49ers legend Joe Montana speaks ahead of showdown vs. Chiefs
Montana's two former teams -- the 49ers and Chiefs -- face off Sunday at Levi's Stadium.
SANTA CLARA – Joe Montana did more than just show up at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday as the honorary captain before kickoff between his two former teams, the 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Here are the top 10 things Montana said in a pregame interview:
1. On the 49ers’ acquisition of Christian McCaffrey:
“From my understanding, a couple (Carolina) coaches left and they got extra picks so it wasn’t as detrimental (to Carolina) as it sounded in the paper. … He’s pretty much a threat running the ball, catching the ball, and he’s probably a great addition for them. How fast he gets indoctrinated to this offense, I don’t know how much he’ll see today, I’m sure he’ll see something. I’m sure he’ll see something and they’ll have packages for him. It’ll be fun to watch him.”
2. On how running backs who can catch help a West Coast-style offense:
It’s a big part of it. A lot of the times in that style of the offense, you use your passing game as part of the running game. From back when Bill (Walsh) started this phenomenon, so to speak, we had some good running backs, but we didn’t have great running backs at the beginning. So you had to catch the ball coming out of the backfield. They were part of the passing game, them and tight ends. Bill would say, ‘If you don’t like what I’m going to give you down the field, I’m going to give you a couple other guys and you don’t need to force it on first down. If you hand off on first down and gain 4 yards, (the defense says): ‘You can’t give up 4 yards on a run!’ Then you drop back to pass, nobody’s open, you drop it underneath, the guy gains 4 yards, they think they’ve stopped you. Same 4 yards, right? Next thing you know you’re inside their 20 and they’re trying to figure out how you got there. It’s an understanding of the offense, how it works and how to use the guys underneath as much as trying to force it down the field.”
3. On if he sees similarities between himself and Jimmy Garoppolo with Trey Lance having been brought in last year as his successor:
“No. He got to come back. I didn’t. I just think they did the right thing in keeping him. When you look at it, when he’s healthy, he’s won games for them. You can’t say that about the other guys they tried to replace him with. Does he fit the system? He does to a certain degree, because it’s not a run-option type offense. You don’t need a guy that can run. Sometimes you just have to teach a little more of what you’re looking for from coach to player. His ability to make this team formidable offensively does more than the guys they had in the past.”
4. On Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes:
“He’s too crazy fun to watch. I mean, the guy does everything you tell every quarterback you can’t do or don’t do. He does all of it and does it well. You know, ‘Don’t go off the back foot, don’t go this way, don’t go sidearm, don’t go late down the middle.’ He is one of the most talented guys you’ll see in that position. He can run the ball, too, but that’s not what Patrick is really about. He loves delivering the ball down the field. He has a bunch of weapons to do it with. As they let guys go and guys come in, he makes the transition pretty quickly.”
5. On how he likes to watch quarterbacks play today:
“If you look at the way the rules are today, it’s mostly about the quarterback. Still, the guys who end up winning usually have a running game to go along with it. As a quarterback, it’s fun to watch the quarterbacks. Playing in today’s age where you throw the ball a bunch, it would be fun.”
6. On the current 49ers:
“Their defense has been doing a great job. A struggle here and there, but for the most part, they’re pretty formidable. On the other side, you’ve got a guy like Deebo, who’s very versatile, but you can’t do that all the time. So, having someone like Christian that comes on who’s somewhat similar but maybe not the total abilities, he can carry the same load when he needs to. He can carry it as a running back, go to the slot and catch as a receiver, catch it out of the backfield. He has the ability to do all the things. He’s a very physical guy. The only questions have been, at least to the guys I have on my fantasy teams, just make sure he stays healthy.”
7. On Super Bowl expectations:
“Every year you come in, if you’re not expecting to go to the Super Bowl, something is wrong, especially when you have a team like the 49ers have. It’s an everyday occurance. It’s what we play for every year. People say, ‘Well, you’ve won one, why do you need another one?’ I say, ‘Ever seen a kid with candy that’s never had candy? Give him a piece and what does he want? All he wants is candy. It’s the same as the Super Bowl. Once you win win, that’s all you want do. We never lost one. So, to get there and lose, I’m sure it makes you a little more hungry than normal. That’s what you play for every year.”
8. On where are his Super Bowl rings:
“They’re in a safe. It’s more of a trophy and memorabilia to me. I know I have them. I have four rings and four kids, so they’re going that direction.”
9. On alumni weekend goals:
“Try to figure out who is the ugliest one on the team and hear how the stories keep get embellished from the years as they go by. It’s always fun to see the guys. You see a lot of the guys in the Bay Area most of the time anyway, like Ronnie (Lott), Keena (Turner), Eric (Wright), Steve Bono, Harris Barton, Bill Ring. We run into each other a bunch and try to get together a bunch. Some of us you can’t regonize anymore. We’re losing our hair and those type of things, but it’s fun to get together.” On watching Jerry Rice run in pregame at times: “He’s been hit too many times. No, it’s great to see. From the era we played, it’s great to see guys like Jerry, and Roger (Craig) is in phenomenal shape. Jerry’s fun. I’ll watch him on the sideline get the crowd going. It’s great to see he’s still connected that way.”
10. On Jim Harbaugh, the 49ers’ 2011-14 coach and current Michigan coach:
“He is a character, by far. He actually recruited our younger son when he was at Stanford. I’ve known Jim over the years. Great coach. He’s doing a great job at Michigan. It’s fun to watch him flourish. It was a little tough to see him go (from the 49ers), because he had success quickly, but we all move on, eventually.” On what Harbaugh was like as a recruiter: “I plead the Fifth. It was interesting and fun. The first time I met him, he goes, ‘Here, show me how you hold the ball.’ I’m like, ‘What do you mean?’ He says, ‘Grip the ball, I want to see how you hold it, if it’s different from mine or anybody else.’ He’s a great guy, a great competitor. He brings a lot of energy to the game and would be a fun coach to be around.”