Originally posted by Dr_Bill_Walsh:
The 10-Year Saga / Timeline (IIRC):
1986 - Montana misses a bunch of games due to back surgery, speculation on whether he is done. Matt Cavanaugh fills in nicely, but Montana makes heroic comeback (ala Jerry Rice in 1997)
1987 - Bill Walsh trades with the TB Bucs to land Steve Young as a backup to Joe. Steve replaces & outperforms Joe late in the NFC Divisional loss to the Vikings, leading to a mini QB controversy that festers in the '88 offseason
1988 - Joe vs Steve debate continues in early part of the season, while the Niners struggle to maintain .500 record. Joe eventually solidifies his starting QB role with a record-breaking renaissance spanning mid-'88 season to end of 1990.
1989-90 - The Joe Montana-led 49ers win a record 18-consecutive ROAD victories on their way to two more Super Bowl titles. They seemingly are destined to appear in and likely win a third consecutive Super Bowl until.....
1991 - Leonard Marshall of the New York Giants knocks out and injures Joe Montana late in the 3rd quarter of the 1990 NFC Championship. Later in the game, due to not wanting to put too much pressure on Young and to run out the clock, the 49ers elect to try and pound the ball, but this backfires when Roger Craig fumbles. Giants kick a FG as time and the "Threepeat" dream with it expire.
1991 - Joe, seemingly recovered from his injuries suffered in January, feels a twinge in his elbow during warmups to a preseason game against Seattle. He eventually has further surgery and is shelved for the 1991 season. Steve Young and Steve Bono lead the 49ers to an erratic, 10-6 season but the team misses the playoffs for the first time since 1982.
1992 - Montana still in recovery and inactive for the early part of the '92 season, then gradually goes to the backup QB role. Steve Young has by now solidified his status as the starting QB, on his way to his 2nd passing title, but as yet still hasn't won over the split fanbase. Montana plays his last action in a 49ers uniform in the season finale vs. the Lions, then watches from the sidelines the entire postseason as the 49ers eventually lose to the Cowboys in the NFC Championship.
1993 - Joe Montana is traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. Steve Young leads the 49ers to another NFC Championship but again loses to Dallas.
1994 - Only ever showdown between Montana-led Chiefs and Young-led 49ers occurs in week 2. Chiefs win the game 24-17, but Steve Young and the 49ers end up having the better season on their way to their 5th Super Bowl title. Steve Young seemingly finally has won over the majority of 49er fans during this season with his performance. Joe Montana plays his last ever NFL game in a wild-card playoff loss to Miami on the last day of 1994.
1995 - Steve Young has a record-breaking Super Bowl performance with 6 TD passes and is named both Super Bowl and NFL MVP. In April, Joe Montana signs a 1-day contract and officially retires from the NFL.......as a 49er.
Man...can you imagine if they had the zone or twitter back then?
"FIRE WALSH/SIEFERT NOW!"
"STEVE YOUNG IS A LOOZER!"
"MONTANA IS WASHED UP DOOD! LET IT GO!"
"YOU GUYZ ARE STOOPID JOE/STEVE JOCK RIDERS! GIVE BONO A CHANCE!"
"THE BONO BOAT OF BOMBASTIC THREAD!"
[ Edited by LambdaChi49 on Jan 7, 2012 at 12:39 PM ]