Getty David Montgomery of the Chicago Bears has apparently gotten faster this offseason.
Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery was one of the best players in the league over the second half of last season. He had over 100 total yards a game over his last six games and finished fifth in the NFL in rushing yards (1,070). He did it all with an ever-changing offensive line and a huge question mark at quarterback, but Montgomery said recently he’s unhappy with his performance in 2020.
“I definitely — it wasn’t enough for me last year, just knowing the untapped potential that I had within myself,” Montgomery said on June 2. “As far as my leadership last year, I didn’t do as well as I thought I could’ve done. So for me it was more of a motivational tool to take the proper time that I needed to attack the offseason properly as far as the way I plan on leading this year and the way I plan on helping this team and this offense.”
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Montgomery Lists Ways He’ll Improve His Game This Season
The third-year running back knows what he wants to change this upcoming season. “Just be more vocal,” he said. “Be able to stand behind what I say and allow my words to carry a lot of strength when I speak. … Doing all the right things right all the time. You can’t be a half-assed leader. You gotta be a full-on leader and let the guys around you know that you’re here for the greater good of the team at all times.”
He also seems primed to become one of the more outspoken players on the team. “Just really embracing the role that is meant for me, whatever that may be. Like I said, I don’t think I was vocal enough, and I don’t think I left it all out on the field like I should have. I think I could have done better for my guys around me,” Montgomery added.
“That’s what the offseason is for, for me to go back to the drawing board, to fix things that I feel as if I didn’t do well on and try to improve them. I know this year I’m not here to let my guys down. I’m here for whatever may come my way.”
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Montgomery Has Gotten Faster This Offseason
Montgomery has spent this offseason working on improving his speed while training with speed coach Chris Korfist.
“He was incredibly powerful almost to a point where it was detrimental,” Korfist said in an interview with 670 The Score’s Chris Emma on June 3. “So we just redirected where he was putting that power. He’s got a chip on his shoulder about being the best. … I think that he really feels that he should be the best in the NFL.”
According to Korfist, Montgomery, who turned 24 on June 7, has added 1.5 miles per hour to his running speed since last season. Lack of speed was always a primary knock against him coming out of the Draft, and Montgomery is clearly on a mission to become one of the best backs in the NFL.
“He is out to prove that,” Korfist added. “I think it’s more than just his drive. It’s a force, that he’s out to do that. And he doesn’t stop at anything to get there.”
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