Since its introduction as an official statistic in 1982, the sack has long been considered the primary barometer for evaluating pass rushers. It has helped us paint the picture of NFL history (and New York Jets history), identifying the most dominant rushers the league has ever seen.
There has always been one major problem with the sack statistic regarding its place in NFL lore. With no sack totals available prior to the 1982 season, a huge chunk of the best defensive players in league history have been left with no numbers to support their greatness.
That is, until now.