Joe Montana Disses Tom Brady In Pick For Greatest QB Ever

Tom Brady locked up the title of greatest quarterback of all time when he won his seventh Super Bowl, but that still seems to be up for debate.

Depending on when you started watching football, Joe Montana might be the greatest quarterback of all time. Brady grew up idolizing Montana as a San Francisco 49ers fan, but there might be some tension in their relationship as Brady continued to chase Montana’s crown at the top.

That might have escalated after Montana’s interview with Men’s Health released Wednesday. The Pro Football Hall of Famer was humble enough not to pick himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, but instead of Brady, he chose Dan Marino.

“He had a quick release. I had to step into a lot of things to get enough [force] on the ball,” Montana told Keith Nelson. “He had the perfect torque of his upper body and strength to deliver the ball quickly at a fast release with accuracy.”

The 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX, which was Marino’s only Super Bowl appearance in his 17-year career, but that didn’t seem to matter for Montana.

“Put Marino into today’s game where he gets free release … and his receivers, holy cow, weren’t very big,” Montana said. “Now these guys are 6’4,” 6’5.” I think (Marino) is probably one of the most unsung heroes of the game. People don’t talk enough about him or realize the numbers that he put up during the times that he put them up.”

Marino certainly deserves praise, but it’s strange Montana doesn’t seem to consider Brady part of the conversation. He did believe Patrick Mahomes could come close to being one of the greatest of all time, so he’s aligned with consensus there. But New England Patriots fans will have to continue with their debates on whether Brady is the greatest QB of all time.