Sports WI: What if Joe Montana was drafted by Green Bay in 79?

Everyone knows Joe Montana as the 4-time SB winning QB, and some(not me) regard him as the best ever. But, he could have had a different destiny. There was someone in the Packer organization who wanted Montana something fierce, but the Packers passed on him. What if that guy got his way, and the Packers drafted him instead of San Francisco?
 
Say the Packer's get Montana, I'd wager the 1980's would be very different. Montana would likely start as a backup to the Packer's starting QB Lynn Dickey. However the 1980 season was horrendous for Green Bay and it's not hard to imagine Montana getting the starting job especially if Dickey get's injured. Fortunately for Green Bay their division was rather weak, If Montana's QB skills net them a pair of extra wins they'd make the playoffs. Unfortunately, once they're in the playoffs they'd be so beat up they'd probably loose to Philly in the first round.

1981 with an exciting new QB at the helm sees Green Bay begin to recover. Some good trades and draft picks allow them to win their division and eventually win the superbowl their first since 1978. Throughout the 80's I could see Green Bay becoming quite a powerhouse and picking up a few championships given stability at QB and correspondingly Head Coach.

As for the rest of the League, San Fran might go for Steve Dils if they're still looking for a backup QB, however he's not going to be nearly as good as Montana was. As a result San Fran remains a powerhouse in the West but not the dynasty they were in OTL.
 
Montana

I think that Montana might have had some success in Green Bay, but, I don't see them winning a SB. They didn't have a very strong defense or running game in the 80's. They did draft a good running back in 79 in Eddie Lee Ivery, but he had injury problems.
 
i agree that the Packers would at least have been a regular playoff participant and maybe more with Super Joe at QB. The 49er teams he played on did not always have a dominating running game, but it did not seem to matter.

As a Packer fan, the one i dwell on even more than passing on Montana is...what if the Packers had drafted Barry Sanders when they had the chance, instead of the mostly useless Tony Mandarich???? And then assume, as in real life, that they went on to add Brett Favre a season or two later.

Would that have been an unstoppable offense, or what???? Load up the box to stop Barry, and Brett will burn you through the air. Concentrate on stopping Brett and the passing game, and he will just hand off to Barry. ANd then, if Sterling Sharpe had stayed healthy, i think the Packers would have had a a running back/quarterback/go to wideout combo at least as good if not better than what Dallas had with Smith/Aikman/Irvin. And then it is the Packers who win multiple Super Bowls in the 1990s, and not the Evil Empire from Dallas.

And then, of course, there is the question of "what if Dan Devine does not trade a whole lot of high draft picks for an over the hill John Hadl..."
 
Top