Sack Rules of the NFL

Deacon Jones, the Los Angeles Rams defensive end of the 1960s, coined the term "sack" for tackling the quarterback. He was one of the most proficient practitioners of the art of the sack, but never was officially credited with a single sack in the NFL. That's because the league didn't recognize the sack as a statistic until 1982, seven years after Jones retired and two years after he entered the Hall of Fame.

  1. Definition of Sack

    • The league defines a sack as tackling the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage while he is attempting to pass. All three elements must be present. It has to be the quarterback, not another player taking a handoff or pitch and throwing an option pass. It has to be behind the line of scrimmage; a quarterback who is chased across the line is credited with run yardage. And the quarterback must be trying to pass; designed run plays that are stopped behind the line of scrimmage are not considered sacks.

    In the Grasp

    • A quarterback does not have to be tackled and brought to the ground for the play to be a sack. Once the quarterback is in the "grasp and control" of a defensive player, the referee is to blow his whistle and stop the play. Whoever had the quarterback under his control gets the sack.

    Awarding Sacks

    • The game's official scorer awards credit for sacks. A scorer can credit a sack entirely to one player, or two players can each receive half a sack.

    Roughing the Passer

    • A sack is not awarded if the hit on a quarterback results in a penalty. Most "roughing the passer" penalties are called on tacklers who hit the quarterback after he releases the ball, which is forbidden. But roughing penalties can be called even if the quarterback still has the ball. Any blow to the head is considered roughing the passer, as is any blow below the knee if delivered by a tackler with an "unrestricted path" to the quarterback; that is, a player who wasn't blocked into the quarterback.