The beginning of the regular NFL football season also means the record books are opened for the 2009-2010 season, just in case someone or some team happens to achieve an exceptional feat of football skill. This also means that football betting prop bets are put on the board for the betting public to enjoy, for better or for worse. While some football records are nearly out of reach, due to historical differences in play or dissimilar schedules, there are a few that are well within grasp, especially in the “Team Record” category.
Should I invest a lot of my bankroll in football betting record props? Probably not, unless an individual or team is a game or two away from getting their name etched in the record books for eternity. Instead, think of NFL records as your secondary (no pun intended 🙂 ) interest to regular NFL money line, parlay, or total betting.
The following are a few notable and interesting NFL records, as listed at the NFL.com website under the “NFL Record and Fact Book” – Click Here to visit this page. Could any of these happen this year? We’ll have to see how the 2009-10 football betting season shapes up:
- Most Punt Returns, Career – 463 – Brian Mitchell, Washington, 1990-99; Philadelphia, 2000-02; N.Y. Giants, 2003. This record probably won’t fall this year, but top special teams players who’ve been playing for a while might be able to crack the top 5, which includes David Megget of the New York Giants.
- Most Touchdowns, Career – 208 – Jerry Rice, San Francisco, 1985-2000; Oakland, 2001-04; Seattle, 2004. Jerry the rocket Rice’s touchdown record is impressive, not to mention the fact he managed to play in the NFL for 20 years. Emmit Smith is in the number 2 spot with 175.
- Most Touchdowns, Season – 31 – LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego, 2006. Tomlinson’s most touch downs in a season record is only in jeopardy if there are particularly strong pass receivers or halfbacks. This one is in contention every year, but no one has come close in recent memory.
- Most Field Goals Attempted, Career – 709 – Morten Andersen, New Orleans, 1982-94; Atlanta, 1995-2000; N.Y. Giants, 2001; Kansas City, 2002-03; Minnesota, 2004; Atlanta, 2006-07. Without a doubt, Andersen’s feat is not even within reach this year for most kickers. The fact that Andersen’s various teams put him on the field so often is a tribute to his skill as a field goal kicker.
- Most Field Goals, Season – 40 – Neil Rackers, Arizona, 2005. Surprisingly, the leaders in this category are all from the last decade, which suggests that kicking has improved over the years. While putting 40 kicks through the bars is simply amazing, this season’s top kickers could easily find their place in the record books if they’re able to break 30.
- Most Sacks, Season – 22.5 – Michael Strahan, N.Y. Giants, 2001. Imagine what it was like facing this guy in 2001. Most quarterbacks probably felt like a goat on the railroad tracks. We’ll need to see some exceptional defensive squads this year to put this record into contention.
- Most Consecutive Games Won – 19 – New England, 2006-07 (current). Duh. This one is no surprise. The Pats have been post season contenders in the past several years, and have some of the most favorable odds to win SuperBowl 44. Only the Patriots can beat the Patriots on this one.
- Rushing: Most Touchdowns, Career – 164 – Emmitt Smith, Dallas, 1990-2002; Arizona, 2003-04. Any mention of rushing records has to include Emmitt Smith, whose amazing career makes him one of the game’s greatest players. Honorable Mention to O.J. Simpson for also holding a few rushing records, before, ummm. “The Juice” went bad.
- Yards Gained – Most Yards, Kick Off Returns, Season – 2,296 – Arizona, 2000. You have to hand it to the Cardinals special teams on this one, and it comes to no surprise that teams kicking to the Cardinals in 2001 were edgy. This is another record that has popped up among different franchises in the last decade, making it possibly attainable given a good kick return unit.
- Most Penalties, Season – 158 – Kansas City, 1998. Ouch, looks like the Chiefs had a rough one in back in ’98, no doubt putting their name in the record books for yards lost due to penalties, as well.
- Most First Downs, Season – 398 – Kansas City, 2004. Well it looks like the Chiefs cleaned up their act from that 1998 year of penalty-palooza. The 2007 Patriots are in a very close second with 393.
Our thanks to the NFL’s record book for these interesting feats of football greatness. There are literally dozens more records that can be found at the NFL website, for those of you that can’t get enough of accomplishment, and can’t get rid of your Napoleonic Complex.
Again, most of the time, odds on these records are not offered in a given football betting season, unless, for example, a long time player is close to career leading numbers. Otherwise, it’s probably best to bet a little loose change on record props, opposed to investing most of your NFL season funds.
Will any of these achievements fall this year? Only time will tell, and we’ll know soon enough once the 2009-10 NFL regular season begins. Good Luck and don’t forget to signup with one of our featured sportsbooks, all of which offer football betting action to USA and International players.