Quarterback poll sidesteps true Bay greats

Was anybody else surprised to see Joe Montana in the top slot of SFGate’s “Best Bay Area Quarterbacks of All Time” piece?

No, me neither.

Now, generally, I would simply go off on a rant where I compare  Steve Young to the eight-time pro bowler and how I think Young is a stand-up guy and so on and so on.

But I was way more distracted by some of the other names that made that list. Names of dudes that you just don’t associate with Bay Area football.

It seems as though known Bay Area greats—such as Cal’s Joe Roth or Raiders MVP Rich Gannon, among others—were overlooked in this listing in place of more nationally recognizable faces.

Sure, there are guys that play college ball here in the Bay that make their mark on far-off professional teams. I mean, I’m sure Berkeley fans still consider Aaron Rodgers to be a Golden Bear. And I’m sure that Andrew Luck will still be considered a Stanford boy even after he makes his leap to the NFL.

But everybody thinks of John Elway as the QB that won three Super Bowls for the Denver Broncos. Not as the first overall pick from Stanford in the early ‘80s. And winning Super Bowls for a rival team shouldn’t insure Elway a No. 4 slot on this Bay Area list.

The most angering misstep on this list is placing Tom Brady in the No. 2 slot. Yes, Tom Brady. I know, he grew up in San Mateo. But the guy isn’t known for playing ball here. Football faithful will argue that Brady is his generation’s best quarterback. But save that argument for a different platform; a Brady vs. Manning debate isn’t necessary here.

And Brady certainly shouldn’t be slotted over Steve Young in a Bay Area-based football poll. Young is a seven-time pro bowler and two-time MVP award winner. Oh, and is KNOWN for being a Bay Area QB.

Putting Young at No. 2 under Montana? That I could have accepted.

Perhaps it isn’t something worth fretting over. But, in a list that pays tribute to Bay Area football greats, shouldn’t all list-ees be recognizable by their Bay Area affiliation?

You be the judge.