The Joe Montana versus Tom Brady debate may never end, but it's always interesting to hear the perspective of players – especially one like former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Dwight Clark, who a young Brady watched from the stands at Candlestick Park as he leaped up to haul in the Montana thrown football and send the 49ers to their first Super Bowl. It doesn't hurt that Clark is not a fan of Brady's team, the New England Patriots, and is rooting for the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. Is Clark a little bit bias in the debate? Probably. But that doesn't necessarily make him wrong.
On Monday, Clark
joined "Murph & Mac" on KNBR to discuss a number of 49ers related topics. The first of which was the Super Bowl LI matchup between the Patriots and Falcons. "[The Patriots] cheat from top to bottom, any chance they get," Clark said. "I just can't believe they're in the Super Bowl again, so, guess who I'm pulling for?"
Clark was then asked about his thoughts on the never ending Montana versus Brady debate. He was asked if the talk among the media that Brady might be the best quarterback of all time rubs him the wrong way. "Hell yeah, it rubs me the wrong way," Clark answered. "I've been in the huddle with Joe Montana and they always say that Brady wins with receivers you've never heard of. I was an 11th-round pick. Joe Montana won a Super Bowl with me. I mean, come on!"
Other than Clark's response being pretty humorous, it was also a point that most making an argument for Brady forget. The media and fans are quick to point out that Montana had wide receiver Jerry Rice, which contributed to his greatness. The problem with that argument is that Montana and the 49ers had already won two Super Bowls before Rice was even drafted in 1985.
Clark did go on to acknowledge that Brady is good and he works well within the Patriots system, making them tough to stop. "They're well-coached," he said. "They are kind of like the 49ers of the 80s. They've just been doing it for so long. It's amazing that they've been able to do it year after year after year."
Both Montana and Brady have won four Super Bowl championships. While Brady has been to seven Super Bowls, three more than Montana, the former 49ers quarterback never lost one and was a perfect 4-0. Both were named Super Bowl MVP three times as well. A victory by Brady on February 5 would put him past Montana for the most Super Bowl victories by a quarterback.
Clark also shared his thoughts on Kyle Shanahan, the Falcons offensive coordinator who is very likely to be named the 49ers' newest head coach following the Super Bowl. Clark is excited about the presumptive hire. "I'm very excited for him to be the head coach," he said. "I don't know if he can be the head coach because he's never done it, but he seems to have something going there in Atlanta that is very innovative. It's like Mike Shanahan took the West Coast offense to another level. It's like [Mike] Holmgren took it up a notch, Shanahan took it up a notch, and it looks like his son has taken it up a notch.
"Those guys yesterday – sometimes they were wide open by three yards and that's the way the West Coast offense is supposed to work – find the open guy. And there were open guys all over the field yesterday. His innovation or whatever he's doing to that West Coast offense makes me excited because it took Bill [Walsh] a couple of years to build us up to where we could win a Super Bowl and the 49ers got a long way to go, but if you have a guy that you believe in and you're getting better every year, I think the 49er fans will be patient for a couple of years."
You can
listen to the entire interview on
KNBR.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan joined KNBR on Friday morning and shared some injury updates. All eyes during practices this week have been on the statuses of wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
Aiyuk (hamstring) got back on the practice field on Thursday, but Samuel remained sidelined as he recovers from a Jones fracture in June.
Shanahan was asked about Samuel's status for Sunday when the 49ers open the season by hosting the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium.
"I haven't gotten an update from the trainers yet," Shanahan said on the Murph & Mac show, "but I'm really hoping they're going to get out and practice today. I know we got Aiyuk out there yesterday, and he looked good. Deebo wasn't able to get out there
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters on Monday, the day after the team's 24-20 season-opening loss to the Arizona Cardinals. He provided some injury updates during the Zoom call.
Fans are probably eagerly awaiting an update on George Kittle, and Shanahan provided one.
The All-Pro tight end suffered a knee sprain during the first half against the Cardinals. He left for the locker room just before halftime to be examined. Kittle returned with his teammates in the second half and played for the remainder of the game.
"He has a knee sprain. We'll see how he comes in on Wednesday," Shanahan told reporters. "He was a little sore today, but we'll wait to see how he is on Wednesday to see if he's able to practice or be able to go
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mohammed Sanu, barring any complications, should join his new teammates tomorrow and practice with them for the first time since signing a one-year deal earlier this week.
Tomorrow's practice will just be a walk-through. Typically, missing each full practice in the days preceding a game would reduce a player's chances of playing — especially a new player. Sanu, however, is familiar with head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense, having played within it during his time with the Atlanta Falcons.
That, combined with the injury concerns at the position, could mean fans get to see Sanu out on the field against the New York
