An interesting DBB article worth discussing: Monty overrated?

[Epyon]

https://dabearsblog.com/2022/how-good-is-david-montgomery

 

Read this one and came away conflicted.... I'm a big on quantifiable metrics, and this article does a pretty good job laying out a case that Monty has been pretty overrated by fans (myself included)..... The flipside is he also seems like one of, if not the only, people actually working his butt off on the offensive side of the ball, and has noticeably improved himself year to year (at least via the "eye test") which is commendable too.

I figure this was worth bringing up since the decision to resign or not would have to come soon, and because frankly it's a completely different topic than the normal things we've been bouncing around lately with staffing changes and what OL and WR we're going to need to bring in..... Especially since, I'd make the case that if Monty is deemed to NOT be the answer, and frankly still looked at least a full step above Khalil Herbert, then maybe RB is a low key need for the team as well?
 

What is your guys' thoughts?

[topwop1]

I tend to agree with this.

I love Monty's character and grit but he's nothing special when it comes to talent and paying running backs big money is usually bad business unless they are elite like for example Derrick Henry.

Plus we still have Cohen and a very capable backup in Herbert on the roster.

Simply put I wouldn't be in a rush to extend Monty if I'm Poles

[Sugashane]

I've been of the opinion he is a good RB but is replaceable. We were told Howard wasn't a good enough receiver so he wasn't a real fit and then we dumped him and then traded up to get Monty. But barely use him as a receiver more than Howard was.

He's tough, he gives 100% every run, good vision, and he may thrive with a better scheme that uses his (reported) receiving ability. ATM he isn't worth a top 10 contract for his position and I doubt that changes. Just not explosive enough nor is he able to really change a game in a massive way.

[AZBearsFan]

3 hours ago, topwop1 said:

I tend to agree with this.

I love Monty's character and grit but he's nothing special when it comes to talent and paying running backs big money is usually bad business unless they are elite like for example Derrick Henry.

Plus we still have Cohen and a very capable backup in Herbert on the roster.

Simply put I wouldn't be in a rush to extend Monty if I'm Poles

I’d frankly be pretty surprised if Cohen is still a Bear 6 weeks from now, not only because of the injury (we still don’t know where he’s actually at with it) but also because of Herbert showing to be a capable RB behind Montgomery last year. If we can’t be sure Cohen will be the same explosive player coming off what is essentially a 2-season injury then we really don’t have any use for him. We can save $2.25M ($4M post-6/1) to cut him, and I think we can get more of a sure thing with that money somewhere else on the roster. You can get a veteran starter at DT, MLB, S, OG or maybe CB or WR with $4M, and maybe even 2 of those things. 

[BeaReylo]

 

[dll2000]

Paying him big money and him being overrated are two different conversations.  

Didn’t read article yet, but IMO he is underrated if anything.  

That being said OLs are of far greater import than RBs and good ones are in shorter supply.  

[G08]

Looking at the title, I'm not reading that trash article.

[abstract_thought]

Torn on this because while he’s obviously not in the elite tier of RB, he runs hard and is often a victim of poor blocking.

He’s overrated by Bears fans, but not in general. And while he’s a solid player, league trends all but preclude him getting a 2nd contract in Chicago.

[Sugashane]

3 hours ago, dll2000 said:

Paying him big money and him being overrated are two different conversations.  

Didn’t read article yet, but IMO he is underrated if anything.  

That being said OLs are of far greater import than RBs and good ones are in shorter supply.  

Absolutely. 

He is a definite starter and is going to get paid but the difference in impact the  12th best QB makes over the 30th best QB is drastically different from the 12th to 30th RB. You can hide a weakness of a RB by using committees like with Howard and Cohen too so they're easier to put together solid groups. 

That being said, from Bears fans around me some view him as a tier below the elites like Henry. Like he would be posting near elite stats with a better cast around him, or that he is as good as Forte was. I don't believe he is THAT level of talent. 

[AZBearsFan]

1 hour ago, abstract_thought said:

Torn on this because while he’s obviously not in the elite tier of RB, he runs hard and is often a victim of poor blocking.

He’s overrated by Bears fans, but not in general. And while he’s a solid player, league trends all but preclude him getting a 2nd contract in Chicago.

Poles coming from KC where they’ve had essentially plug-and-play success at RB the past few years between CEH, McKinnon, both Williams and even Gore certainly doesn’t help his case in pushing for a second deal here. I have been and remain on board with him getting an extension at like Cohen money (~$6M per) but that’s about it, and I’m a HUGE David Montgomery fan. He’s definitely a leader in that locker room - that was apparent well before George mentioned it at the presser. That does have value, but not so much that you grossly overpay. 

[topwop1]

3 hours ago, G08 said:

Looking at the title, I'm not reading that trash article.

It wasn't even written by DBB..it was from Jonathan Wood who's a big stats and analytics guy. 

Definitely worth a read 

[abstract_thought]

32 minutes ago, AZBearsFan said:

Poles coming from KC where they’ve had essentially plug-and-play success at RB the past few years between CEH, McKinnon, both Williams and even Gore certainly doesn’t help his case in pushing for a second deal here. I have been and remain on board with him getting an extension at like Cohen money (~$6M per) but that’s about it, and I’m a HUGE David Montgomery fan. He’s definitely a leader in that locker room - that was apparent well before George mentioned it at the presser. That does have value, but not so much that you grossly overpay. 

If we use Melvin Gordon as a baseline, his extension could cost ~8M per season. Unfortunately for Montgomery, the Bears already have a cheap replacement.

That position is just so deep around the league. 7 rookies had a 100+ yard game in 2021 alone. Seems like the best team-building strategy is to just draft them in the late rounds every few years.

[G08]

4 hours ago, topwop1 said:

It wasn't even written by DBB..it was from Jonathan Wood who's a big stats and analytics guy. 

Definitely worth a read 

Jonathan Wood make Eeyore look like Tigger.

[AZBearsFan]

19 hours ago, abstract_thought said:

If we use Melvin Gordon as a baseline, his extension could cost ~8M per season. Unfortunately for Montgomery, the Bears already have a cheap replacement.

That position is just so deep around the league. 7 rookies had a 100+ yard game in 2021 alone. Seems like the best team-building strategy is to just draft them in the late rounds every few years.

Yeah, I keep finding myself giving the Bears a RB in round 5 or 6 when I run mocks with the expectation Monty will be gone after 2022. He also has gotten knicked the past few years and missed a little time. 

[Heinz D.]

On 2/3/2022 at 7:09 PM, Epyon said:

What is your guys' thoughts?

I think that not only do we not know exactly how good Montgomery is yet, but nobody really does. We've also yet to see him run behind a quality offensive line, but hopefully that changes next season. My gut tells me that he's around the bottom of the upper tier of running backs, and deserves to get paid--within reason. The fact that Spurious George name dropped Montgomery during that press conference suggests to me that the team values him like I do.