A couple of weeks ago, Matt Maiocco got into a brief twitter debate about who were the best players in 49ers history to only play on the 49ers. There is often discussion about the all-time greats that have played for the 49ers, but more often than not it focuses on guys who did not spend their entire careers with the franchise. Guys like Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, Ronnie Lott, Y.A. Tittle and many others were awesome, but all played elsewhere at some point in their careers.

MM put together a list of his top ten 49ers that played their entire career with the franchise. Hall of Fame induction was given extra weight and current 49ers were not included. He has Hall of Fame defensive lineman Leo Nomellini at the top of the list, followed by cornerback Jimmy Johnson and offensive lineman Bob St. Clair.

Bryant Young is fifth and the first non-Hall of Famer on the list. BY is up for induction in 2013, but faces a bit of an uphill climb. He had a very strong career with the 49ers and is beloved by the local media, but his national profile could prove a little bit limited. He has solid stats, but not the mind-blowing stuff that overcomes the lack of a national profile. For now I'm just curious if he makes it past the semi-finalist stage.

As you look at MM's top ten, where would you start to post guys like Frank Gore and Patrick Willis, assuming they were to finish their careers as lifetime 49ers? Matt has punter/kicker Tommy Davis as an honorable mention, which could get Andy Lee in the discussion. Of course, Davis is the number two punter AND number two in field goals made. He also has a horrible field goal percentage (47.1%) so maybe Lee could supplant him.

How would you rank retired 49ers and current 49ers on this kind of list?

The folks at SI.com put together a rundown of what they view as the ten worst Super Bowls and it should surprise nobody that a pair of 49ers Super Bowls made appearances on the list. The 49ers 55-10 romp over the Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV topped the list and the 49ers 49-26 whipping of the Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX was fifth.

I was too young to remember the first two 49ers Super Bowl victories in 1981 and 1984. However, I was able to enjoy wins three, four and five. I did love the last-minute victory over the Bengals, but as a fan of the 49ers there was something incredibly enjoyable about watching them thrash Denver and San Diego. I think any fan would take particular pleasure seeing their team dominate an opposing team. There is something to be said for thrillers, but a particularly epic beatdown brings its own satisfaction.

The 49ers win over the Broncos was particularly tasty given how badly they embarrassed the Wade Phillips-led Broncos defense. That Broncos defense finished the 1989 season number one in points allowed, first downs allowed, and passing touchdowns allowed, and second in turnovers created. This was not like the 1994 Chargers that were just sort of happy to be there en route to their thrashing. This was a very good defense that might still be wondering what hit them.

The 49ers 55 points remains the highest scoring performance in Super Bowl history. The 49ers did not run over the Broncos with the run either. They did manage three rushing touchdowns, but those were more frequently set up by Joe Montana's big passing day. The 49ers QB finished 22/29 for 297 yards and five touchdowns. Jerry Rice finished with seven receptions for 148 yards and three touchdowns. Add in a dominant defensive performance against a very solid offense, and it was an all around great game for the 49ers.

This Sunday (in the Super Bowl that actually is not taking place because football ended already, right?), Tom Brady will take his second crack at winning his fourth Super Bowl ring when the Patriots meet the New York Giants. If he gets that elusive fourth ring, he will join Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw in the elite club of quarterbacks that will have four Super Bowl rings.

Naturally, that has opened debate on where Brady fits in the pantheon of all-time greats at the quarterback position. It is not a simple argument because people weigh everything a little bit differently. Whether it be counting stats, Super Bowl trophies or rule changes, there are numerous ways to break down the quarterback pantheon.

Monte Poole fired one of the first shots in the Bay Area, declaring Tom Brady "every bit the equal of Joe Montana." His primary arguments dealt with the fact that Tom Brady did more with less when he had guys like David Givens, Troy Brown and Deion Branch as his number one receivers in given years.

Joe Montana's teams in 1988 and 1989 had some dominant offensive players, but if you go back to 1981 and 1984, it reframes the debate a little bit. In 1981 Dwight Clark had a great year and Freddie Solomon was a strong #2, all while Montana had a fairly poor rushing attack (five rushers wtih 60+ carries, none averaged more than 3.6 ypc). In 1984, Dwight Clark led the team with 52 receptions and 880 yards. Of course, that team had Wendell Tyler averaging 5.1 yards per carry en route to 1,262 yards.

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The other day my Dad gave me a shirt that no longer fits him. I was home for the summer to make some money (I never realized how expensive it is to, like, survive until I left for college) and I think he took it as an opportunity to pass on some clothes. As such, I gained a couple sweaters and a few belts; and when I gain a couple of pounds, maybe I will pass them along someday.

But, he also gave me a long-sleeved 49ers shirt that no longer fits him. It's a simple shirt - displaying "San Francisco 49ers" on the front. But on the right sleeve of the shirt, going downward, is the NFC logo with the stars in the middle, as well as the "SF" logo.

Quite frankly, and I don't think I told my Dad this at the time and I should have, but the second hand, slightly dulling and wrinkled shirt he tossed to me was in some regards one of the most touching gifts he has ever given to me (I mean - getting his Volkswagen Jetta for my 21st birthday was all sorts of site-decorum-y awesome, but still).

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Earlier today I received an email from 49ers fan Martin Jacobs, who does free-lance writing and has written two books about the 49ers. In 2008, Jacobs had the chance to sit down with 49ers all-time great Joe Perry to discuss his career in great detail. Mr. Jacobs emailed me today asking if I would post the interview at Niners Nation and I quickly said yes. It's great timing because the 49ers recently announced plans to honor the recently deceased Perry with a 34 decal on their helmets this season. Coaches and staff will wear lapel pins with this design:

After the jump, take a ride back in history to learn more 49ers (and really NFL) great Joe "The Jet" Perry. Big thanks to Martin Jacobs for passing along this interview.

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The folks at Football Outsiders put together articles for ESPN from time to time and they decided to kick 49ers fans (and other fans) in the junk with a look at the ten most disappointing NFL teams of the past 25 years. As they describe it, this list looks at teams that came into a season with high expectations and saw those expectations come crashing to the ground.

In assessing the ten disappointing teams, FO didn't really qualify what caused the expectations to crash down. That makes it all the more difficult to look back at the number three team on their list: the 1999 San Francisco 49ers. That 49ers squad came in third behind the number one 2003 Oakland Raiders and the number two 2002 St. Louis Rams.

It's not a pretty list to be on, but it probably is safe to qualify that season as a disappointment. Last week we had a post discussing the defining moments in 49ers history. While I stick with the hiring of Bill Walsh for franchise history, the loss of Steve Young in 1999 was certainly one of the defining moments of the last 15 years.

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Over at ESPN, the football sites have been coming up with various rankings and lists and assorted ways to pass the idle team while the NFL and NFLPA sort out the labor dispute. Their latest attempt involves something they're calling "Flash Points: Team X' defining moment." The general idea is that the writers have come up with a poll to see what people consider a key moment that significantly changed the fortune of a given franchise. Readers can vote and then the writers will give their opinion on the definitive moment.

Mike Sando has put together a write-up on some options for the "definitive moment" in 49ers history. The four moments listed (along with other) are:

1. RC Owens alley-oop catch to beat the Lions in 1957
2. Bill Walsh hired to coach the team
3. Dwight Clark makes "The Catch"
4. Eddie DeBartolo, Jr. forced out as owner

The 49ers have gone through several eras, and you could make an argument about the significance of Eddie D's departure. The team has since gone in the tank and is slowly trying to work its way out from the depths to which they had fallen. It was a significant turning point from the glory days of the 80s and mid-90s.

Of course, the downturn following the departure of Eddie D would not have been an issue if not for the hiring of Bill Walsh. "The Catch" would not have happened if it wasn't for the hiring of Bill Walsh. Really, the 49ers dynastic period began with the hiring of Bill Walsh.

I'd be curious to hear if anybody feels like arguing for any other moment in franchise history. Even the assumption of ownership by Eddie DeBartolo was not a sufficient turning point because he initially struggled to figure out how best to run the franchise. He had the money to spend and it really became a positive force once he had the coach to build around. As far as I can tell, everything comes back to the hiring of Coach Walsh.