This works! Especially since the Browns lost a draft pick (despite finishing 1-15) in 2008 due to a cap violation. Thanks redsox!
THE DAWG POUND DYNASTY: AN ALTERNATE HISTORY OF THE NFL
- Thread starter Pellegrino
- Start date
This works! Especially since the Browns lost a draft pick (despite finishing 1-15) in 2008 due to a cap violation. Thanks redsox!
This inspiring me to do my own NFL timeline possibly with the Raiders. I honestly never want this to end. Well written and insanely addictive from start to finish. Also I am assuming no teams have relocated in this TL and does the International Series exist?
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Im not going to pretend that i understand American football, i even tried watching 5 minutes on youtube but didnt understand anything. However this is awesome, i like how slowly the browns are turning from the loveable loser under dogs to the hated team and i also like how fate is against them. I also dont understand the reverse but i like it. PS I noticed this TL doesnt have the scope that ZRE does but i like it this way its kind of funny and light hearted and a welcome break from all the TL's here.
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FDW
Banned
If you're going to do The Raiders, I'd recommend the Elway trade as a POD. Because OTL, The Raiders were interested in Elway, and tried to make a deal with The Bears to get him. Figuring out a way so that The Raiders get Elway without losing Howie Long in the process will lead to very interesting happenings.
Thanks for the support Protest! I appreciate it!
And funny you should mention the Raiders, when I was picking a theme to my NFL timeline, I seriously considered doing one about the Raiders instead of the Browns.
The POD would have been October 19, 1997. A meaningless game in Oakland as the 2-5 Raiders host the undefeated Denver Broncos, who came into the game with a 6-0 records. The Raiders, leading 28-25, had a critical 3rd and 10 on the Raiders 12 yard line with 2:05 remaining in the game. Raiders Tim Brown made a diving catch from Jeff George to give the Raiders the first down. My POD would be that Tim Brown dropped the pass, and after the punt Elway leads the Broncos into the end zone.
Doesn't seem to change much from OTL at first. The Broncos finished the season 12-4 and won the Super Bowl in OTL. That doesn't change much (they finish the season 13-3 instead but still win the Super Bowl). The Raiders struggled badly and finished the year 4-12 in OTL. Now they are 3-13 with this loss to Denver, and like OTL they are still in last place.
But there is one critical difference. They now are tied with Indianapolis for the worst record in football, and they now move up from the 4th overall pick to the first due to that one play.
And in 1998 there was no question who the #1 player in the draft was: Peyton Manning.
In the end I decided against it since I really didn't know if Manning would do as well as he did in OTL with Oakland's offense. But it would have been an intersting idea to work with.
FDW
Banned
Thanks for the support Protest! I appreciate it!
And funny you should mention the Raiders, when I was picking a theme to my NFL timeline, I seriously considered doing one about the Raiders instead of the Browns.
The POD would have been October 19, 1997. A meaningless game in Oakland as the 2-5 Raiders host the undefeated Denver Broncos, who came into the game with a 6-0 records. The Raiders, leading 28-25, had a critical 3rd and 10 on the Raiders 12 yard line with 2:05 remaining in the game. Raiders Tim Brown made a diving catch from Jeff George to give the Raiders the first down. My POD would be that Tim Brown dropped the pass, and after the punt Elway leads the Broncos into the end zone.
Doesn't seem to change much from OTL at first. The Broncos finished the season 12-4 and won the Super Bowl in OTL. That doesn't change much (they finish the season 13-3 instead but still win the Super Bowl). The Raiders struggled badly and finished the year 4-12 in OTL. Now they are 3-13 with this loss to Denver, and like OTL they are still in last place.
But there is one critical difference. They now are tied with Indianapolis for the worst record in football, and they now move up from the 4th overall pick to the first due to that one play.
And in 1998 there was no question who the #1 player in the draft was: Peyton Manning.
In the end I decided against it since I really didn't know if Manning would do as well as he did in OTL with Oakland's offense. But it would have been an intersting idea to work with.
Oddly, I still don't see The Raiders taking a QB in 98, because Jeff George had a career year in 1997, it was the defense that was awful.
I can't remember correctly, but didn't George only have one year left on his contract? I could see Manning getting picked with the plan that he sit on the bench behond George for a season.
FDW
Banned
It could've easily been extended if he continued to play at a high level in 1998. And it's possible that The Raiders being even more horrible than OTL in 1997 might lead to AL selling the farm to Bill Belichick, as apparently there were a number of people within the organization that wanted to him hired.
CHAPTER FORTY SIX: THE 2010 SEASON
____________________________________________________________
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
Originally aired on October 27, 2008
Courtesy of ESPN
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.
Colin Cowherd: Jack, you’re in the Herd on ESPN Radio, Jack go ahead.
Jack (Caller): Colin, thanks for taking my call.
Colin Cowherd: You bet.
Jack: Yeah, Colin, I am a die hard Browns fan and I realize this is a rought start for us this season. But I think we are still in the running here. We need to turn things around quickly, but I I don’t think we are at the point where we should close the book on this season.
Colin Cowherd: Well, I disagree Jack. Other than Adam's Team up in new England, no team has ever started 1-4 and made the playoffs. I am sorry Jack, but the Browns are finished. But I will humor you. What can the Browns do to salvage this season?
Jack: Well Colin, we need to be honest here. Yes, we are 1-4 and in last place. But a lot of that can be put on the offense. Brett Favre...he just doesn’t have it anymore. Six touchdowns and ten interceptions. It’s time to put the past behind us and give the reigns of the team to Tim Tebow.
Colin Cowherd: You can’t be serious. Jack…Jack. You can’t be serious. Did you even see Tebow play in the pre-season?
Jack: Yes I did, but that was the pre-season-
Colin Cowherd: Did you see how bad he looked when Jon Gruden brought him in against Cincinnati in the third quarter two weeks ago?
Jack: Yes but-
Colin Cowherd: One for six Jack! One for six! Two interceptions and three yards! He has twice as many passes caught by the other team than he does completions! He has almost as many interceptions as he has yards Jack!
Jack: You can’t base everything on one game Colin.
Colin: Sure you can! They do it all the time in this league! This league is all about results, and Tim Tebow will never, ever, ever produce in the NFL. Tim Tebow can’t make basic throws. When you look at Matthew Stafford over in New York, when you watch Mark Sanchez in Dallas…their first games in the NFL, first game, they have good mechanics. They throw it down field. They have poise. Tebow has none of that. He looks out of his league Jack. And you want to know why? Because he is! He has no business being in the NFL.
Jack: Well Colin, I think it is clear that the Brett Favre is not the same quarterback he was last season and if the Browns want to win they need to play the best guy they have.
Colin: And I agree Jack, Brett Favre is a shell of his former self. He is a shell of the quarterback he was just one season ago. He is done, at least as an elite NFL quarterback. But he is still a competent quarterback Jack. He is still competent. But if you honestly believe that the Cleveland Browns should bench one of the greatest quarterbacks in the last twenty years for Tim Tebow, then I don’t know what to say. I just am dumbfounded. You want to know something Jack? You want to know why everyone in the country hates Browns fans?! It’s because of conversations like this. It’s because guys will say something this crazy and make us all wonder if you even watch football at all! How can you honestly say Tim Tebow is a better quarterback than Brett Favre?! Are you serious Jack?! Are you serious? I don’t care is Brett Favre is washed up; he is still ten times the quarterback that Tim Tebow will ever be. It would be one thing if you called in and said, OK Colin, the season is over. Let’s start Tebow and see what he can do. I would respectfully disagree, but I’d understand a statement like that. But to say that you want to start Tebow because you think he is better than Brett Favre?!
_______________________________________________________________
It was tough. Brett came so close in 2009, and we all had high hopes for 2010. But it was clear early on that he wasn’t the same anymore. And the whole Tebow thing sort of sucked the life right out of him. I knew Tebow was a controversial pick in the draft, but I saw something great in him. However i knew it would take sometime to get him ready. Well, after a 1-4 start the calls for Tebow to start began to grow. I know a lot of fans felt I should have benched Favre early on, but I didn’t see Tim Tebow as being ready to take over. He was developing, but his accuracy was still somewhat shaky and I just wasn’t ready to hand him the starting QB position. Once we were out of the playoffs the calls grew louder. Then we lost our 9th game and everyone began to call for Tebow to start over Favre. I knew that irritated Favre. The only thing he hated more than losing was being marginalized like that. No great quarterback wants to hear fans calling for him to be benched for some rookie, and with Tebow, it was relentless. At that point, I knew Brett was done. I could just see it in his eyes. The Browns were turning into a circus act and he wanted out. After hurting his shoulder in the fifteenth game of the season, a loss to Baltimore, Favre told me he didn’t feel like he could start in the final game of the season against Pittsburgh. After 300 consecutive starts Brett Favre would end his career on the sidelines holding a clipboard. And I will never forget the chorus of boos that greeted backup Dan LeFevour, who I elected to start over Tebow, as he took the field in Cleveland. People always ask me what I thought of Tebowmania. Well, I won't lie, it was pretty terrible when it first started gaining momentum.
Jon Gruden on ESPN Radio (July 11, 2012)
__________________________________________________________
The 2010 season would go on to be a disaster for Jon Gruden and the Cleveland Browns as quarterback Brett Favre would struggle badly in what would end up being his final season as a professional. Injuries to Antonio Gates and Wes Welker complicated matters as well, and by mid season it became clear that the Browns would simply not be making it back to the post season that year. The Browns would miss their chance to stop the growing juggernaut that was the New York Giants. They would lose their last chance at vengeance against Tom Brady. Brady and the Giants continued to steamroll through the NFC in 2010 with ease en route to their second consecutive Super Bowl. In the AFC it would be the New York Jets that would take up the challenge of trying to stop the Gridiron Goliath in Super Bowl XLV. The Subway Super Bowl many would call it in the days leading up to the matchup. But after the games fans were singing a different tune. It would go on to be referred to as a New York mugging as the Giants dominated the Jets in what would go down in history as the most lopsided Super Bowl ever. For many in the league, it looked like the Giants were nothing short of unstoppable. Nobody would be able to derail Broadway Brady and the Giants. Not Elway and the Broncos. Not Romo and the Dolphins. Not Manning and the Colts. And certainly not Tim Tebow and the freefalling Cleveland Browns.
That would take a miracle.
From the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary “The Dawg Pound Dynasty”
____________________________________________________________
2010 NFL Standings:
AFC East
New York 11-5 (2)
New England 10-6 (5)
Miami 7-9
Buffalo 6-10
AFC North
Baltimore 10-6 (3)
Cincinnati 9-7 (6)
Pittsburgh 8-8
Cleveland 5-11
AFC South
Indianapolis 12-4 (1)
Tennessee 8-8
Jacksonville 7-9
Houston 4-12
AFC West
Oakland 9-7 (4)
Denver 9-7
Kansas City 7-9
San Diego 6-10
Playoffs:
Wildcard:
Baltimore (3) vs. Cincinnati (6) Cincinnati 31-14
Oakland (4) vs. New England (5) New England 23-3
Round One:
Indianapolis (1) vs. Cincinnati (6) Cincinnati 27-24 (OT)
New York (2) vs. New England (5) New York 28-24
AFC Championship:
New York (2) vs. Cincinnati (6) New York 10-7
NFC East
New York 14-2 (1)
Dallas 9-7 (5)
Washington 8-8
Philadelphia 3-13
NFC North
Chicago 10-6 (4)
Detroit 8-8
Green Bay 8-8
Minnesota 6-10
NFC South
Atlanta 10-6 (3)
Carolina 9-7 (6)
New Orleans 8-8
Tampa Bay 5-11
NFC West
San Francisco 10-6 (2)
St. Louis 8-8
Seattle 7-9
Arizona 5-11
Playoffs:
Wildcard:
Atlanta (3) vs. Carolina (6) Carolina 28-7
Chicago (4) vs. Dallas (5) Dallas 20-6
Round One:
New York (1) vs. Carolina (6) New York 43-16
San Francisco (2) vs. Dallas (5) Dallas 30-28
NFC Championship:
New York (1) vs. Dallas (5) New York 48-17
Super Bowl XLV:
New York Giants vs. New York Jets: New York Giants 62-9
CHAPTER FORTY SIX: THE 2010 SEASON
____________________________________________________________
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
Originally aired on October 27, 2008
Courtesy of ESPN
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.
Colin Cowherd: Jack, you’re in the Herd on ESPN Radio, Jack go ahead.
Jack (Caller): Colin, thanks for taking my call.
Colin Cowherd: You bet.
Jack: Yeah, Colin, I am a die hard Browns fan and I realize this is a rought start for us this season. But I think we are still in the running here. We need to turn things around quickly, but I I don’t think we are at the point where we should close the book on this season.
Colin Cowherd: Well, I disagree Jack. Other than Adam's Team up in new England, no team has ever started 1-4 and made the playoffs. I am sorry Jack, but the Browns are finished. But I will humor you. What can the Browns do to salvage this season?
Jack: Well Colin, we need to be honest here. Yes, we are 1-4 and in last place. But a lot of that can be put on the offense. Brett Favre...he just doesn’t have it anymore. Six touchdowns and ten interceptions. It’s time to put the past behind us and give the reigns of the team to Tim Tebow.
Colin Cowherd: You can’t be serious. Jack…Jack. You can’t be serious. Did you even see Tebow play in the pre-season?
Jack: Yes I did, but that was the pre-season-
Colin Cowherd: Did you see how bad he looked when Jon Gruden brought him in against Cincinnati in the third quarter two weeks ago?
Jack: Yes but-
Colin Cowherd: One for six Jack! One for six! Two interceptions and three yards! He has twice as many passes caught by the other team than he does completions! He has almost as many interceptions as he has yards Jack!
Jack: You can’t base everything on one game Colin.
Colin: Sure you can! They do it all the time in this league! This league is all about results, and Tim Tebow will never, ever, ever produce in the NFL. Tim Tebow can’t make basic throws. When you look at Matthew Stafford over in New York, when you watch Mark Sanchez in Dallas…their first games in the NFL, first game, they have good mechanics. They throw it down field. They have poise. Tebow has none of that. He looks out of his league Jack. And you want to know why? Because he is! He has no business being in the NFL.
Jack: Well Colin, I think it is clear that the Brett Favre is not the same quarterback he was last season and if the Browns want to win they need to play the best guy they have.
Colin: And I agree Jack, Brett Favre is a shell of his former self. He is a shell of the quarterback he was just one season ago. He is done, at least as an elite NFL quarterback. But he is still a competent quarterback Jack. He is still competent. But if you honestly believe that the Cleveland Browns should bench one of the greatest quarterbacks in the last twenty years for Tim Tebow, then I don’t know what to say. I just am dumbfounded. You want to know something Jack? You want to know why everyone in the country hates Browns fans?! It’s because of conversations like this. It’s because guys will say something this crazy and make us all wonder if you even watch football at all! How can you honestly say Tim Tebow is a better quarterback than Brett Favre?! Are you serious Jack?! Are you serious? I don’t care is Brett Favre is washed up; he is still ten times the quarterback that Tim Tebow will ever be. It would be one thing if you called in and said, OK Colin, the season is over. Let’s start Tebow and see what he can do. I would respectfully disagree, but I’d understand a statement like that. But to say that you want to start Tebow because you think he is better than Brett Favre?!
_______________________________________________________________
It was tough. Brett came so close in 2009, and we all had high hopes for 2010. But it was clear early on that he wasn’t the same anymore. And the whole Tebow thing sort of sucked the life right out of him. I knew Tebow was a controversial pick in the draft, but I saw something great in him. However i knew it would take sometime to get him ready. Well, after a 1-4 start the calls for Tebow to start began to grow. I know a lot of fans felt I should have benched Favre early on, but I didn’t see Tim Tebow as being ready to take over. He was developing, but his accuracy was still somewhat shaky and I just wasn’t ready to hand him the starting QB position. Once we were out of the playoffs the calls grew louder. Then we lost our 9th game and everyone began to call for Tebow to start over Favre. I knew that irritated Favre. The only thing he hated more than losing was being marginalized like that. No great quarterback wants to hear fans calling for him to be benched for some rookie, and with Tebow, it was relentless. At that point, I knew Brett was done. I could just see it in his eyes. The Browns were turning into a circus act and he wanted out. After hurting his shoulder in the fifteenth game of the season, a loss to Baltimore, Favre told me he didn’t feel like he could start in the final game of the season against Pittsburgh. After 300 consecutive starts Brett Favre would end his career on the sidelines holding a clipboard. And I will never forget the chorus of boos that greeted backup Dan LeFevour, who I elected to start over Tebow, as he took the field in Cleveland. People always ask me what I thought of Tebowmania. Well, I won't lie, it was pretty terrible when it first started gaining momentum.
Jon Gruden on ESPN Radio (July 11, 2012)
__________________________________________________________
The 2010 season would go on to be a disaster for Jon Gruden and the Cleveland Browns as quarterback Brett Favre would struggle badly in what would end up being his final season as a professional. Injuries to Antonio Gates and Wes Welker complicated matters as well, and by mid season it became clear that the Browns would simply not be making it back to the post season that year. The Browns would miss their chance to stop the growing juggernaut that was the New York Giants. They would lose their last chance at vengeance against Tom Brady. Brady and the Giants continued to steamroll through the NFC in 2010 with ease en route to their second consecutive Super Bowl. In the AFC it would be the New York Jets that would take up the challenge of trying to stop the Gridiron Goliath in Super Bowl XLV. The Subway Super Bowl many would call it in the days leading up to the matchup. But after the games fans were singing a different tune. It would go on to be referred to as a New York mugging as the Giants dominated the Jets in what would go down in history as the most lopsided Super Bowl ever. For many in the league, it looked like the Giants were nothing short of unstoppable. Nobody would be able to derail Broadway Brady and the Giants. Not Elway and the Broncos. Not Romo and the Dolphins. Not Manning and the Colts. And certainly not Tim Tebow and the freefalling Cleveland Browns.
That would take a miracle.
From the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary “The Dawg Pound Dynasty”
____________________________________________________________
2010 NFL Standings:
AFC East
New York 11-5 (2)
New England 10-6 (5)
Miami 7-9
Buffalo 6-10
AFC North
Baltimore 10-6 (3)
Cincinnati 9-7 (6)
Pittsburgh 8-8
Cleveland 5-11
AFC South
Indianapolis 12-4 (1)
Tennessee 8-8
Jacksonville 7-9
Houston 4-12
AFC West
Oakland 9-7 (4)
Denver 9-7
Kansas City 7-9
San Diego 6-10
Playoffs:
Wildcard:
Baltimore (3) vs. Cincinnati (6) Cincinnati 31-14
Oakland (4) vs. New England (5) New England 23-3
Round One:
Indianapolis (1) vs. Cincinnati (6) Cincinnati 27-24 (OT)
New York (2) vs. New England (5) New York 28-24
AFC Championship:
New York (2) vs. Cincinnati (6) New York 10-7
NFC East
New York 14-2 (1)
Dallas 9-7 (5)
Washington 8-8
Philadelphia 3-13
NFC North
Chicago 10-6 (4)
Detroit 8-8
Green Bay 8-8
Minnesota 6-10
NFC South
Atlanta 10-6 (3)
Carolina 9-7 (6)
New Orleans 8-8
Tampa Bay 5-11
NFC West
San Francisco 10-6 (2)
St. Louis 8-8
Seattle 7-9
Arizona 5-11
Playoffs:
Wildcard:
Atlanta (3) vs. Carolina (6) Carolina 28-7
Chicago (4) vs. Dallas (5) Dallas 20-6
Round One:
New York (1) vs. Carolina (6) New York 43-16
San Francisco (2) vs. Dallas (5) Dallas 30-28
NFC Championship:
New York (1) vs. Dallas (5) New York 48-17
Super Bowl XLV:
New York Giants vs. New York Jets: New York Giants 62-9
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Thanks Alpha, and I won't lie, I'm honored to know I might have convinced a non-football fan to give the NFL a chance.
And yes, this is a much lighter feel than Zhirinovsky's Russian Empire, as well as not having nearly the scope of ZRE. But it is a fun TL to write and I am glad I have a few fans for this TL as well.
Ricobirch
Monthly Donor
Thanks for the support Protest! I appreciate it!
And funny you should mention the Raiders, when I was picking a theme to my NFL timeline, I seriously considered doing one about the Raiders instead of the Browns.
The POD would have been October 19, 1997. A meaningless game in Oakland as the 2-5 Raiders host the undefeated Denver Broncos, who came into the game with a 6-0 records. The Raiders, leading 28-25, had a critical 3rd and 10 on the Raiders 12 yard line with 2:05 remaining in the game. Raiders Tim Brown made a diving catch from Jeff George to give the Raiders the first down. My POD would be that Tim Brown dropped the pass, and after the punt Elway leads the Broncos into the end zone.
Doesn't seem to change much from OTL at first. The Broncos finished the season 12-4 and won the Super Bowl in OTL. That doesn't change much (they finish the season 13-3 instead but still win the Super Bowl). The Raiders struggled badly and finished the year 4-12 in OTL. Now they are 3-13 with this loss to Denver, and like OTL they are still in last place.
But there is one critical difference. They now are tied with Indianapolis for the worst record in football, and they now move up from the 4th overall pick to the first due to that one play.
And in 1998 there was no question who the #1 player in the draft was: Peyton Manning.
In the end I decided against it since I really didn't know if Manning would do as well as he did in OTL with Oakland's offense. But it would have been an intersting idea to work with.
That timeline would go in ASB, everyone knows Al would have drafted Ryan Leaf.
So the browns have somewhere between pick 3 and 5 in the draft which means based on original time line aj green Julio Jones or Patrick peterson...also the 2011 draft has Richard Sherman in the 5th round....this could be very interesting.
on a side note as a umass alum victor cruz still gonna have his coming out salsa party this season?
on a side note as a umass alum victor cruz still gonna have his coming out salsa party this season?
I've always said Tebow didn't get a fair shake in OTL - hopefully he gets one here in Cleveland!
Admiral Halsey
Banned
Same here. I always thought given the chance he could be a decent QB at worst and if given the right tutelage could've been a good QB. Plus he always seemed like a great person to have as a teammate.
I wonder what would have happened if Tebow left school two years earlier, and if a guy like Bill Walsh could have coached him.
Staying at Florida all four years did Tebow no good because he reinforced the same poor throwing mechanics.
It's hard to say. The Raiders just hired Jon Gruden, and they had Jeff George, who had a good season the year before, but really didn't fit the WCO too well. I could see Gruden drafting Manning, and fitting the scheme around him, but not Leaf.
Hmm, I hadn't even thought about what Victor Cruz is doing here...we might find a place for him in this TL before long though.