Cool Joe offers his take on Super Bowl between two former teams

They hang side by side in the San Francisco home of Joe Montana — the last uniform he wore with the San Francisco 49ers, and his last with the Kansas City Chiefs.

With those teams facing each other in Super Bowl LIV, the Hall of Fame quarterback feels a strong connection to both franchises.

Yes, he won four Super Bowls with the 49ers. But they traded him to Kansas City, he helped guide the Chiefs to the AFC championship game in 1993, and he’s still revered in that city.

And then there’s a third team.

“Here’s how it goes,” Montana said by phone Monday. “I played in San Francisco, played in Kansas City, but I grew up in Pittsburgh when they were winning Super Bowls when I was a kid. So you can add the Steelers to that list of confusion. In fact, I actually tried to go to Pittsburgh before I got to Kansas City. Tried to just go home.”

Make no mistake, Montana is happy about the Feb. 2 matchup on the NFL’s biggest stage. He plans to be in Miami during Super Bowl week, making various appearances, and will stay for the game, which some people already are calling the “Joe Bowl.”

“I think the two best teams got in there,” he said. “San Francisco is pretty sound. They’re an old-school team that runs the ball. They’ve got a great defense. When you look at Kansas City, their defense has improved over the weeks, but their offense is crazy.

“(Chiefs quarterback) Patrick Mahomes isn’t somebody where you say, ‘I want to make him move in the pocket,’” Montana said. “Well, I’m not sure you want to do that. He’s one of those guys that’s pretty special and tough to defend. He’s going to make plays somehow, some way.”

So is it better to have a high-octane offense like the Chiefs, or a smothering defense like the 49ers?

“You can ask Danny,” Montana said, referring to legendary Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, whose team lost Super Bowl XIX to San Francisco, 38-16. “When you take a look at it over the years, defenses typically win it. Danny was having a tremendous year when they played us. And our defense, (49ers safety) Ronnie Lott thinks that was the best defense of all the years. He actually thinks it was the best team we ever had.”

Defense leads the way for this season’s 49ers too, including in Sunday’s lopsided victory over Green Bay.

As for 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo?

“They’ve put him in good positions,” Montana said. “Everybody’s talking about his interceptions, but for a quarterback, interceptions are part of the game. He’s done what he’s had to do.

“When he has to throw it, he throws it. Does he care if he throws it six times a game? No. He’s here. He’s going to the Super Bowl, and they’ve got a great chance of winning. He’s doing everything they’re asking him to do. He’s fit into (coach Kyle Shanahan’s) system, and he obviously has a great understanding of it.”

Montana, who along with his wife, Jennifer, spent Monday morning walking the hills of the city with their granddaughter, was at home watching the championship games.