With, Peyton Manning signing with the Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow getting traded to the NY Jets, Boomer provides you with a couple "what if" moments that if were the case, these events may not of happened. Lets take a look at a few "what if" moments from the past. Enjoy!
Colts draft Peyton Manning
In the 1998 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts had a decision to make. Go with QB Peyton Manning out of the University of Tennessee or go with QB Ryan Leaf out of Washington State University. The Colts would end up drafting Manning with the #1 overall pick, while Leaf followed right behind in the #2 spot when the San Diego Chargers grabbed him. Over the next decade, the two picks would go in two different directions, and lets just say the Colts made the right decision. Peyton Manning would go on to win 4 NFL MVP's (most all-time), 11x Pro Bowler, throw for over 54,000 passing yards, including 399 passing TD's, a Super Bowl XLI MVP leading the Colts to a Super Bowl win over the Chicago Bears. Where as Ryan Leaf had a troubling and very short NFL career. While Leaf has been out of the league for years, Manning is still hanging around, althought now with is NEW team in the Denver Broncos after 14 successful years with the Colts.
What If
Now lets say the Colts went with Leaf #1 overall instead of Manning. What sort of career would each of them of had in different cities and on different teams. With Manning being in San Diego would he of still had the same success that he gained in Indy with different coaching staff and different teammates around him. If so the Chargers probably do not draft Drew Brees and/or Philip Rivers, meaning where would those two All-Pro QB's have landed in the NFL and would they of still had the same success as they have accomplished to this point in their NFL careers? Would it be the San Diego Chargers as Super Bowl XLI Champs instead of the Indianapolis Colts? Obviously, we will never know what the NFL would look like, if the first two picks in the 1998 NFL Draft were flip flopped, but its differently something to talk about and wonder. What if...
Broncos draft Tim Tebow
In the 2010 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos used the 25th pick to land Tim Tebow, and at that moment the mania begin. After sitting out for the majority of his Rookie season, and not starting till the 6 game of his 2nd season, Tebow would lead the Broncos to 7 wins in their final 11 games while winning the AFC West Division. In the playoffs, the Tebow magic continued when Tebow on the first play of overtime vs. the Steelers throw a touchdown pass, sending the Broncos into the 2nd round of the NFL playoffs. During the 2nd half of the 2011 NFL season, you couldn't watch a game without the mentioning of Tim Tebow and/or #TebowTime, #TebowMania, etc. Tim Tebow not your protectial NFL QB was finding ways to do one thing: WIN. Althought, during his stint of being the Broncos starting QB the questions were still out on Tebow being the Broncos franchise QB for years to come and the media was having a field day after every Broncos win. Now to the present, after Peyton Manning made his final decision in choicing the Broncos to be his next team, Broncos were in position to trade Tim Tebow to one of the other 31 teams in the NFL. That came today when the NY Jets traded a 4th and 6th round pick to the Broncos for Tebow and a 7th round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Now lets take a look at it from a different view.
What If
Lets say Tim Tebow doesn't get drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 2010 NFL Draft, who would have taken a chance on the Heisman Trophy winner? Without the Broncos would we have had Tebow Mania somewhere else around the league, say Cleveland, Jacksonville, Seattle? The success/fame Tebow was receiving in Denver might not of been the same or differnent else where. Who represents the AFC West in the 2011 NFL playoffs if not the Tebow-led Broncos? Like any other situtation I threw at you on Wednesday's, we will never know what the case would be if Tebow landed anywhere else, but Denver. What if...
So now Peyton Manning is in Denver and Tebow is in New York with the Jets. Two storylines that will different be at the forefront of the 2012 NFL season and overly documented by the media for sure.
