Are The Bears Holding David Montgomery Back?

The Chicago Bears are 2-0. It's okay to be happy about that. Neither win was particularly pretty but they got the job done. The defensive looks like it's regaining its typical form. Their receiving corps seems to have more credible depth and are even getting contributions from the tight ends. Of course there is Mitch Trubisky, off to probably the best start of his career. Yet not enough people are talking about David Montgomery. The former 3rd round pick averaged just 3.7 yards per carry last season. Some wondered if he was capable of handling the role of being a featured back. Now he's averaging 5.0 yards per carry so far in 2020. He truly is starting to look like the player the Bears traded up to draft in 2019. There's just one problem. He is in the wrong offense. Former Bear Alex Brown made some noise on the Under Center Podcast on Wednesday when he declared Trubisky a lost cause. He will never be what the Bears want him to be. Montgomery on the other hand? He seems to think the team has no clue what they have.

"We watch Montgomery bust off a 12-yard run. A 14-yard run. They take him off the field. It's like what are we doing? Give him the rock. The offensive line is just pounding the defensive line. They're killing 'em. But we will not stick with it all the way down the field. We want to be cute. We want to do something different. Why do something different? Let's just win the game."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GET-k2nBFFo&ab_channel=BoomorBust

Brown sees a true bell cow in David Montgomery

The biggest thing that has impressed Brown this season is the offensive line. In his estimation, they've been moving guys off the ball left and right all year. This has allowed Montgomery to showcase what he's really capable of. The problem? Matt Nagy is his head coach.

"If Montgomery got the ball...and I'm being very sincere here...If Montgomery got the ball 20-25 times a game, he would be top 5 in rushing in the NFL. He is a really, really good football player and he's explosive. He gets through the hole, he fights for yards. Give him the ball. I don't really understand why they don't. Well, I do. Coach Nagy said it last year. He said out of his mouth. 'They didn't bring me here to run the I-formation.' They brought you here to win though."

Is this a fair criticism?

Yes, to a certain degree. Nagy is a quarterback specialist. So it makes sense he'd want to run his offense through that position. The problem is the guy under center can't really be trusted with a pass-first gameplan. On the other hand, every time he's put it on the shoulders of Montgomery? The results tend to be good. Since his arrival last year, the Bears have given him at least 20 carries in a game four times. He piled up 385 yards in those games, averaging 4.25 per carry. Their record in those games? A healthy 3-1. The only loss coming against the Chargers where Eddy Pineiro missed the winning field goal. This team just seems to function better when David Montgomery is the focus. Not Trubisky. Will Nagy ever accept that? Brown doesn't think so, and that's the core of the issue.