Redskins alternate universe: How would the trajectory of the franchise have changed if.....

[NickyJ]

2 hours ago, LetThePointsSoar said:

For all the RG3 talk, what I imagine-what if Shanahan wouldn't have been forced to draft RG3 to begin with, saved those picks, drafted Luke Kuechly instead in the 1st round while still grabbing Kirk Cousins? 

 

I think Kyle Shanahan would still be here as dad's successor. 

It wouldn't have happened. 2011 had Rex Grossman and John Beck. Shanahan can get kudos for picking out Cousins in the 4th, but there is NO way Shanahan could have risked another year of Rex to hope that nobody picks his man in the first 3 rounds. Kirk in the 2nd round without trading would probably be more likely, but still playing with fire.

Edited August 24, 2023 by NickyJ

[petey hodge]

what if Fat Albert Haynesworth would've lost control of his appetite and actually eaten Daniel Snyder on the schmoozing flight in Redskins One from Memphis to Dulles?

 

 

Edited August 24, 2023 by petey hodge

[LetThePointsSoar]

1 hour ago, NickyJ said:

It wouldn't have happened. 2011 had Rex Grossman and John Beck. Shanahan can get kudos for picking out Cousins in the 4th, but there is NO way Shanahan could have risked another year of Rex to hope that nobody picks his man in the first 3 rounds. Kirk in the 2nd round without trading would probably be more likely, but still playing with fire.

 

Even still. HELL of a lot more draft capital to work with and no infamous Daddy meeting ever happens. 

[RVAskins]

What if the previous owner hadn't fired Marty Schottenheimer?

 

Of course some of these what if's ended with the previous owner selling the team so perhaps some of these what it's happened for a good reason.

[Voice_of_Reason]

3 hours ago, NickyJ said:

It wouldn't have happened. 2011 had Rex Grossman and John Beck. Shanahan can get kudos for picking out Cousins in the 4th, but there is NO way Shanahan could have risked another year of Rex to hope that nobody picks his man in the first 3 rounds. Kirk in the 2nd round without trading would probably be more likely, but still playing with fire.

They liked Wilson more than Kirk.  If no trade, they probably pick Wilson in the second.

 

Which … wouldn’t have sucked.  Wilson in the Shanahan offense?  That could have been special.

 

 

[Stadium-Armory]

Brad Johnson instead of Jeff George. Ugh.

[MrJL]

1 hour ago, Voice_of_Reason said:

They liked Wilson more than Kirk.  If no trade, they probably pick Wilson in the second.

 

Which … wouldn’t have sucked.  Wilson in the Shanahan offense?  That could have been special.

 

 

 

we could have picked Wilson AND Kirk

[Voice_of_Reason]

30 minutes ago, MrJL said:

 

we could have picked Wilson AND Kirk

Why would you ever pick 2 QBs in the same draft?

 

Oh, wait.  

[Renegade7]

8 hours ago, mojo said:

 

Not out of the realm of possibility, but I think once RG showed up to Shanahan's office (with Dan's blessing of course) carrying a list of plays he would and wouldn't run, that relationship was done.

 

Dude didnt have route trees at Baylor, he was destined to bust.

 

Its revisionist history to say if he stayed healthy Kirk wouldn't of still taken his job eventually.

 

He was a better sprinter then NFL QB, is what it is.

[redskinss]

I've always wondered what might have happened if the dolphins didn't draft Marino.

We probably wouldn't have either with Theisman in house but can you imagine what gibbs 1 would have looked like with Marino?

Would have missed out on one of the greatest redskins ever so I don't wish it had happened but damn if it wouldn't be interesting to know.

[MrJL]

On 8/24/2023 at 10:53 PM, Voice_of_Reason said:

Why would you ever pick 2 QBs in the same draft?

 

Oh, wait.  

 

hey, we weren't the only team that did that.  The Colts also selected a second QB.  Granted it was with their last pick but still

On 8/24/2023 at 11:17 AM, kfrankie said:

From time to time over the course of my adult fandom, I have wondered how the fortunes of the franchise would have changed if certain key events had not transpired.  I'll open it up by offering a few key moment over the past 40 years.

 

(1) What if Joe Theismann does not break his leg in 1985 against the Bears? 

Result:  Joe finishes out the season, and starts the 1986 season with Schroeder as his backup. The Redskins do not sign Doug Williams in the spring of 1986. After 8 games, Schroeder takes over for an aging Theismann, the team finishes 10-6. Theismann stays on as the backup the Schroeder in 1987, steps in when Jay is injured against the Eagles, and leads the team to a wildcard while Schroeder pouts on the bench.  1st round playoff loss, and Schroeder takes over for good to start the 1988 season.

 

 

 

(3) What if Timmy Smith had turned out to be better a really good back after Super Bowl XXII, averaging 1000 yards from 1988-1991?

Result: The front office sees no reason to sign Gerald Riggs or Earnest Byner after the 1988 season. Timmy fills that role admirably, and the Redskins repeat as champions in 1988 behind an effective running game, with a combination of Doug Williams and Mark Rypien leading the charge.  Rypien takes over for good in 1989, and the team sees two more playoff seasons before capping things off with the 1991 Super Bowl. After that, things fall apart.

 

 

 

1)I'm not sure Theisman sticks around as a healthy backup for two years at his age, so 87 is a wash

 

3) Riggs and Byner were trades so if Smith sticks, we have to add an 89 second rounder, 1990 first rounder and Mike Oliphant to the team

[Voice_of_Reason]

51 minutes ago, MrJL said:

hey, we weren't the only team that did that.  The Colts also selected a second QB.  Granted it was with their last pick but still

For the record I never had a huge problem with it

[MrJL]

8 minutes ago, Voice_of_Reason said:

For the record I never had a huge problem with it

 

considering the only two QBs on the roster were Grossman, who I was fine with, and John Beck it needed to be done

[goskins10]

On 8/24/2023 at 2:57 PM, 88Comrade2000 said:

What if Joe didn’t draft Campbell and the following year got Drew Brees?

 

This!!!  This 1000 times!!  Instead of brnging in Brunell and drafting Campbell he gets Drew Brees who was available. I went to Purdue (grad school so I was older) and saw Drew first hand and was screaming foe Joe to get Drew in Washington. But he gets an over the hill Brunell and Campbell who just never materialized. How different would things have been with Drew Brees here. 

 

Now could he overcome the dan show? Would he have stayed for a second contract here? I think so as long as Joe sticks around. And I think it keeps Joe here and they win a few champioships together. 

[Voice_of_Reason]

13 minutes ago, MrJL said:

 

considering the only two QBs on the roster were Grossman, who I was fine with, and John Beck it needed to be done

The problem with Grossman is he constantly wanted to play like Brett Favre but didn’t have the ability to do so.  
 

Beck was essentially a no talent ass clown. 

[SkinsFTW]

I imagine that if Doofus Dan had kept Schottenheimer around we'd have had a much different history, something unacceptable to any of us as well at the time though. He'd likely have gotten to the playoffs every year with great records only to lose to the Bucs, Eagles, Panthers, Bears, etc. He might have gotten to the NFCCG a time or two and he'd have gotten fired by Doofus Dan anyway. 

 

Of course looking back now, we'd gladly take that as a replacement to the ineptitude of Vinny and Dan. Even Gibbs couldn't fix it in a timely manner. He retired instead. 

[NoVaSkins21]

IMO, if JKC had left the team to his family, maybe things would have been drastically different the last 2 dozen years.  Harris and Co. have it now so let's see what happens

[Wayne_Millner]

The Redskins wanted Dan Marino in 1983, but the Dolphins took him with the 27th pick and Washington took Darrel Green with the 28th. Worked out pretty well, but would have been really fun to watch Marino with that line and those WRs 

[Wayne_Millner]

Also, what if we won SB XVIII. Instead of getting trampled by the Raiders. If we won that and everything else was the same, we’d be considered a dynasty. The team of the 80s and it would have been one of the greatest teams ever. It also would have propelled a lot of redskins into the HOF: Theismann, Jacoby, Manley, and Butz more than likely 

[TD_washingtonredskins]

2 hours ago, NoVaSkins21 said:

IMO, if JKC had left the team to his family, maybe things would have been drastically different the last 2 dozen years.  Harris and Co. have it now so let's see what happens

 

This is my biggest one...

 

If John Kent Cooke had taken over and kept this team operating in a classy way. I realize that they had struggled for half-a-decade under the Cookes, but I'm also confident that patience would have led to something sustainable. The 1999 team was basically all pre-Snyder and that team was poised to be built for the long-haul and contend after a division title (albeit a pretty soft division title). 

 

With the 1999 team plus the draft picks that we were set up with, I think a more steady hand would have put us in the position that the Eagles/Giants played in the early-2000s. 

[skinsfan66]

On 8/24/2023 at 4:10 PM, Command The 414 said:

What if the botched snap with what 1:30 left against the Bucs in the 1999 Playoff game wouldn’t have happened and Conway kicked the FG and we would have played the Rams that year in the NFC Championship 

What if we did not stop running the ball when we were dominating and Norv did not decide to throw the ball that got gets picked off and ran back in the late 4th quarter. IT should not have come down to a FG. Kind of like Falcons against Pats late in the SB. Or Seattle against Pats. Norv blew that game because he just could not get over not passing the ball when we crossed midfield. 

Edited August 30, 2023 by skinsfan66

[Voice_of_Reason]

17 hours ago, TD_washingtonredskins said:

 

This is my biggest one...

 

If John Kent Cooke had taken over and kept this team operating in a classy way. I realize that they had struggled for half-a-decade under the Cookes, but I'm also confident that patience would have led to something sustainable. The 1999 team was basically all pre-Snyder and that team was poised to be built for the long-haul and contend after a division title (albeit a pretty soft division title). 

 

With the 1999 team plus the draft picks that we were set up with, I think a more steady hand would have put us in the position that the Eagles/Giants played in the early-2000s. 

So, there’s no chance it would have been worse. Would have been better.
 

But I think we would have been stuck with Casserly for YEARS longer, and possibly Norv forever also. 
 

I was and have been one of the biggest detractors of Casserly.  I think he gets credit for a lot of residual goodness from Beathard he didn’t earn.  He did pull off a beautiful trade with the Saints but I’m not sure a 4th grader couldn’t have done it. He wasn’t very good with free agency and without Gibbs.  He got another crack at it with the Texans and failed miserably. 
 

I definitely think things would have been better, but it would have been up to John Cooke to hire a new GM and do it right because nobody was winning anything with Casserly.  

[tmandoug1]

Skins loss to Niners in 1993 playoffs, when Byner/Rypien fumbled the handoff at the end. Byner had a huge hole to the endzone. 

[kingdaddy]

On 8/24/2023 at 11:17 AM, kfrankie said:

(1) What if Joe Theismann does not break his leg in 1985 against the Bears? 

 

Not to nitpick but Joey T. had his leg snapped by the great Lawrence Taylor, NY Giants, on Monday Night Football. Jay Schroeder came in to lead the team to a tremendous victory. 

What if Joe Gibbs followed thru on trading Doug Williams to the Raiders during that magical SB season? 

What if John Riggins never unretired after Gibbs went to see him at his home in Kansas? 

What if RFK Stadium had been renovated and the team never moved to Fed Ex Field? 

I hate this thread, now I'm depressed again.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

32 minutes ago, Voice_of_Reason said:

So, there’s no chance it would have been worse. Would have been better.
 

But I think we would have been stuck with Casserly for YEARS longer, and possibly Norv forever also. 
 

I was and have been one of the biggest detractors of Casserly.  I think he gets credit for a lot of residual goodness from Beathard he didn’t earn.  He did pull off a beautiful trade with the Saints but I’m not sure a 4th grader couldn’t have done it. He wasn’t very good with free agency and without Gibbs.  He got another crack at it with the Texans and failed miserably. 
 

I definitely think things would have been better, but it would have been up to John Cooke to hire a new GM and do it right because nobody was winning anything with Casserly.  

 

Right...there would have been a lot more of the status quo, for sure. And I know that many fans, myself included, would have been clamoring for changes. But even having Casserly for a longer period of time and then letting him hire Norv's replacement (I seem to recall they didn't get along, so someone would have needed to go), is light years better than Snyder making those decisions.