Joe Montana vs. Tom Brady Statistically

[JoeSixPat]

What's most amazing to me is that Joe Montana and the 49ers were able to sustain their dynasty as well and as long as they did in the age of parity and an era in which the salary cap and free agency limited the ability to keep teams strong.

Oh wait - that wasn't Joe Montana! That was Tom Brady who did that!

Joe Montana never played in that era... whoda thunk it.

So how many Super Bowls would Montana have won without all his WRs and RBs?

Who knows - but even debating it is stupid. Montana and Brady are both among the all time greats and everyone's going to have their own opinion about it.

 

[FrontSeven]

They're equal. This is a team sport, not a one-on-one jump-shooting competition. Nobody can ever prove one to be better than the other at the all of the things that go into making a good QB. Counting stats from a team effort is nice, I appreciate the knowledge and perspective, but to conclude one is better than the other is a bit of a stretch.

At that level they are all the same guy - JoeTomJohn Cool. Haven't you noticed?

 

[godef]

For all the people who love to compare Montana and Brady, heres some stats Im sure all you great fans already know. People say Brady is as good as Montana, has better statistics, lets see who REALLY has better stats when the game matters most. (having your kicker finish what you started doesnt count, thanks.)

Joe Montana

Super Bowl XXIV (1990)
Stats: 22-29, 297 yards, 5 TD, 0 interceptions in a 55-10 win over Broncos.
Montana was spectacular in winning his third Super Bowl MVP, throwing for a then-record five TDs and completing 76 percent of his passes against a Broncos team that boasted the top scoring defense in the NFL that season.

Super Bowl XIX (1985)
Stats: 24-35, 331 yards, 4 TD (1 rush), 0 interceptions in 38-16 win over Dolphins.
Montana beat Dan Marino and the Dolphins through the air with three touchdowns and another score on the ground. His 59 yards rushing were more than San Francisco star running back Roger Craig had.

Super Bowl XXIII (1989)
Stats: 23-36, 357 yards, 2 TD, 0 interceptions in 20-16 win over Bengals.
Montana's second TD pass was the game winner, a 10-yard strike to John Taylor with 34 seconds left. San Francisco dominated offensively, outgaining the Bengals 453 yards to 229.

Super Bowl XVI (1982)
Stats: 14-22, 157 yards, 2 TD (1 rush), 0 interceptions in 26-21 win over Bengals.
Yes, this is the fourth time that Montana has appeared on this list -- it certainly says a lot that he has one-sixth of the best 24 performances by a Super Bowl quarterback. Montana's steady hand in this game -- his first Super Bowl appearance -- earned him MVP.

Tom Brady

Super Bowl XXXVIII (2004)
Stats: 32-48, 354 yards, 3 TD, 1 interception in 32-29 win over Panthers.
Brady outdueled Jake Delhomme with a Super Bowl-record 32 completions. He led the drive that set up Adam Vinatieri's game-winning field goal with four seconds remaining.

Super Bowl XXXIX (2005)
Stats: 23-33, 236 yards, 2 TD, 0 interceptions in 24-21 win over Eagles.
Brady had another near-flawless performance in the Patriots' most recent Super Bowl crown, but it was wide receiver Deion Branch (11 catches, 133 yards) who was named MVP.

Super Bowl XXXVI (2002)
Stats: 16-27, 145 yards, 1 TD, 0 interceptions in 20-17 win over Rams.
New England's defense stood out, but Brady orchestrated the drive at the end of the game to set up Adam Vinatieri's game-winning field goal as time expired for the upset win. Brady completed 5 of 6 passes on the winning 53-yard drive

You decide whos a better quarterback when it matters most, its your own personal opinion, but to me its clear who is better. Im sure if you're from Boston, you'll find a way to somehow disagree.

NOTE* In four Super Bowl appearances Montana had 13 TD's (2 of which he rushed in himself) and 0 INT's. Brady in 3 had 6 TD's, and 1 INT.

Well, that's pretty stupid to just compare Super Bowls.

First of all, this is a statistically tiny sample. If you want to compare just 4 games from one era vs three from another, the biggest factor is probably simple chance. How about we compare Brady's greatest 5 games vs Joe Montana's greatest 5 games? So what does Montana have to compare to 26-28 passing? Has Montana ever thrown 6 TDs in a game?

Second of all, that SF blew out a couple of their SB opponents speaks as much to the lack of a quality opponent that it does to how good the QB was. Montana simply never had to QB in the SB against a team with the offensive (and defensive) firepower as the 01 St Louis Rams. The Bengals twice, and the Broncos? These were not great teams.

Third of all, how many years did it take Montana to win his 4 Super Bowls? 9 years? Brady is on the verge of winning his 4th in 7 years. And his career is not over yet.

Fourth of all, which QB has led his team to an undefeated regular season? Trust me, this has proven to be far more difficult than winning a Super Bowl... that's been done 41 times in 41 years. Brady has led the Pats to only the 2nd undefeated regular season in the same span of time. Montana has nothing to match that.

Yeah, you're right, I'm from Boston and I found a way to disagree. But you're obviously from SF, and you certainly found a way to disagree first. That said, I will always be proud to know that our QB is even spoken of in the same esteem as the great Joe Montana.

 

[KoolAidDrinker]

I have all the respect in the world for Joe Cool. Right now, today, he is IMO the greatest Qb of all time. But when Brady wins his 5th SB title next season, he will take Joe's place, and nobody will argue. Not even you.

I think Brady has already passed Montana as the greatest QB ever. But even if he hasn't, he's only 30! His best years are probably ahead of him! Projecting forward, his numbers are actually scary. Not bad for a sixth round skinny kid!

 

[BradyFTW!]

Actually, I will find a way to disagree. Montana played in a vastly superior offense. He played prior to the free agency era, and thus was on a team that was able to stack talent in a way that the Pats can't. Montana had Jerry Rice. After he left, the offense was still SB-caliber.

This is the first year that Brady has had even close to Joe's supporting cast, so after this game we may have a better idea.

Also, BTW, a QB who throws 5 TDs didn't necessarily have a better game than a QB who threw 3. At that point it could very well be situation and gameplan variations that dictated what happened. You can place more value on a 5 TD game, certainly, but I wouldn't necessarily use it to judge which player is better.

 

[Triumph]

Does beating the Bengals really count as a Super Bowl victory?

Bengals had a great team, Sam Wyche was their HC.

 

[Patriot Games]

It is so funny to watch the reaction when somebody even mentions the possibility that Montana is better than Brady. You guys put the "Ya" in "Yahoo."

 

[SamBam39]

Interesting, the dolphins feel compelled to claim they are still better than the pats. and niners fans feel compelled to claim that montana is still better than brady. wonder why? what brought this on?

hahahaha


pats are destroying the record book.
did montana ever throw 50 td's in a season? did he come close?
was he the fastest to 100 wins?
did he set set single game completion pct record?
did he go 14-2 in the playoffs?
did his team win 21 straight games?
why does brady have more titles than he did at this age?
niners didn't have a salary cap to contend with and montana had better receivers before this year happened.
yes, montana is still rated the best, and if your a niner fan you'll probablt always think so. but in a few years, it's probable that everyone else will know brady was number one. just sayin'

 

[Satchboogie3]

You want to talk about something other than stats, how about the fact that Montana played his entire career in California. No bad weather, no cold. Brady has put up better stats while playing in NE, in some of the worst, most erratic weather in the country.

 

[PYPER]

For all the people who love to compare Montana and Brady, heres some stats Im sure all you great fans already know. People say Brady is as good as Montana, has better statistics, lets see who REALLY has better stats when the game matters most. (having your kicker finish what you started doesnt count, thanks.)

Great job. Montana is one of my favorite QB's to ever play the game. As much as I love Brady, I'm not willing to diminish Montana. He was awesome.

Having said that, the MAJOR flaw in your argument is comparing a 100% completed career with a career that is only about half done.

To gain a thorough understanding of how Montana and Brady compare, one must compare them at the same points in their respective careers.

Brady is 30 years old. What accomplishments did Montana achieve when he was 30 years old?

By the age of 30 both Montana and Brady completed their 7th season as starting quarterbacks. NOTE: Brady is 30 years old right now and playing in the Super Bowl next week so his numbers could still improve. Let's take a look.

SUPER BOWLS

MONTANA:
In his first seven seasons Joe Montana won two Super Bowls and two SB MVP's.

BRADY:
In his first seven seasons Tom Brady won three Super Bowls and two SB MVP's.

With one more win Brady will have won FOUR Super Bowls and at least two and possibly three SB MVP's.

Edge: BRADY


MVP's

MONTANA:
In his first seven years Joe Montana won zero league MVP's.

BRADY:
In his first seven years Tom Brady won one league MVP.

Edge: BRADY


WINS & LOSSES

MONTANA:
In his first seven seasons, Joe Montana compiled a won/loss record of 65-32 (.670) which includes a regular season mark of 58-29 (.667) and a playoff mark of 7-3 (.700).

BRADY:
In his first seven seasons, Tom Brady compiled a won/loss record of 100-26 (.790) which includes a regular season mark of 86-24 (.782) and a playoff mark of 14-2 (.875).

One more win will make him 101-26 (.795) overall with an unbelievable playoff mark of 15-2 (.882).

Edge: BRADY


When I began this post, I had no idea how much further ahead Brady was compared to Montana at the same age. I was expecting things to be a lot closer but it's really no comparison.

If Brady stays healthy, he's going to end up leap years ahead of Montana and every other quarterback to ever play the game.

Yes, he "IS" that good.

 

[PonyExpress]

I really don;t understand why Pats fans get offended by the idea Montana stands at #1 right now. Montana was a brilliant Qb. He won his 1st 2 SBS without Jerry Rice on the roster. Brady is very close, and when he wins next Sunday he can lay claim to a tie IMO. When he wins his 5th, next season he will be ahead. But there is no reason to disparage a sensational player like Joe Montana. I'm scratching my head over that one.

My arbitrary way of rankings QBs is by PLAYOFF wins and Sb wins. Montana has the record at 16. Brady is very close at 14:

Playoff Wins since 1970- as starters, or coming off the bench to lead their team to victory (like Staubach @ SF in 1972).

Montana 16 (4 SB wins)
Bradshaw 14 (4 SB wins)
Brady 14 (3 SB wins, 1 Sb pending)
Elway 14 (2 SB wins, 3 SB losses)
Staubach 12 (2 SB wins, 2 SB losses)
Favre 12 (1 SB win, 1 SB loss)
Aikman 11 (3 SB wins)
Kelly 9 (4 SB losses)
Plunkett 8 (2 Sb wins)
Young 8 (1 SB win)
Marino 8 (1 SB loss)
Manning 7 (1 SB win)
Stabler 7 (1 Sb win)
McNabb 7 (1 Sb loss)
Theisman 6 (1 Sb win, 1 Sb loss)
Simms 6 (1 Sb win)
Tarkenton 6 (3 Sb losses)
Roethlisberger 5 (1 Sb win)
Dilfer 5 (1 Sb win)
McNair 5 (1 Sb loss)
Delhomme 5 (1 Sb loss)
Warner 5 (1 Sb win, 1 Sb loss)
Cunningham 5
Brunell 5

My top 5 QBs Montana/Bradshaw/Brady/Elway/Staubach. IMO Staubach is very underrated. I might take Staubach over any other player. He spent 6 years in the Navy, 2 years in Vietnam, then went into the NFL only became a starter as a result at age 30. Despite that, he was the most efficient passer of his time in an era when the passing rules made it very difficult, and led his team to 4 Sbs. If he had won only once against the Steelers (2 4 point losses) he would have been able to stake a claim as best Qb ever- which he may have been anyway. After all, he lost to the greatest defense ever, and played nobly in defeat. Another thing to keep in mind about Bradshaw is that the 70s was an era when the Qb took vicious hits and had to throw deep to exploit the existing rules. Bradhsaw was probably the toughest S.O.B ever at the position, and had the best, most accurate arm. He called all his own plays. If he were playing today IMO he would be unstoppable. You can't compare "passing stats" from that era to this. They just aren't comparable with the rule changes from 1977-78 onward.

 

[maverick4]

You forgot Brady's 4TD's in Superbowl 42 and his unforgettable 7TD performance in Superbowl 43.

 

[shakadave]

85 17-3 Loss NYG 26/47 0 TD 1 INT
86 49-3 Loss NYG 8/15 98 Yards 296 Yards 0 TD 2 INT
87 36-24 Loss Minn 12/26 109 Yards 0 TD 1 INT

First round exits three years in a row during the heart of his career.

The data on this thread is phenomenal!

Everlong says the closest thing to what was on my mind. Montana is (so far) probably the greatest Super Bowl quarterback of all. Super Bowls are the ultimate goal for sure, but part of winning Super Bowls is GETTING THERE. Montana had more than just an occasional off year in between his championships. Playoff W-L record is extremely important.

And by the way, it's Kevin Faulk who is 14-2, not Tom Brady.

. .

 

[Satchboogie3]

^ tool.

Brady will have a field day in the Super Bowl.

 

[PonyExpress]

The similarities are amazing

Montana also lost to the Giants in the playoffs a bunch of times and Brady looks to follow in his foot steps. I really can't tell these two apart

There was no shame in losing to those Giant defenses. After all, they were coached by Bill Belichick.

 

[dwayne]

let's break things down to the smallest possible level!!!

Montana in SB's without Rice:

14/22, 157 Yards, 1 TD, 7.1 Y/A

Montana in SB's with Rice (average):

23/33, 328 Yards, 3.3 TD's, 9.85 Y/A

but I guess Montana made Rice great!!

This is a joke, right?

 

[dwayne]

You want to talk about something other than stats, how about the fact that Montana played his entire career in California. No bad weather, no cold. Brady has put up better stats while playing in NE, in some of the worst, most erratic weather in the country.

No bad weather? Have you ever BEEN to Candlestick? I'm being serious, not facetious.

I wouldn't ever dare to say anything against Brady. As I've said on this board before, he's the clear #2 for me. As a 49ers fan, I don't think it's unreasonable to have Montana at #1, just like I don't think it's unreasonable to have Brady at #1 for a Pats fan.

But there's some stragne disrespect of Joe in here, I feel.

 

[MightyFooda]

hey Azzminer 69, why don't you go worry about your team and why they hired a passing guru when you have a team built to run.

 

[maverick4]

Brady's career isn't over yet.

But right now, Joe Montana is still #1. Did some of you never see Joe play? He has the best-ever Superbowl performances (not to mention stats), I mean the guy was as money as you got in the Superbowl.

I agree with Pony, if Brady wins #4 with a solid performance, he may tie Joe Cool, but honestly at this point in time Joe Montana still stands alone at #1 Superbowl QB and also for me #1 QB of all time (w/ Brady second).

 

[dwayne]

hey Azzminer 69, why don't you go worry about your team and why they hired a passing guru when you have a team built to run.

I know that's not directed at me, but I WILL worry about it. I'm not sure how Martz and Nolan's egos will match up, but the offense will undoubtedly improve greatly. Gore is a terrific RB, and has more power than Faulk had. If more pieces can be put in place, I can see Gore putting up Faulk type numbers, though perhaps slightly more skewed towards running yardage.

As for the "thanks for the pick" comments....obviously, a top 10 pick would be nice for us. We were far worse than we should have been this year, with some inane drama and an offense left in the **** by Turner and the hiring of an imbecile. But Staley showed he's a promising player, and having him next year, in my opinion, will be as good as a top 10 or 15 pick used on the O-line this year.