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49ers legend Joe Montana comments on Brock Purdy 'game-manager' argument: 'He’s figured that offense out'

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49ers legend Joe Montana comments on Brock Purdy 'game-manager' argument: 'He’s figured that offense out'

As analysts and fans alike pick apart each team heading into Super Bowl LVIII, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has been called a “game-manager,” a title no signal caller wants to hear. 

But Hall of Famer and 49ers legend Joe Montana has a different perspective to this argument against Purdy. 

“The thing I see [with Purdy] is something that I figured out early on in my career – what the offense is about,” Montana said on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.” “It wasn’t about me. It was about getting the ball to the people who knew what to do with it because I’m the mailman – [the football] doesn’t belong to me – I want to get it to somebody who knows how to run, knows how to catch.”

Former NFL quarterback Joe Montana during the Aer Lingus College Football Classic match between Notre Dame and Navy Midshipmen at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. (Ben McShane/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

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Montana went on to explain how Jerry Rice, Brent Jones, John Taylor and Roger Craig were all guys he simply needed to get the ball to. It didn’t matter if it was two yards or 20 yards away – as long as the ball was in their hands, good things were going to happen. 

That’s the same thing Purdy is doing now with the loads of offensive talent around him in Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk. 

“If you look at the weapons Brock’s working with, he’s figured that offense out,” Montana continued. “He understands what his position is. He doesn’t try to make a big play. He knows when that chance will come and when he needs to do it, but in most cases, it’s OK to punt. ‘I got a pretty good defense, too,’ and that’s what we had, pretty much the same thing.

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“[Purdy] understands [his role], he’s calm in [the pocket]. He has a great presence and he’s not trying to knock you out with the football. He delivers a great, catchable ball.”

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It goes without saying players are a product of their own environment in the NFL. It takes more than just one player to be successful, and despite his Hall of Fame status, even Montana knows that. 

Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the NFC Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium on Jan. 28, 2024, in Santa Clara, California. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

And Montana believes San Fran saw something in Purdy even if he was Mr. Irrelevant. 

“Obviously, there was some reason that the 49ers selected him [with the] last pick in the [2022 NFL Draft], the things that they saw on tape.

“I don’t think it’ll matter who’s out there. Right now, [Purdy’s] fortunate because he’s got some pretty good studs out there who can give him the ball and go the distance, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Everybody’s had those in their lifetime. So I don’t even think about that twice. It’s a plus for him.”

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Game managing isn’t something that usually plays well in the Super Bowl, especially against the Chiefs, as Mahomes can change a game by himself because of his ability to improvise on the spot. 

Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass against the Baltimore Ravens at Levi’s Stadium on Dec. 25, 2023, in Santa Clara, California. (Loren Elliott/Getty Images)

If the 49ers are to win, their talented offensive weapons will need to be at their best, including the quarterback who needs to get them the ball. 

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Raiders trade Maxx Crosby to the Ravens for two first-round draft picks

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Raiders trade Maxx Crosby to the Ravens for two first-round draft picks

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The Las Vegas Raiders and the Baltimore Ravens made a blockbuster trade ahead of the start of NFL free agency. 

Las Vegas is trading five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens, per multiple reports.

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium on Aug. 23, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

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The Raiders will receive two first-round picks from the Ravens, including the No. 14 overall pick in next month’s NFL draft, one report said.

The 28-year-old Crosby had 10 sacks last season and has reached double digits four times in his seven seasons.

Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Jonah Laulu (96) and defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) celebrate during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans in Houston, Texas, on Dec. 21, 2025. (Ashley Landis/AP Photo)

The Raiders last appeared in the playoffs back in 2021 but have gone 7-27 over the past two seasons. They have the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, which is expected to land them Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

The Ravens, meanwhile, are entering a new era, after firing longtime head coach John Harbaugh and replacing him with former Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

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Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders sniffs smelling salts during an NFL game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on November 20, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

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The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Prep sports roundup: El Camino Real baseball defeats San Fernando on walk-off balk

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Prep sports roundup: El Camino Real baseball defeats San Fernando on walk-off balk

Two top City Section baseball teams, El Camino Real and San Fernando, faced off Friday in a pitcher’s duel that went eight innings.

Senior Ray Pelayo of San Fernando kept throwing strikes, keeping El Camino Real off balance for 7⅔ scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and one walk. But then came a balk that scored the winning run in El Camino Real’s 1-0 victory.

Hudson December threw six scoreless innings for El Camino Real and Andrew Katzman struck out three in two scoreless innings.

South Torrance 4, El Segundo 3: In a battle of unbeaten Pioneer League teams, South Torrance (6-0) received a walk-off single from Owen Rhodes in the bottom of the seventh. El Segundo tied it 3-3 in the top of the seventh on a two-out, three-run home run by Chase Mattoon. Issac Orozco struck out nine in five innings and also homered for the Spartans.

Crespi 3, Saugus 2: Justin Kim had two RBIs for the Celts.

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Sylmar 7, Legacy 1: Rickee Luevano threw a two-hitter with nine strikeouts.

Sierra Canyon 12, West Ranch 1: Isaias Tirado hit a three-run home run and four pitchers combined to give up five hits.

Mater Dei 15, Rockwall-Heath (Texas) 1: Ezekiel Lara had three hits and five RBIs in Texas. Earlier, the Monarchs gave up seven runs in the third inning of an 8-1 loss to Rockwall-Heath.

St. John Bosco 1, Gahr 0: Star closer Jack Champlin got a strikeout to end the game, finishing two shutout innings of relief. Champlin drove in the game’s only run with an RBI double in the sixth inning. Julian Garcia struck out six with no walks in five innings for St. John Bosco.

San Juan Hills 11, Cypress 0: Garrett Gandolfo threw five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and Clay Riggs contributed three RBIs for San Juan Hills.

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Santa Margarita 1, Damien 0: Warren Gravely IV had the only RBI in the Eagles’ win. Tyler Unter struck out six in five shutout innings.

Garfield 9, Cleveland 7: Omar Martinez had three hits and Victor Alvarez drove in three runs for Garfield. Joshua Pearlstein finished with three hits for Cleveland.

Palos Verdes 8, West Torrance 0: Kai Van Scoyoc struck out nine in five innings and Asher Friedman had a home run and a double for Palos Verdes.

Valencia 12, Chatsworth 0: An eight-run second inning helped lead the Vikings to a five-inning win.

Bishop Amat 13, Gardena Serra 2: Joaquin Ortiz finished with three hits and four RBIs.

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Corona Centennial 19, Eastvale Roosevelt 3: Devin Bishop and Emiliano Castaneda each hit home runs for Centennial.

Servite 6, Anaheim Canyon 1: Mickey Cabral went three for four and Cole Grothues struck out three in 2⅓ innings of scoreless relief.

Corona Santiago 5, Crean Lutheran 4: Jonathan Thorton delivered three hits and two RBIs for the Sharks.

Fullerton 1, Chaparral 0: Garrett Wrightman threw four innings of scoreless relief and Caleb Brown had an RBI double in the third inning for Fullerton.

Edison 11, Tesoro 7: Ben Wilson hit a grand slam and finished with five RBIs for Edison.

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El Dorado 10, Granada Hills 4: Lorenzo Favela hit a three-run home run to lead El Dorado.

Ayala 7, San Dimas 1: Caleb Trugman struck out nine with zero walks in a complete game.

Loyola 14, Venice 1: Wyatt Clougherty had three hits and Luca Marucci contributed three RBIs for Loyola.

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Norco 5, Torrance 0: Coral Williams struck out 10 in six innings. Leighton Gray and Rae Logue hit home runs.

Garden Grove Pacifica 4, Anaheim Canyon 2: Natalia Amezquita had a two-run single for Pacifica.

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Orange Lutheran 7, Perry 1: Mia Scott had four RBIs for the Lancers.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 15, Culver City 0: Ellayne Tellez-Perez had three hits and five RBIs.

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Chargers’ Justin Herbert gushes over Madison Beer in heartfelt birthday tribute: ‘Changed my life forever’

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Chargers’ Justin Herbert gushes over Madison Beer in heartfelt birthday tribute: ‘Changed my life forever’

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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert gushed over 27-year-old singer Madison Beer in a heartfelt birthday tribute on social media, offering fans a rare glimpse into the couple’s relationship. 

The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, who normally shies away from the public eye, posted a series of photos to his Instagram Stories on Thursday. 

Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers warms up prior to a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at SoFi Stadium on Dec. 8, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

“Happy birthday to my favorite person of all time,” Herbert wrote in a post that showed the couple on the sidelines of one of his NFL games. “I love you so much. You’ve changed my life forever.”

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In another photo appearing to show the couple out to dinner, Herbert wrote, “I am the luckiest guy alive…”

Herbert, who turns 28 later this month, shared another photo of the “Make You Mine” artist petting goats and captioned the photo, “My goats.”

The couple was first linked together in August when they were spotted together on the set of one of Beer’s music videos in Los Angeles. Herbert and Beer were photographed in October on the sidelines of a Chargers game at SoFi Stadium, seemingly confirming the dating rumors. 

Quarterback Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers and singer Madison Beer attend an NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 24, 2025. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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The same month, Herbert went viral after blocking a rogue basketball from hitting Beer when the two sat courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game.  

Herbert signed a five-year, $262.5 million extension with the Chargers in July 2023. Despite proving himself to be one of the elite young quarterbacks in the NFL, Los Angeles’ offensive struggles have seen the team fall short in back-to-back playoff appearances.

Quarterback Justin Herbert (10) of the Los Angeles Chargers blocks a basketball from hitting Madison Beer as they attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 24, 2025. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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 The team’s offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, was fired in January and replaced with former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who is regarded as one of the top offensive minds in football. 

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