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The Pressure Mounts - The Joe Montana Interview That Never Was

When we heard four-time Super Bowl champ Joe Montana was heading down to Miami just before Super Bowl XLI and granting interviews to boot, we got our resident sports-aholic, Associate Publisher Marc Kulwin (pretty much the only person here who knows much about sports), all revved up to pose a few questions to the 49ers giant, even though it was made clear to us that Montana was coming to promote BP Success Zone, a national high blood pressure education program sponsored by a drug company

(1-877-GET-BP-DOWN, www.GETBPDOWN.com).

As a publicist explained, Montana’s visit coincides with Super Bowl weekend but is not about the big game between the Colts and Bears; his true intent is to reach out to the public about the dangers of hypertension, a malady, the 2005 CDC reports, that more than 46 percent of Florida residents between 55 and 64 have.

Montana was diagnosed with the condition in 2002.

Because his first interviews were scheduled for  the day our Super Bowl issue was to hit the streets, we instead e-mailed our questions to the publicist who’d pitched us in the first place.

Her reply came soon after: “It is obvious that somebody put in some work to compose the q part of the q&a.” Nonetheless, she would not be able to get us the “a” part of our q&a before deadline.

“The focus of your q&a is sports, but his [Montana’s] focus is health. This is why he is in town. He meets locally with doctors and is involved in health-related activities. I regret any inconvenience on your part.”

Well, we figure Joe Montana is wandering around Miami today and maybe he’ll just stumble upon this article on his way to another location to explain Joe Montana’s Family Playbook for Managing High Blood 

Pressure, a free publication that “contains tips and experiences from the Montanas about their heart-healthy lifestyle, some of their family’s favorite recipes and strategies for staying focused and 

motivated.”

So, Joe, if you’re reading, this is really all we wanted to know:

1. How were you able to read defense so accurately under so much pressure?

2. You were the smartest QB to ever play. What do you think of that statement?

3. How much of an influence was Coach Bill Walsh on you in your earlier years and then later?

4. In the 1981 NFC championship game, who called the play at the end of the game? You

or Walsh?

5. In that game, you were pinned on the sideline with four defenders around you, yet you were able to throw the ball high enough to Dwight Clark so that the Dallas QB gave up on the play. That put you in the 

Super Bowl. Comments?

6. In 1983 you met Dan Marino in the Super Bowl and you slaughtered. What did you think of Dan as a young QB? What about now? How did you slaughter in that game?

7. Joe, what do you think of the coaching situation here in Miami. With Saban going back to college and Cam Cameron hired as the new coach?

8. I think the whole coaching situation here in Miami reverts to Ricky Williams and what he did to the team. Will you comment on that?

9. Joe, who do you pick in the Super Bowl: Bears or Colts and why?  [Editor’s Note: Kulwin, a Chicago native, predicts the Bears will take it 24-7.] And do you think the young QB from the Bears can take 

this kind of pressure?

10.What did you think of Walter Payton? It’s a shame he’s not here to enjoy this savory moment with the Bears in the Super Bowl...

11. Anything else you would like South Floridians to know about your current project to combat high blood pressure?

 — Interview questions by Marc Kulwin; introduction by Robin Shear