DBWI: The Vikings Dynasty of 1998-2004 didn't exist

AltHistoryNerd

It was great to see the Vikings finally get over the hump as a franchise. One of the most winningest teams in pro sports without an undisputed championship finally gets one. And with what flair too. They didn't have to do it with a franchise QB or a dominant defense. They did it with just offense, throwing out the adage that "Defense Wins Championships".

The Vikings could plug in any quarterback and they were competitive.
Randall Cunningham, Jeff George, even Dan Marino on his last legs could have ran that offense and they would have been competitive.

It also helped too after they made the brilliant trade of Brad Johnson to Washington and turned the 11th and 31st picks in the draft draft pick into Jevon Kearse, Mike Rucker and Jim Kleinsasser, adding a vicious pass rushing defense and an excellent blocking tight end to that high powered offense for years to come.

But what if Gary Anderson doesn't make the kick to seal the Vikings lead in the 1999 NFC Championship game?

What if Matthew Hatchette dropped the game winning touchdown pass from Randall Cunningham in the ensuing Super Bowl? Will Randall Cunningham still be in the Hall of Fame?

What if Robert Smith fumbles the ball before he crosses the goal line in Super Bowl XXXV? Does Marino finally get his ring? Will Robert Smith also be in the Hall?
What if Drew Bledsoe toughs out his sprained ankle and throws the winning touchdown in SB XXXVII instead of sitting down and forcing a valiant but unsuccessful Tom Brady to debut on the biggest game on earth? Do the Vikings finally realize that it's time to stop playing QB carousel and get themselves a long term solution at QB? Will Tom Brady finally have his chance to prove he belongs in the NFL?

What if Kurt Warner doesn't torch the Vikings suspect secondary for 400 yards in the 1999-2000 NFCCG and repeat the effort in the 2003-4 NFCCG? Does Chip Rosenbloom keep the team after his mom passes away and makes an effort for the Rams to stay in Saint Louis forever?
 
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AltHistoryNerd

Personally, I think there's nothing stopping Kurt Warner and the greatest show on turf from losing Superbowl 34. Them losing would be ASB right there and then. Superbowl 35 and 36 would be hard for them to win because Dan Marino and the Vikings weren't going to be stopped in 2000 and a resurgent Tommy Maddox caught lightning in a bottle in 2001 with the Vikings. Neither would Drew Bledsoe or Tom Brady. Drew Bledsoe proved his point when he did the nigh impossible and took the Bills to the AFC Championship game in 2002, beating the Patriots before he ended up falling flat against the Oakland Raiders.

Wow, that other Vikings-Raiders Super Bowl was a doozy. Vikings got their 3rd championship against the Raiders in the most anti-climatic way you could imagine. The Raiders had a 35-34 lead against the Vikings. The Raiders had a 4th and 15 on their own 10 yard line. Dennis Green was a genius for putting Tommy Maddox in the backfield for a hook and lateral, probably to Randy Moss. And he did it with one timeout left, which was also genius too, in case they got tackled before the game ended, so they could score on a short field goal. All Shane Lecher had to do was not bobble the snap. But guess what he did? He bumbled the ball in the end zone. After grabbing the ball and lateraling it to a nearby teammate, who then lateraled it back to him to get the punt off. I knew that game was over when I saw that yellow flag then flew from the back judge. I also knew the game was over when he punted the ball to Tommy Maddox, who then lateraled it to Randy Moss, who nearly took it to the house before the most blatant face mask known to man was committed against him.

The worst words you could have heard from Ed Hochuli if you were a Raiders fan were this:

"Personal foul, face mask, punting team. That penalty is declined.
Illegal forward pass, punting team. Since the infraction occurred in the end zone, the penalty results in a safety. Minnesota wins 36-35".
 
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AltHistoryNerd

It's ASB for the Rams to move to anywhere but back to LA for the simple reason that they won 2 Super Bowls in Saint Louis. And even with LA, it's 20/80. Winning 2 Super Bowls tends to keep your team in town. Just ask the Cleveland Browns. Although rumors have it that if the Colts don't win the Superbowl with Peyton Manning, the team might jet off to either LA or back to Baltimore.
 

Colonel Zoidberg

How do you butterfly away the Vikings, though? Maybe dismantle the offense? You would have a hell of a lot of weapons to take away from this team. I mean, you could have Marino retire a Dolphin rather than take another turn in Minnesota; I guess if the '99 season ended with him getting hurt or utterly humiliated or something, he might not decide he's still got it and go to the Vikings. But that game he played in Jacksonville in the divisional round was nothing short of magic - and as good as the Jags were, it had to be since the Jags hung 48 on Miami. Only by Marino having the game of his life did the Dolphins win 51-48 that day. That and the upset of the Titans in the AFC Championship. Sure, they didn't stand a chance against the Rams, but Miami making it as far as they did convinced Marino to give it another go, and since the Dolphins were dead set on Marc Bulger at QB, they let Marino go (hey, he got the Fins by for a few years.)

Maybe if the offense wasn't coached well, it doesn't live up to its potential. It's too bad too; that dynasty led to the construction of Buffalo Wild Wings Stadium, which is freaking sweet.
 

AltHistoryNerd

OOC, BW2 wasn't the juggernaut it was back then, nor was it based out of Minnesota. If the stadium was built back then, a better name for it would probably be 3M Stadium or Best Buy Field.
 

Colonel Zoidberg

AltHistoryNerd said:
OOC, BW2 wasn't the juggernaut it was back then, nor was it based out of Minnesota. If the stadium was built back then, a better name for it would probably be 3M Stadium or Best Buy Field.
Click to expand...

OOC: Not sure if it was a juggernaut at that point, but it's been based out of Minneapolis since 1997.

IC: BW3 has been big enough to buy naming rights since the stadium opened in 2009, and it's a good thing that place was open in 2010. Could you imagine the roof on the Metrodome holding during that snowstorm in November of that year? No way, but the Big Chicken Wing held up just fine with a fully reinforced roof.
 
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