NFL "what-if" scenarios thread

[BD Sullivan]

Regarding Walsh, one pre-hiring article on him noted that he narrowly lost out to George Allen the year before for the Rams job and was offered a multi-year contract by the Bears, but turned it down.

The 49ers were reportedly considering hiring Seahawks exec Dick Mansperger as their GM. He had Dallas roots, so it's possible that he would have gone after Reeves, even though the consensus seemed to zero in on Walsh.

There were some interesting rumors just after the 78 season ended:

*Don Klosterman would leave the Rams to become the 49ers GM

*Red Miller would leave Denver to take the NE job (where he was previously a Pats assistant)

*Tom Flores was expected to replace Madden in Oakland, but Reeves, Ray Malavasi and Bud Carson's names were thrown in the mix.

*Gil Brandt would become the Giants GM and bring Reeves with him. Instead, George Young got the job and hired Reeves.

*Ted Marchibroda would be fired and replaced by George Allen. Both Allen and Hank Stram were apparently desperate to get back into coaching because they had both expressed interest in the Univ. of Miami job, which at the time, was hardly a high-profile assignment. The Canes were coming off a 6-5 season in Lou Saban's second year, and hadn't won seven games in a season since 1967'. Instead, they hired Howard Schnellenberger.

[7DnBrnc53]

If Paul Brown went back to Ohio State after WWII, the landscape of the NFL today would have been a lot different.

Brown was ahead of his time, bringing several innovations to Pro Football. He influenced several future NFL head coaches (like Walsh, Noll, and Shula). And, the AAFC may have lasted several more years without a Cleveland team (that would have been called the Panthers) that is kicking the crap out of everyone (as a result, you are looking at a different merger, if there is one).

[BD Sullivan]

If Paul Brown went back to Ohio State after WWII, the landscape of the NFL today would have been a lot different.

Brown was ahead of his time, bringing several innovations to Pro Football. He influenced several future NFL head coaches (like Walsh, Noll, and Shula). And, the AAFC may have lasted several more years without a Cleveland team (that would have been called the Panthers) that is kicking the crap out of everyone (as a result, you are looking at a different merger, if there is one).

Brown considered going back to OSU after winning the 1950 title, but OSU ended up hiring Woody Hayes.

Regarding other Brown NFL what-if's, he was rumored to be part of an ownership group to buy the Eagles in 1963, a few months after getting canned by the Browns. Assuming he would have coached the team, it's doubtful the Eagles would have floundered for the next 15 years.

Three years later, more whispers about him taking the expansion Atlanta job (presumably with an ownership stake) quickly faded and they chose Norb Hecker.

[rhickok1109]

If Paul Brown went back to Ohio State after WWII, the landscape of the NFL today would have been a lot different.

Brown was ahead of his time, bringing several innovations to Pro Football. He influenced several future NFL head coaches (like Walsh, Noll, and Shula). And, the AAFC may have lasted several more years without a Cleveland team (that would have been called the Panthers) that is kicking the crap out of everyone (as a result, you are looking at a different merger, if there is one).

Would the Rams have moved to LA in 1946 without the threat of the Browns?

[BD Sullivan]

If Paul Brown went back to Ohio State after WWII, the landscape of the NFL today would have been a lot different.

Brown was ahead of his time, bringing several innovations to Pro Football. He influenced several future NFL head coaches (like Walsh, Noll, and Shula). And, the AAFC may have lasted several more years without a Cleveland team (that would have been called the Panthers) that is kicking the crap out of everyone (as a result, you are looking at a different merger, if there is one).

Would the Rams have moved to LA in 1946 without the threat of the Browns?

Reeves wasn't happy about the attendance situation and with WWII now over, he presumably figured L.A. would finally be the gold mine that had been hyped for years. Of course, the fact that the 45 title game was played in brutal weather probably helped his thinking in this area as well.

[Rupert Patrick]

If Paul Brown went back to Ohio State after WWII, the landscape of the NFL today would have been a lot different.

Brown was ahead of his time, bringing several innovations to Pro Football. He influenced several future NFL head coaches (like Walsh, Noll, and Shula). And, the AAFC may have lasted several more years without a Cleveland team (that would have been called the Panthers) that is kicking the crap out of everyone (as a result, you are looking at a different merger, if there is one).

Would the Rams have moved to LA in 1946 without the threat of the Browns?

Reeves wasn't happy about the attendance situation and with WWII now over, he presumably figured L.A. would finally be the gold mine that had been hyped for years. Of course, the fact that the 45 title game was played in brutal weather probably helped his thinking in this area as well.

By 1945 with the war over, it was clear that either somebody was going to move to LA, (and eventually San Francisco also) or the NFL was going to put a new franchise there. With no AAFC on the horizon, it really made more sense to put an established team there as opposed to risking an expansion team. If the Rams hadn't moved, it would have been either the Steelers or Cardinals, most likely the Steelers, I think, as the franchise was struggling in Pittsburgh before the war and spent two seasons merged with other teams. The Rams, however, were just coming off an NFL title, and had star players like Waterfield, and were embraced immediately by the city and were successful there. I don't know if the Steelers would have been successful in LA (I doubt they ever would have been successful until Dan Rooney started running things), but the Cardinals is a different matter as they were building a powerhouse that would win the 1947 NFL title game and would go to the NFL Championship in 1948 also.

With no AAFC, I think that by 1950 the NFL would have tried to put a team in San Francisco, maybe move the Cardinals or Steelers there, to build a rivalry with the Rams.

[7DnBrnc53]

Regarding other Brown NFL what-if's, he was rumored to be part of an ownership group to buy the Eagles in 1963, a few months after getting canned by the Browns. Assuming he would have coached the team, it's doubtful the Eagles would have floundered for the next 15 years.

Three years later, more whispers about him taking the expansion Atlanta job (presumably with an ownership stake) quickly faded and they chose Norb Hecker.

If Brown would have been the coach in Philly back then, I wonder if he would have kept Jurgensen, who wasn't really his type of QB (hard partier, etc...).

That was also the time that the Kennedy's were looking into buying the Eagles, but the Bay of Pigs happened, and they never looked into it again.

[Todd Pence]

On Thanksgiving Day 1976 the Dallas Cowboys narrowly defeated the St. Louis Cardinals on a disputed non-call in the game's final moments. Suppose the Cards prevail in this game? Then they win the NFC East outright for the third straight year instead of missing the playoffs entirely. How do the Cardinals fare in the postseason this time around and how does it affect Don Coryell's future with the team?

[7DnBrnc53]

On Thanksgiving Day 1976 the Dallas Cowboys narrowly defeated the St. Louis Cardinals on a disputed non-call in the game's final moments. Suppose the Cards prevail in this game? Then they win the NFC East outright for the third straight year instead of missing the playoffs entirely. How do the Cardinals fare in the postseason this time around and how does it affect Don Coryell's future with the team?

That's the year where they lost two close late season games: This one and the one against the Redskins.

If they win both, they are 12-2, and the 1-seed in the NFC. Dallas would have gotten the WC (their Week 14 game with the Redskins would have been meaningless). The Cowboys would have went to Minny, and the Cards would have hosted the Rams.

In those matchups, I like the Vikings (who would have been looking for payback for the Hail Mary game from the year before) and the Cardinals (who did beat the Rams 30-28 that year in LA).

In the NFC Title Game, the Vikings have the experience, but they don't have home field. This would be the year that the Cardinals sneak into the SB before losing to the Raiders.

Now, as for Coryell's future (in St. Louis), the run to SB XI should help tremendously. There probably wouldn't be a draft riff about Robin Cole or anything like that (especially because they wouldn't be able to get him in this world).

[7DnBrnc53]

Three years later, more whispers about him taking the expansion Atlanta job (presumably with an ownership stake) quickly faded and they chose Norb Hecker.

Wasn't Lombardi also rumored to get this job (he decided against it, but I think he told the Falcons that Hecker, a GB assistant, wasn't ready).