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What if John Elway played for the Colts?
If John Elway played for the Colts instead of the Broncos, how would he have done? Focus on Sport/Getty Images

By Sam Quinn

It is, in the mind of everyone but me, the greatest “what if” in the history of football. It features the greatest prospect in NFL draft history, a team on the brink of moving, a GM so incensed that he quit his job, and so many trade rumors ESPN literally had to make a 30 for 30 detailing the entire event. If you search it on Google, it is the one NFL “what if” that consistently yields page after page of results, each more ridiculous than the last.

In 1983, John Elway was considered the single greatest college quarterback of all time. His golden arm lofted footballs 80 yards in the air, his mind trained for greatness from the start by his football coach father, heck; he even looked like a star quarterback. 6’3”, 210 pounds, waving golden hair, his red Stanford jersey might as well have been an extension of his skin.

The moribund Colts had the first pick in the ’83 draft and were determined to take Elway and spend the next 15 years competing for championships. The only problem? Elway had no interest in playing for the Colts, claiming publicly that he wanted to stay closer to his California home, but with many speculating that he simply didn’t want to play for such a miserable team. Elway got traded to Denver, GM Ernie Accorsi was so angry that he quits, the Colts moved to Indianapolis less than a year later and the Broncos won two Super Bowls with Elway, who retired as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. John Elway changed everything when he told the Colts “no thanks,” and the effects of his decisions are still being felt today.

But what if John Elway agreed to play for the Colts?

Elway’s presence totally revitalizes the Colts, sending them to the playoffs with a 10–6 record in his rookie year, but the city of Baltimore doesn’t get to reap the benefits. They in fact get so desperate to keep Elway’s team (without making the requisite financial commitments) that they attempt to seize the Colts through eminent domain. This forces owner Robert Irsay to make an immediate decision, and though Indianapolis makes a strong bid, the city of Phoenix ends up stealing the Colts at the 11th hour after realizing that Elway’s popularity on the West Coast would make the team an instant financial juggernaut. Starting in 1984, Elway leads the new and improved Arizona Colts.

This has enormous ramifications on the league’s market choices as the years go on. Without Phoenix as a relocation option, the St. Louis Cardinals move to Indianapolis and become the Indianapolis Cardinals. Baltimore, tired of being outbid for teams, convinces Georgia Frontiere to bring the Rams to Maryland where they decide against changing the team name and colors out of spite, and the Cleveland Browns head west to Los Angeles a year later where they rebrand as the Los Angeles Stars. Expansion proceeds on schedule, with St. Louis continuously missing out on teams before finally giving up and focusing on stealing the vulnerable Seattle Supersonics in 2007 (which they do, ultimately landing themselves star center Greg Oden and a new NBA team, the St. Louis Spirits in honor of their ABA history). But enough about that, back to football.

Though Elway is excellent, the Colts continuously fail to build a team around him. His best receiver is Bill Brooks and his best running back is Randy McMillan. It’s a hodgepodge of mediocre Elway manages to drag to three Super Bowls only to lose three times. By 1992, the Colts have had enough and decide they need a change. Head coach Frank Kush is fired, replaced by Jack Elway’s former offensive coordinator at San Jose State: Miami’s Dennis Erickson.

Meanwhile, things are miserable in Denver. The Broncos narrowly miss out on Boomer Esiason in 1984, try and fail to get in on the Bernie Kosar fun in 1985, and are ultimately the league’s worst team by a fairly wide margin in the late ’80s. By 1989, they’ve had enough: they use the No. 1 overall pick on UCLA’s Troy Aikman, feeling certain that he’d be the one to turn things around for them. Disappointed to miss out on Aikman, the Cowboys grab Michigan State’s Tony Mandarich at No. 2 and build their team around their first-round pick in the supplemental draft, Steve Walsh.

Erickson proves to be the worst possible coach for Elway: good enough to keep the Colts in the playoffs, not nearly enough to match wits with Marv Levy in Buffalo or Don Shula in Miami. The Colts spend most of the ’90s trapped in the wild card round before a remarkable stroke of draft luck changes their fortunes and gives Elway new life. Picking at No. 23, Arizona never dreamed they had a chance at troubled receiver Randy Moss, but as the draft wears on he continues to fall. Colts scout Jack Elway spends the entire day pleading with management to trade up, knowing through their mutual Stanford connections that Minnesota’s Dennis Green wants Moss for his Vikings at No. 21. Once Moss hits No. 18, the Colts have seen enough. They leap ahead of Minnesota and grab Moss for themselves, giving Elway the receiver he’s so desperately needed.

With Moss on board, the Colts run up 556 points and finish the 1998 season 15–1. They beat the Jaguars, Broncos and Falcons en route to Elway’s first championship. Elway sticks around for a second in 1999, this team beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in what would amount to both a thrilling game and Elway’s last. He retires totally satisfied after the ’99 season opening up a window for another of the game’s aging greats.

By the 2000 season Troy Aikman had suffered countless concussions as the primary source of Denver’s offense. Though the presence of running back Terrell Davis helps, both he and head coach Mike Shanahan know that Aikman only has a year or two left before his injuries force him out of football. After a disappointing 3–3 start, Aikman gathers his teammates and announces that he will retire after the season.

The Broncos use this as a rallying cry, and string together five straight wins en route to an 11–5 finish. After big wins in the first two rounds, they stun Rich Gannon and the heavily favored Raiders in the AFC Championship game to send Aikman to his first Super Bowl. There, they meet Kerry Collins and the Giants, and after a hard-fought victory, Broncos owner Pat Owlen stands up on the podium and declares, “this one’s for Troy!” So don’t cry for the Broncos, they walk out of this “what if” looking pretty darn good.

This article first appeared on The Sports Post and was syndicated with permission.

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