Tag: Joe Montana

All-Time Saints Villains: Which QBs have thrown most TD passes against New Orleans?

Which quarterbacks have thrown the most touchdown passes against the Saints? Matt Ryan and Cam Newton made the cut, but so did Joe Montana:

Who are the New Orleans Saints’ biggest all-time rivals? Which opposing players have plagued the black and gold in their lowest moments? When you look through the Saints’ franchise history, who stands out as villains on the opposing sideline?

That’s what we’re setting out to explore this week, thanks to the at records being kept over at StatMuse. We’re offering a rare hat tip to the best players from the other side and acknowledging some of the peak performers to ever suit up against New Orleans. To start out, here’s a look at the all-time leaders in touchdown passes thrown against the Saints defense:

Happy birthday, Joe Montana!

It’s Joe Montana’s birthday, which is a good time to offer a reminder that No. 16 is perhaps the greatest QB to ever put on pads.

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Happy birthday, Joe Montana (ever heard of him?)!

The legendary 49ers quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Famer turned 67-years old on Sunday.

While the conversation around athletes and the evolution of athletic performance has pushed some all-time, pre-social media greats into the background. It’s understandable, especially now since athletes are bigger and faster and stronger than they were in Montana’s era. However, it’s hard to deny Montana’s place in history as perhaps the greatest quarterback to ever put on pads.

Any definition of ‘greatness’ in a sports context is going to vary depending on the person. With Montana he fits virtually any and all definitions. His accomplishments don’t require caveats that buoy his era against a more offense-friendly, pass-happy version of the NFL.

Montana won four Super Bowls and was the MVP in three of them. He was a three-time First-Team All-Pro, a two-time MVP, a Comeback Player of the Year, an Offensive Player of the Year, an eight-time Pro Bowler and a member of the Hall of Fame’s 1980s All-Decade Team.

He was the most prolific passer of his era who also set a new standard for efficiency, leading the NFL in completion rate five times and in touchdown rate twice.

Montana finished his career with 117 wins in 164 starts, giving him a whopping .713 winning percentage as a starting QB. That carried over to the postseason as well where he made the playoffs 11 times and posted a .696 winning percentage, including an undefeated record in the Super Bowl.

Counting stats and the gaudy passing numbers of the modern NFL will cause some to try and erase or diminish what Montana did in one of the league’s toughest eras. Doing so is pointless. Montana is still one of the greatest to ever put on an NFL uniform, and his birthday is a good time to remember that.

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Notre Dame football: History of Notre Dame clues on ‘Jeopardy!’

Post how many you got right in the comments.

It has been established more than once on this site that I am fanatical about game shows. With Notre Dame athletics on hiatus until fall save for the track team at the NCAA championships, I have time to try ideas I’ve been wanting to try for a while now. One of them was planted in my head after our own Nick Shepkowski reported on a “Jeopardy!” category that was about ACC schools. I’ve decided to take that idea and narrow the focus to “Jeopardy!” clues about Notre Dame.

Using the site J-Archive, which has records of nearly every game during the show’s current run, I have come across several Notre Dame clues. Many of them were repeats because that’s what happens when you’ve been on for 39 years. However, I feel like I’ve compiled a diverse list of clues that you should be able to respond to if you have even a basic knowledge of Notre Dame, particularly the football program. Check the end of this list for the correct responses:

Patrick Mahomes’ top 5 greatest NFL quarterbacks somehow doesn’t include himself

Mahomes’ list is still valid but he was being WAY too humble.

Patrick Mahomes is the NFL’s unquestioned best quarterback. In fact, he’s a living legend. There’s a reason our Christian D’Andrea gave him a tier all to himself in his latest signal-caller rankings. And even at the age of 27, with everything he’s already accomplished, Mahomes could be in the conversation for one of the greatest to ever play.

But one person apparently disagrees. Mahomes himself.

In a recent interview with Complex’s Ben Felderstein, where Mahomes unthinkably said he’s feeling less pressure after winning a second Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs superstar ranked his five best NFL quarterbacks of all time. While no name is an inherent surprise to those who follow the league and pro football closely, Mahomes left himself out.

I understand the idea of humility and his trying to keep his hand close to the vest, so I’ll say this for Mahomes: he’s arguably the third-best quarterback of all time already. He has the resume. He has the two MVPs and Super Bowl MVPs. And despite playing just five years, he’s got the numbers, too. All that’s missing is more consistent greatness and longevity over an extended career … which is almost inevitable, too.

Right now, it’s probably not still crazy for Mahomes to leave himself out of a great quarterback ranking. He has a lot more to accomplish, after all. By the end of his career, I’d venture to say anyone who leaves him off a list near the top needs to strongly reconsider their position.

Per Complex, here are Mahomes’ five greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time as of right now.

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Notre Dame quarterbacks through the years

Not the best but who is your favorite ND quarterback of all-time?

In the long history of Notre Dame football its difficult to come up with a favorite all-time quarterback.  Sure, the likes of [autotag]Paul Hornung[/autotag], [autotag]Joe Montana[/autotag], [autotag]Joe Theismann[/autotag], and [autotag]Brady Quinn[/autotag] all achieved great things in blue and gold but so many others reached great heights as well.

Then there were others that didn’t go on to get drafted into the NFL but led successful Notre Dame squads in their own right like [autotag]Kevin McDougal[/autotag], [autotag]Tony Rice[/autotag], and [autotag]Everett Golson[/autotag].

Who is your favorite quarterback in the history of Notre Dame football?

Who do you think was the best?

And who is your favorite one-hit-wonder?

A day after [autotag]Tyler Buchner[/autotag] announced he was entering the transfer portal, here is a look back at photos of several Notre Dame quarterbacks over the years.

6 lessons Tom Brady, Brett Favre and Joe Montana can teach the Jets about Aaron Rodgers

What happens when a long-tenured starting QB leaves the only team he knows for a new home after age 35? Here’s what the Jets can learn.

It doesn’t happen often, but it’s not unheard of to watch a legendary quarterback spend a decade-plus with one team before departing to spend the twilight of his career somewhere else. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Joe Montana all retired wearing jerseys foreign to the fans who saw them through glorious highs in their 20s and early 30s.

Aaron Rodgers is primed to join them. A trade from the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets has hung in the air over the 2023 NFL offseason like runoff from a rendering plant, tainting headlines and keeping the attention-heavy quarterback in the spotlight even when he’s not doing anything.

The two sides are currently haggling over trade value. The Packers want to maximize the return on a four-time MVP. The Jets are looking for a bargain considering the guy they’re adding is nearly 40 years old. History shows both sides have valid points.

If we look at every prolific passer who spent at least 10 seasons as a starter for one team, then left for (mostly) greener pastures elsewhere since 1990, we get six veteran quarterbacks with six lessons New York can glean from its potential acquisition.

The arbitrary cutoff here is age 35, so guys like Matthew Stafford, Russell Wilson or Donovan McNabb each fail to make the cut thanks to their relative youth. Since his rookie year stay as a Falcon was brief and the parallels between him and Rodgers cannot be ignored, we’ll add Brett Favre to the mix as well. And since one of the biggest selling points for the former MVP’s departure is a stocked lineup of playmaking help, we’ll also consider whether each QB’s new home was an upgrade compared to the one he left behind.

Some guys thrived. Others failed. How can each apply to Rodgers’ move east? Let’s go down the list in chronological order.

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Russell Wilson has dinner with new Broncos coach Sean Payton

Broncos QB Russell Wilson had dinner with new coach Sean Payton in Arizona before the Super Bowl.

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson dined with new coach Sean Payton in Arizona on Thursday evening. Wilson was accompanied by his wife, Ciara, Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana and Wheels Up CEO Kenny Dichter, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The dinner between the parties involved shows that the franchise could move in the right direction. The NFL’s quarterback and head coach dynamic are essential: serving as the difference between contracts signed, Super Bowls won, and careers derailed. Payton has a history of developing a winning culture around quarterback Drew Brees with the New Orleans Saints.

Wilson’s 2022 season was one he’d like to forget, posting career lows in touchdowns (16), passer rating (84.4), and competition percentage (60.5). So, the Broncos will lean on Payton’s expertise to develop Wilson into the Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback of old.

Dinner is a start, but the work between the two will happen on the field and in the film room.

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Giants legend Lawrence Taylor doesn’t believe Tom Brady is the G.O.A.T.

New York Giants legend Lawrence Taylor explains why Joe Montana, not Tom Brady, is the greatest quarterback of all time.

Retired New York Giants legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Lawrence Taylor, appeared on the I Am Athlete podcast earlier this week and caused some controversy.

Taylor was asked to name his top five defenders of all time and left both Ray Lewis and Aaron Donald off the list. That caused a bit of an outcry from the current generation of fans.

But L.T. wasn’t done there. He had another take that is certain to cause some intense debate.

During a discussion about the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Taylor says he doesn’t view Tom Brady as the G.O.A.T. Rather, he says, that distinction belongs to retired San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana.

“Joe Montana is still my man. He’s still my man,” Taylor said. “The greatest quarterback ever, I’m still with Joe Montana. I’m not going with Tom Brady.”

Asked to explain himself, Taylor pulled no punches.

“Listen, Tom Brady got all the rules on his side,” Taylor said. “You can’t touch him. . . If you hit him, if you breathe on him, they’re gonna throw a flag.”

The game certainly has changed and Taylor has never shied away from his disdain for that. He feels the NFL has gotten a bit soft, especially when it comes to protecting offensive players and quarterbacks. And Brady most certainly benefited from that throughout his career.

Montana, on the other hand, played in an era where defenders were at their most violent. There was no comfort in the pocket and he found success despite that. And as a chief rival of the Giants, it’s no surprise that Taylor views him as the greatest of all time.

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Notre Dame’s all-time Super Bowl team

Who did we get right and who is missing?

The Super Bowl is just over a week away from the Chiefs and Eagles which means Notre Dame could have another former player crowned a Super Bowl champion.  Ian Book is the third string quarterback for the Eagles so he’ll unlikely play, but would certainly receive a ring if they’re to win.

The Irish have been well represented in the Super Bowl historically so I made an all-time team of Notre Dame players based solely off their performances on Super Bowl Sunday.  To make this all-time team doesn’t mean you had the best overall career in the NFL necessarily, as much as you had to perform well in the actual Super Bowl game.

Because of the lack of involvement at some positions, one had to simply appear in a game to earn a spot on this roster.

Here it is, Notre Dame’s all-time Super Bowl roster: