Sack, Sack...Who's Got The Sack (Record)

This bugs me, and maybe it bugs you, too. Career records for the National Football League don't take quarterback sacks into account until the 1970's.

What? There were none in the '60s or earlier. What a load of crap. Let's ask David "Deacon" Jones, the stellar DE of the Los Angeles Rams' "Fearsome Foursome" if he ever sacked a quarterback. They have a little thing called film that they can review, and I can imagine it wouldn't be all that tough to go back and examine film for a handful of players and determine their totals.

Of course, it was harder to get sacks then. Teams didn't throw with the regularity that today's defenses face, and until 1960 the NFL played 12 games a season -- and expanded that to 14 with expansion (and the AFL putting up competition).

Still, seems like this could be accomplished without a lot of hassle.

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Speaking of the AFL -- Milwaukee was considered for one of the original franchises. It never came about, because legend has it Vince Lombardi heard about it. He went to the fine folks in Milwaukee and in no uncertain terms let them know that, if that so-and-so league came to town the Packers would never play there again. This, of course, is back when GB played a couple games at Milwaukee County Stadium and the rest at Lambeau Field. Everyone genuflected, said we're sorry St. Vincent, and the AFL went it's merry way.

Good thing, too. When ABC launched Monday Night Football in 1970, the lights at Lambeau weren't good enough for prime time games, so any MNF contests Green Bay hosted were done in Milwaukee. Which is where, in the fall of 1973, I tagged along with our game reporters (a college  sophomore at UW-Oshkosh) to do a sidebar interview with a fading Joe Willie Namath. I'm sure he remembers it fondly...

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While we're talking records, let's talk about the NCAA and it's arbitrary line in the sand regarding the career rushing record.After 2002, a college running back's totals include bowl appearances. Prior to that? Not so much. So maybe they don't have definitive statistics available prior to that? Oh, wait, they would. So just go back over the records, look at the top, say, 10 career rushers and adjust accordingly.

Adding in the 728 yards that Wisconsin's Ron Dayne picked up would give him a career total of 7,125 yards...easily topping the mark that San Diego State's Donnel Pumphrey put up that included his bowl appearances.