Matt Nagy has made plenty of questionable decisions since taking over the Chicago Bears. One of the most baffling has to be his implementation of “rotating captains.” In other words, the captaincy will change from week to week. While Nagy might think this is a way to include everybody in the leadership role for this team, the reality is leadership doesn’t work that way. Not everybody can be the captain of an airplane or a cruise ship. It must be a single person everybody else looks to for guidance. When everybody is a captain, nobody is. David Montgomery proved that more than ever.
If anybody embodies the heart and soul of this Bears team, is their young running back. He has emerged in recent weeks as the unquestioned leader on offense. Both through his production on the field and his words off it. Anybody who didn’t happen to catch his press conference following the loss to Arizona really missed out. In a span of eight minutes, he showed why he should have a permanent “C” on his chest.
Here is just a taste of the message he sent.
That is David Montgomery in a nutshell. Calm, collected, and completely undaunted. He sees the big picture with the Bears. That is to worry about the next game. Nothing else matters. On top of that, it’s okay to take the job seriously. However, don’t forget to have fun. This is still a game and you only get so long in your life to play it. Stop worrying so much, keep working hard, and go play.
It is honestly a joy hearing him talk. He gets it. This is why it is a bit of a crime that Nagy won’t give players like him and Roquan Smith proper recognition with captain patches. There is still strong symbolism in such honors. It gives a locker room a sense of direction. Of knowing the guys to follow. Montgomery is absolutely one of those guys. Here is hoping the next head coach has the common sense to give him that honor.
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