Ty Montgomery is the Real Deal
Ty Montgomery (former WR, then former RB, then former WR again, for people worried about only-one position players) is the real deal. From a numbers perspective, he had a phenomenal day yesterday against the Bears. 16 carries for 162 yards and 2 TDs. Those are no doubt great. But watching him run, Ty looked as good as any other RB right now. He was patient letting blocks develop, explosive when he needed to get through, and had about all of those 162 yards come after contact. He was a blast to watch and really blasted the Bears defense all day long.
Green Bay has often struggled at running the ball this season. It's not as bad as some of the years in the past (Green Bay ran for 16 yards total last season, including the playoffs), but there has been no true running identity for much of this year. The season started with the loss of fan favorite and offensive keystone John Kuhn and has been all over the place. Eddie got hurt and may never play as a Packer again. Knile Davis came to town for three or four days. Don Jackson got bumped up from the practice squad for about a week before getting hurt. James Starks sustained a big injury. While all of this was going on and everyone was getting hurt, there were flashes of Ty Montgomery in the backfield, and boy oh boy were they intriguing flashes. The kind of flashes that make you say "hey, is that a shiny light on that porch? I should fly toward that light. I bet it's just everything I've ever wanted." But before the buggy backfield could get to the lamp and zapped into ecstasy, a several-week illness turned Ty Montgomery's light off.
After yesterday, though, it's hard to think that Ty Montgomery's light isn't completely on now, a beacon shining from the rocks of Lake Superior to keep the Acme Packing company's ships (which I'm absolutely going to assume are a thing still, if ever) from crashing on the rocks of a missed playoff berth. Ty's a great boost during not only a for-now calf-hampered Aaron Rodgers' active recovery, but also as this team looks ahead to the playoffs. The Packers might be able to get there without a run game, but they sure won't make a playoff run without a real running back. Ty Montgomery is that back.
He's quick, strong, patient, smart, has great hands, has great field vision, is very handsome, is a great guy, and even has the praise of Lil Wayne:
I may very well name my next kid or album TY Montgomery!! Girl or boy!!
— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) December 18, 2016
As if that doesn't carry a ton of legitimate football merit in itself, Ty also got some love in an interview with Mr. Deion Sanders:
Ty's stock is high and only rising. The next two weeks will show his and the Packers' 2016 identity, as they control their playoff destiny with closing games against Minnesota and Detroit. If he does well, which it seems is the only possibility, the Packers are in great standing, because Ty Montgomery is a great running back with a bright, bright future. He's the kind of greener pastures Wisconsin has long needed (go buy some dairy products the dairy market sucks right now).