OT: Elway was almost traded to the Pats? - New England Patriots Forums

TommyBrady12 · 12-25-2009, 10:16 PM

I read this interesting tidbit in a book. Apparently, the Pats made a big offer to obtain the rights to John Elway during the 1983 draft. It would have cost John Hannah and two first rounders. Elway was this close to becoming a pat but the trade was nixed at the last second and elway ended up being traded to denver. wow. imagine how life would have been different for the pats if this had happened.

Eli Manning: The Making of a Quarterback - Google Books

you got to read the second to last paragraph on the page to read for yourselves.

upstater1 · 12-25-2009, 10:36 PM

That would have worked out well, especially when you consider that one of those first rounders was Tony Eason. The way I look at it, it was Hannah and a first rounder for Elway.

He would be a major improvement over anyone until Bledsoe, though it has to be said that Elway had a lot of down years until the Super Bowl. Many games, he couldn't hit the broadside of a barn. He was wildly inaccurate. I don't know how he put it all together in his last years, but he suddenly became the great QB people thought he was going to be, and until then, he wasn't even Jim Kelly.

Now, imagine Elway retiring as a Patriot in 1998, after winning a Super Bowl or two with Parcells. No Bledsoe on the team, but they used that pick (several spots lower of course, since no Elway led team is going 2-14) on either Willie Roaf or Lincoln Kennedy.

So, in 1999, the Patriots go looking for a QB. Does that guy block Tom Brady?

Hmmmmmmm...........

Pat the Pats Fan · 12-26-2009, 04:12 AM

Goober's aren't made, they're grown......

Sean Pa Patriot · 12-26-2009, 07:21 AM

Elway also was almost traded to the Chargers too..from what I understand..

Pat the Pats Fan · 12-26-2009, 07:52 AM

That Irsay was such a flippin idiot, undermining his GM all the time.......

***shmessy*** · 12-26-2009, 08:08 AM

Glad that didn't happen.

Otherwise, all those folks who lost their life savings in the pyramid scheme he advertised this year would have been Pats fans instead of Bronco fans.

***dalero*** · 12-26-2009, 09:51 AM

Didn't he refuse to play for the Baltimore Colts because it was too cold?

patsfaninpa · 12-26-2009, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dalero

Didn't he refuse to play for the Baltimore Colts because it was too cold?

His father didn't like Frank Kush. Their lunatic coach from Ariz. St. And, the Irsays weren't thought highly of either. Denver not exactly South Beach. Weather wasn't a factor.

Another scenario you don't hear much about is this. The NFL was very close to just cancelling the 82 season. Probably down to a few days Only 2 games were played. So, they would have gone with the draft order from the previous season. When, we drafted 1st with K.Sims. This was pre-lottery NBA. That would have really been their only option.

Armchair Quarterback · 12-26-2009, 11:00 AM

They also could have drafted Dan Marino with the 15th pick but of course chose Eason instead. The 1983 draft had 6 Hall of Famers in the first round alone, a heck of a draft class.

upstater1 · 12-26-2009, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armchair Quarterback

They also could have drafted Dan Marino with the 15th pick but of course chose Eason instead. The 1983 draft had 6 Hall of Famers in the first round alone, a heck of a draft class.

Drafting QBs is a crapshoot. I wanted Blackledge. Marino had looked like crap his senior season at Pitt. He could have come out the previous year and been a high pick, but he went back and killed his draft stock.