Montgomery: 'Locked in on what I've got to do'
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Ty Montgomery co-hosted Monday night's Clubhouse Live, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin’s live weekly football show. Packers left guard Lane Taylor was Montgomery’s guest.
Among the topics they touched on were dealing with notoriety, Jordy Nelson and motivation. The show can be seen live at The Clubhouse Sports Pub & Grill in downtown Appleton or at clubhouselive.com.
Here are select and edited answers from the interview:
WATCH: Clubhouse Live with Montgomery, Taylor
Q: You've received a lot of attention nationally for your conversion to running back and then your big game against the Chicago Bears in Week 15. Have some long-lost friends suddenly reappeared with all sorts of strange requests?
Montgomery: (Smiling) What's funny is there was someone from elementary school that reached out to me that I haven't heard from since elementary school. I mean, I'm sure they have good intentions. They want to congratulate me and everything. But at the same time, I still have like 40 text messages on my phone that I haven't been able to sort through yet. It has been a wild ride, but I'm trying to stay focused. I'm locked in on what I've got to do.
Q: Jordy Nelson has 91 catches for 1,191 yards and a league-best 14 touchdown receptions. What do you admire most about him and what he has been able to do on the field knowing he has had to battle back from that ACL injury he suffered last season?
Montgomery: Not just from watching him, but being around him. It can be easy to forget that he's coming back from an ACL (injury) from last year with everything that he's doing. I know for me, I kind of forgot about the ACL just from how he's playing, but he hasn't once brought it up — at least not that I've heard. To me, that speaks to the kind of guy he is and the kind of player he is. He's not trying to make excuses. He's not trying to make excuses. All he cares about is doing his job and making plays and being Jordy Nelson. And he's pretty good at it.
Q: Josh Sitton was a surprise release by the Packers right before the start of the regular season, which meant you were moving into the starting left guard role. How did you block out the noise from angry fans who thought that move was a mistake? Did you enter the season with that proverbial chip on the shoulder?
Taylor: Yeah, definitely I had a chip on my shoulder. I wanted to prove to everyone that I'm capable of going out there and being effective. I definitely used it as motivation for my play. And I've kind of always done that throughout my career because I was a free agent, and I wasn't drafted. So I've always kind of played with the chip on my shoulder.
Brett Christopherson: 920-993-7117, or bchristopherson@gannett.com; on Twitter @PCBrettC