NFL All-Division Tournament: NFC North vs. NFC West
Everyone has heard of “All-Division Teams”, but have you taken part in an “All-Division Tournament”? Each NFL team site editor on the FanSided Network teamed up to create an All-Division Team for their division, and the collaboration involved among editors yielded a team of 22 starts. We left the construction of the rosters up to each “division”, since these four members operate as a head coach, and a few divisions decided to be creative in order to maximize the talent on their squad. In fact, you’ll see a prime example of that in our first battle, which pits the NFC West against the NFC North.
The NFC West is almost universally regarded as the pearl of all of the NFL divisions, but the NFC North has plenty of talent in its own right, especially after an active offseason on the part of all four of its teams.
Below is the NFC North squad, which features four wide receivers and no tight ends in front of the best QB and RB in the NFL. While I’m sure Kyle Rudolph wouldn’t be too pleased about that, the fact of the matter is that this division is incredibly stacked at receiver, and their wideouts are so big that they can effectively be used as TEs. I mean, Brandon Marshall can probably block better than a number of tight ends. The NFC North defense features a standard 4-3 front, with a DE tandem that features the old guard (Jared Allen) and the new (Ziggy Ansah). In the secondary, the Chicago Bears cornerbacks team up behind a formidable pass rush and in front of a versatile safety duo (both can play at SS or FS interchangeably).
NFC North Offense
WR Brandon Marshall
WR Jordy Nelson
LT Riley Reiff
LG Josh Sitton
NFC North Defense
DE Jared Allen
DE Ziggy Ansah
OLB Clay Matthews
MLB Stephen Tulloch
OLB DeAndre Levy
CB Tim Jennings
S Glover Quin Jr.
Meanwhile, the NFC West offense lines up with an All-Seahawks backfield and a stout offensive line that features No. 2 overall pick Greg Robinson as one of the starting guards. The defense is, of course, incredibly scary, and even Rodgers, Megatron, AP, and the rest of the NFC North squad could find it difficult to score on a beyond stacked secondary and an elite group of All-49ers LBs. Another St. Louis Rams rookie makes the cut on the defensive side of the ball, as Aaron Donald is nestled comfortably in between elite teammate Robert Quinn and Arizona Cardinals vet Darnell Dockett.
NFC West Offense
WR Percy Harvin
TE Vernon Davis
OT Joe Staley
G Greg Robinson
NFC West Defense
DE Robert Quinn
DT Aaron Donald
DT Darnell Dockett
OLB Aldon Smith
MLB Patrick Willis
OLB NaVorro Bowman
FS Earl Thomas
Now that you’ve checked out both rosters and have had some time to mull over this tantalizing matchup, it’s your turn to vote. Which of these two teams would win if pitted against each other? Fill out the poll below, and we’ll see who moves on to the next round of our tournament. Voting closes at midnight on Tuesday.
[polldaddy poll=”8196670″]
Be sure to vote in the other NFL All-Division Team first round matchups:
NFC East vs. NFC South
AFC North vs. AFC South
AFC East vs. AFC West