The QB Files: Tom Brady vs. Joe Montana If the 49ers had drafted Tom Brady in the third round of the 2000 draft, he could have been the most recent in a long line of great 49ers quarterbacks, from Y.A. Tittle to John Brodie to Joe Montana to Steve Young. Instead, the team chose Giovanni Carmazzi, out of Hofstra, and Brady fell all the way to the sixth round, subsequently starting a new quarterback tradition for the previously underachieving New England Patriots. In a way, that might have been better for Brady, as the weight of Montana comparisons have proven too much for plenty of 49ers quarterbacks. Even Young, an eventual Hall of Famer, acted relieved when he finally won a Super Bowl. Montana Brady has been good. Montana was nearly perfect. In four wins - three blowouts and one unforgettable last-minute victory (in which his pointing out of John Candy in the crowd is a thing of legend) - Montana put up an unbelievable 11 touchdowns and no interceptions. His 1,142 passing yards trump even John Elway, the only quarterback to start five Super Bowls (until Brady matches the feat Sunday). Advantage: Montana The Finishes Brady has led his team to two last-second victories, but both times he got the team into field-goal range and it was left to Adam Vinatieri to kick the team to victory. In the one Super Bowl in which the score was close enough to require heroics, 1989 against the Bengals, Montana drove the ball downfield and hit John Taylor in the back of the end zone for a game-winning touchdown. Amazingly, that game was the only one of Montana's Super Bowls in which he did not win the most valuable player award. The Eras Montana played in an era of much less turnover among players. With no free agency, the 49ers were able to amass a dominating roster around Montana. His backup quarterback was a Hall of Famer-in-waiting. He had two elite wide receivers, a Pro Bowl running back, an experienced and talented offensive line and an underrated defense. In four Super Bowls the 49ers allowed only 63 points total, but they scored 55 in the 1990 game against the Broncos alone. Brady has enjoyed continuity for his era, but the Patriots have not been able to hoard talented players the way the Steelers and 49ers were able to during their dynasties. Considering the parity in today's N.F.L., the fact that Brady has been the face of five Super Bowl teams is an achievement in itself. With a victory, Brady will most likely surpass Terry Bradshaw to be thought of as the second greatest quarterback in Super Bowl history. But even then, it would be hard to ignore how much more efficient Montana was. Of course, should Brady win a fifth Super Bowl someday, all bets would have to be off.