Jets great Mark Gastineau believes he holds the NFL’s single-season sack record, not Michael Strahan.
Gastineau recorded 22 sacks for the Jets in 1984, setting the single-season record, which he held for 17 years. Then, in 2001, Strahan recorded 22.5 sacks for the Giants. Strahan’s last sack, however, was marred by controversy, and now Gastineau is making his true feelings over the record known.
“It’s my record, and I want it to be known that it’s my record,” Gastineau told ESPN. “I’m not going to say, ‘I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings.’ It’s my record.”
Gastineau — and many others — think Strahan’s final sack in the final game of the 2001 season was a gimme. The Giants played the Packers that day, and some thought Brett Favre intentionally went down on the play to give Strahan the record-breaking sack.
Gastineau has had no public qualms about the record in the past. However, his health has declined in recent years due to colon cancer and now he wants to set the record straight.
“Being nice and being a good sport, that’s good, but it’s not real,” Gastineau said. “In fact, I’m kind of a liar in a way. I feel like there’s just something wrong.
“This is on my head all the time. It goes through my head all the time. I want to clear things up.”
Gastineau has every right to believe he should still be the record-holder, but the stats are what they are. Quarterbacks in today’s game are giving themselves up so they don’t have to take a hit, especially the older ones.
Regardless of who the history books recognize, Gastineau had a historic 1984 season. It’s not the end of the world that he doesn’t have the single-season sack record, but he clearly feels he is the deserving holder.
“It’s a good record and it took me a long time to get that,” he said. “It took a lot of work, a lot of work to get that record. So many years I worked my butt off to get it, and I finally got it, and it shouldn’t have been cheapened like it was. It’s like a tarnished record.”