The thing that really caught my attention this week in sports was the Brett Favre/Michael Strahan sack controversy. First off, Deacon Jones had, I believe, 24 sacks (before they were official stats) in a 14 game season, so this record does have its share of prior controversy. I have mixed emotions on this one. On one hand, Favre and Strahan are two of the most popular and well-liked guys in the NFL and are players I really respect, regardless if Favre "took a dive" so Strahan could get the record. In my opinion a lot of these records that are created by statistics alone, like sacks, yards rushing/receiving/ passing, etc., are all crocks of crap.
It was once said that statistics are for losers, and no where is that clearer and more needing of restructuring than in the NFL. Let's say that Favre did roll out, wanting to pass, fell down and was legitimately sacked by Strahan. Should THAT be counted as a sack?!? What about the other 5-8 "sacks" he may have gotten over the season where the QB fell down or the protection was bad? Also, should Strahan get a record when his team did as poorly as the Giants did this year? What kind of record should stand when your "record-setting" play never contributed to your team winning any meaningful games?
To further demonstrate my point, whenever you see QB set a single game passing record, (which seems to happen once every year) or throw in excess of 400+ yards, how often does that QB come out on the winning side? Not very often. When your kicker has to kick 8 field goals in a game from 30 yards, is that a "record setting" performance? I'll take John Hall's 53 yarder last week against the Raiders over 8 "gimmes" any day, and if that QB completed 400 yards of precision passes, minimal incompletions, no interceptions, and the play of said QB was instrumental to the team winning the game, then that is a "record setting" game. Two mediocre QBs lighting up each other's weak pass defense for 800 total yards in the air doesn't sound like something that belongs in any record books.
I have experienced this trouble with records a few times in my career as well. In college I set the Cornell career rushing record. A few years ago one of their stud RBs was 50 yards and 2 games away from beating me, but he got injured before doing the deed. He did beat me in the next year, but my record was set in a shorter amount of time, so it is open to interpretation. In the pros, the 1975 season, it was the last game of the season and we were playing the Bills in Buffalo. It was a horrible winter day...cold and snowy...myself and Bob Chandler were neck and neck in second place for receptions in the NFC. Towards the end of the game the Vikings were ahead by a wide margin, but Joe Ferguson threw 2 or 3 quick little out passes (not downfield to where the endzone was!) to Chandler, who ended up beating me by 1 catch.
We need to come up with a new system in which records aren't just handed out to whomever acquires the most yards, catches, sacks, etc. It should be also based on how those performances contribute to a winning effort. You can throw 500 yards every game, but if your team is 1-15, why should you be privy to any NFL records? If your star RB is in the game with 1:30 to go, up by three scores, and you are running him so he can get another 1000 yard season, is that a record that contributes to the integrity of the game?
I know that players say that the individual awards don't mean anything unless the team wins, or they would give all the individual awards up for a Super Bowl ring. I know that is a crock as well. Do you think Joe Montana would trade any of his passing records for another ring? I doubt it. It is the individual play that motivates a player to do his best. First desire is for you to play great, the second desire is for you AND the team to play great. When we would lose a game, and I knew inside that I played great, or as great as I could, I felt worlds better than when we won but I didn't play as great. As a player you need to know you made a difference on the field...it's human nature.
What I want to do is ask you guys, the readers of Sports Hollywood and my column, to write in and let me know what the NFL could do to change the current system.
Now onto my Week 1 NFL Playoff Picks!!!
Saturday
Tampa at Philadelphia--I'm not a fan of some of the players on the Bucs squad, but I am a big Tony Dungy fan, so I'm picking against conventional wisdom and saying Tampa will beat the cold weather curse!
N.Y. at Oakland--I'm going with the Jets here as I think the Raiders have beaten themselves mentally over their play the last 5 weeks.
Sunday
San Fran at Green Bay--Packers at Lambeau...cold weather, historic stadium, you can't pick against them.
Baltimore at Miami--I'm going with fellow Ivy-Leaguer, Jay Feidler and the Dolphins.
Till next week SpotsHollywooders, remember these picks are for recreational uses only!!
January 10, 2001
edmarinaro@sportshollywood.com
