Jeff Feagles to set consecutive games record Sunday

[Jack of Arcades]

NYT article on it

Jeff Feagles is going to break Jim Marshall’s record for consecutive games played this Sunday with 283. There are some haters, though!

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Some people have suggested that an asterisk be attached to his record because punters are in on only a handful of plays a game. The same thing should be done, they claim, if a designated hitter were to break Ripken's record.

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What an asinine idea! Yeah, it’s a lot easier to break the record as a punter. Yeah, it’s more impressive that Jim Marshall set the record as a defensive lineman in the 60s and 70s. So what? It’s not the record book’s job to determine what was more impressive, only what happened. Now, if they want to educate the masses explaining why it’s much more impressive, go ahead, but The Asterisk only gets pulled out when somebody “less deserving” breaks some old fart’s record, but nobody ever looks at the old records to see why they weren’t so impressive.

Quick! Who holds the MLB Record of doubles in a season? Given that the home run record’s been broken twice in the past decade, you’d think it’d be someone recent, right? Maybe Todd Helton; he plays in Coors and hits a lot of doubles. However, he’s seventh, and all six guys in front of him played hit sixty doubles in a season within ten years of each other. Yet, you won’t see an asterisk next to Earl Webb’s name because he hit his doubles in the most conducive era for it, would you?

Every record has to be placed in its proper context. Put in context, most of them seem less impressive than they originally would. Peyton Manning’s touchdown record was set in the greatest offensive seasons of all time, with the stricter illegal contact penalties in place. Does this make his accomplishment of 49 touchdowns less impressive? Of course. Should he get an asterisk for it, and Dan Marino be recognized as the “legit” TD King? Of course not, that’s ridiculous. Should we do everything we can to place each respective season in their proper context? Yes, yes, very much so. Maybe after placing them in their proper context, we’ll come to the conclusion that Marino’s was more impressive. What does it matter? Manning got his 49 touchdowns and is at the top of the list.

Why’s it so different for anything else? An asterisk is a malicious attack at something seen as illegitimate, all too often used by people championing the good old days. Yet, according to the rules of the game, if a player attained a record, he should be listed at the top of the books without an asterisk. Now, if you want to rant and rave about how he didn’t “earn” the record, that’s fine. Jeff Feagles will go into the record books as the Iron Man of football. In all likelihood, Jim Marshall will be listed right below him, with his 282 games. Not only that, plenty of people will do their best to place the record in their proper context and educate the world about the incredible feats both of them accomplished. If someone wants to take up the torch about how Jim Marshall is the true NFL Iron Man, give the topic what it deserves. Do your best to educate, not discredit.