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Putting career number aside, both Joe Montana and Tom Brady have proven, in their respective careers, that huge numbers are not needed to win. And both of these legends have won big. Montana won the 49ers first Super Bowl in January 1982 after only his third season as a pro. And of course, he went on to establish, along with the genius offensive-minded coach Bill Walsh, Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, and Ronnie Lott, a true NFL dynasty. The 49ers were easily the team of the 1980's, as the Pittsburgh Steelers were undoubtedly the team of the 1970's. By January 1990, after a thorough 55-10 dismantling of the John Elway-led Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV, Montana put a giant exclamation point on his run to greatness. Four Super Bowl wins in eight years was truly a marvelous accomplishment while playing in a tough conference, the NFC, with other great teams like the New York Giants, Chicago Bears, and Washington Redskins.

Montana wasn't the big-armed quarterback that Dan Marino was. He wasn't the flashy, quick Randall Cunningham. And he wasn't the brash, arrogant Jim McMahon. And he wasn't the stat-master Dan Fouts. He was a quarterback who relied on his thinking and weapons, was super sharp and accurate with his throws, knew his offensive system, and played with a calmness and collectiveness not seen in the NFL since Roger Staubach. What this means is that Montana always kept a level head no matter what situation he was in. If the team was losing by a field goal late in the fourth quarter, Montana was usually able to put together a good drive to get his team in the position to win the game. In the present day, Tom Brady's play has reminded many people of Montana. The two surely have their differences. Brady is physically a little taller and heavier and is coached by a defensive guru/legend in Bill Belichick. But these might be the only differences. Both of these quarterbacks possess what many others do not- poise, precision, and cold-bloodedness. Montana's moment that outshines all others was his nerve-frozen drive towards the end of Super Bowl XXIII, against the Cincinnati Bengals. My memory doesn't have the exact score, but the 49ers were losing near the end of the game. Montana constructed a clean, cool drive down the field, working against the clock. In Cincinnati territory, he hit John Taylor with a pass, and Taylor took it in for a score. The 49ers held on in the remaining moments and won the game. It was definitive, perfect, and super clutch. Vintage Joe

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