Everybody is talking about 2022 as if it's the year Justin Fields must ascend or suffer the consequence. In truth, that isn't the case. The young quarterback still has time to get his career on the right track. If anybody on the
Chicago Bears offense feels pressure to deliver their best season, it has to be David Montgomery. Not only is he entering a contract season in the fourth and final year of his rookie deal, but he also has to impress an entirely new coaching staff. One that had no hand in drafting him.
The good news is that he has already made headway in the latter department.
Matt Eberflus arrived with a clear idea of what he wants from his players. The standards are high. They must hustle, play with intensity, force or avoid turnovers, and be smart. Above anything else, he wants them to be relentless on the field and play with an edge. Mere weeks into the offseason program, he already sees how Montgomery embodies all of that.
“Talk about motor and mean, yeah, he is that guy. Serious, a pro, worker -- he’s going to be exciting to work with, and he’s going to fit right in. He’s the kind of guy who just says, ‘Hey, watch me go. I’m not going to say a whole bunch of things, but just watch me do my job.’"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf4t3MhVY2A&t=3s&ab_channel=ChicagoBears
David Montgomery may finally be in a perfect situation.
With a defensive head coach like Eberflus in charge, the Bears are going to want to run the football. He will want to control the clock and wear opponents down. That is sweet music to Montgomery, who hasn't always been treated as the offense's focal point even though he's been its best player for two years now. Then there is the matter of the new system under coordinator Luke Getsy.
The Shanahan family, Gary Kubiak, and Sean McVay made the wide zone famous. The scheme is designed around crafting running lanes so almost anybody can have success in it. Whenever the Bears experimented with it last year, David Montgomery thrived. Now he'll get to work in it all the time. If the offensive line isn't a total hot mess, this could end up being a career year for the 25-year-old.
It sounds like Eberflus plans to give him every opportunity to prove it. He may join Roquan Smith as one of the few holdovers from the Ryan Pace era that earns a second contract with the organization.
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