THE DAWG POUND DYNASTY: AN ALTERNATE HISTORY OF THE NFL
- Thread starter Pellegrino
- Start date
I didn't realize how hard it was to do these seasons (having to cross reference each teams schedules and what not) so I avoided the NFC for that reason. Detroit is much worse. In OTL they snuck into the playoffs on an 8-8 season after an 8-4 start and late season slump. OTL we see them start Akili Smith at QB to start the season, which doesn't pan out well for them at all. Cowboys are a littel better (I have them beating the Pats and the Saints in TTL, which has them 10-6 in this TTL). But the powerhouse in the NFC this season doesn't change as we will see in the next update. Kurt Warner and the Rams are still the NFC team to beat.
MarshalBraginsky
Banned
So are there all 32 NFL teams back in 1999? On the other note, would TTL's NFL still try to have the Buffalo Bills play in Toronto?
Hmmm. Not sure. I don't think we will see Buffalo move, but you never know. We may end up with a team moving to LA before all is said and done as well in TTL.
Jacksonville Jaguars are always a good candidate to move to Los Angeles.
If I remember right, the Texans already had been selected by the NFL in late 1999 when LA's bid collapsed. I don't see that changing at all in TTL.
I have always seen LA as being an NFC town since the Rams were there first. If someone in the AFC were to move there, I would pick the Chargers because that's where they began as part of the AFL in 1960.
Also, the Cardinals were still at Sun Devil Stadium in 1999, so would they get their dome stadium earlier than 2006 in TTL?
On this series, would the realignment be different than OTL?
Also, the Cardinals were still at Sun Devil Stadium in 1999, so would they get their dome stadium earlier than 2006 in TTL?
On this series, would the realignment be different than OTL?
CHAPTER FIVE: THE 1999 PLAYOFFS
I don’t know if there was every a post-season quite like 1999. First you had the popular Kurt Warner steamrolling the NFC en route to a Superbowl appearance. But in the AFC, I have to admit, I’ve never seen anything like that season. First you had Cleveland scoring the upset over both Tennessee and Jacksonville. Then you had Indianapolis falling to Miami in the divisional playoff in what remains, in my opinion, the greatest playoff upset in NFL history. It was just a wild ride.
Jon Gruden on ESPN Radio (July 11, 2012)
_____________________________________________________________
Excerpts from the book “Maize and Blue and Brown all over: A coaching odyssey” by Gary Moeller
Published by Random House © 2013
Chapter Seven: The Cuyahoga Comeback
I watched as Wayne Fontes took off his overcoat and pulled off his gloves. Both Wayne and I had been in football long enough to recognize that fate often played cruel jokes on those who were overconfident in the playoffs. Those who were foolish enough to think they had the game won before the first snap. Wayne learned the lesson the hard way back in 1995, when the Detroit Lions were heavy favorites over the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the playoffs. Winning seven straight, the Lions were widely expected to crush the Eagles, but when tackle Lomas Brown “guaranteed” a victory the Eagles found the resolve to not only win, but to embarrass the Lions.
And I saw the same thing happen with the Browns just two weeks ago. Drawing Tennessee in the wildcard, everyone in the league was patting us on the back and telling us “good job” for making it to the playoffs, but that the ride was now over. We were 0-2 against division rival Tennessee in 1999, and most assumed the Titans would easily roll over us. But when Titan fullback Lorenzo Neal “guaranteed” a Titans victory I jumped all over it. I copied the quote and posted it on every locker of every player on the team. They were already fuming over the lack of respect that we had got all season. Even after making it to the playoffs, one ESPN commentator called Doug Flutie a “sub-par quarterback” and Tyrone Wheatley “overrated.” Both men were furious, and looking to make a point. Flutie threw a respectable 21 touchdowns against only 17 picks in 1999, and yet he was still being called a subpar quarterback. And Wheatley ran for 1003 yards! How could you call a thousand yard rusher picked up in the expansion draft overrated?
Needless to say, we played angry, and we scored the upset. Our defense was on fire and we pulled off the 17-14 win in overtime. By then we were sure we would get the respect that we thought we deserved. But then the story changed. We were no longer the loveable losers who snuck into the playoffs. We were now a threat. There was a story brewing: Manning versus Warner. The 15-1 Colts were widely expected to crush through the playoffs and take on the offensive monster that was the St. Louis Rams in what was promising to be the slugfest of the century. But the Colts still had to get past us: the only team to beat them in the regular season. Suddenly it felt like we were more than just the underdog against Jacksonville in the second round. We felt like the league was actively rooting for the Jaguars, hoping that they would crush us before we ruined everything. But of course, we were confident against the Jaguars. We had beat them once at home in the regular season and we knew we could pull the trick off once again if we played well. And we also knew that we had the most underrated defense in the league, something we proved against the Jaguars in the divisional playoffs, beating them by a score of 16-10. Now it was on: the rematch. We were going to take on the powerhouse Colts and prove to the world that our win was no fluke. But a funny thing happened on the way to the Superbowl in Indianapolis. Their defense, which had remained pours at times during the regular season, finally collapsed. The Colts were upset in a slugfest at home by the Miami Dolphins, losing 37-33 at the RCA Dome. We were now playing the only team seeded lower than us in the conference champions: the 10-6 Miami Dolphins.
“Hell of a day today,” Fontes said with a laugh, “I can’t even feel my fingers.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the statement. Outside was one of the strongest nor’easter cold fronts to hit Cleveland in years. Just two weeks ago the temperature dropped to negative three. The lake effect was amplifying the biting cold and it was dark and dreary with a light slushy rain that made everything from the road to the gas pump handle difficult to hold.
“Some people say God hates this city,” I said with smile, “but you’d never guess it looking outside.”
Fontes smiled as he stepped to the window. It was cold. It was wet. It was miserable. And in 24 hours Dan Marino was going to have to come to Cleveland and play football here.
________________________________________________________________
Cleveland rocks! Browns destroy Dolphins as Marino ponders retirement
Sports Illustrated
January 24, 2000
(Sports Illustrated) – In the end, there was always the one opponent who had Dan Marino’s number, one foe who Marino never was able to beat. In front of a sold out crowd at Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Browns destroyed Marino and the Dolphins by a score of 48-17. And although the defense kept pressure on Marino, may felt that the biggest factor in the game was Mother Nature.
“I don’t want to take anything away from the Browns and Doug Flutie,” Marino said after the game, “but yeah, that has to be one of the coldest games I ever played.”
Dan Marino’s streak of playoff losses in games were the temperature was below freezing continued yesterday, in what may end up being Marino’s last game with the Dolphins. Marino looked uncomfortable early on and appeared to struggle to handle the ball at times. The Browns defensive line kept up the pressure, sacking Marino twice and picking him off three times to punctuate one of the worst playoff performances in his career.
“We knew that they had a great offense,” Defensive End Jevon Kearse said after the game, “we saw Dan Marino school Peyton Manning just last week in a shootout. But that only motivated us more. We wanted to show the world that the Browns have the defense to beat anyone in football. Bring on St. Louis!”
The Browns jumped to a commanding 28-0 lead in the first half and never looked back. By the second half, as it became apparent that the Dolphins had no answer for the Browns or the biting cold, fans began to sing “Ice Ice Baby,” with Cleveland fans mockingly emphasizing the line “Miami’s on the scene just in case you didn’t know it.”
“These fans have every right to be pissed,” running back Tyrone Wheatley said about the taunting. “They were told this team was garbage all season long. First they were told that we’d never win a game. Then they were told that we’d never finish over .500. Then they were told that we’d never make it to the playoffs. Then they were told we’d never win in the post season. Finally they were told that we’d never be able to stop Dan Marino. Well, we are going to Atlanta and Dan Marino is going home.”
______________________________________________________________
1999 AFC Playoffs:
Wildcard:
Seattle (3) vs. Miami (6) Miami 27-24
Tennessee (4) vs. Cleveland (5) Cleveland 17-14 (OT)
Round One:
Indianapolis (1) vs. Miami (6) Miami 37-33
Jacksonville (2) vs. Cleveland (5) Cleveland 16-10
AFC Championship:
Cleveland (6) vs. Miami (5) Cleveland 48-17
CHAPTER FIVE: THE 1999 PLAYOFFS
I don’t know if there was every a post-season quite like 1999. First you had the popular Kurt Warner steamrolling the NFC en route to a Superbowl appearance. But in the AFC, I have to admit, I’ve never seen anything like that season. First you had Cleveland scoring the upset over both Tennessee and Jacksonville. Then you had Indianapolis falling to Miami in the divisional playoff in what remains, in my opinion, the greatest playoff upset in NFL history. It was just a wild ride.
Jon Gruden on ESPN Radio (July 11, 2012)
_____________________________________________________________
Excerpts from the book “Maize and Blue and Brown all over: A coaching odyssey” by Gary Moeller
Published by Random House © 2013
Chapter Seven: The Cuyahoga Comeback
I watched as Wayne Fontes took off his overcoat and pulled off his gloves. Both Wayne and I had been in football long enough to recognize that fate often played cruel jokes on those who were overconfident in the playoffs. Those who were foolish enough to think they had the game won before the first snap. Wayne learned the lesson the hard way back in 1995, when the Detroit Lions were heavy favorites over the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the playoffs. Winning seven straight, the Lions were widely expected to crush the Eagles, but when tackle Lomas Brown “guaranteed” a victory the Eagles found the resolve to not only win, but to embarrass the Lions.
And I saw the same thing happen with the Browns just two weeks ago. Drawing Tennessee in the wildcard, everyone in the league was patting us on the back and telling us “good job” for making it to the playoffs, but that the ride was now over. We were 0-2 against division rival Tennessee in 1999, and most assumed the Titans would easily roll over us. But when Titan fullback Lorenzo Neal “guaranteed” a Titans victory I jumped all over it. I copied the quote and posted it on every locker of every player on the team. They were already fuming over the lack of respect that we had got all season. Even after making it to the playoffs, one ESPN commentator called Doug Flutie a “sub-par quarterback” and Tyrone Wheatley “overrated.” Both men were furious, and looking to make a point. Flutie threw a respectable 21 touchdowns against only 17 picks in 1999, and yet he was still being called a subpar quarterback. And Wheatley ran for 1003 yards! How could you call a thousand yard rusher picked up in the expansion draft overrated?
Needless to say, we played angry, and we scored the upset. Our defense was on fire and we pulled off the 17-14 win in overtime. By then we were sure we would get the respect that we thought we deserved. But then the story changed. We were no longer the loveable losers who snuck into the playoffs. We were now a threat. There was a story brewing: Manning versus Warner. The 15-1 Colts were widely expected to crush through the playoffs and take on the offensive monster that was the St. Louis Rams in what was promising to be the slugfest of the century. But the Colts still had to get past us: the only team to beat them in the regular season. Suddenly it felt like we were more than just the underdog against Jacksonville in the second round. We felt like the league was actively rooting for the Jaguars, hoping that they would crush us before we ruined everything. But of course, we were confident against the Jaguars. We had beat them once at home in the regular season and we knew we could pull the trick off once again if we played well. And we also knew that we had the most underrated defense in the league, something we proved against the Jaguars in the divisional playoffs, beating them by a score of 16-10. Now it was on: the rematch. We were going to take on the powerhouse Colts and prove to the world that our win was no fluke. But a funny thing happened on the way to the Superbowl in Indianapolis. Their defense, which had remained pours at times during the regular season, finally collapsed. The Colts were upset in a slugfest at home by the Miami Dolphins, losing 37-33 at the RCA Dome. We were now playing the only team seeded lower than us in the conference champions: the 10-6 Miami Dolphins.
“Hell of a day today,” Fontes said with a laugh, “I can’t even feel my fingers.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the statement. Outside was one of the strongest nor’easter cold fronts to hit Cleveland in years. Just two weeks ago the temperature dropped to negative three. The lake effect was amplifying the biting cold and it was dark and dreary with a light slushy rain that made everything from the road to the gas pump handle difficult to hold.
“Some people say God hates this city,” I said with smile, “but you’d never guess it looking outside.”
Fontes smiled as he stepped to the window. It was cold. It was wet. It was miserable. And in 24 hours Dan Marino was going to have to come to Cleveland and play football here.
________________________________________________________________
Cleveland rocks! Browns destroy Dolphins as Marino ponders retirement
Sports Illustrated
January 24, 2000
(Sports Illustrated) – In the end, there was always the one opponent who had Dan Marino’s number, one foe who Marino never was able to beat. In front of a sold out crowd at Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Browns destroyed Marino and the Dolphins by a score of 48-17. And although the defense kept pressure on Marino, may felt that the biggest factor in the game was Mother Nature.
“I don’t want to take anything away from the Browns and Doug Flutie,” Marino said after the game, “but yeah, that has to be one of the coldest games I ever played.”
Dan Marino’s streak of playoff losses in games were the temperature was below freezing continued yesterday, in what may end up being Marino’s last game with the Dolphins. Marino looked uncomfortable early on and appeared to struggle to handle the ball at times. The Browns defensive line kept up the pressure, sacking Marino twice and picking him off three times to punctuate one of the worst playoff performances in his career.
“We knew that they had a great offense,” Defensive End Jevon Kearse said after the game, “we saw Dan Marino school Peyton Manning just last week in a shootout. But that only motivated us more. We wanted to show the world that the Browns have the defense to beat anyone in football. Bring on St. Louis!”
The Browns jumped to a commanding 28-0 lead in the first half and never looked back. By the second half, as it became apparent that the Dolphins had no answer for the Browns or the biting cold, fans began to sing “Ice Ice Baby,” with Cleveland fans mockingly emphasizing the line “Miami’s on the scene just in case you didn’t know it.”
“These fans have every right to be pissed,” running back Tyrone Wheatley said about the taunting. “They were told this team was garbage all season long. First they were told that we’d never win a game. Then they were told that we’d never finish over .500. Then they were told that we’d never make it to the playoffs. Then they were told we’d never win in the post season. Finally they were told that we’d never be able to stop Dan Marino. Well, we are going to Atlanta and Dan Marino is going home.”
______________________________________________________________
1999 AFC Playoffs:
Wildcard:
Seattle (3) vs. Miami (6) Miami 27-24
Tennessee (4) vs. Cleveland (5) Cleveland 17-14 (OT)
Round One:
Indianapolis (1) vs. Miami (6) Miami 37-33
Jacksonville (2) vs. Cleveland (5) Cleveland 16-10
AFC Championship:
Cleveland (6) vs. Miami (5) Cleveland 48-17
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I imagine a picture similar to that Favre one against the Giants in Lambeau, the big coat wrapped around him, clearly having trouble staying warm.
Still, just to make it back says something about marino.
My guess is they lose to the Rams but win the rematch when Brady takes over in '01. Sort of a Rocky-type theme.
Still, just to make it back says something about marino.
My guess is they lose to the Rams but win the rematch when Brady takes over in '01. Sort of a Rocky-type theme.
The NFC will look pretty similar to OTL with a few small changes.
Dallas is a bit better, at 10-6.
Tampa Bay is a little better as well, perhaps 12-4
No major change with the Vikings, but Detroit is 1-15 and out of ther playoff picture from day one. Green Bay takes Detroit's spot in the playoffs with a 9-7 record.
St. Louis finishes 13-3, just like OTL.
And that Cleveland writer will make more apperances here in this TL. He will be the hometown hater who is always moaning about something.
It's a rough end to Marino's career (if he leaves) but still a better one than the 62-3 drubbing at the hands of Jacksonville in OTL.
But who is to say this won't tempt Marino to make one last run in 2000 and come back for one more year?
Which leaves them with the number 1 pick in the Draft, presumably. What does the rest of the draft order look like?
Just noticed the names of the kids in that Denver car crash- very clever Pellegrino. Interesting TL you have here- hope the Cowgirls suffer and that my Redskins do alright (perhaps ol' Dan ben Beelzebub Snyder dies in a plane crash or something, since this TL's PoD is after Dan buys the team)...
Well, interestingly enough, just like in OTL the Saints collapse after the Ricky Williams trade falls apart. A 3-13 finish is hardly out of the picture here. But also keep in mind thst the Saints traded their first round pick to the Browns as part of the Willaims trade in TTL. So expect Cleveland to have the #2 pick when all is said and done.
Was wondering if anyone would pick up on the date of the car crash and the people involved.
As for the Cowboys, I am wondering if they still end up with Tony Romo in this TL. If not, there is a good chance that they are much worse. For as much crap as Romo takes, he is still a very productive QB and light years ahead of Drew Henson and Chad Hutchinson.
That might make the a Cowboys play better in the playoffs, and we can't have that.