Football
Inspired by the Baseball thread and by the thread on Michael Vick, I think it's about time to create a thread that deals with American Football PODs. Here are a few to consider:
-John Elway decides to play with the Colts
-Drew Bledsoe is never injured
-Michael Vick dosen't fight dogs
-Al Davis hands over final say on front office moves following the 2002 Super Bowl loss
Here is my take on these subjects:
1. Elway with Colts: Frank Kush decides to meet with Elway and his dad to iron out their differences, and they reluctantly agree to do it. As a result, Elway decides to stay in Baltimore, and leads the Colts to the playoffs in his first year. The following spring, Baltimore police catch Robert Irsay as he is trying to move the Colts out of town in the middle of the night. The legislation is approved to seize the Colts via Eminent Domain, and Irsay has to sell to the highest Baltimore bidder. Eventually, a new, open air stadium is built. As for Elway, he threatens to leave after him and Kush have a rift, and Kush is fired in 86. Buddy Ryan takes the job, and eventually Elway leads the Colts to the SB by 89, where they lose to San Fran.
As for the Broncos, they still draft Hinton in the first round of the 83 draft and hold on to him since they don't trade for Elway. With their 1984 first rounder, they select QB Boomer Esiason, and since they are picking a lot higher in 85 without Elway, they take a WR named Jerry Rice in the first round. Other building blocks are added, like Thurman Thomas and Shannon Sharpe, and they eventually win a SB or two in the early-90's.
2. Bledsoe is never injured: What people forget is that Bledsoe signed a 10-year, 103-million dollar contract in March of 2001. So, with that kind of money, there was no guarantee that Brady was going to take over, even though people like to say that after what happened. I heard that Brady was outperforming Bledsoe in the preseason, but it is preseason. If Bledsoe doesn't get hurt that year, he leads New England to a 7-9 or 8-8 finish. I also see him still leading the team in future years as long as he is healthy, and he probably would have led them to the playoffs again around 02-06. I don't think that he would have led them to the Super Bowl, though. As for Brady, either he rides the bench for a lot of those years, or he plays good when Drew misses a game in that span, and is traded to another team. He does well, but he isn't considered one of the best QB's in the league.
3. Vick doesn't fight dogs: He probably remains Atlanta's QB to this day, and Matt Ryan would probably be with the Chiefs or Jets. If the Falcons still get Michael Turner, he and Vick would have been a good tandem. Also, I still see them hiring Mike Smith as coach in 2008. Petrino would have deserted them no matter what Vick did. Also, with Vick in Atlanta, do the Eagles hold on to McNabb?
4. Al Davis hands over personnel moves to Front office after losing SB 37: Depends on who he hands them to.
Here are some others:
1. The Chiefs give Marv Levy another chance in 1983, and Joe Delaney mentions his inability at swimming to a teammate, who decides to teach him how. Also, with Levy on board, they draft Dan Marino instead of Todd Blackledge.
2. The Buffalo Bisons are admitted into the NFL in 1950 from the AAFC.
3. The Eagles don't win their final two games of the 1968 season, and draft O.J. Simpson #1 overall in 69.