Marcell Dareus was a stud Defensive Tackle at Alabama, where he aided Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide in winning the 2010 BCS National Championship.  Dareus went number three in that year’s draft, going to the Buffalo Bills, where expectations were high.

Best known for his solidarity with his San Francisco 49ers teammate, Colin Kaepernick, by kneeling during the National Anthem to protest police brutality, Eric Reid was a First Round Selection from LSU, who went to the Pro Bowl as a rookie.

Reid never made the Pro Bowl again, but was a productive starter for the Niners in his first five seasons (2013-17), before signing with Carolina in 2018, where he played two seasons before he was arguably blackballed by NFL teams.  Considering he recorded a career-high 130 Tackles in 2019, in what was his final year, it does seem like a probable conclusion.

One of the great players in Bruins history passed away with the death of Peter McNab, who lost his battle with cancer.  He was 70 years old.

A late round pick by the Buffalo Sabres in 1972, McNabb had his best years with the Boston Bruins, where he was an All-Star in 1977.  Finishing in the top ten in Goals twice, McNab had 813 Points over his career, which also stops in Vancouver and New Jersey.

Although McNab was born in British Columbia, McNab would later represent the United States, most notably in the 1986 World Hockey Championship.  

Following his retirement in 1987, he went into broadcasting, most notably with the Colorado Avalanche where he was an analyst from their inaugural season in 1995 until his death.  McNab was enshrined into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame last year, but due to his illness, he was unable to attend.

Earl Thomas was a superstar at Texas where he received All-American honors. He was selected as the 14th pick of the 2010 NFL Draft and became an immediate starter at Free Safety. In his sophomore season of 2011, he started a five-year streak of Pro Bowls and three-year run of First Team All-Pros in 2012. Thomas was an essential member of the Legion of Boom, a group of Defensive Backs that helped the Seattle defense hold Denver to only eight points in their Super Bowl XLVIII Championship win.

Despite Richard Sherman receiving more attention, Thomas was equally as good and earned his sixth Pro Bowl in 2017. However, Thomas left the Seahawks for Baltimore as a Free Agent in 2019. After one Pro Bowl year, an altercation in practice with a teammate (Chuck Clark) proved to be too much for the Ravens, as his toxic nature wore out its welcome not only in Baltimore but the rest of the NFL. Domestic violence issues surrounding him further tarnished his reputation.

Earl Thomas may not have ended his career on his own terms, but he was one of the best Safeties of the 2010s. Not many former players were named to an All-Decade Team, but Thomas certainly earned that honor.