Alternate SPORTS! History Thread

[Dalcowboyfan92]

What if the Vikings had not traded all that stuff for Herschel Walker?

I just read more about the trade elsewhere, and Jimmy Johnson almost traded Walker to the Browns until the Vikings offer came through. Cleveland offered a player, two future 1st round picks, and three future second-rounders. Johnson gave the Vikings front office until 6:30pm on the evening of the trade to come up with something better, or else Herschel was heading to Cleveland. Coincidentally enough, the day of the trade (October 12, 1989) was the same day that the NFL owners were meeting in the Metroplex to name Paul Tagliabue as the new NFL commissioner.

Ernie Accorsi (who was apart of the Browns staff) said the only reason they got involved was to hike up the deal and as revenge against Minnesota for the Vikings interfering with them getting a QB (I think the QB in question was Bernie Kosar).

Cleveland had a stacked backfield with 3 good RBs and adding Herschel Walker would've muddled an already competitive backfield.

[Sport]

What if Lewis Billups doesn't drop the interception in the endzone in the 4th quarter in Super Bowl XXIII?

Montana threw a touchdown pass on the next play which tied the game at 13. If Billups hangs onto the easy interception the Bengals would've had the ball on the 20 with a touchdown lead and 14 minutes left. Maybe they score on that possession, maybe they run the ball and milk the clock, maybe they force the 49ers to use some of those three timeouts they had when they drove down the field for the winning touchdown. Either way the Bengals would've had a much better chance at beating San Francisco if he catches that ball.

Lewis Billups was a pretty awful guy off the field. He went to prison for threatening Rex Chapman, the NBA player, and assaulting Chapman's sister. Perhaps with a Super Bowl he's a little less agitated and maybe for fulfilled. Maybe he corrects his self-destructive behavior and doesn't wind up dead because of a car accident due to driving his vette over 100 mph.

[Dexter Morgan]

-What if Kerry Fraser did call the Wayne Gretzky high stick penalty on Doug Gilmour.

-What if Peyton Manning declared for NFL Draft after his junior year and was drafted by the Jets first overall.

-What if Bill Belichick stayed on as Jets head coach

[DnBronc]

What if the Vikings had not traded all that stuff for Herschel Walker?

I just read more about the trade elsewhere, and Jimmy Johnson almost traded Walker to the Browns until the Vikings offer came through. Cleveland offered a player, two future 1st round picks, and three future second-rounders. Johnson gave the Vikings front office until 6:30pm on the evening of the trade to come up with something better, or else Herschel was heading to Cleveland. Coincidentally enough, the day of the trade (October 12, 1989) was the same day that the NFL owners were meeting in the Metroplex to name Paul Tagliabue as the new NFL commissioner.

I think had Walker stayed in Dallas, with the Vikings keeping their draft picks, I would imagine the Cowboys would have been where the Vikings were in the '90s under Dennis Green--a good, but not great team fighting for the Wild Card spots every years. Meanwhile, Minnesota with an offense led by Warren Moon, Cris Carter, and Emmitt Smith, plus a defense with John Randle, Darren Woodson, and Chris Doleman probably would have won the Super Bowls the Cowboys would eventually get.

If Lynn doesn't do that trade, and if Walker stays in Dallas through the 1989 season, I can see the Cowboys re-opening discussions with the Vikes and Browns in the spring of 1990. Dallas doesn't get what they got in reality, but maybe the Vikes give up two #1 picks (1990 and 91), a #2 in 90, and a player like Issiac Holt in exchange for Walker.

They probably still end up with Emmitt Smith, and they still would have had three #1 picks going into the 1991 draft because they traded Steve Walsh to the Saints for a #1 pick (unbelievably enough).

However, they don't have the extra picks in 1992, so maybe they don't end up with Kevin Smith or Darren Woodson.

In the end, though, that scenario produces similar results to how reality went, and Jimmy Johnson is gone after the 1993 season anyway because he only planned to stay there five years.

[DnBronc]

Quote

-What if Bill Belichick stayed on as Jets head coach

The Jets don't draft Brady. The Pats still draft Brady (because Bobby Grier and Dick Rehbein were interested in him), but without Belichick and Ernie Adams' system (and cheating apparatus), Brady is just another guy.

As for Belichick and the Jets, I think they do better than they did in reality. Belichick (and the Savant Ernie Adams)>>>>>Herman Edwards. They probably win a couple of SB's with Pennington. However, they don't become a dynasty, and either SD and/or Indy has another ring or so.

Quote

Youngstown State adds to the legend of Jim Tressel with the 2nd of what will be 4 consecutive Division I-AA titles and 5 in 7 seasons...a streak only broken up by Montana doing unspeakably awful things to just about everyone that they played in 1995 and 1996.

After watching The U: Part 2 last weekend, I have another one:

What if Jim Tressel got the Miami coaching job in 1995? He was one of the people who interviewed.

Also (from that show), what if Butch Davis stayed at Miami and signed a long-term deal after the 2000 season?

[Raysfan12]

I don't know if this was asked before, but what if the Colts drafted Ryan Leaf instead of Peyton Manning in the 1998 NFL Draft?

[fouhy12]

I don't know if this was asked before, but what if the Colts drafted Ryan Leaf instead of Peyton Manning in the 1998 NFL Draft?

If we assume that Peyton goes to San Diego and is successful there, then this impacts the careers of Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, and Eli Manning.

[AnythingChicago]

I don't know if this was asked before, but what if the Colts drafted Ryan Leaf instead of Peyton Manning in the 1998 NFL Draft?

If we assume that Peyton goes to San Diego and is successful there, then this impacts the careers of Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, and Eli Manning.

Man, I'd imagine a team of Peyton Manning, LaDanian Tomlinson, and Antonio Gates would have won a Super Bowl or two.

And wouldn't this ultimately mean that Brees, a Purdue grad, would have fittingly ended up on the Colts?

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

I don't know if this was asked before, but what if the Colts drafted Ryan Leaf instead of Peyton Manning in the 1998 NFL Draft?

If we assume that Peyton goes to San Diego and is successful there, then this impacts the careers of Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, and Eli Manning.

Man, I'd imagine a team of Peyton Manning, LaDanian Tomlinson, and Antonio Gates would have won a Super Bowl or two.

And wouldn't this ultimately mean that Brees, a Purdue grad, would have fittingly ended up on the Colts?

The Colts team as we know it wouldn't have existed, San Diego would be an absolute power-house. Who knows where Eli goes to first because SD wouldn't pick first overall- Would Oakland snatch him up? Or would he just fall to the Giants anyways? Then Rivers maybe ends up in Washington. Their QB situation was pretty sketchy.

As for Brees, I don't think Indy passes on Reggie Wayne in the '01 draft, but they may be in need of a QB, so Brees is definitely a possibility.

[DnBronc]

-What if Peyton Manning declared for NFL Draft after his junior year and was drafted by the Jets first overall.

Him and Parcells could have been a pretty good partnership. I think that they get to the SB by Peyton's third year, and Bill stays a few years longer than he did in OTL.

Also, the Pats, Belichick, and Brady aren't in a division with teams that are playing musical QB's for 14 years.

[Unocal]

1993 AFC Wild-Card Game- what if the Chiefs are stopped on 4th down by Pittsburgh?

Your AFC Divisional Playoff matches are Steelers-Bills and Raiders-Oilers.

I don't know if Jeff Hostetler would have been quite able to pull off on Buddy Ryan's defense what Montana did, but their speedsters and playmakers (Brown/Jett) would have gotten a nice dry fast track in the Astrodome. The Steelers would have been much better equipped for that super freezing cold weather at Rich Stadium.

Does Buffalo still make it? Does Houston make it 12 straight with no Montana mystique looming? Who knows how that changes things with Houston and L.A. who were gone from those cities in a few years if they somehow maybe make a SB?

[DnBronc]

1993 AFC Wild-Card Game- what if the Chiefs are stopped on 4th down by Pittsburgh?

Your AFC Divisional Playoff matches are Steelers-Bills and Raiders-Oilers.

I don't know if Jeff Hostetler would have been quite able to pull off on Buddy Ryan's defense what Montana did, but their speedsters and playmakers (Brown/Jett) would have gotten a nice dry fast track in the Astrodome. The Steelers would have been much better equipped for that super freezing cold weather at Rich Stadium.

Does Buffalo still make it? Does Houston make it 12 straight with no Montana mystique looming? Who knows how that changes things with Houston and L.A. who were gone from those cities in a few years if they somehow maybe make a SB?

The Steelers pounded the Bills on MNF that year, and had a better running game than the Raiders did. If they control the ball on the ground in the cold, they could have defeated Buffalo, and they would have been on to Houston for the third time.

In that hypo AFC Title Game, the Steelers play better than they did against Houston earlier in the year, but the Oilers beat them a third time, and go on to the SB.

That year, I could see them defeating Dallas. Buddy's 46 would have caused problems for Aikman, who was playing with a concussion. After that win, I don't know if that would have increased their likelihood of staying in Houston, but it wouldn't have hurt. Also, I don't see Moon being traded to the Vikings (Cody Carlson would have been traded there instead).

Also, the odds of them getting back to the SB aren't too bad if they keep Moon because the AFC wasn't as good in 94 as it was in 93. The Bills, Broncos, Raiders, and Chiefs didn't do as well as they did the year before, and the Chargers were a paper tiger.

[pcgd]

If the Colts pick Ryan Leaf I seriously doubt they are still in Indianapolis.

[Unocal]

What if Sterling Sharpe never had his neck-ending injury and didn't have to retire so early (He caught 18 touchdowns in 1994)? What do you think that could have done for Favre?

[Kevin W.]

What if Pat LaFontaine and Steve Yzerman had been picked in the opposite order in the 1983 draft?

[DnBronc]

2001 West Semifinals. Lakers sweep series 4-0, en route to a 15-1 postseason mark. Jason Williams was traded in the offseason for Mike Bibby.

What if the Kings didn't trade for Mike Bibby?

[Gothamite]

Nah

I'm surprised nobody mentioned... what if Donald Trump didn't sink the USFL?

would the USFL merged with the NFL.

Not a chance. The AFL/NFL merger was possible because the upstart league had teams in many cities not served by the existing one. The NFL could treat it like instant expansion into some pretty good markets.

What would the USFL had to offer them? Birmingham?

[illwauk]

What if Sterling Sharpe never had his neck-ending injury and didn't have to retire so early (He caught 18 touchdowns in 1994)? What do you think that could have done for Favre?

Brett Favre became a much better QB when he couldn't rely on "get the ball to Sterling" as his game plan.

Either way, Mike Holmgren still would've left, and the Packers still would've been stuck with an apathetic head coach who didn't know or care how to deal with his diva QB for Sterling to even get the ball.

[DnBronc]

What if Sterling Sharpe never had his neck-ending injury and didn't have to retire so early (He caught 18 touchdowns in 1994)? What do you think that could have done for Favre?

Brett Favre became a much better QB when he couldn't rely on "get the ball to Sterling" as his game plan.

Either way, Mike Holmgren still would've left, and the Packers still would've been stuck with an apathetic head coach who didn't know or care how to deal with his diva QB for Sterling to even get the ball.

You make a good point. That's what I was going to say.

Now, back to what ifs. This is another NFL one.

What if the Vikings didn't come back to beat the Giants in the 1997 Wildcard?

If they didn't, I heard that they were going to fire Dennis Green. Who replaces him? Brian Billick, or someone else?

Also, does that coach draft Moss? And, if he doesn't, where does he fall? Does he fall all the way to the end of the first round (where Mike Shanahan and the Broncos would have been salivating)?

[Dalcowboyfan92]

Also, does that coach draft Moss? And, if he doesn't, where does he fall? Does he fall all the way to the end of the first round (where Mike Shanahan and the Broncos would have been salivating)?

I think Jerry Jones doesn't draft Greg Ellis (who to be honest wasn't a horrible player) and drafts Moss who doesn't torment the Cowboys. *shrugs*