Myles Garrett’s sack record praise just exposed Michael Strahan hypocrisy

Michael Strahan was one of the best pass‑rushers the NFL has ever seen. When he hung up his cleats in 2007, he retired with seven Pro Bowls, four All‑Pro honors, and 141.5 career sacks, including a ridiculous 22.5 sacks in 2001.

That was the single‑season record for sacks on a team that didn’t even make the playoffs -- a weird footnote in NFL history but a record nonetheless. Now fast forward to the 2025 season: Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns just broke that mark with 23 sacks, and his team also missed the playoffs. Neat for comparison sake, but that's not where the similarities end.

Both players hit that mark under imperfect circumstances. Strahan’s was instantly judged. Garrett’s is being treated like gospel. That parallel is exactly why this feels familiar, like a record that should come with an asterisk, just like it did with the Giants legend.

Myles Garrett breaks Michael Strahan’s sack record in 2025 season finale

Mike Luciano summed it up perfectly in his Dawg Pound Daily breakdown when discussing the way Strahan’s record was first viewed:

"Famously, the old sack record was held by New York Giants legend Michael Strahan. That record-breaking sack came on a play that still riles people up to this day due to how it appears as though the takedown was essentially handed to him for free."

As Luc pointed out, Strahan’s record‑breaking moment came with Brett Favre basically giving him the sack. Favre slid into his path as Strahan burst past the offensive line. It’s one of those plays that Browns fans will surely bring up when defending Garrett’s "clean" record, but hold on a second.

This is the play in which Garrett broke his record:

A couple of fans on social media called the tackle "forceful," but I'll let you be the judge of that.

We’re really supposed to sit here and buy that Joe Burrow didn’t give up on that play? Garrett clearly has a hand on Burrow’s hip as he drops back, but enough force to magically shut off Burrow's motor skills? Not buying it. They say timing is everything, and it's just funny that this all happened with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Burrow collapses instead of climbing the pocket or resetting away from pressure.

Sound familiar? It should. The optics are almost the same as what happened with Strahan in 2001.

Good for Garrett for setting a new benchmark. He’s earned every bit of praise he gets for that. But fans shouldn’t act like the context doesn’t matter. The asterisks between Strahan and Garrett aren’t identical, but there are enough similarities to make you raise an eyebrow.