the return of ty montgomery

[realitybytes]

he's baaack.

really liked what i saw from monty over the past couple of games. he's starting to look like the player i thought he could be last year before he got hurt. here is an excellent article on pro football focus that talks about ty and what he could mean to the packers:

https://www.profootballfocus.com/pro-why-ty-montgomery-is-green-bays-new-matchup-weapon/

Why Ty Montgomery is Green Bay’s new matchup weapon
Due to a injuries at the RB position, Ty Montgomery manned the backfield for the Packers on Thursday.
Sam Monson

Ty Montgomery isn’t just a better running back than he is a receiver—and the answer to Green Bay’s injury crisis at the position—but he might just be the spark and X-factor that’s been missing from this offense and causing it to drift in a funk all season.
Colleges are pretty good at just getting the ball in the hands of playmakers; the NFL…not so much.

Neither Stanford nor the Green Bay Packers have ever really had a great idea what to do with Ty Montgomery, but Stanford at least were pretty good at just getting him the ball while they tried to figure it out.

At Stanford, like in Green Bay, Montgomery was listed as a wideout, but most of his receptions were quick bubble-screen type throws, and they also used him everywhere else they could think of. He returned kicks and punts for the Cardinal, ran the ball out of the backfield and featured in a kind of Wildcat package in which they would direct-snap him the ball and let him run it behind a lead blocker—the same package you still see Christian McCaffrey run today for the team.

Montgomery was a tough player to evaluate as a draft prospect because they didn’t use him as a traditional wide receiver, rather a dangerous ball-carrier that they just tried to get the ball to in space. His route tree was Spartan at best, and what routes he did run looked forced and unnatural. His hands were poor, and he routinely dropped even the easiest of catches. He looked like a player that was thinking about everything he did, step by step.

At the time, the PFF analysis team evaluated him as a low-level draft prospect who “had something to work with.” What did he have to work with? Well, the key to it was that we thought he was a running back—and a pretty good one—masquerading at receiver.
To Montgomery’s credit, he has looked far more natural as a receiver in Green Bay than he ever did at Stanford. The Packers have seemed less focused on just force-feeding him the football and have expected him to actually earn those touches the same way any other receiver does—by getting open.

That focus on the position has seen him look far more comfortable with running routes, and now that he knows what he’s doing, his hands have seemingly improved, too. He has been thrown at 38 times so far in his NFL career, and has yet to drop a pass. He had five drops in 99 targets in his final season at Stanford, including three in one game against Notre Dame, and some very suspect-looking successful catches.

So far this season, Montgomery has been thrown the ball 20 times and caught all 20 of them.

But this week against the Bears, and with Green Bay’s injury crisis at the running back position, we got to see Montgomery play what I believe to be his natural position—running back. He was in the backfield on 49 of his 62 snaps against the Bears, and carried the ball nine times for 60 yards. He ended the game with 126 yards from scrimmage.

At draft time, some likened him to Cordarrelle Patterson as a player with clear playmaking ability, but who just doesn’t quite fit the cookie-cutter niches the NFL has carved out for players. I think there is a very real difference between the two players in terms of build, though. Patterson is built like a wide receiver, he just plays like a running back. Montgomery has the running back’s build to go along with the skill set.

The latter isn’t just a guy who needs gimmick touches and sideline run plays to space. He can carry between the tackles and deliver—not just take—contact.

The Packers have had Randall Cobb for several years now, another player that has dabbled with backfield carries, but again the difference is in size and build. Cobb’s backfield carries have dried up over the years because he is under 6-foot and weighs around 190 pounds. They need to get him the ball in space, and he can only have a certain volume and type of backfield carry. Montgomery is two inches taller and has around 25 pounds on Cobb. Those are significant numbers when you’re talking about taking on defenders between the tackles.
That extra bulk gives him not just the ability to carry the ball more and into tougher spots, but to do the dirty work of a running back, too. Take this play from last night’s game where Montgomery steps up and picks up the blitz from a linebacker, allowing the ball to come out on rhythm. Now imagine Randall Cobb trying to do the same thing.

Montgomery is a natural running back, but the really intriguing thing about moving him back there now is that he has been seasoned as a wide receiver, at least to the point he is competent there—for a running back. Montgomery now becomes a far more dangerous matchup problem for a defense than if the Packers had just drafted him as a running back all along.

Against the Bears, the team repeatedly motioned him out of the backfield and lined him up at receiver, putting Chicago in a bind because they were usually treating him as a running back from a personnel standpoint. That left him matched up with safeties and linebackers, which for a slot receiver by trade, should be a huge advantage.

The bottom line here is that the answer to the Green Bay running back problems lies in Ty Montgomery. He has always been a natural running back, but just hasn’t had a team commit to developing him there. If the Packers embrace this position switch, they could have a genuinely devastating playmaker on their hands, and one that could become a true matchup problem for defenses because of the work they have done to turn him into a real wide receiver.

Montgomery was always a dangerous playmaker, but one that didn’t really know how to play any one position. Now he just may be on the verge of understanding two different ones, making him a huge potential weapon for an offense crying out for a catalyst.

 

[rpiotr01]

It's a welcome development and they've really only just begun to tap that particular well.

For the O to really take off though, Aaron and WR need to figure out how to push the ball down the field - those 15+ yard throws that have nearly disappeared. Teams will generally give you those dump offs and will happily run up and hit. At some point you have to get over their heads.

 

[PackerShrine]

Even before Ty Montgomery was injured I had this thought in the back of my mind that we as a fan base had him generally overrated and overhyped. Then he had this horrible sprain injury and there was no timetable for his return.
I think at that point I had him pegged as a player who had lots of promise but one who would end up showing little results on the field. God knows we've seen a boat load of those types of players come through GB.

With that said, I gotta admit that recently Ty has been very impressive! He's probably finally overtaken Jeff Janis as our most promising offensive weapon. Overall I can't wait to watch him play the remainder of this season. What a great Fantasy player to pick up about 2 weeks ago.

 

[TW]

I think the usage of players is often restricted by the Coach and his imagination. Someone like Montgomery could spend their entire career being a journeyman WR, and all along, he was a two way threat that should have been exploited. Had it not been for a critical need, would McCarthy have even considered using Montgomery as often, or in this role?

My answer to this question is that necessity is the mother of invention, and McCarthy would have never pivoted in his beliefs had this not been the only option outside of throwing the ball on every down.

Montgomery is a threat, but we're going to see if Atlanta has a way of shutting him down, and keeping the rest of the receiving corps in check. My guess is they know what they have to do, and will cancel his contribution, but in the process, Nelson will begin to emerge as a force. You just can't shut everything down.

I watched Nelson's body language last week, and he never looked like a guy who was "part of" the real game plan. He was used mainly as a decoy, and a "long incompletion" to set up the shorter game of Montgomery and Cobb. That said, watch Atlanta choke that out, and Rodgers either hitting Nelson and Adams, or we end up with another loss.

Watch players and their body language. You'd be surprised at how much you can learn from it. It's in their faces, movements, and even how they run their routes. Last week, it seemed like most of the receivers ran their route, than stood, and watched the game. That's totally unacceptable, but if you're not considered at least the check down on a passing play, why bother to do anything more?

 

[57packer]

Monty is an interesting guy that you can get some mileage out of if you use him right. The thing is, you can't build an offense around him long term so now they need to find a couple more things they can do with what they have. Cobb in the slot is certainly a weapon, but as a pure WR teams seem to have figured him out. Time to maybe use him on jet sweeps, WR screens, ???. Nelson is still a force, but he doesn't look like his old self. Maybe next year. Adams can't run past anyone it seems so you have to use him a certain way it seems - double moves, back shoulder throws, quick slants. Maybe when Cook comes back you can add him to the mix.

My only concern is that it may all be too late. We have to find a way to get rolling in the next 5 weeks or the playoffs may slip away. A 2-3 record in the next 5 weeks could easily happen - Atlanta, Philly and Washington all on the road could be 3 losses unless they find some more offense.

 

[rpiotr01]

FWIW, I thought Jordys body language was that of a man extremely frustrated by being shut down by a washed up Tracy Porter on his home turf. This isn't a Jordy thread so I'll stop there

 

[TW]

Good points. They do need to ride Montgomery as long as it works.. I also agree that the look on Nelson's face was pure frustration, and the body language sent the same message. I'm not certain the coverage was his concern but more that he wasn't considered a primary receiver on nearly all his routes. He's the kind of guy that wants the ball, and he'll make something happen. The Packers need to exploit all their talent on the field, not focus on small portions of it.

Whether it's McCarthy or Rodgers that's causing guys to get shut out, I don't know, but it looks like the old "spread it around" theory the Packers employed in the past is out the window. Now it's focus in on two, maybe three guys, the rest are just decoys. Good when it works, sucks big time when it doesn't, especially if you don't have plan "B," and plan "C," when "A" goes belly up.

 

[Budman]

All good points in this thread. I won't use the word innovate but MM needs to use Monty to also set up some other looks on offense. It's not just about riding Monty but play design that allows the focus on Monty to open up things for other WRs.

 

[Budman]

Good points. They do need to ride Montgomery as long as it works.. I also agree that the look on Nelson's face was pure frustration, and the body language sent the same message. I'm not certain the coverage was his concern but more that he wasn't considered a primary receiver on nearly all his routes. He's the kind of guy that wants the ball, and he'll make something happen. The Packers need to exploit all their talent on the field, not focus on small portions of it.

Whether it's McCarthy or Rodgers that's causing guys to get shut out, I don't know, but it looks like the old "spread it around" theory the Packers employed in the past is out the window. Now it's focus in on two, maybe three guys, the rest are just decoys. Good when it works, sucks big time when it doesn't, especially if you don't have plan "B," and plan "C," when "A" goes belly up.

I wish I would have read this before my last reply because it says it all. It's not just about focusing on Monty and the others as decoys. MM has to have play design that keeps those guys in play as viable options within the play.

 

[rpiotr01]

I wish I would have read this before my last reply because it says it all. It's not just about focusing on Monty and the others as decoys. MM has to have play design that keeps those guys in play as viable options within the play.

Thats the thing though, MM's play design is what it is. He's changed personnel groupings and switched from hurry up to more of a huddle offense but the routes and design are the same, and I don't think he can scrap that on a dime. The heart and soul of MMs offense remains: WR get open one on one or the play dies (or, AR scrambles around until someone gets open).

Teams will adjust to this this new wrinkle with Montgomery. Heck, a team like the Vikings with fast ILB wouldn't have an issue defending it. Aaron has to start playing like that X factor again, fitting the ball into tight windows and throwing guys open.