Montana's perfect Super Bowls in perspective

Imagine getting to play 2008 Detroit Lions 4 times. Would you consider that a GOAT achievement to go 4-0 with no interception against them?

Well, Montana's career was in the midst of a 16-1 dominance of NFC over AFC. The most challenging game during that stretch was the NFC championship game not the Super Bowl.

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It is certainly a tricky conversation, right?

I mean, if you were to ask which SB record is better....
Brady's 4-2 or Manning's 1-2 then it's a 'no brainer'

But which of these is better.....
Kelley's 0-4 or Marino's 0-1?

Sure, more losses FEELS worse but it also means you've BEEN to the big game more times.

brdmaverick said:

It is certainly a tricky conversation, right?

I mean, if you were to ask which SB record is better....
Brady's 4-2 or Manning's 1-2 then it's a 'no brainer'

But which of these is better.....
Kelley's 0-4 or Marino's 0-1?

Sure, more losses FEELS worse but it also means you've BEEN to the big game more times.

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I feel that Marino had more talent, but I have more respect for Kelly.

brdmaverick said:

It is certainly a tricky conversation, right?

I mean, if you were to ask which SB record is better....
Brady's 4-2 or Manning's 1-2 then it's a 'no brainer'

But which of these is better.....
Kelley's 0-4 or Marino's 0-1?

Sure, more losses FEELS worse but it also means you've BEEN to the big game more times.

Click to expand...

When the wins are even, more trips is a good thing.

FibSeq13478 said:

Imagine getting to play 2008 Detroit Lions 4 times. Would you consider that a GOAT achievement to go 4-0 with no interception against them?

Well, Montana's career was in the midst of a 16-1 dominance of NFC over AFC. The most challenging game during that stretch was the NFC championship game not the Super Bowl.

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I don't understand your OP. What is your point?

Montana won 4 Super Bowls vs good teams and won 4 NFCCG vs very good competition. They certainly did not play competition at the level of the 08 Lions...

robertweathers said:

I don't understand your OP. What is your point?

Montana won 4 Super Bowls vs good teams and won 4 NFCCG vs very good competition. They certainly did not play competition at the level of the 08 Lions...

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The point is that during that stretch, talent gap between AFC and NFC was so large that chances of a AFC champion beating a NFC champion was close to chance of the 0-16 lions beating the rest of the NFL

FibSeq13478 said:

The point is that during that stretch, talent gap between AFC and NFC was so large that chances of a AFC champion beating a NFC champion was close to chance of the 0-16 lions beating the rest of the NFL

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Even if I agree with the thrust of the point that the NFC of the 2000's and 2010's has been way better than the AFC of the 1980's so Brady has faced stronger Super Bowl competition overall, I strongly disagree with any comparisons to the 0-16 Lions. It's true that the 80's and early 90's AFC representatives weren't anywhere near as good as the Giants, Bears, Cowboys, and Skins. But that doesn't mean they were bad. I would even go so far as to say that the Boomer Esiason-led Bengals were probably a bit more competitive than the Panthers and Giants teams the Patriots played in the Super Bowl.

FibSeq13478 said:

The point is that during that stretch, talent gap between AFC and NFC was so large that chances of a AFC champion beating a NFC champion was close to chance of the 0-16 lions beating the rest of the NFL

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It's too easy to turn that argument around. If the NFC was so much more loaded with talent in that period, just making it to the Superbowl out of the NFC had to be a tremendous accomplishment.

Two of the four SB games came down to the wire. If all four were like the 1989 gave vs DEN then I would agree.

FibSeq13478 said:

The point is that during that stretch, talent gap between AFC and NFC was so large that chances of a AFC champion beating a NFC champion was close to chance of the 0-16 lions beating the rest of the NFL

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smurfalarm said:

Even if I agree with the thrust of the point that the NFC of the 2000's and 2010's has been way better than the AFC of the 1980's so Brady has faced stronger Super Bowl competition overall, I strongly disagree with any comparisons to the 0-16 Lions. It's true that the 80's and early 90's AFC representatives weren't anywhere near as good as the Giants, Bears, Cowboys, and Skins. But that doesn't mean they were bad. I would even go so far as to say that the Boomer Esiason-led Bengals were probably a bit more competitive than the Panthers and Giants teams the Patriots played in the Super Bowl.

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Three "could've, wouldn've, should've" games for the AFC during that stretch, and two of them were against the 49ers.

Montana had a couple of embarrassing showings against the Giants in the playoffs. Brady at least looked competitive against them. Can't fault Brady for being in a different conference and having to play them in the SB as opposed to earlier in the postseason.

No Brady led Patriots team has ever been held to single digit scoring in a playoff game. The Montana led 49ers were held to 3 points, and one-and-done, two years in a row (1985-1986).

patchick said:

It's too easy to turn that argument around. If the NFC was so much more loaded with talent in that period, just making it to the Superbowl out of the NFC had to be a tremendous accomplishment.

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That is exactly my point though. For a NFC champion, winning the Super Bowl was't as difficult as getting past the NFC championship game, so I don't buy the argument about perfection in Super Bowl. On the other hand, Montana getting to 6 NFC championship games and winning 4 of them is tremendous achievement.

Deus Irae said:

No Brady led Patriots team has ever been held to single digit scoring in a playoff game. The Montana led 49ers were held to 3 points, and one-and-done, two years in a row (1985-1986).

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Both against the Giants.

FourierSeries said:

Montana had a couple of embarrassing showings against the Giants in the playoffs. Brady at least looked competitive against them. Can't fault Brady for being in a different conference and having to play them in the SB as opposed to earlier in the postseason.

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Let's not kid ourselves here. Brady has also had bad playoff games.

robertweathers said:

Let's not kid ourselves here. Brady has also had bad playoff games.

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Nowhere near as embarrassing as those Montana losses to the Giants.

FourierSeries said:

Both against the Giants.

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Yes. He followed up those 2 performances with his 1987 performance, where he got pulled against the Vikings.