Joe Montana and Steve Young were the golden duo of the San Francisco 49ers in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Initially labeled a bust, Young was traded to serve as the backup for Joe Cool. The two played exceptionally well, breaking barriers and setting records together. They even won two Super Bowls, but there was always an undercurrent of awkwardness between them, as revealed by Young.
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During an appearance on ‘Too Much Access’, the former quarterback was asked about the never-ending debate question: his relationship with Joe Montana.
Young began by clarifying that the two never had any ill will against each other, rather they fostered a friendship during their time in San Francisco. However, there was an innate discomfort as they shared the quarterback room in the team.
“I would tell you that we never fought, we never had a cross word, never; supported each other in the ways that we had to. The job was the job, right? Played golf together, laughed with Steve Bono and all the guy(s). Like, but it was always awkward because in his mind I was brought in to take his job and in my mind, I was brought in because he was hurt.”
Young further expressed that while he respected Montana and absolutely loved watching him play, he didn’t want to spend all his time on the bench. However, he believes that ultimately, this healthy competition brought the best out of both the players.
“I didn’t want to sit and watch. If he was going to go be MVP and win Super Bowls, I would be like I love watching him, but I’m going to go play somewhere. And I would say this at the end of the day it got the most out of both of us being together.”
When Montana finally hung up his cleats at 38, it was widely expected that Young would take over, especially since he fit so well within the system even before that.
Why Steve Young was way ahead of his time as a QB?
Young was deemed a bust in his early years in Tampa Bay and was traded after just two years with the team. Once the quarterback got comfortable in the 49ers, however, his full potential was released, and we got the iconic 49-yard run to touchdown in 1988.
Everyone got to see what Young was truly made of. Unfortunately, though, he had to overcome a lot of adversity to reach that point.
During the podcast, Young discussed how he was considered “weird” because of his game style. The quarterback loved running, which was not the norm back then. So, he faced criticism, was berated, frequently benched, and even urged to call it a career, but he kept pushing forward. Only when he found the right system, did the star quarterback find his unique rhythm.
On being asked if he thinks his play was ahead of his time, Young responded:
“Thousand percent. I was, well, I got kicked out of Tampa because I was weird. I believe that my game was the best game you could have when you have lots of options. You don’t have to sit there and wait.”
“I always thought that Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Dan Marino were like super Gods cause they had to just stand there and they were amazing. That’s like, I would never want to do that job,” he continued.
Young then remarked that he enjoys watching games now, as all the top draft quarterback picks are guys who can both throw and run. He ended the discussion by joking that he still practises his throws in the backyard, just in case he gets the chance to play again.
