Garoppolo, of course, has shouldered much of the blame this offseason for the 49ers fourth-quarter collapse and ultimate defeat in that February matchup. A missed opportunity on a deep throw to Emmanuel Sanders fueled that criticism.
That performance came after one of the more impressive seasons by a 49ers quarterback in franchise history.
"I actually thought he played pretty well (in the Super Bowl)," Montana said. "He misses that one throw, obviously a big play in the game, didn't have an opportunity to come back.
"We've all missed throws. Right before 'The Catch,' I missed Freddie Solomon wide open. I threw the ball three feet over his head. He was only seven or eight yards away from me. It happens to all of us.
"He'll be back. He's a good player, and you've just got to give him more opportunities to be in that situation."
Garoppolo has been taking part in training camp walk-throughs without the knee brace he wore all last season as he returned from the ACL injury that shortened his 2018 campaign.
"Get that brace off of him, you feel a little bit different," Montana explained. "He's not a runner anyway, but you feel a lot more comfortable. I had -- not a serious knee injury -- but I had six cleanouts in my knee, and they wanted me to wear a brace. You just can't get used to it.
"Hopefully, you'll see a fresher, different player this year. Although, he had a pretty good year last year. I look forward to him doing the same thing. Hopefully, they get back to the game again, and then you'll see a Chiefs-49ers matchup again."
Added Montana while laughing: "Although, they've got to get through Tampa."
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