Smith & Montgomery emerging leaders on a team that needs 'em
Jun 4, 2021 12:08:46 GMT -6
riczaj01 and bears40 like this
Post by JABF on Jun 4, 2021 12:08:46 GMT -6
Good read but behind a paywall at "The Athletic" so I can only post a brief blurb here.
LINK
Bears’ Roquan Smith, David Montgomery emerging as leaders for a team that needs them
“The way that he has grown into the player and person, to me, it’s just, it’s super special,” Nagy said. “They don’t make many players like Roquan Smith, I’ll just tell you that right now. They just don’t.”
... “It wasn’t enough for me last year, just knowing the untapped potential that I had within myself,” said Montgomery, who ran for 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns in 2020. “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.”
... If Smith meets the media over Zoom after the Bears’ second open day of OTAs next week, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear similar comments from him. It’ll be another sign that the Bears are challenging their homegrown players to lead the team. In the past, the Bears have relied too much on free-agent additions — from Pernell McPhee to Hicks to Trevathan to tight end Jimmy Graham — to be the emotional tone-setters for the team.
With rookie quarterback Justin Fields acclimating himself behind starter Andy Dalton, Smith and Montgomery are obviously next in line, following Jackson and running back Tarik Cohen. The Bears want their best players to be their hardest workers. They’re getting that right now from Smith and Montgomery.
“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,” Montgomery said. “I think I could have done better for my guys around me.”
Quarterback Mitch Trubisky did his best to embody that. The issue for him was that on-the-field performances still carry weight in the locker room. Smith and Montgomery are both coming off breakout seasons in 2020; Trubisky is gone and Fields is here.
Smith’s 18 tackles for loss led all “off-ball” linebackers last season. His 98 solo tackles were second in the NFL. Smith also had two interceptions and four sacks while playing a career-high 95 percent of the Bears’ defensive snaps.
On offense, Montgomery became the workhorse the Bears hoped he’d become after trading up for him in the third round in 2019. He almost singlehandedly carried the team out of their six-game losing streak. In his second NFL season, Montgomery ranked fifth in both rushing yards and total yards from scrimmage.
“The entirety of my career of being able to carry a football and do it successfully, I’ve had a chip on my shoulder,” Montgomery said. “But as it happens so often from wherever I was then to where I am now, the chip grows. It’s no longer a chip; it’s been a boulder for a while now. It’s more so not about proving anybody wrong, but proving myself right.”
In the NFL, June is always full of hyperbole. Things always change when games are played and losses happen. Some players appear to be leaders in the public, but inside the meeting rooms and during practices, they’re not. But what Nagy said about Smith and what Montgomery said about himself still shouldn’t be overlooked, not when words are backed up by actions. Two young core players are looking to become team leaders. The Bears will embrace that.
“You can’t be a half-assed leader,” Montgomery said. “You got to 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.”
Bears’ Roquan Smith, David Montgomery emerging as leaders for a team that needs them
“The way that he has grown into the player and person, to me, it’s just, it’s super special,” Nagy said. “They don’t make many players like Roquan Smith, I’ll just tell you that right now. They just don’t.”
... “It wasn’t enough for me last year, just knowing the untapped potential that I had within myself,” said Montgomery, who ran for 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns in 2020. “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.”
... If Smith meets the media over Zoom after the Bears’ second open day of OTAs next week, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear similar comments from him. It’ll be another sign that the Bears are challenging their homegrown players to lead the team. In the past, the Bears have relied too much on free-agent additions — from Pernell McPhee to Hicks to Trevathan to tight end Jimmy Graham — to be the emotional tone-setters for the team.
With rookie quarterback Justin Fields acclimating himself behind starter Andy Dalton, Smith and Montgomery are obviously next in line, following Jackson and running back Tarik Cohen. The Bears want their best players to be their hardest workers. They’re getting that right now from Smith and Montgomery.
“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,” Montgomery said. “I think I could have done better for my guys around me.”
Quarterback Mitch Trubisky did his best to embody that. The issue for him was that on-the-field performances still carry weight in the locker room. Smith and Montgomery are both coming off breakout seasons in 2020; Trubisky is gone and Fields is here.
Smith’s 18 tackles for loss led all “off-ball” linebackers last season. His 98 solo tackles were second in the NFL. Smith also had two interceptions and four sacks while playing a career-high 95 percent of the Bears’ defensive snaps.
On offense, Montgomery became the workhorse the Bears hoped he’d become after trading up for him in the third round in 2019. He almost singlehandedly carried the team out of their six-game losing streak. In his second NFL season, Montgomery ranked fifth in both rushing yards and total yards from scrimmage.
“The entirety of my career of being able to carry a football and do it successfully, I’ve had a chip on my shoulder,” Montgomery said. “But as it happens so often from wherever I was then to where I am now, the chip grows. It’s no longer a chip; it’s been a boulder for a while now. It’s more so not about proving anybody wrong, but proving myself right.”
In the NFL, June is always full of hyperbole. Things always change when games are played and losses happen. Some players appear to be leaders in the public, but inside the meeting rooms and during practices, they’re not. But what Nagy said about Smith and what Montgomery said about himself still shouldn’t be overlooked, not when words are backed up by actions. Two young core players are looking to become team leaders. The Bears will embrace that.
“You can’t be a half-assed leader,” Montgomery said. “You got to 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.”
