Professional Football Researchers Association Forum
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JohnTurney wrote: ↑Thu Aug 31, 2023 1:25 am
They have them...not sure when they will post them ... along with other coaches numbers---"Tackling Machine" Lockhart and so on.
My thinking is when they get everyone from that era...even backup players, etc ... not just starters ... it's odd because it is spotty now, they could piecemeal it if they wanted...but ...anyway... very good question...
John, where can I find more of your accurate tackle tables like this? Are they on your website?
Yeah, a lot of them are ..not in an organized way like PFR but search a name and "stats" and a lot will come up ... they are based on gamebook tackles
rather than team totals
I found top all-time season leaderboards, but none for individual players' whole careers like the Tuggle one you posted here. Could you direct me to Lawrence Taylor and Reggie White? From one article I read, it sounds like you weren't able to do Dick Butkus, but that's another one I'd love to see.
I also wonder how finding accurate data on sacks before 1960 is coming. I don't figure that would be specifically the point before which nothing is completable, so, say, have you finished filling out Gino Marchetti's tables? What's the truth about that guy who said he sacked Conerly 17 times or whatever?
Stuff I read about Norm Willey, credits him with 8 sacks in that game against the Giants. HOF receiver Pete Pihos had a lot as well, maybe 4 to 6 sacks himself.
Brian wolf wrote: ↑Fri Sep 08, 2023 10:53 am
Stuff I read about Norm Willey, credits him with 8 sacks in that game against the Giants. HOF receiver Pete Pihos had a lot as well, maybe 4 to 6 sacks himself.
Yep, I read that as well. The 17 (or 15) number is most likely what we today refer to as "QB hits". PHI was credited with 14 sacks in the game on PFR. Did NYG give up sacks like that a lot at the time? Was their line decimated by injuries?
I also read Willey claim that he averaged 2 sacks a game in his prime, but that's probably QB hits also. However, I don't think it can be overlooked that the newspaper called him "the greatest defensive end we've ever seen and probably ever will see" or something along those lines. It must be noted that Marchetti was only a rookie when this was said, but clearly this was not just a one-time flash in the pan. Was Willey perhaps the JJ Watt of the era?
Was Pihos a regular defensive starter? I don't recall him being so.
Pihos played some defense in the 40s, obviously, but 52 was his one season there in the 50s. Bud Grant played defensive end as a rookie in 51 but bristled at doing so in 52, so Pihos switched to D...he still caught 12 passes in occasional appearances on offense. Grant, who caught 56 passes in 52, left for Canada in 53. Pihos went from 12 catches to 63.
The Willey stuff is local legend in Philly. The main Eagle historian maintains that the 17 sacks was detailed in the Phila. Bulletin game story, but both Nick Webster and I looked and found that to be untrue. Dr. Z wrote about having charted the game, and that's where the seven or so sacks comes from I believe. Pihos also was active that day.