The 1987 Redskins' Super Bowl win, 1 of 3 by Joe Gibbs, wouldn't change a lot for their team if someone else won. Karryl Green and Art MOnk and others still are Hall of Famers (and I'll still be unsure if I'm spelling Green's name right), certain people obviously have Super Bowl rigns and make nice stories, etc..
But, who else could Doug Williams have gone to who would have had a chance at the Super Bowl and who would have made for interesting PODs?
I thought of the Cowboys at first - if they go 9-6 and become a wild card instead, then beat the inexperienced Saints, overconfident 49ers, and the REdskins or Bears, then Doug Williams really gets in "The Zone" and wins Super Bowl MVP, it probably doesn't let Landry coach any longer. In fact, he probably retires, riding off into the sunset with the most improbable of wins. And Jerry Jones then just rebuilds the Cowboys in his image anyway, including the Herschel Walker trade.
But a number of other clubs needed a quarterback as insurance in '86 and then could have gone all-in on Williams in '87, perhaps also getting George Rogers in a trade, and looked like they were near the top, only for Williams to put them over. Who would be the most interesting? Have the biggest impact? The Bears are another thought - McMahon had tons of injury issues and Payton would finally get his Super Bowl TD - but a 2nd Chicago title in 3 years doesn't impact things a lot.
Of course, QBs have much more of an impact now, but it's interesting to imagine Doug Williams in The Zone (as well as Timmy Smith) for someone else. Or even for an AFC club that can defeat the Broncos, though that might be a slightly harder task. They creamed the Oilers, the Browns didn't have the injuries they did next year, and a few other teams were already set at QB, too.
It's fun to play with the USFL guys coming back to the NFL sometimes.
But, who else could Doug Williams have gone to who would have had a chance at the Super Bowl and who would have made for interesting PODs?
I thought of the Cowboys at first - if they go 9-6 and become a wild card instead, then beat the inexperienced Saints, overconfident 49ers, and the REdskins or Bears, then Doug Williams really gets in "The Zone" and wins Super Bowl MVP, it probably doesn't let Landry coach any longer. In fact, he probably retires, riding off into the sunset with the most improbable of wins. And Jerry Jones then just rebuilds the Cowboys in his image anyway, including the Herschel Walker trade.
But a number of other clubs needed a quarterback as insurance in '86 and then could have gone all-in on Williams in '87, perhaps also getting George Rogers in a trade, and looked like they were near the top, only for Williams to put them over. Who would be the most interesting? Have the biggest impact? The Bears are another thought - McMahon had tons of injury issues and Payton would finally get his Super Bowl TD - but a 2nd Chicago title in 3 years doesn't impact things a lot.
Of course, QBs have much more of an impact now, but it's interesting to imagine Doug Williams in The Zone (as well as Timmy Smith) for someone else. Or even for an AFC club that can defeat the Broncos, though that might be a slightly harder task. They creamed the Oilers, the Browns didn't have the injuries they did next year, and a few other teams were already set at QB, too.
It's fun to play with the USFL guys coming back to the NFL sometimes.
