More Confident David Montgomery Feels Prepared to Activate Run Game

David Montgomery thinks he can be part of breaking a trend.

The trend is anything but a positive one.

The Bears haven't been a team ranked in the top 10 in rushing since Lovie Smith left town. While they were 11th in 2018, it was largely the byproduct of Mitchell Trubisky's scrambling.

So getting a ground game going to complement whoever the quarterback eventually is will be essential.

To Montgomery, it's possible but will be a matter of everyone being together in sync this season on the offensive side.

"The chemistry between me and my O-line, the other running backs and the quarterbacks have been good," Montgomery said. "Just trying to figure everything out, get closer to each other and learn each other's cues so that we can be on the same page because we need it to be better this year, and it's going to be better this year.

"I'm going to be better this year for this team and this organization."

Montgomery ran for 889 yards on 242 carries last year, the fewest rushing yards by a Bears rushing leader since Cedric Benson led them with 674 yards in 2007.

Worse than the total is the 3.7 yards per carry they averaged as a team. It wasn't just Montgomery having problems breaking free. Tarik Cohen's rushing average dipped to a career-low 3.3 yards a carry.

"I'm going to come as prepared as ever to lead that running back room the way I need to and be who I need to be for this offense and this team," Montgomery said.

A running back in his second year doesn't have the same concerns as in his rookie year. Montgomery said in a conference call with Chicago media he can be more focused.

"A year, an entire year of me being in an offense, me not being solely a complete rookie and me going in with the unknown that I don’t know any of the offense or me going in with the unknown that I don't know if I'll play or not, me going with the unknown of not knowing if I will get carries or not, or worrying about all the small stuff that doesn’t even matter anymore," Montgomery said.

Knowing what to expect rather than tiptoeing around like a rookie can make all the difference on Montgomery's end.

The rest is up to the line.

"I can really get to playing football now because I'm a year in and I'm a lot more confident," Montgomery said. "I'm ready to go have fun now."

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