Joe Montana and Jerry Rice were the faces of the 49ers throughout the 80’s and 90’s. Both still have their presence felt in the hearts of 49er fans. These two men combined for twenty-one Pro Bowl (National Football League All-Star Game) appearances and three Most Valuable Player Awards, not to mention four Superbowl Most Valuable Player Awards. These two set the bar for every player who currently wears the red and gold. Not only are the current players compared to these two and their fellow teammates from the glory years, they are expected to play at that level. This may seem too demanding or unreasonable, but that is why players like to play for the 49ers. Players want the fans to want them to win. A demanding fan base is a passionate fan base, and that is exactly what the Bay Area fans offer.
Today’s versions of these two players are current quarterback, Alex Smith and his number one wide receiver, Michael Crabtree. Both of these players were high draft choices (in fact Smith was the number one overall choice in the 2005 draft) and are being paid millions upon millions of dollars. Both of them are being asked to be Joe and Jerry. 49er fans aren’t stupid. They know that most likely the world will never see a Joe Montana or a Jerry Rice ever again, but they demand that caliber of play anyway because they are still holding on to that glory that once encompassed the city.

Image borrowed from memorabilia.theshopping.info