NFC Notes: David Montgomery, Bears, Packers, Vikings

Bears

Bears HC Matt Eberflus had high praise of RB David Montgomery and thinks he’ll fit in well to their system. 

“Talk about motor and mean, yeah, he is that guy,” Eberflus said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “Serious, a pro, worker — he’s going to be exciting to work with, and he’s going to fit right in. He’s the kind of guy who just says, ‘Hey, watch me go. I’m not going to say a whole bunch of things, but just watch me do my job.’”

Bears RBs coach David Walker said that he likes Montgomery’s skill set and is pushing him to reach higher standards. 

“The thing I like about David is he doesn’t feel like he’s arrived yet,” Walker said. “Some of the guys that have been in the league for a while think they have arrived. He’s trying to learn from his standpoint. I believe I’m [the third coach] in four seasons for him, so he’s had to really learn every offseason something different and new. He’s doing a good job with it. But I really like his makeup in terms of wanting to get better, pushing himself to get better. He has high standards, and we are going to do everything we can to reach those standards on a daily basis.”

Eberflus thinks that Montgomery can run the entire passing tree and can beat one-on-one coverage. 

“We’re going to stress those [running backs] and stretch their role, meaning can he run the whole gamut of the passing tree? Which, you know, it looks like he can,” Eberflus said. “Can he beat guys one-on-one consistently? Is it a safety or a linebacker that’s covering him? It’s a positive … if he can beat all those guys — DBs and linebackers — and we feel he has the skill set to do that.”

Packers

Packers’ second-year WR Amari Rodgers said he’s been focused on developing in Green Bay’s offensive system and learning from different players in order to improve. 

“Every time you’re at that new level, you gotta start over,” said Rodgers, via Wes Hodkiewicz of the team’s official site. “I knew I had to learn, and I had to get up to beat with the offense and just being in the NFL. When I realized I probably wasn’t going to be getting as many snaps as I wanted to, I just started learning from different people, taking different things, so that when the offseason came, I could come back now and be ready.”

Packers WRs coach Jason Vrable said Rodgers appears “faster and stronger” this offseason and is showing improved route-running.

“If you were to see him right now, he already looks faster and stronger than he ever did,” said Vrable. “He’s in the best shape of his life. His mindset is, ‘I’m going to be the No. 1 guy at all three positions.’ He has that going for him. His route-running is already cleaner and crisper.”

Rodgers feels more confident entering his second year in the league. 

“If you mess up, you’re going to lose confidence, naturally,” Rodgers said. “I just feel like me being a rookie, taking it all in and everything coming with being with the Packers, I feel like I let it get to me. Now, I feel like I have a year in the system, a year in the league. I know what it takes. I know what it takes to get out there and be successful.”

Vikings

Vikings WR coach Keenan McCardell said he appreciates his players going to bat for him and convincing the team’s new regime to keep him on board.

“It meant a lot to me,” said McCardell via Vikings Wire. “I called them all and said, ‘You guys didn’t have to do that.’ I think my resume would have spoke for itself, and if it didn’t, it was just part of the process because you know in this coaching business you’ve got to do your job, and then hopefully, other people see it and see how hard you work. But I appreciate all of those guys going to bat for me. It shows you what kind of room we have. We take care of each other. We look out after each other. We make sure that it’s a family in there.”