Montgomery headed to Detroit

For all things Chicago Bears

Moderator: wab

The Kaiser
Pro Bowler
Posts: 440
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2016 2:49 pm
Has thanked: 62 times
Been thanked: 128 times

southdakbearfan wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 10:35 pm I get the feeling Monty wanted to go somewhere he was going to be the man.
DeAndre Swift will still be RB1 in Detroit.
User avatar
southdakbearfan
Head Coach
Posts: 4600
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 11:23 pm
Location: South Dakota
Has thanked: 763 times
Been thanked: 328 times

The Kaiser wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 11:15 pm
southdakbearfan wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 10:35 pm I get the feeling Monty wanted to go somewhere he was going to be the man.
DeAndre Swift will still be RB1 in Detroit.
I am going to say this is fairly incorrect. He has never been RB1. He got 99 carries last season to williams 262, has never topped more than 151 in his career, is going into the last year of his deal and has been oft injured. Swift is the change of pace back and possibly on his way out the door according to rumors.

Swift also struggles running between the tackles, having the worst YPC in the NFL between the tackles in 21.

Don't be surprised if swift is traded for a very late pick to someone like the Chiefs and the Lions draft another change of pace back.
The Kaiser
Pro Bowler
Posts: 440
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2016 2:49 pm
Has thanked: 62 times
Been thanked: 128 times

southdakbearfan wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 11:54 pm
The Kaiser wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 11:15 pm

DeAndre Swift will still be RB1 in Detroit.
I am going to say this is fairly incorrect. He has never been RB1. He got 99 carries last season to williams 262, has never topped more than 151 in his career, is going into the last year of his deal and has been oft injured. Swift is the change of pace back and possibly on his way out the door according to rumors.

Swift also struggles running between the tackles, having the worst YPC in the NFL between the tackles in 21.

Don't be surprised if swift is traded for a very late pick to someone like the Chiefs and the Lions draft another change of pace back.
Fair enough. Pls allow me to clarify that prediction. A healthy Dandre Swift would be RB1. Given what a rare thing that has been over his first few years, I would agree that Montgomery has a real chance but I wouldn't say he's going to the Lions "to be the man."
User avatar
The Marshall Plan
Hall of Famer
Posts: 8411
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 11:47 am
Location: Parts Unknown
Has thanked: 909 times
Been thanked: 1277 times

The Kaiser wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 8:46 pm Wow. Hope this isn't one we live to regret.
The two games in his career where he gives a dominant performance will be against us.

Otherwise....

3 yards, 3 yards, 4 yards, 3 yards, 3 yards, 3 yards.

Goodbye Monty.
Image
User avatar
Moriarty
Hall of Famer
Posts: 6806
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2016 1:22 pm
Has thanked: 384 times
Been thanked: 688 times

Seems like a good person, so glad he got his generational wealth.


Also glad he got it from someone else.
1999-2002: Mouth Off Sports Forum (RIP)
2002-2014: KFFL (RIP)
2014-2016: USAToday Fantasy Sports Forum (RIP)

Hello, my name is Moriarty. I have come to kill your website, prepare to die.
User avatar
IE
Hall of Famer
Posts: 12500
Joined: Mon Nov 03, 2008 8:46 am
Location: Plymouth, MI
Has thanked: 523 times
Been thanked: 700 times
Contact:

Monty is going to fit in well in Detroit - he's a gritty, try-hard guy. He's an ankle-biter and they'll love him for it. They also loved Joique Bell, whose career ypc was one of the few other multiple-year, volume carry guys I can remember who hovered under 4 ypc. Check out Monty's place on the all-time lists, if you feel sad. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... career.htm

Swift is Detroit's top dog but can't stay healthy. So they did need another guy who can be there for them. They also value that "tough yards" back who can score TDs. But I think they're going to be disappointed when Monty scores less than half of the TDs that Jamaal Williams did. And Swift is going to be their primary receiving back - so that will reduce Monty's opportunity there.

Sad or have trepidation that Monty is now on the Lions? Fear not - the Lions got less explosive and the Bears can get MORE explosive.

To be real, Monty should not be enshrined as a legendary Bear RB along with Gale, Walter, Matt, Neal, Matt, and I'll throw TJ in there too (not Ced lol). Jordan Howard was let go by the Bears because he wasn't explosive enough - but his career ypc is WAY better than Monty's. It was a mystery why they replaced Howard with Monty in the first place - I think it was reluctantly after Sanders and Henderson were already gone. Singletary taken right after him has been FAR more productive. Damien Harris too - but bitten by a few injuries.

Let's move on and hope for play-making RBs who are fit to be mentioned in the same breath as Bear greats.
2023 Chicago Bears... emerging from a long hibernation, and hungry!
User avatar
Mikefive
Hall of Famer
Posts: 5189
Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2016 9:33 pm
Location: Valparaiso, IN, USA
Has thanked: 340 times
Been thanked: 278 times

I would've paid him the $6m, because now we still have another hole to fill. To say we're going to spend a day 3 pick on a RB who will play a lot bothers me. How did that Trestan Ebner thing work out?
Mikefive's theory: The only time you KNOW that a sports team player, coach or management member is being 100% honest is when they're NOT reciting "the company line".

Go back to leather helmets, NFL.
User avatar
dplank
Hall of Famer
Posts: 12023
Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2016 9:19 am
Has thanked: 1200 times
Been thanked: 2133 times

Mikefive wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 8:26 am I would've paid him the $6m, because now we still have another hole to fill. To say we're going to spend a day 3 pick on a RB who will play a lot bothers me. How did that Trestan Ebner thing work out?
Ryan Poles - We are building a culture here in Chicago.
Ryan Poles - David Montgomery embodies everything we want in a football player, I love that guy
Ryan Poles - 6M > Culture
User avatar
UOK
Site Admin
Posts: 25147
Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2008 11:07 am
Location: Champaign, IL
Has thanked: 108 times
Been thanked: 926 times

We'd better fire him today, honestly.
Image
User avatar
Kylo Bearen
Player of the Month
Posts: 324
Joined: Mon Jan 27, 2020 8:50 pm
Has thanked: 115 times
Been thanked: 55 times

HisRoyalSweetness wrote: Tue Mar 14, 2023 8:43 pm 3 years at $6m a year to a division rival?

Image
Yeah, I don't understand why Chicago didn't sign him for the same price?
Image
User avatar
Mikefive
Hall of Famer
Posts: 5189
Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2016 9:33 pm
Location: Valparaiso, IN, USA
Has thanked: 340 times
Been thanked: 278 times

I really wonder if Ryan Poles isn't thinking this way about Monty... With his high contact playing style, he's just not going to last much longer with the same effectiveness running the ball.
Mikefive's theory: The only time you KNOW that a sports team player, coach or management member is being 100% honest is when they're NOT reciting "the company line".

Go back to leather helmets, NFL.
HurricaneBear
Head Coach
Posts: 2163
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 6:56 am
Has thanked: 1851 times
Been thanked: 349 times

Mikefive wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 8:49 am I really wonder if Ryan Poles isn't thinking this way about Monty... With his high contact playing style, he's just not going to last much longer with the same effectiveness running the ball.
That is exactly what he is thinking and exactly why you dont pay running backs, especially running backs with Montgomery's style.

I believe you also mentioned in another post fear about a 3rd day pick filling in. Why does it have to be third day? As one of the leaders of the "dont pay running backs/dont draft running backs in the first round" group(the only member?) it's absolutely fine to draft a back in the 2nd or 3rd round. They are actually great spots to find a really dynamic back...and not have to pay him a 1st round contract that will make him one of the higher paid players at his position.

Keep drafting backs every year or two in that 2-4th round range and churning through them as you place your $$$ and higher resources into your lines and other weapons. Thats the part Poles has to start making ground on - the lines. It's essential to the whole not spending resources on backs strategy.
User avatar
Yogi da Bear
Head Coach
Posts: 2499
Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:43 pm
Has thanked: 209 times
Been thanked: 359 times

Such a sad, sad, phucking day. I haven't felt this bad losing a home-grown Bear since we lost Wilbur Marshall back in the eighties. At least then, we got a couple of first round picks. Now? Nothing but heart break.

You know what, I'll continue to root for Monty. Even when, and maybe even ESPECIALLY when, he plays the Bears. Oh, I won't root for the Lions over the Bears, but I will root for Monty to go for 200 plus and a couple of scores, only to be thwarted by Justin Fields ;). I'd love to see those on the board get more of an appreciation of the guy when he doesn't have to break a tackle as soon as he touches the ball.

The sad thing is, from what I've seen of Poles, it was probably less than a million per year that separated them. It's clear that Poles gets it in his head that he'll pay only so much and no more. Not saying that's a bad thing. In fact, it's probably a good thing, but it does remind me a bit of Halas pitching nickels around like manhole covers.

Just a sad phucking day all the way around.
User avatar
Yogi da Bear
Head Coach
Posts: 2499
Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:43 pm
Has thanked: 209 times
Been thanked: 359 times

dplank wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 8:43 am
Mikefive wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 8:26 am I would've paid him the $6m, because now we still have another hole to fill. To say we're going to spend a day 3 pick on a RB who will play a lot bothers me. How did that Trestan Ebner thing work out?
Ryan Poles - We are building a culture here in Chicago.
Ryan Poles - David Montgomery embodies everything we want in a football player, I love that guy
Ryan Poles - 6M > Culture
Couldn't have said it better DP.
User avatar
dplank
Hall of Famer
Posts: 12023
Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2016 9:19 am
Has thanked: 1200 times
Been thanked: 2133 times

UOK wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 8:46 am We'd better fire him today, honestly.
…said nobody. You’re Over correcting.
User avatar
Moriarty
Hall of Famer
Posts: 6806
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2016 1:22 pm
Has thanked: 384 times
Been thanked: 688 times

Mikefive wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 8:26 am I would've paid him the $6m, because now we still have another hole to fill. To say we're going to spend a day 3 pick on a RB who will play a lot bothers me.
I don't think another HB is necessarily going to play a lot at all. Homer is a good receiver and I can easily see him getting the Passing Down HB role.
They very well may just be looking for a short yardage power back, who plays 5-10 snaps (not carries, snaps) a game.
And they may not even care about having a power back at all, in which case they can just retain RFA Evans and be done.
Mikefive wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 8:26 am How did that Trestan Ebner thing work out?
Much worse than R5 Jordan Howard
Much worse than R6 Khalil Herbert
Worse than minimum wage waiver wire FA Evans

Nothing hits always, but a limited role HB isn't a pricey commodity.
1999-2002: Mouth Off Sports Forum (RIP)
2002-2014: KFFL (RIP)
2014-2016: USAToday Fantasy Sports Forum (RIP)

Hello, my name is Moriarty. I have come to kill your website, prepare to die.
User avatar
dplank
Hall of Famer
Posts: 12023
Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2016 9:19 am
Has thanked: 1200 times
Been thanked: 2133 times

I worry less about the actual performance than I do the message it sends to the locker room.
The Kaiser
Pro Bowler
Posts: 440
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2016 2:49 pm
Has thanked: 62 times
Been thanked: 128 times

.
dplank wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 9:12 am I worry less about the actual performance than I do the message it sends to the locker room.
Agree, now feel that if Poles hopes to build trust in this locker room he pretty much has to pay at least 2 of the 3 key young guys looking for extensions this of season (Kmet, Mooney, Johnson.)
User avatar
Mikefive
Hall of Famer
Posts: 5189
Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2016 9:33 pm
Location: Valparaiso, IN, USA
Has thanked: 340 times
Been thanked: 278 times

Moriarty wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 9:10 am
Mikefive wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 8:26 am I would've paid him the $6m, because now we still have another hole to fill. To say we're going to spend a day 3 pick on a RB who will play a lot bothers me.
I don't think another HB is necessarily going to play a lot at all. Homer is a good receiver and I can easily see him getting the Passing Down HB role.
They very well may just be looking for a short yardage power back, who plays 5-10 snaps (not carries, snaps) a game.
And they may not even care about having a power back at all, in which case they can just retain RFA Evans and be done.
Mikefive wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 8:26 am How did that Trestan Ebner thing work out?
Much worse than R5 Jordan Howard
Much worse than R6 Khalil Herbert
Worse than minimum wage waiver wire FA Evans

Nothing hits always, but a limited role HB isn't a pricey commodity.
Except here's the thing... We've just become WAY more predictable.

Herbert=Run the ball... catching and pass blocking not so much.
Homer=Pass the ball... catching and pass blocking (at 200#?) sure, running it not so much.

Monty was reasonably OK at running and good at catching and pass blocking. You didn't know what was up when Monty was in the game.
Mikefive's theory: The only time you KNOW that a sports team player, coach or management member is being 100% honest is when they're NOT reciting "the company line".

Go back to leather helmets, NFL.
HurricaneBear
Head Coach
Posts: 2163
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 6:56 am
Has thanked: 1851 times
Been thanked: 349 times

Mikefive wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 9:27 am
Moriarty wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 9:10 am

I don't think another HB is necessarily going to play a lot at all. Homer is a good receiver and I can easily see him getting the Passing Down HB role.
They very well may just be looking for a short yardage power back, who plays 5-10 snaps (not carries, snaps) a game.
And they may not even care about having a power back at all, in which case they can just retain RFA Evans and be done.



Much worse than R5 Jordan Howard
Much worse than R6 Khalil Herbert
Worse than minimum wage waiver wire FA Evans

Nothing hits always, but a limited role HB isn't a pricey commodity.
Except here's the thing... We've just become WAY more predictable.

Herbert=Run the ball... catching and pass blocking not so much.
Homer=Pass the ball... catching and pass blocking (at 200#?) sure, running it not so much.

Monty was reasonably OK at running and good at catching and pass blocking. You didn't know what was up when Monty was in the game.
Lets be honest, teams are worrying about Justin Fields running it and are hoping he hands it off. That is more effective at slowing down the defense than anything else.
User avatar
HisRoyalSweetness
Hall of Famer
Posts: 5901
Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2012 7:20 pm
Has thanked: 61 times
Been thanked: 1715 times

IE wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 8:04 am To be real, Monty should not be enshrined as a legendary Bear RB along with Gale, Walter, Matt, Neal, Matt, and I'll throw TJ in there too (not Ced lol). Jordan Howard was let go by the Bears because he wasn't explosive enough - but his career ypc is WAY better than Monty's. It was a mystery why they replaced Howard with Monty in the first place - I think it was reluctantly after Sanders and Henderson were already gone. Singletary taken right after him has been FAR more productive. Damien Harris too - but bitten by a few injuries.

Let's move on and hope for play-making RBs who are fit to be mentioned in the same breath as Bear greats.
Let's be honest, nobody has ever claimed that Monty is up there with the best ever Bears RBs.

Jordan Howard was replaced because his didn't offer enough in the passing game for Nagy's liking rather than because of his running. I still think it was a stupid move. He still had a role to play. Ultimately Monty's production was the same, so it just saved a relatively small amount of cap space.

Singletary's spent 4 years in Buffalo in one of the league's better offenses with one of the league's best QBs. Monty's spent 4 years with the dysfunctional Bears and low-calibre QB play (yes even last year with Fields although we hope and expect him to realise his potential this season).
Mikefive wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 8:49 am I really wonder if Ryan Poles isn't thinking this way about Monty... With his high contact playing style, he's just not going to last much longer with the same effectiveness running the ball.
There's been nothing to indicate that he's going not going to be effective for a while longer and that new contract is essentially 2 years with the guarantees. There's no real risk for the Lions.
dplank wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 8:43 am Ryan Poles - We are building a culture here in Chicago.
Ryan Poles - David Montgomery embodies everything we want in a football player, I love that guy
Ryan Poles - 6M > Culture
This perfectly summarises why some of us are disappointed. It's the production, what Poles has said and the amount Monty is signing for. He did everything right for the team, got a glowing endorsement and then didn't get a modest contract which was considerably lower than some 'expert' sites were suggesting.
  • Monty is a model pro who's hard working and always looking to improve.
  • He's been reasonably productive in a woeful offense.
  • He has a decent all-round skill set.
  • He's been more durable than others he's compared to and when injured he's bounced back more quickly than expected.
Ultimately Poles can find a replacement, hopefully one who is even better. It's hardly the end of the world. I just prefer to keep guys who are producing until someone else is there to take the job from him. Some believe that guy is Herbert. I'm not yet convinced and I liked the combination of the two and the camaraderie they had. For $6m I'd have kept them together for the rest of Herbert's rookie deal, but hey ho onto the next guy.

I wonder how other players will feel about it. If your GM makes those sorts of statements publicly and then doesn't sign a player for that kind of modest contract as I said before I would have serious doubts about whether I'm going to have a future in Chicago when my contract's up.
User avatar
Yogi da Bear
Head Coach
Posts: 2499
Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:43 pm
Has thanked: 209 times
Been thanked: 359 times

The one thing I can say is that this a pretty deep RB class. Just don't expect any of them to be offering Fields any kind of protection. Maybe we should have Herbert working out with the offensive line. lol
HurricaneBear
Head Coach
Posts: 2163
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 6:56 am
Has thanked: 1851 times
Been thanked: 349 times

I think you guys arent wrong in the fact that players want to be treated fairly. But I also think you are overblowing it a bit. It's the NFL. It's been said it stands for Not For Long. The players know the higher up the ladder you get the less care they have for the players. Kinda like most professions tbh. I think NFL players care alot more about the head coach then the general manager, unless it's a QB or face of the team type player.

What also will cure these issues is winning and/or Fields becoming a super star. Either of those things happen and players will want to play here.
User avatar
Grizzled
Hall of Famer
Posts: 5552
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 3:55 pm
Has thanked: 605 times
Been thanked: 485 times

A guy who still outperformed his draft status with an offense which was totally predictably tilted towards the running game. A guy who gave 110%. I'm not sure who is the type of player Poles really wants for this team. Good luck in Detroit, David.
Drafts are like snowflakes, no two are alike.
User avatar
Otis Day
Hall of Famer
Posts: 8061
Joined: Mon Nov 03, 2008 2:43 pm
Location: Armpit of IL.
Has thanked: 120 times
Been thanked: 306 times

Damn you would have thought they traded Neal Anderson or someone who was putting up big #s. Monty, great guy. Works hard, plays hard, but the results are lacking. Why pay $6 mil for a guy averaging 3.9 a carry. He was not a threat of any sort. I really liked the guy but was not attached.
User avatar
Ditka’s dictaphone
Head Coach
Posts: 3999
Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2021 12:33 pm
Has thanked: 694 times
Been thanked: 880 times

Otis Day wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 9:52 am Damn you would have thought they traded Neal Anderson or someone who was putting up big #s. Monty, great guy. Works hard, plays hard, but the results are lacking. Why pay $6 mil for a guy averaging 3.9 a carry. He was not a threat of any sort. I really liked the guy but was not attached.
Just don’t use the same logic to judge the HC ;)
(26/09/2023) Winner of the inaugural

Image
User avatar
Hero
Player of the Month
Posts: 283
Joined: Fri Jan 31, 2020 9:26 am
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 38 times

Ezekiel Elliott. Noooo before it starts.
User avatar
IE
Hall of Famer
Posts: 12500
Joined: Mon Nov 03, 2008 8:46 am
Location: Plymouth, MI
Has thanked: 523 times
Been thanked: 700 times
Contact:

Otis Day wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 9:52 am Damn you would have thought they traded Neal Anderson or someone who was putting up big #s. Monty, great guy. Works hard, plays hard, but the results are lacking. Why pay $6 mil for a guy averaging 3.9 a carry. He was not a threat of any sort. I really liked the guy but was not attached.
Maybe nobody SAID Monty belongs up there with the top Bear RBs, but the sentiment and attachment to him rises up to that level, IMO. Inappropriately, IMO. I agree with you. I see this as Jordan Howard moving on - but even worse or less appropriate angst, because Howard was a big part of a team that had been playing well.

@dplank The Bears can simultaneously value culture and like Monty and believe Monty is not worth $6MM. Or they may really like him and believe even if they could keep him for $4MM maybe he can't do what they want to do and that is the reason he's gone.

There is no conflict with this move and the building of culture or doing what they want to do.

A big part of culture, ultimately, is putting it on the field. So regardless of Monty's leadership qualities and how much they like him, they clearly don't believe he can do what they want on the field, or they would have paid him - especially with an assumed "leadership premium" that he ostensibly posesses as an incumbant and team leader.

He just didn't have what they want.
2023 Chicago Bears... emerging from a long hibernation, and hungry!
User avatar
wab
Mod
Posts: 29805
Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2008 12:49 pm
Has thanked: 127 times
Been thanked: 1956 times

It’s weird to see the Bears operating like the Chiefs or Patriots or Steelers and letting guys go when they should be letting em go, and not bringing in guys just for the sake of bringing in guys.

It does suck as a fan in some cases. And this is definitely one of them.
User avatar
dplank
Hall of Famer
Posts: 12023
Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2016 9:19 am
Has thanked: 1200 times
Been thanked: 2133 times

IE wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 11:20 am
Otis Day wrote: Wed Mar 15, 2023 9:52 am Damn you would have thought they traded Neal Anderson or someone who was putting up big #s. Monty, great guy. Works hard, plays hard, but the results are lacking. Why pay $6 mil for a guy averaging 3.9 a carry. He was not a threat of any sort. I really liked the guy but was not attached.
Maybe nobody SAID Monty belongs up there with the top Bear RBs, but the sentiment and attachment to him rises up to that level, IMO. Inappropriately, IMO. I agree with you. I see this as Jordan Howard moving on - but even worse or less appropriate angst, because Howard was a big part of a team that had been playing well.

@dplank The Bears can simultaneously value culture and like Monty and believe Monty is not worth $6MM. Or they may really like him and believe even if they could keep him for $4MM maybe he can't do what they want to do and that is the reason he's gone.

There is no conflict with this move and the building of culture or doing what they want to do.

A big part of culture, ultimately, is putting it on the field. So regardless of Monty's leadership qualities and how much they like him, they clearly don't believe he can do what they want on the field, or they would have paid him - especially with an assumed "leadership premium" that he ostensibly posesses as an incumbant and team leader.

He just didn't have what they want.
I disagree.
Post Reply