How some of the sack totals of former Bears greats are affected by Pro football reference's research (not official)

[TheWinman]

How Pro Football Reference's new sack total tool affects Bears' legends

We took a look back updated sack numbers for the Chicago Bears at Pro Football Reference's new tool that pre-dates 1982.

247sports.com

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Sack numbers are a great measure for NFL defensive players and have been for a long time now. But some may be surprised to know that the NFL didn't count sacks as an unofficial statistic until the 1982 season. Shocking, huh?

In this age of the internet with all the information and tools that we have to use, Pro Football Reference introduced their latest project which took sacks from before the 1982 season and added them to their database. Now, we imagine it was a LOT of work going back and crediting players with sacks pre-1982 but it does offer updated numbers for some former Chicago Bears players.

These stats aren't official by the NFL but just a fun research project that was done by Pro Football Reference. Using this tool, I wanted to go back and take a look at which players benefited the most from the increase in the sack stat. Let's take a look:

Dan Hampton + 25 (82 overall)​

The Hall of Famer saw an uptick in his total by 25 from the 1979-81 season, upping his unofficial total to 82 which is third-most on the Bears all-time list behind Richard Dent and Steve McMichael. Hampton added 4.5 in 1979, 11.5 in 1980 and 9 in the 1981 season.

Jim Osborne +70.5 (81 overall)​

The defensive tackle played in Chicago from 1972-84 which the majority of his career in the pre-sack era of the NFL. Osborne recorded 10.5 sacks between 1982-84 but an additional 70.5 counted in the previous years shoots him up the unofficial list to fourth all time. His 81 are an impressive number for a defensive tackle and includes a 15-sack season in 1976 which is the third most all time by a Bears player, trailing only Richard Dent's 17.5 (1984) and 17 (1985).

Doug Atkins + 64.5 (64.5 overall)​

The defensive end played 17 seasons in the NFL, spending 12 of those with the Chicago Bears. His entire career was in the pre-sack era from 1953-69, so he's not officially in any record books. With this Pro Football Reference tool, Atkins has a total of 94.5 sacks with 64.5 of those coming with the Bears. That 64.5 would be good for fifth all-time on the new Bears list and includes five seasons of nine or more sacks in the Windy City.

Mike Hartenstine + 31 (55 overall)​

The defensive end spent 12 of his 13 seasons in Chicago, playing from 1975-87 and ended his career in Minnesota. In the official sack era, Hartenstine had a total of 24 sacks but an additional 31 from 1975-81 moves him to sixth all time on the Bears list with 55 total. That included a career-high 12 in the 1983 season.

Ed O'Bradovich +51.5 (51.5 overall)​

7COMMENTS
OB played his entire career in the pre-sack era from 1962-71 so he technically isn't in the record books. But with the Pro Football Reference tool, he's unofficially there with a total of 51.5 sacks, an impressive number for the defensive end. OB's career-high came in 1968 when he had 12 sacks, just a year after he finished with 10.5 in 1967. His 51.5 sacks are seventh all-time unofficially on the Bears list.

The record books likely won't be re-written with pre-sack era numbers in the NFL but it's still fun to go back and look at where some players would rank on the list if sacks were counted prior to 1982.

Comments (7)

 

[JoJoBoxer]

Not Bears related but the person with the highest increase of sacks from Pro Football Reference is Deacon Jones with +173.5 sacks which brings him all the way up to #3 all time career sack leaders, behind only Bruce Smith (200) and Reggie White (198).

 

[TheWinman]

Not Bears related but the person with the highest increase of sacks from Pro Football Reference is Deacon Jones with +173.5 sacks which brings him all the way up to #3 all time career sack leaders, behind only Bruce Smith (200) and Reggie White (198).

I do think the NFL will eventually recognize this and make it official. well, maybe after Goodell is not commissioner

 

[Aquineas]

Never knew Julius Peppers was ranked that high.

 

[Bearly]

Sacks given up by Covert-0

 

[bamainatlanta]

Sacks given up by Covert-0

Is that true?

 

[Bearly]

Is that true?

Never gave one up in college nor to LT in his prime. I suspect he did guess wrong once or twice but I don't recall him ever wiffing or getting walked back one on one.

 

[Leomaz]

Never gave one up in college nor to LT in his prime. I suspect he did guess wrong once or twice but I don't recall him ever wiffing or getting walked back one on one.

Sorry….Covert was a fixture on Pitt's punishing offensive front his final three seasons, surrendering just three sacks during that span. As a consensus All-American his senior year, he did not give up a single sack. Still bad ass. Now as for his pro career I just know he never gave up a sack to Lawrence Taylor and the Bears were always amongst the leaders in fewest sack allowed and most rushing yards…..if we had a quarterback we would have been even more dominant but that is a recurring theme until hopefully this season

 

[Leomaz]

Is that true?

Kinda but not really

 

[Bearly]

Sorry….Covert was a fixture on Pitt's punishing offensive front his final three seasons, surrendering just three sacks during that span. As a consensus All-American his senior year, he did not give up a single sack. Still bad ass. Now as for his pro career I just know he never gave up a sack to Lawrence Taylor and the Bears were always amongst the leaders in fewest sack allowed and most rushing yards…..if we had a quarterback we would have been even more dominant but that is a recurring theme until hopefully this season

Ya h, not like we won a SB or anything with a QB that should have got the MVP that game.

 

[Leomaz]

Ya h, not like we won a SB or anything with a QB that should have got the MVP that game.

In all honesty, in that game, Steve Fuller could have lead the Bears to victory. The defense was not going to let New England do much of anything.

 

[Bearly]

Doesn't change the fact that McMahon was the best player on the field that day and a some others that year. That changed the next year but he was as good as anyone in 1985.

 

[Leomaz]

Doesn't change the fact that McMahon was the best player on the field that day and a some others that year. That changed the next year but he was as good as anyone in 1985.

He was one helluva football player no doubt

 

[bears51/40]

How Pro Football Reference's new sack total tool affects Bears' legends

We took a look back updated sack numbers for the Chicago Bears at Pro Football Reference's new tool that pre-dates 1982.

247sports.com

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Sack numbers are a great measure for NFL defensive players and have been for a long time now. But some may be surprised to know that the NFL didn't count sacks as an unofficial statistic until the 1982 season. Shocking, huh?

In this age of the internet with all the information and tools that we have to use, Pro Football Reference introduced their latest project which took sacks from before the 1982 season and added them to their database. Now, we imagine it was a LOT of work going back and crediting players with sacks pre-1982 but it does offer updated numbers for some former Chicago Bears players.

These stats aren't official by the NFL but just a fun research project that was done by Pro Football Reference. Using this tool, I wanted to go back and take a look at which players benefited the most from the increase in the sack stat. Let's take a look:

Dan Hampton + 25 (82 overall)​

The Hall of Famer saw an uptick in his total by 25 from the 1979-81 season, upping his unofficial total to 82 which is third-most on the Bears all-time list behind Richard Dent and Steve McMichael. Hampton added 4.5 in 1979, 11.5 in 1980 and 9 in the 1981 season.

Jim Osborne +70.5 (81 overall)​

The defensive tackle played in Chicago from 1972-84 which the majority of his career in the pre-sack era of the NFL. Osborne recorded 10.5 sacks between 1982-84 but an additional 70.5 counted in the previous years shoots him up the unofficial list to fourth all time. His 81 are an impressive number for a defensive tackle and includes a 15-sack season in 1976 which is the third most all time by a Bears player, trailing only Richard Dent's 17.5 (1984) and 17 (1985).

Doug Atkins + 64.5 (64.5 overall)​

The defensive end played 17 seasons in the NFL, spending 12 of those with the Chicago Bears. His entire career was in the pre-sack era from 1953-69, so he's not officially in any record books. With this Pro Football Reference tool, Atkins has a total of 94.5 sacks with 64.5 of those coming with the Bears. That 64.5 would be good for fifth all-time on the new Bears list and includes five seasons of nine or more sacks in the Windy City.

Mike Hartenstine + 31 (55 overall)​

The defensive end spent 12 of his 13 seasons in Chicago, playing from 1975-87 and ended his career in Minnesota. In the official sack era, Hartenstine had a total of 24 sacks but an additional 31 from 1975-81 moves him to sixth all time on the Bears list with 55 total. That included a career-high 12 in the 1983 season.

Ed O'Bradovich +51.5 (51.5 overall)​

7COMMENTS
OB played his entire career in the pre-sack era from 1962-71 so he technically isn't in the record books. But with the Pro Football Reference tool, he's unofficially there with a total of 51.5 sacks, an impressive number for the defensive end. OB's career-high came in 1968 when he had 12 sacks, just a year after he finished with 10.5 in 1967. His 51.5 sacks are seventh all-time unofficially on the Bears list.

The record books likely won't be re-written with pre-sack era numbers in the NFL but it's still fun to go back and look at where some players would rank on the list if sacks were counted prior to 1982.

Comments (7)

For his era Atkins was just fun to watch. He was he was bigger, stronger, more physical than the lineman he faced.