Joe Montana has some simple advice for Tom Brady this offseason: Don’t go.
Montana, who started his career in San Francisco and wrapped it up in Kansas City, told NFL Media in an interview set to air Sunday that Brady would be wise to stay with the Patriots.
“It’s not easy to go to another team and get accepted, no matter how much success you’ve had and how many years you’ve played,” Montana said. “They still want to see you come in and be the same player and be that loyal to them as you were to the other team you just left. So, it’s not easy [for] guys looking at that change, especially at the quarterback position.”
Advertisement
Montana said his transition from the Niners to the Chiefs was made somewhat easier because of his familiarity with Paul Hackett, who was a quarterbacks coach in San Francisco in the mid-1980s before becoming the offensive coordinator in Kansas City with Montana.
“It’s a process to go through, and it takes time to get used to the team. I was fortunate because Paul Hackett was there running the offense, and so I was pretty familiar with probably three-quarters of the offense going in,” he added.
“If they let [Brady] have his own offense [with a new team], yeah, that makes it a little bit easier. But still, the transition of moving . . . I just can’t see how they would let him leave there, myself.”
After winning four Super Bowls with the Niners, Montana was dealt to the Chiefs in the spring of 1993. He led them to back-to-back playoff appearances, including a loss in the 1993 AFC Championship game. In his conversation, he recalled what that transition was like, adding that the departures of Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott made it feel like it was time to move on.
Advertisement
“Kansas City, you know, took me on when, everyone thought, may have thought, I was done playing at the time,” he said. “Great organization, crazy-good fans, we had a really good team also at the same time . . . I just never thought I’d leave San Francisco. But Jerry followed me [out the door], and Ronnie [Lott left after the ’90 season]. It comes a time in everyone’s career, I think.”
Brady texted Jimmy G
At Media Night in Miami Monday, San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said he got a text from Brady recently in the days after the NFC title game.
“Yeah, he shot me a text,” Garoppolo said. “Good luck, and everything like that. Just go handle [your] business.”
Garoppolo was asked about the opportunity to watch Brady perform in multiple Super Bowls with the Patriots, and how that might impact him on Sunday.
“Just his calm demeanor — how he went about it like it was just another game,” Garoppolo said. ”Making big plays in big moments. That’s what it’s all about.”
Bryant in thoughts
Whether it was simply part of the DNA of both teams, the subdued nature of the event so close to the death of Kobe Bryant, or the level of respect on both sides, Monday’s Super Bowl LIV Opening Night had a muted feel.
Bryant loomed large over the event — held at Marlins Park — from the moment of silence held before things got started to the comments from the coaches and players.
Advertisement
“I wasn’t lucky enough to get to meet Kobe, but the impact he made in my life was huge,” said Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. “He made a huge impact on my life, for sure.”
“He was just an unbelievable person,” said Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce. “You can’t say enough about who he was and his impact.”
“Kobe was the first person I’ve idolized,” added Kansas City defensive end Frank Clark, who grew up in Southern California. “The only person I’ve ever idolized.”
The clear and most obvious story line that’s developing with the Chiefs is the chance to win a Super Bowl for coach Andy Reid, who has 221 wins — the most of any coach without a ring.
“I think Coach Reid deserves one. He’s one of the top coaches in this league. He’s [one of] the top coaches I’ve ever had and I think himself in general and this organization deserve a ring,” said Kansas City wide receiver Sammy Watkins.”
Twitter hacked
The official Twitter accounts for more than a dozen NFL teams have been hacked, less than a week before the Super Bowl.
Official verified Twitter Inc. accounts for a number of teams, including the Super Bowl-bound 49ers and Chiefs, no longer have profile photos on the social media service. A tweet sent by the official Green Bay Packers Twitter account reads, “We are here to Show people that everything is hackable,” and attributes the breach to a group called OurMine.
Material from the wire services were used in this report. Follow Christopher Price @cpriceglobe.
Advertisement