The GOAT debate will forever rage on. For most folks, Tom Brady has done enough to earn this esteemed title throughout his illustrious 22-year career. Well, one all-time great QB who does not seem to be in the same boat is San Francisco 49ers legend Joe Montana.
Joe Montana Dubs Dan Marino Best QB Ever
Speaking to Keith Nelson of Men’s Health, Montana recently revealed his pick for the “best QB of all time.” Sorry Tom Brady fans, but the Hall of Fame QB decided to go in a different direction. In his mind, Montana believes that it’s Dan Marino who deserves this title.
“Put Marino into today’s game where he gets free release…and his receivers, holy cow, weren’t very big,” Montana proclaims. “Now these guys are 6’4,” 6’5.” I think [Marino] is probably one of the most unsung heroes of the game. People don’t talk enough about him or realize the numbers that he put up during the times that he put them up.”
Incidentally, the one glaring void in Marino’s glowing resume is a Super Bowl title. The Miami Dolphins icon has Montana to thank for that, with the latter leading the 49ers to a title win over the Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX. That was the only Super Bowl appearance in Montana’s decorated career.
Nevertheless, this hasn’t stopped Joe Montana from heaping praise on his former rival:
“He had a quick release. I had to step into a lot of things to get enough [force] on the ball,” Montana said. “He had the perfect torque of his upper body and strength to deliver the ball quickly at a fast release with accuracy.”
For what it’s worth, Keith Nelson, the author who drew this bold claim from Joe Montana, pointed out the difference between “greatest” and “best” QB: “The title of ‘greatest QB’ typically refers to career achievements, whereas ‘best QB’ refers to individual talent.”
According to Nelson, Joe Montana believes that it’s Dan Marino who has the biggest claim to the title of being the “best QB” this game has ever seen. Marino himself is without a doubt in the conversation as well, along with Tom Brady. However, with regard to the “greatest QB” ever, I guess that’s a conversation for another day.
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