Joe Montana knows what it's like to deal with pressure. A four-time Super Bowl champion and three-time Super Bowl MVP, the Hall of Fame quarterback authored two of the greatest game-winning drives in NFL history: the drive that culminated in his touchdown pass to Dwight Clark in the 1981 NFC title game, and his 92-yard drive that ended with his 10-yard touchdown pass to John Taylor in Super Bowl XXIII.
Montana, however, doesn't know what it's like to lose a Super Bowl, something that current 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo experienced after San Francisco fell short in Super Bowl LIV. While he actually outplayed Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for the first three quarters, Garoppolo was unable to keep pace with his counterpart during the final stages of Kansas City's 31-20 victory. And while his overthrown pass to Emmanuel Sanders late in the game generated criticism, Montana knows that that's just part of playing the position.
"We've all missed throws," Montana said during a recent appearance on "Good Morning Football." "Right before (his touchdown pass to Clark in the '81 title game), I missed Freddie Solomon wide open. I threw the ball three feet over his head, and he was only seven or eight yards away from me. It happens to all of us. He'll be back. He's a good player. You just have to get him more opportunities to be in that situation."
Montana, who added that he feels that Garoppolo played "pretty well" in his first Super Bowl, offered tangible reasons why he feels the 28-year-old signal caller should be considerably better in 2020. Along with having a full year of being a starting quarterback under his belt, Montana believes that Garoppolo ditching his knee brace will also pay substantial dividends for Garoppolo and the 49ers.
"I had six clean-outs in my knee," Montana said, "and they wanted me to wear a brace, and you just can't get used to it. Hopefully, you'll see a fresher, different player this year, although he had a pretty good year last year. I'm looking forward to him doing the same thing."
While he did win a Super Bowl early in his career, Montana truly began to develop into an elite passer when he was the age Garoppolo is now. During his age 28-29 seasons, Montana led the 49ers to a 26-8 record that included a victory over the Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX. San Francisco's 38-16 victory over Miami was of personal importance for Montana and his coach, Bill Walsh, whose offense outplayed the more celebrated Dolphins' offensive attack, led by Dan Marino and receivers Mark Clayton and Mark Duper. Montana, based on Wednesday's comments, believes that Garopplo can have similar success with 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, an offensive visionary who is already garnering comparisons to Walsh, the architect of the West Coast Offense.
Montana, who ended his storied career in Kansas City, is hoping to again see his two former teams back in the big game in 2021. He knows, however, that the 49ers have a new challenger that stands in their way.
"Hopefully, they get back to the game again," Montana said of the 49ers. "And maybe we'll see a Chiefs-49ers matchup again. But, they have to get through Tampa."
