Finally, it’s my Parting Shot to object to the black and white definition of the quarterback sack…..

I’ll start by issuing fair warning, the statistics nerd in me is coming out for this commentary. I love my statistics, not nearly as much as I did when I was young. My “Esso Power Player Saver”, remember that beauty from the 1970-71 N-H-L season, was loaded with statistics under each player’s photo sticker that I collected…and I had them all! The same goes for the C-F-L player sticker magazine that came out in 1971 or 72.

But, I digress!

In football nowadays, when the quarterback is in possession of the ball and is tackled behind the line of scrimmage, it is automatically a sack.

Wrong!

It’s a sack if the quarterback has the ball in his throwing hand and is cocked and ready to throw, either from the pocket or when rolling out to one side or the other, then is tackled behind the line of scrimmage.

It is not a sack when the quarterback tucks the ball under his arm and tries to escape! Sometimes he does and gains yardage. Sometimes he does and gets tackled for a loss behind the line of scrimmage. That should be included in the quarterback’s rushing totals and not a sack for the defender who tackled him! There are a lot of cheap sacks that way when the quarterback has no intention of throwing the ball anymore, or if at all, in the case of a called quarterback draw play that gets stuffed in the backfield!

“Stats Nerd” rant done…as you were!

That’s my Parting Shot. I’m Les Lazaruk…..