Intro
In the 83 year history of the National Football League, only 2 quarterbacks have led the league in passing a record six times. The first to do it was Sammy Baugh (Washington Redskins) in the 1930s and ‘40s, when there were 8 teams in the league. Baugh is remembered as the most dominant passer of the early era of football, and as such he is considered by many to be the greatest quarterback of that era of football. The second quarterback to achieve this amazing feat was Steve Young (San Francisco 49ers) in the 1990s, when there were 30 teams in the league. Young holds the Highest Passer Rating in a Season, the record for most consecutive seasons leading the league in passing (4), and has the most seasons leading the league in passing with a rating of 100+. And as such, Young should be regarded as the greatest quarterback in the modern era of football.
Unfortunately, however, Young’s career is often overshadowed by another great quarterback who preceded him as the QB for the San Francisco 49ers. Joe Montana. It is Joe Montana who many regard as the greatest quarterback in the modern era of football. This of course, is mainly due to the fact that Joe Montana led the San Francisco 49ers to 4 SuperBowl Championships, whereas Young led them to 1.
An in depth analysis of these two players careers, however, reveals that it is Young who deserves to be recognized as the greatest quarterback in NFL history. This is based on the fact that Young’s career achievements in passing eclipses those of Montana, and based on the fact that Young was able to achieve them on teams that didn’t measure up to the powerhouse teams that Montana played with for the majority of his career. In other words, Steve Young is a better quarterback than Joe Montana, because he carried his teams on his shoulders more than Montana ever had to.
Steve Young
In 2000, Young retired as the foremost running quarterback and most efficient passer in NFL history. He was also the most fascinating to watch, for he redefined the position, before chronic concussions ended his career. Steve Young ended his playing career as the most accurate passer in NFL history with a passer rating of 96.8 (Montana, now ranked third, retired with a rating of 92.3), an NFL record completion percentage of 64.3 (Young also set the NCAA season mark for completion percentage with 71.3, and holds the 49ers' team record with 70.2 ), an NFL record touchdown to interception ratio of 2.17 (Montana = 1.96), established the NFL record for most consecutive 300 yard passing games with 6, has the most seasons leading the league in touchdown passes with 4, and has the highest average gain per pass attempt since 1960. That last achievement is significant because Young played in the West Coast Offense that emphasized short and medium-range passes. Needless to say Young should be recognized as one of the game’s greatest passers, if not the greatest.
It’s even more impressive that Young still has these overwhelming records, considering that he started out his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (who were the worst team in the 1980's), and he missed out on playing in the prime of his career by waiting behind Montana.
But it’s not just Young’s domination as a passer for which he should be noted as the greatest quarterback. While Young did retire as the NFL’s most efficient passer, his passing records don’t take into account his speed, and mobility. Undoubtedly, it will be Young's uncanny speed that will be remembered first. There have been a lot of quarterbacks who could run and throw, but none had speed that could get them into the secondary and then outrun everybody. Steve could do that. With 4.5 speed (in the 40-yard dash), he was as fast as a running back or a defensive back. Young also owns NFL records for his mobility, holding the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (85), and the 2nd most rushing yards by a quarterback (4,182 yards). Steve Young is still the only QB to pass for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards in the same game, in pro football history. So, it’s safe to say that Bill Walsh correctly assessed Steve Young as the greatest athlete to play quarterback.
Then there are the other intangibles of his greatness that stats can’t represent. Steve should be remembered as, perhaps, the smartest QB to play the game. After all, there aren’t to many quarterbacks who played football while they had a law degree, or who were part of a calculus club in high school. Young should be remembered for his superior toughness, grit, heart, leadership, and never say die attitude. When Young replaced the 4 time world champion Montana as the QB for the San Francisco 49ers, he never succumbed to enormous pressure that fans, and the media crushed him with. Young never lashed out at them for the constant scrutinizing and unfavorable comparison to Montana. Steve’s competitiveness never allowed him to quit. His tough style of play that consisted of him constantly playing hurt, his charisma, and his leadership would eventually win him the support of fans, the media, and his teammates. This is evident in Young’s 2 Time NFL League MVP Awards, and his 2 Time reception of the Len Eshmont Award. The latter award granted only by team members to the 49er who best exemplifies the teams most inspirational and courageous player.
The (In)Significance of SuperBowl Victories As A Gauge For Individual Greatness
Young out-did Montana in all the significant individual categories. Those touting Montana as the greatest quarterback will then immediately point towards Montana’s 4 SuperBowl victories. But football is a team game, and Championships are won by great teams, not individuals. Terry Bradshaw has 4 SuperBowl rings primarily because he played on a team with a great defense. The 49ers in Montana's era also had great defenses, and thus he has 4 SuperBowl rings as well. So does the fact that Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana were apart of 4 Championship teams, make them the greatest QBs to play the game? No. Although the ability to win a championship is indeed a useful gauge, basing greatness solely on the number of team championships is an illogical indicator for individual greatness. For instance, lackluster quarterbacks such as Trent Dilfer, Mark Rypien, Jim McMahon all have SuperBowl victories, while NFL greats Dan Marino, Fran Tarkenton, and Jim Kelly have 0. You’d have a hard time finding anybody who would evaluate Trent Dilfer as a better QB than Dan Marino. Unfortunately, Young only once played on a team that can be compared to the powerhouse teams Montana had, and he set records in that SuperBowl season.
A Comparison of Montana’s 49ers vs. Young’s 49ers
1) Salary Cap, Free Agency, & Management
Not long before Joe Montana became the quarterback for the 49ers, the team was bought by Eddie Debartolo, who was committed to building a winning team. Montana had the luxury of playing his entire 49er career in an era with no salary cap, and limited free agency. It’s hard to imagine Montana having 4 Championships had he played the majority of his career with the salary cap in place. It was a big plus to have an owner with deep pockets to surround Joe with great talent that stayed together year after year, thus gelling together and becoming a more effective unit. Steve Young won his SuperBowl in 1994, when the league was imposing the salary cap. For the majority of Young's tenure at quarterback, the 49ers would have a more diverse team each year.
Montana’s teams were built by Bill Walsh, a keen evaluator of talent (after all it was Walsh who traded for Steve Young to replace Joe Montana). In contrast, Young’s teams were primarily built by 49er President Carmen Policy. Policy was able to build a championship caliber team in ’94, but the salary cap and free agency quickly dismantled that team. In attempts to rebuild an effective team Policy left the 49ers in salary cap hell, and made costly mistakes in NFL Drafts, and Free Agent signings that actually hindered the teams progress (ala Jim Druckenmiller, Antonio Langham, Gabe Wilkins, Jaime Brown, Amp Lee, etc. etc. etc.). Policy was quite ineffective in picking up the slack, and rebuilding the team as veterans got old or left via free agency. Ultimately, Policy bailed on the team, and went to Cleveland leaving behind a real mess.
2) Introduction of the West Coast Offense
Perhaps the greatest advantage Montana had as an NFL quarterback, was the fact that he was the first to play using the revolutionary West Coast Offense, before NFL defenses had adjusted to it. Likewise, it was also an advantage for his defenses to not have to play against the WCO. Young played in an era where defensive philosophies evolved to better handle the West Coast Offense. So, Montana was passing to his receivers against defenses designed to handle the running-play offenses that were widespread when he joined the 49ers, Young is being judged as a passer against teams that had improved pass defenses (ala the Dallas Cowboys, and Green Bay Packers in the post-season…whom Young would still eventually both defeat).
3) Coaching
Montana played the majority of his NFL career under Bill Walsh, the Hall of Famer who invented the West Coast Offense and who changed the game of football by instituting the revolutionary intricate short-pass system. Montana did win one SuperBowl without Walsh as the head coach, however this immediately followed the team’s SuperBowl victory the year prior, and the team still had Walsh’s groundwork in place. On the other hand, Young's NFL coaches have been George Seifert and Steve Mariucci, who, though were proficient, are obviously less qualified than the innovative Walsh.
4) Defenses
There’s an old adage in the NFL that “defense wins championships”. Not surprisingly all of Montana’s SuperBowl teams had a defense that was ranked in the top 5 in total defense. The 1981 team’s defense was ranked 2nd in total defense, the ’84 team 1st, the ’88 team 5th, and the ’89 team ranked 2nd. Joe Montana never led the 49ers to the playoffs with a team that wasn’t ranked in the top 10 for the NFL. On the other hand, Young led the 49ers to the NFC Championship in 1993 with a 16th ranked defense, the NFC Divisional Playoff in ’98 with a 13th ranked defense, and won his SuperBowl with a 6th ranked defense.
The 49ers defense in 1994 was arguably the best Steve had in his career. Interestingly enough, all the additions made to create the Championship ’94 49ers were on defense (i.e. Deion Sanders, Bryant Young, & Ken Norton Jr), as there was not a problem with the offense led by Young. Whereas all of Montana’s defenses were dominant, and consisted of players such as Hall of Famer DB Ronnie Lott leading an imposing defense.
Ultimately, the difference between Joe Montana’s NFC Championship win over the Cowboys in ’81, and Steve Young’s loss to the Cowboys in ’92 & ‘93, was the defense. Joe Montana had 4 turnovers against the Cowboys in ’81, Young had a complete total of 3 in all his post-season games against the Cowboys. Fortunately for Montana, his defense was ranked 2nd overall in 1981, and was able to minimize any damage his turnovers could have caused. Unfortunately for Young, his defense against the Cowboys in ’93 was ranked 16th. Montana was also fortunate that his defense provided a game winning tackle in the ’81 NFC Championship for him, and provided a goal line game winning stance in the ’81 SuperBowl that allowed him a victory.
5) Running Backs
Joe Montana was privileged to have the more dominant running games for the majority of his career as well. Montana’s teams consisted of more RBs having 1,000 yard rushing seasons (4), than Young (3). Not coincidentally enough, 3 out of Montana’s 4 SuperBowls were the teams that had 1,000 yard rushers. Young’s SuperBowl in ’94 did not have a 1,000 yard rushing RB for the season, and interestingly enough Young was the team’s leading rusher in SuperBowl 29. Young was also the team's 2nd leading rusher in just about every year he didn't have a running threat like Montana had.
Steve Young had Ricky Watters for 2 seasons as a starting Runningback, and Garrison Hearst for 2 as well (who got injured in the post-season both years!). Montana had Roger Craig in the backfield for 8 years, and 3 of his 4 SBs. Steve Young made the 49ers playoff contenders when sub-par RBs Derek Loville and Amp Lee were feature backs. Montana’s ’81 team was the only one not to have a 1,000 yard rushing RB. However the RBs were obviously effective that year, as the team ran 560 times and passed 517. Not just that, in the SuperBowl that year the Bengals had almost twice as many passing yards as Montana, but the Niners had almost twice as many rushing yards as the Bengals.
Regrettably for Young, the majority of his career did not include the running threats Montana had. In fact, while losing two of their playoff games in ’95 and ’96, the 49ers averaged just 91 yards rushing in the post season. And most of those yards were on scrambles by Young, who had the team's two longest rushes, and led the team in rushing in the ’95 playoff game! On planned runs, the 49ers' running backs averaged 42.7 yards a game and 2.6 yards a carry. So, Young lacked a running game that slowed down the pass rush, allowed the offense to control the ball, keep the defense off the field, or allow his linemen to block aggressively (rather than passively as in pass protection). With the departure of Watters after '94, the Niners gave up on the run, and thus became easier to defend. It's probably not a coincidence that Young suffered a lot of injuries during that time, when the 49ers relied almost exclusively on passing.
6) Offensive Lines
Then there’s the offensive line. Joe Montana had one of the great O-lines in his time, Young often had to deal with a line so patchwork that very rarely did the same 5 guys ever start 2 weeks in a row. Montana’s protection from his line was greater, because of the relief provided by his efficient running game. This in addition to the fact that Joe’s non-salary cap era of football provided his offensive lines to be retained, and “gel” together more dominantly. You’ll find that more of Joe Montana’s Offensive Lineman will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, than Young’s.
7) Receivers
Finally, perhaps the one area where Young’s teams slightly outedge Montana’s is with the position of WideReceiver. Both played with Jerry Rice (Montana winning 2 SBs without Rice, and Young taking the Niners to the NFC Championship without Rice in ’97), and both played with John Taylor. Montana’s initial go-to receiver was Dwight Clark, a pro-bowl WR who, in the pre-Jerry Rice era had the majority of the 49er receiving records. Of course, Clark is mostly remembered for his game winning fingertip catch of Montana’s sailing pass in the ’81 NFC Championship. Steve Young ended his career playing with an up and coming WR, Terrell Owens. Owens is mostly remembered for his catch from Steve Young, who threw a pinpoint game winning TD pass to Owens, between 3 defenders, in the endzone during the final 3 seconds of the NFC ’98 Wildcard Playoff Match against the Packers. However, this play is often referred to as the “Redemption Reception” as Owens dropped and fumbled costly catches earlier in the game.
“The Montana Mystique”
At last, those who still wish to advocate Montana as the superior QB, in spite of the afore mentioned analyses, are quick to praise Montana’s “big game ability”, and his calmness in come-from behind victories. Montana was definitely a calmed QB on the field, but so was Young after a couple of years in the WCO. Both were recipients of the Len Eshmont award, however only one dealt with the pressure of replacing a Hall Of Fame Quarterback, while dealing with initially unaccepting fans, and harsh media comparisons… and even harsh criticism from Montana himself. Young was always cool with his detractors, never lashing out at them. Unlike Montana to Young, Young always spoke kindly of Montana.
A lot of people tend to forget Montana’s afore mentioned less than stellar performance in the ’81 Championship, where he was responsible for 4 turnovers. But, even more people tend to forget that Joe lost in the FIRST-ROUND of the playoffs in 1985, 1986, and 1987. The 49ers lost their opening playoff games in 1985 and 1986 to the New York Giants by 17-3 and 49-3 scores. Montana was held without a touchdown in back-to-back playoff games. And in the 1987 first-round home playoff loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the 49ers trailed 20-3 at halftime after a rookie named Reggie Rutland returned a 48-yard interception for a touchdown. Montana was then yanked in the second half for Steve Young. Young led the Niners to 21 point scoring drives, however the Niners still lost by a score of 36-24. But the outcome probably would have been different had Young started the game. So some questions remain: If Montana is really the best quarterback, why would Walsh pull him in the middle of a Playoff game? And doesn’t it speak volumes that Young came in and performed much better than Montana in the biggest game of the season, especially with the 49ers trailing?
Closing
Had Steve Young not sat behind the established Montana for 4 years, he would probably have just as many Championships, if not more, than Joe. Ironically, if not for Young, Montana would have at least one less ring. In a pivotal game for the 49ers in 1988 against the Vikings, Young would provide what would be voted as the greatest run in the history of the NFL. The 49ers trailed by 4 points, with 2 minutes left, and on a play where Young’s O-line crashed around him, he made for a mad dash that would take him 50 yards, through 11 Viking defenders, and stumbling into the endzone for the game winning TD. Without that win, the Niners would not have clenched their division, and would not have made the playoffs that year…and Montana would not have won the SuperBowl. But alas, Young accomplished tremendous feats on teams that didn’t measure up to Montana’s, with the exception of the ’94 team in which Young led the Niners to the SuperBowl, and was the game’s MVP for his record 6 TD passes, and team leader in rushing.
In conclusion, while both Young and Montana were spectacular quarterbacks, it was Young who carried the Niners far beyond what they were really capable of. He extended the aura of the dynasty, with teams that never really measured up to Montana’s. When Joe Montana left the Niners in 1993, Young kept the wins coming, and kept the dynasty alive. However, when Young got hurt in ’99, the weakness of the team that he was carrying was exposed, and ultimately the Niners dynasty would take a hiatus for a few years. Bill Walsh had made a prophetic statement before the ’99 season began, in that the fortunes of the team rested on Steve Young's shoulders, because Young was capable of winning games on individual brilliance for a team that was no longer anything like the great champions of the past. After going 12-4 with Young at the helm in ’98, the Niners went 4-12 in ’99 when Young exited the season after game 3 (Young was responsible for 50% of the wins that season, and he only played in 3 games!!!!)
Many men are great athletes; relatively few athletes are great men. Young was the most lethal player to play the position at quarterback, and was a great success in the NFL because he survived the pressure of following a great QB. The fact that he excelled at it, winning a SuperBowl, receiving two League MVPs, and establishing several NFL records, makes him the all time best quarterback to have played the game. The fact that he did so with class makes him one of the best all-time athletes in any sport.
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