Lessons from Joe Cool

[xen 1,010,220]

https://www.si.com/nfl/2020/08/10/tom-brady-buccaneers-joe-montana-kansas-city-chiefs

Lessons From Joe Cool

As Tom Brady moves on from the only franchise he’s ever known, he can learn a lot from another iconic QB who made a late-career switch: Joe
Montana, who thrived in his two-season stint with the Chiefs.

CONOR ORR · AUG 10, 2020

Joe Montana’s legacy in Kansas City began with a rancid smell wafting through the offensive
meeting room.

It brought to mind rotten eggs, or, less diplomatically, a fart, cruel and penetrating enough to stand out amid a group of sweaty grown men enduring merciless two-a-days in the Missouri heat. It was so putrid and unrelenting that the meeting, the unit’s first, was called off and the room was evacuated.

Landing Montana in a trade was a big deal for the Chiefs, who, despite their success in the
years leading up to his arrival, starved for more consistency at the quarterback position. In
his new home, Montana was not the oft-injured statue who was replaced by Steve Young in
San Francisco. He was Hendrix at Monterey.
During the breathless coverage of Montana’s recruitment the previous spring, a Kansas City
radio station would accompany any news with the song “Lawyers, Guns and Money” by
Warren Zevon, with the clear message being: Utilize all three, if necessary, to get him here.
Preseason Fantasy Football Selections! Two-time world champ Matt Bayley reveals 2020
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As they left the room, players began to wonder who was responsible for releasing the stench
—who had dared to cross Marty Schottenheimer before his big monologue. The coach did
not tolerate nonsense and was already on edge, having spent the offseason luring Montana
away from the 49ers (and the Cardinals, who had offered Montana  $5 million more). Breaking open a tube of ammonium hydrosulfide, better known as a stink bomb, seemed like a death wish.

Slowly Montana, 37, a four-time Super Bowl champion, seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time
Most Valuable Player, emerged as the primary suspect. And so began two years of epic
pranks, decadent meals and undeniable cool: the perfect blueprint for a GOAT switching
franchises.

“People were walking on eggshells at this meeting because it’s Joe Montana,” says Danan
Hughes, a rookie wide receiver at the time. “But everyone said it was Joe that did it, as an
icebreaker. He wanted people to know he was one of the guys, and that he was nothing
special.”

Twenty-seven years later, Tom Brady agreed to terms with the Buccaneers, embarking on a
similar journey from a dynasty he helped create to a town starving for football relevance
and celebrity power. No longer under the thumb of Bill Belichick, Brady has already carved
out a presence in Florida that has ranged from swaggering (bursting into a random person’s
home because he thought it belonged to his new offensive coordinator) to openly defiant
and, by some measures of public health, irresponsible (disobeying local coronavirus
ordinances by holding workouts in public parks). But ask guys who played with Montana
back in 1993 and ’94 and they’ll tell you the heaviest lift is yet to come.

Teammates and coaches remember Montana as a man at ease with his place in life; someone
who could glide around an unfamiliar locker room and instantly win over his new
teammates. Montana made the social aspect of his job look as effortless as the physical,
which those around him insisted was just as important.

During his introductory conference call in Tampa a few weeks back, Brady was asked about
Montana’s journey and what he took away from it, having grown up idolizing the quarterback. During his response, stuck in the middle of an elongated platitude about keeping one’s body in shape and working hard, was perhaps the most painfully honest thing Brady has said since moving on from New England.

“Life continues to change for all of us,” he said.
That is true. But what if that change requires you to revert to the man you were 20 years
ago?

***

Those who knew the young Tom Brady remember someone who would eagerly bring
Dunkin’ Donuts into the facility for early-morning meetings (these were the days before his
breakfasts required tempeh or avocado mousse) and dote on the defensive coordinators
looking for a quarterback to simulate Sunday’s opponent. Back then, he seemed to possess
the emotional intelligence required to advance in one of the NFL’s few meritocracies. He was
personable and gracious, someone who would bump into the recently signed emergency
long snapper in the bathroom and already know something about him. Later, by all appearances, he was smart enough to realize that keeping up the image of the eager, wide-eyed rookie with everything to prove was good for business.
For years, Belichick treated one of the most famous humans on earth as the complete
opposite, underpinning the entire Patriots ethos: that no one person was more important
than any other.

By the time he had become an established star, Brady stopped going to Outlaw biker bar
with the rest of the offensive linemen, but he made every small barbecue. He compiled
elaborate, night-before game cut-up videos that were essentially a brain dump of all his
weekly notes to share with the rest of the class, something former teammates say they have
never witnessed anywhere else.

He had an internal list of how best to treat his teammates. A Randy Moss mistake was
addressed in private, off the field, in a quiet moment between their adjacent lockers. A Wes
Welker mistake, on the other hand, could be loudly and publicly raised, as if one were
training a Labrador retriever.

“You have to be a part of the group, but also above the group,” says Matt Cassel, a New
England teammate of Brady’s for four seasons. “When we did manage to go out together he
was just one of the guys. Having laughs. He has a great personality. You can joke with him.
He’s a normal guy.”

Still, Brady spent the better part of two decades with the Patriots sublimating his swagger to
preserve his team’s identity. Montana, on the other hand, was Joe Cool, the guy who
authored moments such as the Catch and the Chicken Soup Game.

Despite all that Brady had sacrificed for the team—including millions over the years to help
with the salary cap—Montana had an easier departure, given that he had missed virtually all
of the previous two years with an elbow injury and Young had just led the Niners to a 14–2
season. “Unlike Tom, Joe felt like it was time to leave,” says Paul Hackett, Montana’s offensive
coordinator in Kansas City. “Joe had been replaced. There wasn’t a question about whether
or not it was time to leave.”

On the Tuesday night he arrived in Kansas City, he asked his new center, Tim Grunhard, to
grab a beer at a spot called Kelly’s. The place was empty. These were the days before
cellphones and social media geotags. Within a half hour, Grunhard remembered, the place
turned into “St. Patrick’s Day,” with Montana graciously mobbed, at home and in love with
his new lot in life.

Stink bombs aside, Montana did not barrel into his new locker room in Kansas City, but
integrated himself slowly through a series of small gestures. Grunhard said that Montana
was the first and only quarterback he saw to take the blame for a botched QB-center
exchange. Montana would spend the week after wins taking his teammates out to dinner,
position group by position group, to thank them for keeping him upright.

During a game plan installation early in the season, Schottenheimer stopped a meeting when the team arrived at short-yardage and goal-line situations and took the team out on the field to practice live. The offensive staff was dialed in, frantically lining up the first play when
everyone realized that the quarterback was nowhere to be found.

Montana had somehow managed to slide out of the belly of Arrowhead Stadium, climbing up
the steps armed with a water balloon cannon and a stockpile of ammunition. “You have to
do things like that,” Hackett says. “I’ll bet that, heading into that practice, I was taking things
too seriously. And then, one of the first people he hit with a balloon was me. So how am I
going to react?

“That was part of Joe’s magic. Real magic.”
Sacks were his fault. So were interceptions and drops. Offensive linemen felt like his kids,
far more wary of disappointing dad than getting screamed at. They developed a way to
check on each other on Mondays after games. One member of the crew would sheepishly ask
the quarterback whether, after meetings, he’d be able to go out and play a round of golf. A
yes would indicate that the protection was satisfactory the day before. A no would be the
nicest possible way Montana could say “get your s--- together.”

Once a comfort level was established, Montana was able to solidify his hold on the locker
room by acting as the player representative during Schottenheimer’s most tyrannical
moments. The interplay between Montana and Schottenheimer was something of a ballet,
with the coach knowing he needed to cede some power to the quarterback and Montana
knowing he needed to advocate for his teammates without overstepping any boundaries.

Martin Bayless, the team’s defensive MVP in 1993, remembers a particularly wicked stretch
of 16 consecutive days of full contact two-a-days that left the roster battered and mentally
worn down. On the eve of Day 17, as a player mutiny began to develop, Montana told them
he would take care of it.

In front of the full-team meeting later that day, he stood up and said: “Hey, Marty, these guys
have been working pretty hard. How about a day off?”

Schottenheimer smiled and said: “I recruited you already, so sit down. We’re practicing
twice.”

On Day 18, Schottenheimer gave the team their first vacation day.

***

They all looked over as he sauntered into the huddle, Monday night, Week 7 against John
Elway and the Broncos. It was his second season in Kansas City; in his first, Montana had
taken the Chiefs to an 11–5 record and within a game of the Super Bowl. Now, they were
down by four points late in the fourth quarter and had the ball at their own 25-yard line. In
the huddle before calling a pass play to Marcus Allen, Montana looked at his teammates,
smiled and said: “Hey, any of you check out the chaps on those cheerleaders?”

This was a recycled Montana bit, of course, but, man, did it feel cool to hear it live. He’d
famously asked his 49ers teammates whether they noticed actor John Candy in the stands
before embarking on a 92-yard game-winning drive in Super Bowl XXIII. Juxtaposing the
outward chaos with an almost equally maniacal sense of calm did not get old. This was
football mindfulness at its peak. He did it because it worked.

But against Denver, he kept going.  “Listen, guys, this is what I do,” he said, like a plumber approaching a clogged sink. “Relax,
give me some time, and we’re going to win.”
“We knew, at that point, we were going to win that football game,” Grunhard said. “Joe really
and truly believed that. So we did too.”
Montana went 6 of 7 on the ensuing TD drive, throwing for all but 10 of the team’s yards. Not
bad for a man whose elbow had routinely blossomed to the size of a palmable children’s
basketball. Whose back ached. Whose knees hurt. Who had no earthly reason to be here
other than the love of the performance. The devotion to the bit.

Nine months earlier, he’d walked into the locker room at halftime of a playoff matchup with
the Houston Oilers in which the Chiefs trailed 10–0. Buddy Ryan’s defense had been landing
one haymaker blitz after another. The room was silent. Montana had just whipped an incomplete pass off Willie Davis’s fingertips at the end of the quarter and was ecstatic about it. Something felt right. He told everyone that he had it all figured out. Everything was going
to be fine. And the Chiefs scored 28 second-half points to win by a touchdown.

At another practice, during his first weeks with the team, the secondary had acquired intel
on the plays the offense would run during a red zone practice and were prepared to eat
Montana alive, jumping on all his primary reads and gobbling interceptions. A few minutes
later, they headed to the sidelines on water break totally dejected. Despite his new
teammates knowing what would happen, Montana went a perfect 9 of 9.

Moments like that were common in Montana’s two years in Kansas City, when he led the
team to a pair of playoff berths before retiring for good. The pressing question when any
legend moves from one place to another is How much of the magic was his own and how
much belonged to the team? This is the lunacy of insisting on proving it all again, the reason
we find so many more of our legends out decompressing in a vineyard somewhere. Who
would feel the need to do it all over? Who would lay themselves this bare?

With the glow of secure retirement in the near distance, Montana did, pushing through the
minutiae of a new system and a new routine, making new friends with 300-pound linemen
when high rollers at golf courses all over the country would have forked over five figures
just to kiss his rings for 18 holes. It worked for Montana because he made those connections;
it also helped that his play answered that pressing question.

“Once he got on the field, he was Joe,” Bayless says. “He was magic.”

[mex 65,581]

great stories about Joe... had no idea he was a prankster... the stink bomb is a classic

[oldtimer 8,686]

A friend  & I  were at the Shady Lady ( titty  joint) after a hard days of work pouring concrete in the area sucking down a few brews watching the talent. Small little place run by Italians on East 12th.  Half of the place  with the main stage was roped off. In comes Joe and who I suspect was his agent and a couple of others.  The place was pretty much empty but Tony & I and maybe 4 others. There was no doubting who Joe was. He stayed for a few shows and left but as he walked by I just told him " welcome to KC Joe" he gave me a smile and a thumbs up.

[Adamixoye 604]

When I was reading something about Montana not too long ago I was reminded that he had basically not been starting in SF due to injury for roughly two full years before being traded to KC.  I don't think I knew or remembered that at the time (I was 12), I only knew we were finally getting a great QB even if only for a short time.  In retrospect it makes me upset Peterson gave up so much for him, though...

[oldtimer 8,686]

7 minutes ago, Adamixoye said:

 I don't think I knew or remembered that at the time (I was 12), I only knew we were finally getting a great QB even if only for a short time.  In retrospect it makes me upset Peterson gave up so much for him, though...

[Adamixoye 604]

31 minutes ago, oldtimer said:

I don't know if there is a great example, but Cam Newton is much younger now than Montana was at the time, and his recent injury history is for a shorter period of time.  No one even thought about giving up a 1st round pick for him.  Or Denver getting Manning - Montana was older than Manning at that point and had been out for two years, not one.  That's my point.  You don't have to agree with it, but a 1st for a 37-year-old with back problems was above market value.

[xen 1,010,220]

4 hours ago, Adamixoye said:

I don't know if there is a great example, but Cam Newton is much younger now than Montana was at the time, and his recent injury history is for a shorter period of time.  No one even thought about giving up a 1st round pick for him.  Or Denver getting Manning - Montana was older than Manning at that point and had been out for two years, not one.  That's my point.  You don't have to agree with it, but a 1st for a 37-year-old with back problems was above market value.

Not when you're in a bidding war and your qb situation has flatlined.

[oldtimer 8,686]

2 hours ago, xen said:

Not when you're in a bidding war and your qb situation has flatlined.

he did get us to the AFC Championship with a B team. If it weren't for Buffalo's frozen concrete field we'd of gone to the SB then no one in their right mind woulda bitched. I dont think the draft picks had the same value as they do these days so that needs to be considered. It was a last ditch effort by Peterson and I will not be mad about his effor, for those 2 years KC fans had as much confidence in that team as  there ever was.. a competent Offense led by Joe and a stifling Defense..whats not to love about that team?

Backseat  GMing by someone who was 12 at the time seems a bit ludicrous anyway. Oh well its almost  ( hopefully ) Football season in some way shape or form

[Adamixoye 604]

10 minutes ago, oldtimer said:

Backseat  GMing by someone who was 12 at the time seems a bit ludicrous anyway. Oh well its almost  ( hopefully ) Football season in some way shape or form

Wow you don't like something I had to say, I'm deeply taken aback

[mex 65,581]

1 hour ago, oldtimer said:

If it weren't for Buffalo's frozen concrete field we'd of gone to the SB

and Kimble's rare drop

dang! I still remember that like it was yesterday

[xen 1,010,220]

2 hours ago, Adamixoye said:

Wow you don't like something I had to say, I'm deeply taken aback

You should probably save that for your journal.

[TomahawkChop 255]

12 hours ago, Adamixoye said:

I don't know if there is a great example, but Cam Newton is much younger now than Montana was at the time, and his recent injury history is for a shorter period of time.  No one even thought about giving up a 1st round pick for him.  Or Denver getting Manning - Montana was older than Manning at that point and had been out for two years, not one.  That's my point.  You don't have to agree with it, but a 1st for a 37-year-old with back problems was above market value.

Also - a very important point - it was a decidedly different time. Free agency had just begun (that year, I think) so the mindset of getting a world class, franchise, MVP QB was different. If you didn’t draft a “Montana” you’d never have one. The opportunity to get a Montana back then was rare - unicorn rare. The Chiefs gave what it took to get him and, in return, he provided a woebegone franchise relevance, hope, 2 playoff births and an AFC championship game (after beating the hottest team in the league on their field in the divisional round). One could argue the Chiefs gave up too much to get Montana, but they’d be wrong in my book.  

[Handswarmer 645]

Good read

[Joe_Chief 1,092]

21 hours ago, mex said:

and Kimble's rare drop

dang! I still remember that like it was yesterday

I was at that game.  It was heartbreaking.

[West 6,713]

Great read...

I watched the Houston game from Japan at the time.

With some perspective, another Todd Blackledge?

Montana's two seasons are still talked about as if he won a SB....Montana was a gift to the fan base.

w

[kkuenn 3,597]

6 hours ago, West said:

Great read...

I watched the Houston game from Japan at the time.

With some perspective, another Todd Blackledge?

Montana's two seasons are still talked about as if he won a SB....Montana was a gift to the fan base.

w

Well for a guy who only played for us for 2 seasons, many would rank him 3rd best qb KC has had. After Lenny and Mahomes if course.

[oldtimer 8,686]

9 hours ago, kkuenn said:

Well for a guy who only played for us for 2 seasons, many would rank him 3rd best qb KC has had. After Lenny and Mahomes if course.

well considering that he is the only QB  besides  Lenny the cool and MVPat  to get  us to the AFC Championship.. I'd have to agree

[Troyofoc 361]

But what about the negative of it led to the chasing of 49er backups. Bono,grbac,smith. 🤦‍♂️

[oldtimer 8,686]

7 minutes ago, Troyofoc said:

But what about the negative of it led to the chasing of 49er backups. Bono,grbac,smith. 🤦‍♂️

The Bono, Grbac scenario I believe was trying to copy the success that SF had with their West Coast offense but without Joe  or Bill Walsh. Understandable moves just not successful but not total flops either.. AAs acquisition was just coincidence nothing more.

Bono's 2nd of the 2 1/2 seasons he played we did go 13-3 and yes Grbac was pretty pedestrian at best

[Thegoatee 1,780]

How many new Chief fans did Joe create? I got into football as a kid living in CA at the time. Dad was a Notre Dame fan. Joe went to KC at the right time for me to become a fan for life. His value to the franchise was far greater than 2 good to great seasons of football.

[jetlord 10,209]

3 hours ago, oldtimer said:

The Bono, Grbac scenario I believe was trying to copy the success that SF had with their West Coast offense but without Joe  or Bill Walsh. Understandable moves just not successful but not total flops either.. AAs acquisition was just coincidence nothing more.

Bono's 2nd of the 2 1/2 seasons he played we did go 13-3 and yes Grbac was pretty pedestrian at best

Bono's performance in the Ice Bowl after the '95 season was enough to counteract any good he did in the regular season.  He was just as pathetic as the kicker who shall never be mentioned again. 

[West 6,713]

After living through the 70's (post 72'), and most of the 80's as a Chief Fan...I can tell you, Montana was a blessing.

Until we got Vermeil, our coaches (post Stram)  had no clue how to run an offense.  Marty HAD to defer to Montana....he had no choice.

Those ex-Niners QB's were the BEST option at the time.....

 

w