Niner Noise
FanSided

Building the greatest 49ers all-time offense in franchise history

By James LeBreton

San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh talks to quarterback Joe Montana (16) and backup quarterback Steve Young (8)--all members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame--during the NFC Divisional Playoff, a 34-9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on January 1, 1989, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Arthur Anderson/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh talks to quarterback Joe Montana (16) and backup quarterback Steve Young (8)--all members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame--during the NFC Divisional Playoff, a 34-9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on January 1, 1989, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Arthur Anderson/Getty Images) /
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The 49ers have had some dynamic offenses in the history of the franchise. But, what if those offenses could somehow play together?

Since the birth of the franchise, the San Francisco 49ers have had some legendary players. To date, they boast 22 Hall of Fame inductees. These players, along with a very good supporting cast, have accounted for five Super Bowl victories and 18 NFC Championship games played.

Previously, we looked at the very best all-time drafted Niners players.

Now let’s look at the greatest offensive players of all-time that have worn the red jersey.

All-time best 49ers quarterbacks

Joe Montana and Steve Young are by far the most successful quarterbacks in Niners history, we all know that. But, what the 1987 Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t know is that Young was far from a draft bust.

We could take it a step further and say that when Young was acquired, Montana never would’ve guessed that three years later he would lose his starting job to that same potential draft bust following a season-ending injury.

Despite their setbacks, both quarterbacks celebrated success and brought dominance to every performance. Together they account for 15 Pro Bowls, six All-Pro nominations, 70,000 passing yards and over 500 touchdowns.

However, amid all their amazing stats and accolades, by far the most incredible feat is that the 49ers had both of them as franchise leaders, consecutively.

Very few teams in history have done that, lightning struck twice for San Francisco, and in lieu of the torch passing, the team was able to stay competitive for two decades.

Both Montana and Young own records in the postseason that, so far, no one has been able to beat.

Joe Montana

Montana led his team to an impressive  55-10 victory over the Denver Broncos, both the points for, and the victory margin are Super Bowl records.

Stat line: 164 starts, 117 wins, 63.2 cmp%, 40,551 yards, 273 TDs

Steve Young

Young owns the fastest touchdown in Super Bowl history, a score to Jerry Rice in 1:24, and most touchdowns in a game with six.

Stat line: 143 starts, 94 wins, 64.3 cmp% 33,124 yards, 232 TDs

They both were effective leaders that played confident and decisive football. It’s hard to say who would start on Week 1 with both of them on the roster, but one thing is for sure, it really doesn’t matter.