NFL Media's Oklahoma Drill series presents exclusive, quick-hitting one-on-one interviews with players and coaches from around the league. No nonsense -- just football experiences directly from the source.
Joe Montana
Quarterback, Retired
Born: June 11, 1956
Experience: 16 NFL seasons
Interview by Brooke Cersosimo | May 11, 2016
I don't really have one [quarterback] that I like specifically. I'd rather watch a good game on both sides. Obviously, Tom has had some great years, and Peyton, well he's retired now, but there are so many great quarterbacks. They all do things so differently. It's a lot more entertaining to watch now, and they're all throwing the ball a lot more, so it's a lot more fun for me as a quarterback to watch, too.
If the Patriots keep the team together, Tom's got a good chance to win a fifth [Super Bowl title before he retires]. It's hard to keep the teams together, and you have to have things going your way at the end of the line. Sometimes it's easier to get close to it than actually to obtain it. He's definitely had some pretty good years at this point.
Obviously, the "The Catch" stands out in my mind, but that was probably more Dwight Clark] than me. That was a big hurdle, to get the [49ers over the Cowboys. That was always a big thing, was they couldn't get past the Cowboys in the playoffs, and to be a part of that was great.
But the touchdown pass to John Taylor to win the Super Bowl, I did that a thousand times in my backyard with my neighbor. I would have so many rings right now if I could get them from those times in my backyard.
**It's fun to watch rookie quarterbacks]** because it's not always the guy you think is going to make it. You can go back to the first-round picks or seventh-round picks. Sometimes it's the guys you don't expect to make a team that are making an impact. Look at [Tom Brady. It doesn't always have to be those guys who got drafted up there first.
The biggest [piece of advice] I have for them, especially the guys like [Jared] Goff and quarterbacks who are drafted in the first round, is just be patient. I know you want to play, but there's a little bit of learning that goes along with it, and that's hard to learn that and build confidence in yourself and let your teammates have confidence in you when you struggle early. It takes a lot to overcome that, so I think you're better off having patience. I mean you're not going to get cut, so you don't have to worry about that.
I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and cholesterol, so I made the lifestyle changes that were necessary to try and keep this in line. ... We started looking, and the things I had to do to change my lifestyle and things I do for exercise, which I basically cut out after I retired, because I tried to eat like I was still playing. The biggest thing about it was I did things on the stationary bike or on bikes outside, one of the few exercises I can do that are no-impact or low-impact. Cycling is a part of the exercise program, and the awareness part of the campaign really made sense to Jen and I.
Oh, boy ... You know, I'm really curious about Denver. Here's a team that wins the Super Bowl, and one of the guys, who was a part of a lot of those wins, they get rid of. I'd like to see how John [Elway] handles all of things that will take place there, especially offensively.
It was great to be a part of [Super Bowl 50] from a different view. But not as fun as when it was at Stanford and we were playing, but I think the city did a great job hosting it.
I really don't know much about [Chip Kelly's] offense. I haven't looked at the way he does things other than what he did when he was at Oregon. But with liking the quarterback to run, he'll be a good fit for a quarterback like [Colin] Kaepernick. That's kind of the realms he came from in college and high school.
**I don't know if Kaepernick can rejuvenate his career]** because I don't know his mental state at this point, whether he wants to be with the [49ers or not. You read some of the things that says he doesn't want to be there. If he doesn't want to be there, most of his teammates don't want him there. Then trying to get that back is difficult. I think it's all dependent on how he goes about everything when the team gets back together.
I don't follow the game enough to play fantasy football. I can't keep up with who gets hurt enough to make roster changes. It's too long of a process.
