Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: 10 most underrated players in franchise history

By Peter Panacy

January 14, 1990: Wide receiver John Taylor of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the ball during a playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. The 49ers won the game, 30-3. Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule /Allsport
January 14, 1990: Wide receiver John Taylor of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the ball during a playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. The 49ers won the game, 30-3. Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule /Allsport /
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John Brodie, 49ers
Quarterback John Brodie #12 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by James Flores/Getty Images) /

. Quarterback. 49ers Tenure: 1957-1973. John Brodie. 2. player. 42

When you think of the 49ers’ quarterbacking greats, you’ll automatically assume Joe Montana and Steve Young.

Perhaps someday you’ll throw in Jimmy Garoppolo, too.

And while there’s little questioning Montana being the franchise’s No. 1 quarterback of all time, perhaps it’s worth striking up an argument John Brodie, not Young, should be the second best in franchise history.

OK, let’s not get carried away here. But let’s face it, long before the days of Montana, Brodie was an everlasting face of the franchise. Even if he wasn’t a particularly great quarterback, his lengthy tenure of 17 years (1957 through 173) is pretty remarkable.

Brodie earned Pro Bowl accolades just twice during that span and only one first-team All-Pro selection (1970), in which he led the league in completions (223), passing yards (2,941) and touchdowns (24) en route to being named the league’s MVP. And while his longevity is a major reason why he ranks No. 2 on the 49ers’ all-time pass yards list (31,548), one has to recall the NFL featured just 14 regular-season games during Brodie’s time.

That’s two fewer games per year, for you non-math whizzes out there.

In comparison, Young ranks third on the all-time yardage list with 29,907 and had just seven more touchdowns (221) than Brodie’s 214.

So the next time someone asks you about the best 49ers quarterbacks of all time, be sure to throw in Brodie’s name. He deserves it.