ESPN’s “New York Sack Exchange” 30 for 30 documentary is set to debut on Friday at 8 p.m. eastern and the network is teasing out some video to get New York Jets fans ready to watch.
The video it released on Tuesday was a doozy.
In the video, Mark Gastineau, one of the famed members of the “New York Sack Exchange,” confronted quarterback Brett Favre, who played one year for the Jets, about Favre’s infamous slide into a sack that led to Gastineau losing the NFL single-season record for sacks.
Gastineau had 22 sacks in 1984, which became the all-time single-season mark, which broke Gastineau’s own record of 19 in 2023. Sacks did not become an official statistic until 1982.
He held the record until New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan surpassed the record with 22.5 sacks in 2001.
Strahan sacked Favre to pass Gastineau on the final week of the season. To many, it appeared as if Favre slid into Strahan, allowing the Giants legend to record the sack that passed Gastineau.
Favre has always called the sack legitimate and Packers tight end Bubba Franks has said that he blew a blocking assignment on Strahan.
Well, Gastineau has always contended he was the legitimate record holder. And, during a memorabilia show in 2023, Gastineau confronted Favre about the sack.
22 years after losing the NFL single-season sack record, Mark Gastineau confronted Brett Favre for ‘taking a dive’ on the record-breaking play.
Catch the latest @30for30, 'The New York Sack Exchange,' on ESPN and ESPN+ starting Dec. 13. pic.twitter.com/Oz5KRwVcy7
— ESPN (@espn) December 10, 2024
“You fell down for him,” he said to Favre. “I’m gonna get my sack back. I’m gonna get my sack back, dude. … You hurt me Brett.”
Gastineau’s 22 sacks was later matched by Jared Allen in 2011 and Justin Houston in 2014. Strahan was later joined at 22.5 sacks by current Steelers pass rusher T.J. Watt, who reached the mark in 2021.
While the five are officially at the top of the list, unofficially, per pro-football-reference.com, Detroit’s Al Baker had 23 sacks in 1978.
Directed by Ken Rodgers and James Weiner, the documentary follows the careers of the four defensive linemen that made up one of the most feared pass rushes in the NFL in the 1980s — Marty Lyons, Abdul Salaam, Joe Klecko, and Mark Gastineau.
When the documentary was announced, ESPN billed it as “…a nostalgic look back at the sensational defensive line of the 1980s New York Jets, a group of larger-than-life personalities that not only terrorized quarterbacks but also captivated an entire city with their flamboyant style and relentless drive.”
They played together for several years in New York, but in 1981 and 1982 they were the game’s dominant pass rush.
In 1981 the four combined for 66 sacks to lead the NFL. Klecko had 20.5 sacks and Gastineau had 20 sacks, with both earning Pro Bowl honors and Klecko earning first-team All-Pro. Salaam had seven sacks and Lyons had 6.5 sacks.