Thanks for your response. Really, more concrete? Sorry for lack of details in original. It's a deck, and there are already 10 footings (plus 2 at the bottom of the stairs) due to the unusual shape of the thing. It has two sides: One side of the deck is 14' x 19' (6 footings + ledger board) and the other is 16 x 9 (4 footings + ledger). I thought it was already overbuilt.
The other thing is, all the professionally-built decks I see around here do the footings the same way - 8" of concrete in the bottom of the hole. And that's how the Loudoun County (VA) standard deck plan shows it - see http://tinyurl.com/862z4 . On the other hand, all the books show it the way you describe - a footing with a pier and a bracket.
I know the pier doesn't really add to the strength of the footing - in fact my understanding is that it weakens it laterally if anything, hence the rebar requirement. But it does get the bottom end up out of the ground. That's probably why the books recommend it.
Sigh. I can see I shouldn't quit my day job. :-(
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