Joe Montana: Cool Under Pressure

[74_75_78_79_]

Anyone else see this new 6-part series?

Thoughts?

I think it was well done, thoroughly enjoyable. Covered each season of his from HS thru '94 in detail!

Early in the 2019 season was when I finally (if however reluctantly) placed Brady as the GOAT QB. But even since then I would opine that there was still ample argument in the tank for Joe. It shouldn't have taken me watching this series for my opinion to now go to this (didn't need the extra reminders, I already knew), but after indeed watching it, I was reminded all the more of Joe's Greatness and now feel that Brady's recent 'lead' over him shrinks some (not that there was too much of a lead to begin with), or I should simply declare them as the 'Top 2' and leave it there (or maybe, just maybe, Joe is still #1 after all).

Not overall but strictly in a 2-minute-drill, I would take Joe over anyone which was also the case even when I did declare Brady the GOAT QB.

[RichardBak]

Otto Graham. Ten division titles in 10 years, 7 championships, 9-3 overall in the postseason. Just win, baby.

And if I had to choose between Montana and Brady, it'd be Joe.

Finally, the big question: Fresh or smoked kielbasa? Fresh, hands down.

[rhickok1109]

If I needed a QB to win a big game, I'd take Montana or Unitas over Brady.

[Mark]

For a big game I'd take Brady over Unitas unless it was against the Giants.

[racepug]

If I needed a QB to win a big game, I'd take Montana or Unitas over Brady.

There are some who believe that Joe Montana wouldn't have done as well in another coach's system as he did in Bill Walsh's (John Madden was one of those people) but for me Joe Montana is the G.o.A.T. If it were up to me to make an all-time team for the entire N.F.L. Joe Montana would be my starting QB (probably Brady would be his backup).

[Brian wolf]

Montana could have excelled with any team or coach. Offensive systems dont mean anything when blocking breaks down and Joe had unbelievable instincts and mobility. As graceful and athletic as any QB I have ever seen and he had to be ... Joe never weighed more than 190 lbs soaking wet. His offensive line was never big, relying on quickness. He hardly ever fumbled but defenders knew if they didnt get a rush or hits on him, he would beat them at the end of a game.

[7DnBrnc53]

Montana could have excelled with any team or coach. Offensive systems dont mean anything when blocking breaks down and Joe had unbelievable instincts and mobility. As graceful and athletic as any QB I have ever seen and he had to be ... Joe never weighed more than 190 lbs soaking wet. His offensive line was never big, relying on quickness. He hardly ever fumbled but defenders knew if they didnt get a rush or hits on him, he would beat them at the end of a game.

He could have done well, but would he have been considered the GOAT? Probably not. I would take him over Brady, but is he the GOAT? I don't think so.

It's funny how these dynasty pilots have great coaches (Walsh, Brown, Belichick), but these QB's still get way more credit than they deserve.

Otto Graham played for a coach that was way ahead of his time, and he had a lot of talent around him.

Montana played in a system that wasn't that common in the NFL (you needed a different defensive scheme to go against the WCO. Defenses really didn't evolve during that time period).

And, last but not least, Brady played in a cheating system (people don't want to talk about this anymore, but it is true nonetheless).

Winning titles is great, but it isn't because of one man. As Jerry Krause (Bulls GM) used to say, organizations win championships.

[racepug]

And, last but not least, Brady played in a cheating system (people don't want to talk about this anymore, but it is true nonetheless).

I'm not touching that with a 10-ft. pole. What I will say is that the Patriots of 2001 to 2019 didn't really have any competition until playoff time as the teams in their division were generally pretty bad during that entire period (which, of course, isn't their fault). Still, much the same could be said of the Rams of the '70s and they sure didn't enjoy the same level of success that those later Patriots did.

[Bryan]

Otto Graham played for a coach that was way ahead of his time, and he had a lot of talent around him.

Otto Graham is an interesting case. A huge knock on him when he played and for many years after he retired was the fact that Paul Brown called the plays. Bobby Layne was thought to have been the superior QB because the Lions usually beat the Browns, and Layne was thought to be a tremendous play caller. I think that criticism of Graham has disappeared over the years, as even in the late-80's it was big news when someone like Jim Kelly actually called his own plays because it was simply accepted that coaches called the plays. If you read literature from the 60's - 80's, Graham is rarely thought of as one of the best QBs of all-time. His AAFC accomplishments were pretty much ignored, and he was thought to be 'merely' an instrument of Paul Brown's genius.

[GameBeforeTheMoney]

If I needed a QB to win a big game, I'd take Montana or Unitas over Brady.

Agreed -- and I would personally add Elway to that list.

I really want to see the Montana documentary. It's on a streaming channel for which we don't currently have a subscription, but I really look forward to it. As great as he was, there isn't all that much information about him (compared to some other legends). It's interesting that it was made at the same time Brady's series was made. The other thing is that we tend to forget how great some players were after time. When the Last Dance came out, I knew Jordan was one of the best I ever saw but all the talk of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant led me to forget just how superior he was. Might be similar with Montana.

Montana was always my Greatest of All-Time answer until Brady won the Super Bowl with Tampa. But remember, Montana led KC to the AFC Championship. Not a SB win but still really good. You look at his track record in college (yes, I know it's college) and he won some big games that people didn't expect Notre Dame to win. The thing I always thought about was you always knew, and I mean knew, Montana was never out of it. I think he still may hold the regular-season comeback record for the game against New Orleans. I remember SF getting the ball in Super Bowl 23 and having this feeling similar to the 19th time I'd watched Star Wars -- I knew how it was going to end (and yes, I remember the dropped int, but still, the ending wasn't surprising). There were only a few games I felt that with Brady, but with Montana, it just seemed like it was every time.