – Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers#
CB – Josh Norman, Carolina Panthers; Patrick Peterson, Arizona Cardinals
S – Tyrann Mathieu, Arizona Cardinals; Earl Thomas, Seattle Seahawks@
Special Teams
PK – Dan Bailey, Dallas Cowboys*
P – Johnny Hekker, St. Louis Rams#
KR – Cordarrelle Patterson, Minnesota Vikings
PR – Darren Sproles, Philadelphia Eagles*
ST – Justin Bethel, Arizona Cardinals#
* - repeat selection from 2014
# - consecutive selections in 2013, 2014 and 2015
@ - consecutive selections in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015
ABOUT THE PFWA: The Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) is the official voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve the public. The PFWA is made up of accredited writers who cover the NFL and the 32 teams on a daily basis. Jeff Legwold, who covers the Denver Broncos for ESPN.com, is the organization's president for 2015-17, while Bleacher Report national columnist Dan Pompei is the PFWA's first vice-president and ESPN's Jim Trotter is the organization's second vice-president. Follow the PFWA at ProFootballWriters.org and on Twitter at @PFWAwriters.
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