There’s a cause and effect to everything—even the Treaty of Versailles and Aaron Rodgers
Welcome back to the critically acclaimed series that looks back in history to evaluate the greatest “what-ifs” of our generation. In Part 1 of this infinite-part series, we discussed how the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand led to the New York Jets’ hiring of former head coach Adam Gase.
This article is mostly satirical and/or lighthearted in nature. I mean, come on ... it’s NYJ Matt and NYJ Mike, the Broadway Jets podcast . The sky wouldn't be blue and the grass green if satire wasn't the name of this specific game.
For this piece, my goal is a Pulitzer and perhaps even a Nobel Peace Prize—seeking to edge out all “do-gooders” who think their field is more important than football.
Anyway, our journey starts in 1919 with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. This peace treaty brought the Central Powers and the Triple Entente (this is how I will be referring to Breece Hall, Dalvin Cook, and Michael Carter from now on) to the negotiating table and ended the First World War.
Unfortunately, Germany, channeling their inner Anthony Barr, didn’t hold its end of the agreement and sparked the Second World War decades later.
Nearing the end of World War II in 1945, a young man named Jerry Waugh graduated from Wellington High School. Jerry decided to serve in the U.S. Army for 18 months (thank you for your service), changing his initial aspirations to become a basketball player.
After returning from the war, Jerry was able to live out his dream as a Kansas Jayhawk and was even named captain of the team in the late 1940s.
I promise this is going somewhere.
Jerry then aspired to be a coach, working at several schools before landing at Chico State College as the head men’s basketball coach. Now, I hope you are sitting down for this because what I am about to say is 100% true …
As the head basketball coach at Chico State College, Jerry met an individual who would change the course of Jets history forever.
Enter, Dick Trimmer.
I swear on all things holy (the holy spirit and I have some history, but that’s a story for another day), that this man’s name is Dick Trimmer.
Jerry and Dick became acquaintances and met each other during the early 1970s. Energetic Dick was in the market for a football coaching job, and as soon as the Chico job became available, Jerry had lobbied for him to be the hire.
Chico State ultimately signed Dick … Dick Trimmer.
Dick hit the recruiting trail in 1973-1974 to build a team, and one man who joined that team was Edward Wesley Rodgers.
Ed was an offensive lineman who had joined Chico State to play football. Of all the places Ed could have signed, he chose Chico and Dick, and Dick chose him. While playing for Chico State, Ed met the love of his life, Darla Leigh Pittman.
Ed and Darla would end up getting married, having a family, living a good life … and most importantly, he created the best quarterback in NFL history: Aaron Rodgers.
We know the rest of the story: Aaron Rodgers wins a Super Bowl and then requests a trade to the “God Damn Jets.”
So, there you have it. The Treaty of Versailles was signed, which directly led to World War II, which led to Jerry Waugh joining the army and later following his dream to be a college basketball star, which led to him taking the head coaching job at Chico State, which led to him befriending a man named Dick Trimmer, who, based on Jerry’s recommendation, became the head coach of Chico State football, where he would recruit Ed Rodgers, who would fall in love with his wife, start a family and birth Aaron Rodgers.
If I have learned one thing during my time completing my research, it’s one major highlight: To change the course of history, Dick Trimmer is all you need.
We will be back in part three, evaluating how the sinking of the Titanic led to the New York Sack Exchange.
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