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 Sacks never slowed Elway
Posted: Monday April 26, 1999 04:20 PM
He was sacked more than any other quarterback in the history of professional football. Forget all the other numbers in all the tributes to John Elway -- the miles of passing yardage and the piles of touchdowns and even the play-by-play recitations of his two-minute heroics. The most impressive number is that he was sacked 516 times and he got up again and played 16 grand seasons. Five hundred and sixteen sacks. He was the all-time target. Most teams he played had the same defensive goal: get to Elway. He held the ball longer than any quarterback who ever took a snap from center. He held the ball, held the ball, held the ball. In a sport where success or failure is often determined by extra fractions of seconds, the time it takes for a receiver to break free, completing a route, Elway was the master at disregarding the ominous ticking of the clock. The nervous quarterback is always said to have "happy feet." Elway had the unhappiest feet of all time. He surrendered his body again and again to finish the play. He was knocked dizzy, sent to assorted hospitals, came back again and did what he always had done. His greatest strength was not his arm or his legs or even his head. All of those were terrific, but his greatest strength was his heart. He was a fearless character in a fearsome environment. Five hundred and sixteen sacks! He leaves the NFL as the record holder in two categories. The first is most sacks. The second is most regular season victories, 148. There is a correlation. Sports Illustrated senior writer Leigh Montville appears regularly on CNN/Sports Illustrated.
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