David Montgomery Cleared to Go Against the Packers
Running back David Montgomery called his concussion much more severe than any he's suffered in the past.
At least the Bears believe he's over it now to the point where he has passed the NFL concussion protcol and will be playing Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
"I've never had one this severe," Montgomery said. "It was definitely different, but I'm fine now. We went through the protocol. The training staff has been great with me, being sure that I come back when I'm ready.
"It was definitely something different for me. So it's just good to be back."
Montgomery's concussion was the first reported since he came to the Bears last year.
"It was just really a lot of uncomfortability," Montgomery said. "Not being comfortable."
Nearly as difficult for him as the uncomfortable feeling was missing the Vikings game. The Bears ran for only 41 yards in the game and Cordarrelle Patterson had the bulk of the rushing attempts.
"It was definitely a different perspective from being in the game, not being involved at all, being a fan essentially," said Montgomery, who watched it at home. "I understood that it had to happen. If I would have forced myself to play or not communicate it, it could affect me long term in my life for when I have my children, when I have my family.
"That's one thing that I don't ever want to do and that I don't want to ever regret doing is taking an injury and not communicating because I want to be like, a tough guy. You know, I know how tough I am, but to sum it up, you gotta communicate with them, take care of yourself."
Montgomery had to watch the last game at home and watching it on television only told him he didn't want to be sidelined.
"The last thing I wanted to be was to be at home and feel useless and feel helpless," he said.
Montgomery has 472 yards rushing on 131 carries with one touchdown. His 3.6-yard average is below the 3.7-yard average of last year. He's already caught more passes than last season with 30 receptions for 212 yards and a TD.
Whether it matters having Montgomery back this week remains to be seen. The Packers were only 23rd against the run last year and Montgomery gained only 57 yards on 20 carries in two starts.
He was running then behind the regular starting offensive line, and this week they could be operating without tackle Bobby Massie. Guard James Daniels is out for the year with a torn pectoral muscle and won't be back.
Besides this, the Bears have talked about going back to some of the changes they had planned heading into the season to make their running game work after it had initially produced 414 rushing yards for three games. It has since bogged down after Nick Foles became quarterback in the second half of Week 3.
Montgomery averaged 4.44 yards a carry in those first three games, but wasn't particularly effective against Atlanta in the third week when he averaged just 3.2 yards a carry. He has averaged 3.2 yards a carry over his last seven games, counting the game with Atlanta on up through their current four-game losing streak.
"There's always that light at the end of every tunnel I've been through," Montgomery said. "I'm never one to lose hope or ever lose faith in the process, and first and foremost God, so like you just keep coming out here every week, going to work and focus on that, what you can control and going out there being a great team guy, being sure that we stay on top of things.
"Because it will turn, whether anybody wants to believe it or not, but it will, but we'll be here for it."
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