John Elway Almost A Cowboy!

[Cajuncowboy]

Was listening to Sirius NFL today and Gil Brandt was on. Someone asked if John Elway was the best prospect ever to come out of college. Then Brandt told a story that when Elway refused to play for Baltimore, Brandt called and tried to make a trade with Baltimore for him. So he called and talked to the player personnel guy and asked who was responsible for the trades at the club. The guy said he was and was working a deal that would have sent Elway to Dallas.

The problem was that the Owner, Robert Ersay decided to take over without including the personnel guy or the GM (Ernie Accorsi) and swung a deal with Denver.

Accorsi then quit and went to the Giants.


But if Brandt would have been given to Ersay right away, Elway may have been in Dallas instead of Denver.

Thought I would share.

 

[Bonecrusher#31]

Thats ok , I'm much happier with the 3 SB's we got with Aikman.

 

[Yeagermeister]

I have heard that story before. Dallas also would have drafted Jerry Rice if SF had jumped in front of us.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

Thats ok , I'm much happier with the 3 SB's we got with Aikman.

it all worked out good huh?

 

[DallasFanSince86]

Thats ok , I'm much happier with the 3 SB's we got with Aikman.

Very much agreed.

 

[bbgun]

We didn't have a high pick to trade in '83. I wonder what we were prepared to give up to get him.

 

[cowboyjoe]

its way more much than that guys, here is what happened from what i remember

the cowboys did offer a trade to baltimore;
the cowboys best i remember had offered 2 number one picks, and i think im not sure but herbert scott in the deal

now the denver broncos, whom the head coach at the time was dan reeves ex cowboys player and assistant coach; told baltimore that they would give over the phone 2 number one picks etc

but they didnt put it in paper written form;

so when baltimore found out that reever and broncos were backing out on their offer, but only giving one number one pick (crafty dan reeves)
then baltimore said, to the NFL league and Pete Rozelle foul play from denver, they did offer 2 number ones, but now they are only offering one number one pick;

well we all know that the cowboys and rozelle didnt get along, so rozelle ruled that john elway goes to the broncos for just one number one pick, i think there was a number 2 pick in there too something like that, but the broncos cheated baltimore and rozelle let them get away with it,

thats the best memory i have of it,

 

[Boyzmamacita]

well we all know that the cowboys and rozelle didnt get along

I thought Tex Schramm and Pete Rozelle got along famously. IIRC, Schramm brought Rozelle into the league in some capacity when Schramm was GM of the Rams.

 

[Rampage]

who cares? he's washed up and like 47 years old.

 

[cowboyjoe]

schramn did get rozelle the commissioners job, but schramn and rozelle had a falling out when schramn was going to sign billy cannon, a great player,

after that schramn and rozelle didnt get along too well, even though schramn gave strong recommendation for rozelle

see when some guys are giving power, they forget who helped them etc, and they abuse that power

everyone knows how the cowboys and rozelle didnt get along, remember now, rozelle was formerly with the rams, till bert bell commissioner passsed away

anyone with any common sense would know that to get a great QB like John Elway, your not going to get him just for a 1,2,3

whereas dallas had offered 2 number 1 picks best i remember and herbert scoot, in fact after the news broke the cowboys had to fly in herbert scotts mother and assure her they werent going to trade herbert scott to balitmore

yeah, the broncoes got the steal of the century in that trade and rozelle let them get away with it, rozelle didnt like the irsay family or baltimore either;

 

[cowboyjoe]

but at the same time, if we did get john elway, later we wouldnt have been able to get troy aikman so it worked out in the long run,

was a shame though, might have helped tom landry then to stay around longer and for landry to eventually retire without all of the issues that jerry jones and jimmy johnson did;

im not saying either way what jerry jones did was wrong or right, but in long run it worked out, we won 3 super bowls in the 90's

 

[CF74]

Had we gotten Elway we would have won a few super bowl in the 80's..

 

[DaBoys4Life]

who cares? he's washed up and like 47 years old.

 

[Echo9]

Was listening to Sirius NFL today and Gil Brandt was on. Someone asked if John Elway was the best prospect ever to come out of college. Then Brandt told a story that when Elway refused to play for Baltimore, Brandt called and tried to make a trade with Baltimore for him. So he called and talked to the player personnel guy and asked who was responsible for the trades at the club. The guy said he was and was working a deal that would have sent Elway to Dallas.

The problem was that the Owner, Robert Ersay decided to take over without including the personnel guy or the GM (Ernie Accorsi) and swung a deal with Denver.

Accorsi then quit and went to the Giants.


But if Brandt would have been given to Ersay right away, Elway may have been in Dallas instead of Denver.

Thought I would share.

According to Accorsi, he had no intention of trading Elway and had actually worked out a way WITH Elway that would have kept him in Baltimore that Elway had pretty much agreed to. It was Irsay's back end deal that made Accorsi quite though. Accorsi got Elway locked up with the COlts, and Irsay screwed him over.

By what Accorsi writes, he wouldn't have traded Elway any reason, so I'm thinkin any possible move to Dallas was Brandt makin stuff up.

It's all written out in great detail in Accorsi's book "The GM".

Not a bad read if you can avoid getting sick over all the Giants garbage.

 

[Cajuncowboy]

According to Accorsi, he had no intention of trading Elway and had actually worked out a way WITH Elway that would have kept him in Baltimore that Elway had pretty much agreed to. It was Irsay's back end deal that made Accorsi quite though. Accorsi got Elway locked up with the COlts, and Irsay screwed him over.

By what Accorsi writes, he wouldn't have traded Elway any reason, so I'm thinkin any possible move to Dallas was Brandt makin stuff up.

It's all written out in great detail in Accorsi's book "The GM".

Not a bad read if you can avoid getting sick over all the Giants garbage.

Can't believe Brandt would make it up. The guy is to well respected for that. He did say that he wasn't talking to Accorsi or Irsay but to some other high ranking Colt's official.

 

[Canadian BoyzFan]

I'm glad things happened the way they did. I wouldn't change a thing.....well maybe a couple things. LOL. Elway...meh.

 

[cowboyjoe]

he didnt make it up, again baltimore was hollering when denver first said they had offered 2 # one picks, then they said they didnt;

then baltimore said they had better offer on the table from the cowboys and rozelle wouldnt let them do that trade, he said the trade to denver was the one he would hold up

even after the story broke that herbert scott was being offered in the deal; that herbert scott's mom came to dallas on a plane and the cowboys had to assure her they werent going to trade herbert scott,

 

[jazzcat22]

Dallas almost drafted Joe Montana also. Tex Schramm said it was the only time he was ever talked out of a draft pick. They needed a TE, and had Danny White, so they passed on Montana and picked Doug Cosbie.

 

[Echo9]

Can't believe Brandt would make it up. The guy is to well respected for that. He did say that he wasn't talking to Accorsi or Irsay but to some other high ranking Colt's official.

he didnt make it up, again baltimore was hollering when denver first said they had offered 2 # one picks, then they said they didnt;

then baltimore said they had better offer on the table from the cowboys and rozelle wouldnt let them do that trade, he said the trade to denver was the one he would hold up

even after the story broke that herbert scott was being offered in the deal; that herbert scott's mom came to dallas on a plane and the cowboys had to assure her they werent going to trade herbert scott,

Interesting stuff. I misspoke when I said it may have been made up by Brandt. Looks like he was working the same channels behind Accorsi's back as Denver.

The one part that seems clear from Accorsi's perspective, is that he wanted no part in moving Elway under any circumstances. Granted, he may just be saying that with hindsight and to help justify the Eli pick (he compares the two in his book...not as equals, but as franchise QBs). But Accorsi DID quit right after that trade went down.

 

[Biggems]

Dallas almost drafted Joe Montana also. Tex Schramm said it was the only time he was ever talked out of a draft pick. They needed a TE, and had Danny White, so they passed on Montana and picked Doug Cosbie.

whoever talked him out of that one needs to be beaten severely, I dont care how old or even dead that person is......what a bonehead to talk Schramm out of that move.