Yanda Named To NFL's All-Decade Team

Former Iowa offensive lineman was a unanimous choice after 13 seasons with Baltimore.

Marshal Yanda made the perfect transition from his college football career at Iowa to his 13-year career in the NFL.

The former guard for the Baltimore Ravens, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection who won a Super Bowl, was named to the NFL's 2010s All-Decade team on Monday.

Yanda, a third-round pick out of Iowa in the 2007 NFL draft, was one of the most decorated interior linemen in the league's history. Yanda was one of three guards in NFL history to have been selected to eight Pro Bowls and have a Super Bowl win, joining Larry Allen and Alan Faneca.

Only quarterbacks Drew Brees and Tom Brady matched Yanda's number of eight Pro Bowl selections since 2011.

Yanda, who retired on March 10, was the 10th offensive lineman selected in 2007, yet he parlayed that selection into becoming one of the most dominant run and pass blockers in the league. Last season, he was a second-team All-Pro selection after allowing just one sack all season.

Yanda, 35, had one year remaining on his contract when he retired.

"I watched guys as they got older lose a little bit more each year," Yanda said at his retirement press conference. "By the end, they were almost like a liability. In the back of my mind, I never wanted to be like that. I did try to control every single factor that I could to be great at the end of my career. I wanted to be up here, and have these guys wanting me back, rather than being at the other end of it saying, 'I'm happy you're retiring.' I wanted to end playing well."

The Ravens announced last month that Yanda will be a future member of the organization's Ring of Honor.

"I gave it everything I had on every single play," Yanda said. "I was obsessed with this game, being great, wanting to be the best."

Yanda, 35, missed most of the 2017 season after fracturing his ankle. He also battled a shoulder injury in 2016.

"I wanted to get out while I felt healthy and my body feels good," Yanda said. "I'm going to miss it and I still have that desire and the love of the game, but my family and my health started to outweigh that by the end of the year.

"My heart was set. I just wanted to follow my heart and my heart was definitely saying, 'You've had enough. You got to play a long time. Don't sacrifice your health or your kids and my family, and don't be selfish to keep chasing that with blindness.'"