Getty Bears RB David Montgomery
David Montgomery says he’s tired of the disrespect that’s being attached to his name. The third-year running back for the Chicago Bears made an appearance on the Type Sh*t Podcast this week, and he had some things to say about the upcoming season, as well as those who doubt him.
“I’m hungry,” Montgomery said. “I’ve been disrespected for far too long.”
Why does he feel that way? Disrespected by whom? Montgomery laid it all out on the podcast, and he included a strong message to folks who are giving him the respect he thinks he deserves.
The latest Bears news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on Bears newsletter here!
Montgomery: ‘I Rushed Top Five Last Year’
The Bears traded up in the 3rd round of the draft in 2019 to select the running back out of Iowa State, and while he had a slower rookie campaign than some expected, rushing for 889 yards on 3.7 yards per carry, he broke out in a major way in 2020.
Montgomery showed clear promise his sophomore season, finishing fifth in the NFL in rushing. He was also the only back in the league to finish with over 1,000 yards rushing and 400+ receiving yards. He started 14 games, playing in 15. He had 247 carries for 1,070 yards rushing, 10 total touchdowns (eight on the ground and two through the air) and 54 catches for 438 yards.
Those were top-five numbers, and the Bears running back knows it. “They put other guys…ahead of me. They put me out of the top-10 running backs after I just rushed top-five in the league last year. It’s just a whole lot of disrespect going on. But it’s cool, because I’m like, ‘Everybody pay,'” Montgomery said, noting that he has seen his name absent from some significant top 10 lists even after the season he had last year.
“At first, it was about me proving everybody else wrong, but now it’s about proving myself right,” he added. “Let folks know I stopped doing this for them a long time ago. This is personal for me.”
Follow the Heavy on Bears Facebook page, where you can weigh in on all the latest Bears-related breaking news, rumors, content and more!
New RBs Coach Michael Pitre Already Impressed With Montgomery
“He’s got a high desire to be great, and that makes it easy as a coach coming in here and working with him,” new Bears running backs coach Michael Pitre said about Montgomery. “He’s asking great questions in meetings. He’s always looking at how he can improve his game and take that next step.”
The new Bears assistant also noted Montgomery is someone whose game he has been watching for quite some time.
“I wasn’t surprised by the production he’s had just throughout his career of what he did before he got to the Bears,” Pitre added. “But I just think he’s looking forward to building off of that and has a lot of confidence moving forward…I’ve studied a lot of NFL film and so he was a guy through studying really liked his running style and so he was a guy that I used as a lot of examples with some of my young guys in previous spots.”