In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and without clear intent, or when a passer runs out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage due to defensive pressure.[1] This often occurs if the opposing team's defensive line, linebackers or defensive backs are able to apply pass pressure (also called a pass rush) to quickly get past blocking players of the offensive team (the quarterback's protection), or if the quarterback is unable to find a back to hand the ball off to or an available eligible receiver (including wide receivers, running backs and tight ends) to catch the ball, allowing the defense a longer opportunity to tackle the quarterback.
Performing a sack is advantageous for the defending team as the offense loses a down, and the line of scrimmage retreats several yards.[2] Even better for the defense is a sack causing the quarterback to fumble the ball at or behind the line of scrimmage; this is also known as a strip sack and can result in a turnover if the defense manages to obtain the ball. A quarterback who is pressured but avoids a sack can still be adversely affected by being forced to hurry.
The quarterback must pass the statistical line of scrimmage to avoid the sack. If a passer is sacked in his own end zone, the result is a safety and the defending team is awarded two points, unless the football is fumbled and recovered either in the end zone by the defense, or outside the end zone.
To be considered a sack, the quarterback must intend to throw a forward pass. If the play is designed for the quarterback to rush (run) the ball, any loss is subtracted from the quarterback's rushing total (and the play is ruled a tackle for loss as opposed to a sack). If the quarterback's intent is not obvious, statisticians use certain criteria, such as the offensive line blocking scheme, to decide. Unique situations where a loss reduces a quarterback's rushing total (not a sack) are "kneel downs" (used to run time off the game clock).
A player will receive credit for half of a sack when multiple players contribute to the sacking of a quarterback, even if more than two players contributed.
In the National Football League (NFL), it is possible to record a sack for zero yards. The NFL subtract yards lost due to sacks from teams' passing totals (though the quarterback's individual passing total stats remain unchanged),[3] while the NCAA subtracts sack yardage from individual rushing totals.[4]
According to former NFL coach Marv Levy, Washington Redskins coach George Allen may have coined the term when referring to Dallas Cowboys quarterback Craig Morton[6] when he purportedly stated before a game, "Before we play those Dallas Cowboys, we’re going to take that Morton salt and pour him into a sack."
Prior to "sack", the term "dump" was often used, as the NFL's statistical office recorded all sacks under "dumping the passer".[2]
The NFL only began to keep track of times passers lost yardage in 1961[7] and no credit was given to the defensive player responsible until 1982.[8] Researcher John Turney of the Pro Football Researchers Association estimated that Jones recorded 173½ sacks in his career.[9]
Controversial NFL rule changes made for the 2018 season prohibit tacklers from landing on the quarterback after making a sack, with the punishment being a roughing the passer penalty.[10]
Pass pressure
A quarterback under pressure.
Of all forms of defensive pressure against the opposition's passer, sacks provide the most immediate impact by ending the offensive play.[11] However, quarterbacks sometimes avoid a sack by throwing an incomplete pass or risking an interception.[12] According to Football Outsiders, a quarterback hurry is the most common form of pass pressure. In the 2009 NFL season, there were 1,106 sacks and 3,268 hurries, and a hurried quarterback generally averaged fewer yards per pass play compared to the average pass play.[11]
NFL records
These records are from 1982 onwards, the year the NFL started officially recording sacks.[8]
^Branch, John (November 4, 2006). "Unofficially, Sack Record Doesn't Add Up". The New York Times. from the original on September 1, 2015.
^Stiles, Adam (September 27, 2018). "The NFL's controversial new roughing the passer rule, explained in a 3-minute read". SBNation.com. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
^ abSchatz, Aaron (June 1, 2010). "Examining the art of the hurry". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 2, 2014.(subscription required)
^Long, Howie; Czarnecki, John (2011). "Football For Dummies". John Wiley & Sons. p. 166. ISBN9781118051610. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
^NFL Single Game Sacked Leaders – Pro-Football-Reference.com
^"Super Bowl X play-by-play". USA Today. January 11, 2002. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
^Heath, Jon (February 14, 2022). "Von Miller made NFL history in Super Bowl LVI". Broncos Wire. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sack (American football).
Turney, John (June 26, 2000). . Pro Football Weekly. Archived from the original on November 5, 2008.
Pro-football-reference.com enumeration of career sack leaders
December 31, 2022
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In gridiron football a sack occurs when the quarterback or another offensive player acting as a passer is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the pocket and without clear intent or when a passer runs out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage due to defensive pressure 1 This often occurs if the opposing team s defensive line linebackers or defensive backs are able to apply pass pressure also called a pass rush to quickly get past blocking players of the offensive team the quarterback s protection or if the quarterback is unable to find a back to hand the ball off to or an available eligible receiver including wide receivers running backs and tight ends to catch the ball allowing the defense a longer opportunity to tackle the quarterback Quarterback Matthew Stafford being sacked by multiple Washington Football Team players Performing a sack is advantageous for the defending team as the offense loses a down and the line of scrimmage retreats several yards 2 Even better for the defense is a sack causing the quarterback to fumble the ball at or behind the line of scrimmage this is also known as a strip sack and can result in a turnover if the defense manages to obtain the ball A quarterback who is pressured but avoids a sack can still be adversely affected by being forced to hurry The quarterback must pass the statistical line of scrimmage to avoid the sack If a passer is sacked in his own end zone the result is a safety and the defending team is awarded two points unless the football is fumbled and recovered either in the end zone by the defense or outside the end zone Contents 1 Statistical record rules 2 History 3 Pass pressure 4 NFL records 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksStatistical record rules Edit Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers being sacked by Seattle defensive end Patrick Kerney in 2009 To be considered a sack the quarterback must intend to throw a forward pass If the play is designed for the quarterback to rush run the ball any loss is subtracted from the quarterback s rushing total and the play is ruled a tackle for loss as opposed to a sack If the quarterback s intent is not obvious statisticians use certain criteria such as the offensive line blocking scheme to decide Unique situations where a loss reduces a quarterback s rushing total not a sack are kneel downs used to run time off the game clock A player will receive credit for half of a sack when multiple players contribute to the sacking of a quarterback even if more than two players contributed In the National Football League NFL it is possible to record a sack for zero yards The NFL subtract yards lost due to sacks from teams passing totals though the quarterback s individual passing total stats remain unchanged 3 while the NCAA subtracts sack yardage from individual rushing totals 4 History Edit A BYU quarterback being sacked by Air Force The term sack was first popularized in the 1960s by Hall of Fame defensive end Deacon Jones who felt that a quarterback being sacked devastated the offense in the same way that a city was devastated when it was sacked 5 According to former NFL coach Marv Levy Washington Redskins coach George Allen may have coined the term when referring to Dallas Cowboys quarterback Craig Morton 6 when he purportedly stated before a game Before we play those Dallas Cowboys we re going to take that Morton salt and pour him into a sack Prior to sack the term dump was often used as the NFL s statistical office recorded all sacks under dumping the passer 2 The NFL only began to keep track of times passers lost yardage in 1961 7 and no credit was given to the defensive player responsible until 1982 8 Researcher John Turney of the Pro Football Researchers Association estimated that Jones recorded 173 sacks in his career 9 Controversial NFL rule changes made for the 2018 season prohibit tacklers from landing on the quarterback after making a sack with the punishment being a roughing the passer penalty 10 Pass pressure Edit A quarterback under pressure Of all forms of defensive pressure against the opposition s passer sacks provide the most immediate impact by ending the offensive play 11 However quarterbacks sometimes avoid a sack by throwing an incomplete pass or risking an interception 12 According to Football Outsiders a quarterback hurry is the most common form of pass pressure In the 2009 NFL season there were 1 106 sacks and 3 268 hurries and a hurried quarterback generally averaged fewer yards per pass play compared to the average pass play 11 NFL records EditThese records are from 1982 onwards the year the NFL started officially recording sacks 8 NFL single season sacks 22 5 T J Watt 2021 and Michael Strahan 2001 NFL career sacks 200 Bruce Smith 1985 2003 NFL single game sacks 7 Derrick Thomas November 11 1990 vs Seattle Seahawks note 1 NFL sacks rookie season 14 5 Jevon Kearse 1999 NFL seasons with 20 0 or more sacks 2 J J Watt 2012 amp 2014 14 NFL most consecutive games recording a sack 11 Chris Jones 2018 NFL most consecutive games recording a sack team 72 Pittsburgh Steelers 2016 2021 NFL career sacks taken 557 Tom Brady 2000 present 15 NFL single season sacks taken 76 David Carr 2002 16 NFL game sacks taken 12 Warren Moon September 29 1985 and Donovan McNabb September 30 2007 17 NFL Super Bowl most sacks in a single game 12 Carolina vs Denver 50 7 by Denver 5 by Carolina NFL Super Bowl most sacks by a player in a single game 3 note 2 Reggie White Green Bay vs New England XXXI Darnell Dockett Arizona vs Pittsburgh XLIII Kony Ealy Carolina vs Denver 50 Grady Jarrett Atlanta vs New England LINFL Super Bowl most sacks career sacks compiled since XVII 4 5 Charles Haley 5 games San Francisco XXIII XXIV Dallas XXVII XXVIII XXX 4 5 Von Miller 2 games Denver 50 and Los Angeles Rams LVI 19 See also EditList of National Football League annual sacks leaders List of National Football League career sacks leaders The Blind Side Evolution of a Game non fiction book by Michael LewisNotes Edit Norm Willey made 17 sacks during one game according to 1952 newspaper accounts However sacks weren t an official statistic at the time 13 L C Greenwood had 4 sacks in Super Bowl X 18 However sacks were not officially recorded by the NFL at that point References Edit 2011 Football Statisticians Manual p 17 PDF NCAA Retrieved October 15 2017 a b Sack or Dump To Quarterback It s All Downhill The Milwaukee Journal November 7 1975 Retrieved June 5 2013 Guide for Statisticians PDF National Football League Retrieved August 10 2020 2018 Football Statisticians Manual PDF National Collegiate Athletic Association Jones NFL coiner of sack the quarterback dies at 74 CNN June 4 2013 Retrieved June 5 2013 Florio Mike June 16 2013 Levy explains how Deacon Jones came up with sack Profootballtalk com Retrieved August 10 2020 NFL Records a b NFL Records Branch John November 4 2006 Unofficially Sack Record Doesn t Add Up The New York Times Archived from the original on September 1 2015 Stiles Adam September 27 2018 The NFL s controversial new roughing the passer rule explained in a 3 minute read SBNation com Retrieved September 28 2018 a b Schatz Aaron June 1 2010 Examining the art of the hurry ESPN com Retrieved February 2 2014 subscription required Long Howie Czarnecki John 2011 Football For Dummies John Wiley amp Sons p 166 ISBN 9781118051610 Retrieved February 2 2014 Pollack Ron The Legend Of Wild Man Willey PDF Pro Football Researchers Association Edholm Eric December 28 2015 J J Watt becomes only two time 20 sack player does so on safety Yahoo Sports Retrieved February 1 2015 NFL Career Sacked Leaders Pro Football Reference com NFL Single Season Sacked Leaders Pro Football Reference com NFL Single Game Sacked Leaders Pro Football Reference com Super Bowl X play by play USA Today January 11 2002 Retrieved April 5 2013 Heath Jon February 14 2022 Von Miller made NFL history in Super Bowl LVI Broncos Wire Retrieved February 14 2022 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sack American football Turney John June 26 2000 Sack story Setting the record straight on all of those QB takedowns Pro Football Weekly Archived from the original on November 5 2008 Pro football reference com enumeration of career sack leaders Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Quarterback sack amp oldid 1122065280, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
