A) sacks didnt' become an offical stat until i beleive the early 80'sSo what? If you're going to ding him for that, then you ding everyone. That means sacks are completely useless and not worth tracking.
B) it's a passing league nowSo once again, sacks are meaningless.
21st is such a misleading numberNo, it's not. He consistently put up a lot of sacks in a lot of years. He was a really good pass rusher, who never quite was the best. Just because he's the best doesn't mean he sucks and is overrated. Do you think JPP sucks now because he only got 5.5 sacks this year?
No, it's not. He consistently put up a lot of sacks in a lot of years. He was a really good pass rusher, who never quite was the best. Just because he's the best doesn't mean he sucks and is overrated.he isn't overrated because he isn't quite the best pass rusher. he is overrated because he is horrible against the run, yet people constantly call(ed) him an elite DE. an elite DE must be good in both. if people call you that, but you're good in only one (typically pass rushing, as stopping the run won't be in the highlights), you are overrated.
Hall of Fame ? I say yes, but not first ballot.i don't think he makes it. you don't have to be reggie white to make the HOF, but freeney is completely one dimensional. he is so bad against the run that i think it will keep him out.
A) sacks didnt' become an offical stat until i beleive the early 80's
So what? If you're going to ding him for that, then you ding everyone. That means sacks are completely useless and not worth tracking.
21st is such a misleading number
No, it's not. He consistently put up a lot of sacks in a lot of years. He was a really good pass rusher, who never quite was the best. Just because he's the best doesn't mean he sucks and is overrated. Do you think JPP sucks now because he only got 5.5 sacks this year?
I don't recall how long it took Derrick Thomas of the Chiefs to make it but Freeney has 7 ProBowl's and top 25 all time sacks should be enough but like Im a Colt Fan so we will have to see after he calls it a career.
I dont "ding" everyone, i take the number for what it's worth......saying someone is 21st in league history for sacks is misleading because it is not league history, it is since sacks were counted...so how many players have played their full careers counting sacks.....he is 21st amongst them......And that's irrelevant. It's no different than looking at passing and receiving numbers compared to 20 or 30 years ago. I'm not trying to say Freeney is one of the greatest ever. I've already said I don't think he's a HOFer. But since the stat has been tracked, he is 21st all time. He was very consistent. He had more double digit sack seasons that Michael Strahan, and more than most players who've ever played since sacks were an official stat.
JPP also had 43 tackles, a number Dwight Freeney has hit a grand total of 1 time in his entire career, JPP had 5 passes defended, a number dwight freeney has never hit in his career.....And I'm not trying to compare him to JPP either. But you dinged Freeney for having 2 down years in 2006 and 2007 with his sack totals. Freeney rushed the passer and that's about it. He was DAMN good at what he did. It's a matter of perspective. If people are trying to argue that he's a great all-around DE, then yeah, I'd agree he is overrated. But then again, I don't think people consider him a great all-around DE like a JPP or a Strahan. But Freeney was an elite pass rusher. There's no question about that IMO. He had to be accounted for at all times.
