Fresh on the job, a writer takes a stand on Montana

	Joe Cool was never better than in '89 when he tossed 26 touchdown passes while getting picked just eight times. John Iacano/SI
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By Peter King

Editor's note: We asked SI.com writers to share their memories from the best game they've ever seen. Here are their stories:

I'd just arrived at Sports Illustrated in the summer of 1989, hired to write the weekly "Inside the NFL'' column, and I was still learning the ropes. In those days, I often wrote the column before Sunday's games on something topical around the league, then tinkered with it based on the outcome of some game or other.

Week 3 was one of those weeks. I finished the column late Friday, then drove to Philadelphia for the 49ers-Eagles game. The then managing editor, Mark Mulvoy, wanted me to write at some future point about San Francisco's phenomenal road record under Bill Walsh and now, in the first year under George Seifert. So I spent time with the Niners on their Saturday morning bus and at their hotel. (Funny moment: On Saturday, the Niners were within a mile of Veterans Stadium on the bus trip to their walk through practice, and the bus hit a pothole. Charles Haley woke up, looked out the window at the stadium in the distance, and muttered, "What's that?'' And Joe Montana said disdainfully, "That's the stadium we're playing at tomorrow, you $%^&#.'')

Sunday: Sunny, warm day. Out-for-blood crowd, dying to see the Super Bowl champs KO'd. By the fourth quarter, I was hoping they wouldn't have to carry Montana out on a stretcher. After 45 minutes, San Francisco trailed 21-10. Montana had been sacked seven times, including a real bell-ringer that bounced his head off the rock-hard Veterans Stadium turf. Buddy Ryan, Reggie White & Co. were inflicting some serious hurt on the Super Bowl champs. The 49ers had all of eight rushing yards. "It was an ugly, ugly day,'' Montana said years later. "All I remember is getting my ass beat all day.''

He should have remembered much, much more like the greatest fourth-quarterback performance of his life. San Francisco played like a champion thoroughbred, led by Montana. He threw a 70-yard bomb for a touchdown to John Taylor early in the quarter, but the Eagles answered back, and with nine minutes left, the 49ers trailed 28-17. Montana tossed an eight-yard TD pass in the flat to Tom Rathman. Now it was 28-24.

I called the office and told pro football editor Peter Griffin: "You know, you might want to tell Mulvoy we should write this game live.''

"I'll get back to you,'' Griffin said, and a few minutes called back to say the magazine was full.

San Francisco held. Montana, with the stadium in a frenzy, drove downfield in the waning minutes. Ping! A 24-yard strike to tight end Brent Jones. San Francisco, 31-28, with 3:17 left.

I called Griffin. "Montana's playing one of the best games of his life,'' I said. "Appeal to Mulvoy to give me some room.''