(670 The Score) When the Bears set out to find a better fit at running back, scouting for Jordan Howard's replacement while he was still on the team, they sought to check every box.
The Bears were willing to be greedy, knowing well what the position could mean for coach Matt Nagy and his budding offense. They wanted to draft a player who be a three-down rusher, catch passes out of the backfield, line up out wide for routes and give this group a lift.
David Montgomery checked all those boxes for the Bears, who traded up to draft him in the third round. Now, they're ready to let him loose against the Packers in their season opener at Soldier Field on Thursday evening.
Nagy was speaking through a smile as he looked ahead to Montgomery's debut.
"He's in a good place right now," Nagy said. "He hasn't wavered at all with the offense. He's taken it in, he's done everything that we have asked him to do."
After the Bears played their preseason opener on Aug. 8, Nagy spoke so glowingly about Montgomery that he forced himself to circle back two days later and "pump the brakes" on the growing hype.
But Nagy believes he knows well what he has in Montgomery. That began in the beginning of the offseason as he watched the tape of an elusive rusher who led the nation in missed tackles forced. Nagy met Montgomery during pre-draft visits and found himself enamored with his demeanor. Then Nagy got Montgomery into Halas Hall and began to build those plans in the playbook. Here they are now with kickoff coming.
Two year ago, Nagy was the Chiefs' offensive coordinator and preparing for the Thursday night opener against the Patriots with a trick up his sleeve. That was running back Kareem Hunt, the Chiefs' third-round pick who rushed 17 times for 148 yards and a touchdown while catching five passes for 98 yards and two scores.
Hunt would rush for a league-leading 1,327 yards while catching 63 passes in his rookie season under the watch of Nagy.
Will Montgomery have the same kind of role as Hunt?
"We are all really fired up to get going, and he's a part of the deal," Nagy said.
In other words, wait and see what Nagy has planned.
Open field
The tears of recently retired Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski resonated strongly with me like so many others. This week, those sentiments made me think of Bears tight end Trey Burton.
Burton has endured the kind of physically and emotionally frustrating offseason that led Luck and Gronkowski to retirement, having spent the last nine months not feeling like himself. Burton first experienced a groin injury days before the Bears' playoff loss to the Eagles, his former team, in January.
He underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia in the spring, which the Bears had said was related to the January groin issue. Burton's difficult recovery and rehabilitation lingered into training camp, the preseason -- and now it's a groin strain that has his status for the opener uncertain.
The groin strain is believed to be mild and is "unrelated" to the offseason ordeal, general manager Ryan Pace said. Nagy expressed the same in deferring to the team medical staff, but it's worth wondering how that could be true.
The Bears maintain they'll be fine against the Packers even if Burton is unable to play. Nagy lost a large portion of his playbook in that playoff game without Burton, whose place as the U tight end is valuable. It allowed the Eagles to shift more of their focus toward slowing the explosive Tarik Cohen, who was a non-factor in the playoff loss. The Bears now have more weapons -- keep an eye on Cordarrelle Patterson -- and have had plenty of time to prepare a plan with and without Burton involved.
The concern now is how Burton can put this all behind him and play the role envisioned for the Bears. Perhaps the preseason physically-unable-to-perform list would've been best for Burton so he could focus solely on rehab instead of football. It doesn't appear a shutdown is likely, and Burton is practicing in a limited fashion and readying himself for the opener.
The Bears need Burton to be healthy and productive, and Burton certainly wants that again too.
4-down territory
1.) Chuck it
When asked about the advantage he has with unscouted looks and the element of surprise, Packers coach and play-caller Matt LaFleur indicated it was an even playing field given that Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano is also new to his role.
LaFleur raises a good point. Pagano hasn't called plays since the 2011 season with the Ravens. He didn't call the defense while working as the Colts' head coach, and it leaves something for LaFleur and the Packers to ponder.
Pagano has hinted he'll be a more aggressive play-caller than predecessor Vic Fangio and blitz more. The player to watch as a blitzer is inside linebacker Roquan Smith, whom Pagano raved about earlier this week.
"He's a phenomenal football player," Pagano said. "I feel like that kid has been around for a long, long time. He's mature beyond his years and he understands the game, and I think it's really slowing down for him in a short of time that he's been with his organization and played at this level.
"Everything you ask Roquan to do, physically he's able to do it, whether it's being a downhill inside linebacker, playing between the tackles. If want to bring him, you can bring him. We know every time he blitzes, he gets a sack. So, it would be pretty smart to probably bring him. But I don't want to give too much away. We'll probably drop him the whole time now anyway.
"He's great in coverage. Again, he understands. He gets football. And he spends a tremendous amount of time. And he's a great teammate, he's a great player. All those kind of things. Again, it's going to be exciting to see him roll."
2.) Money, money, money, money
Rams quarterback Jared Goff is the latest quarterback to earn a mega-contract, agreeing to a four-year extension worth a reported $134 million and with a record $110 million guaranteed. It topped the four-year, $128-million extension that Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz signed that included nearly $108 million guaranteed.
That's wonderful news for Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who was drafted No. 2 overall in 2017, a year after Goff went first and Wentz went second in the 2016 draft. Trubisky is represented by the same agency as Goff and Wentz, Rep 1 Sports. If he produces as the Bears believe he can this season, he'll be in line for a major payday of his own.
Pace prefers to conduct contract business the week ahead of the regular season so that his players can focus on football once the games matter. Bears guard Cody Whitehair was the beneficiary recently, signing a five-year deal to stay in Chicago.
Next September, Trubisky could be signing one of the massive contracts that his quarterback peers are receiving. But like the Bears' fate in this window of contention, it's all up to Trubisky.
3.) Robinson is ready
Top Bears receiver Allen Robinson could be in for a big season.
Robinson spent the entire 2018 offseason recovering from a torn ACL and readying himself to play again. During all of that, he was still absorbing the new playbook from Nagy and getting acclimated to a new city and team.
Robinson, 26, has had top-receiver production in his past. While it will be hard for him to top the 80 catches, 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns that he had in 2015, he should easily surpass the 55 receptions, 754 yards and four scores of last year.
For his part, Robinson, pointed to the developing connection he has with Trubisky as why you'll see improvement in 2019.
"We're able to take things to the next level," Robinson said. "We're able to attack the defense. We're able to dictate different things. We're able to play within the offense and have everything at our helm."
4.) What a way to start
What will LaFleur be experiencing at Soldier Field ahead of his first game as the Packers' head coach?
Nagy knows this well after his coaching debut came on the primetime stage last season with the opener against the Packers at Lambeau Field.
"There will be a lot of emotions," Nagy said. "Just for us, it's the same, as it's a rivalry game, so we both had it our first year -- mine being on the road and now his being on the road. But I think we all treat it differently. In my opinion, you're not human if you don't feel it and you don't get a little emotional. I don't think he's ever been a head coach before. I was never a head coach before. So, this is kind of a lifelong dream, that you get to stand there and lead a bunch of guys. And it's pretty cool. He'll be feeling it. No matter what he says, he'll be feeling it. I know I did and shoot we're all going to be feeling it Thursday."
Quote to note
"I want to see a lot of extra points. I don't want field goals." -- Nagy when asked about kicker Eddy Pineiro
Bears injury report
TE Trey Burton (groin) -- The Bears have said Burton will be a game-time decision. Like in the playoff loss last January, it will likely come down to Burton testing out his groin pregame before the Bears set their inactives. I wouldn't be surprised if Burton is ruled out.
T Rashaad Coward (elbow) -- The reserve tackle Coward suffered an elbow injury on Aug. 16 in the Bears' second preseason game. His return to practice is promising, albeit in a limited role, but he's likely out of the opener. Cornelius Lucas would step in as the second-team tackle.
DL Bilal Nichols (knee) -- The Bears are continuing on with the plan that they established for Nichols last season, keeping him off the indoor turf field of the Walter Payton Center to protect his knee. He's fine and will suit up for the game without any injury concern.
Prediction
Bears 28, Packers 24
Nagy has spoken of the hunger within his team since the offseason started. Here's where they let it loose.
There's no better way for the Bears to open this season of such high expectations than with a game against their rivals, and they're poised to start with a win. Montgomery will be the Bears' star on offense, and the defense will hold off a late charge from Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.
Bonus prediction!
The Bears will go 10-6 and win the NFC North in Week 17.
Look, it's hard to sustain success in the NFL. A basic principle of the cap-controlled league is parity. The Bears face a daunting schedule of a defending division champion and have greater competition ahead from the Packers and Vikings.
But the Bears will ultimately claim the NFC North crown once again, this time with a win over the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in the regular-season finale.
After that, it will be fascinating to see where they can go in the postseason.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
