John Elway’s decision in 1983 shaped the NFL for decades

Imagine if John Elway had played for the Baltimore Colts.

It’s hard to picture given all that we know about the 1983 NFL Draft; especially now. We know there was no chance Elway would ever play for then-owner Bob Irsay or his dysfunctional franchise. It’s even harder to un-imagine all of the memories Elway created in Denver.

But try your hardest to ponder what could have been and how different the NFL would look now …

Had Elway stuck with the Colts, there’s a good chance they wouldn’t have left Baltimore. Irsay and the franchise would have had the negotiating tool needed to make a case for improving Memorial Stadium or building a new one. They would have had the quarterback to follow in the shoes of Johnny Unitas and get people fired up about the franchise – meaning spend money.

That would mean the city of Indianapolis wouldn’t get the Colts in the middle of the night at the end of March 1984. Would Indy even have a team today?

Art Modell would not have ripped the heart out of Cleveland (just as Irsay did to Baltimore) when he moved the Browns to, fittingly, Baltimore in 1996. The fans of Cleveland, more than likely, would have celebrated two Super Bowls by now. Ray Lewis and the vaunted defense would have accomplished what they did as Browns.

Perhaps the deepest question: What would have become of the Denver Broncos? How would that story have changed? Had the trade for Elway not happened, Denver drafted Northwestern guard Chris Hinton with the fourth pick. But who would have played quarterback?

In 1982, the Broncos used three quarterbacks – Steve DeBerg, Mark Herrmann and Craig Morton. That season saw the NFL have 57 games cancelled or postponed because of a players strike. Since Morton was 39, logic says DeBerg would have been the guy, since he was 28. Hermann could have stayed the backup since he was 23.

As for the future? Your guess is as good as mine. A lot would depend on how successful Dan Reeves and Denver was – or was not. They could have had a high draft pick and taken a quarterback in ’84, ’85, ’86 … you get the idea.

Here’s another interesting thought: Would Pat Bowlen still have purchased the franchise in 1984? If he had, there’s no doubt Mr. B would not have tolerated losing and he would have gotten Reeves a quarterback. Had Bowlen not bought the Broncos, would they still be in Denver?

Now how about specific players and coaches and how their careers would have changed …

It’s unlikely Peyton Manning would be drafted by the Colts since Elway would still be there. The San Diego Chargers would have had the first pick in the 1998 draft and taken him over Ryan Leaf. Can you imagine Manning in powder blues? San Diego would have its replacement for Dan Fouts.

Then what about Eli Manning and Philip Rivers?

What about Andrew Luck? By the time he came out from Stanford, the Colts would have found their replacement for Elway (Eli Manning or Rivers?) and would have not been able to “Suck for Luck.” Where would Luck be playing today?

But perhaps the most intriguing aspect of all of this is the Browns. Remember, the year before they moved to Baltimore, a certain guy in a hoodie was their head coach. Most thought that Cleveland was on the verge of competing for and winning the Super Bowl. That would be proven in Baltimore when they were the Ravens.

Had the Browns stayed in Cleveland, would Bill Belichick have stayed? The franchise was on the verge of multiple Super Bowls despite the 5-11 record in 1995, and there’s no way he would have passed on that. Belichick would have never taken the job and quit as head coach of the New York Jets. Thus, he would have never become head coach of the New England Patriots. It’s fair to say that hapless franchise in Foxborough would still be hapless today.

In that scenario, what would have happened to Tom Brady? Would he have even been drafted?

In terms of the Broncos, Elway’s decision was just as important as Floyd Little in the late ’60s and early ’70s to the franchise staying in Denver.

Without Elway, there’s no Drive, Fumble, Drive II, magical run in 1997, Helicopter, back-to-back Super Bowls, Mike Shanahan, Shannon Sharpe, Rod Smith, Terrell Davis.

Today, the Broncos probably wouldn’t be 7-0 as they head into Indianapolis with Peyton Manning as their quarterback set to break two more NFL records against his former team.

One move over any other paved the NFL landscape for the next three decades. What we see today is directly tied to Elway’s decision.