Clubhouse Live hits pay dirt with Ty Montgomery

He wears No. 88 and deftly displayed his versatility last season when he seamlessly transitioned to whatever role was asked. 

Oh, and Ty Montgomery was effective on the football field, too.

But we’re talking Clubhouse Live – the Green Bay Packers show produced by USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin that will once again feature Montgomery as its co-host.

The wide receiver-turned-running back displayed pivot moves on last season's Clubhouse Live that were every bit as impressive as those he flashed on the field in dodging would-be tacklers and darting his way to a team-high 457 rushing yards and a 5.9 yards per carry average.

You want humor?

“Just make sure you’ve got the right clothes and the right boots because I went out there in my cowboy boots – those were the only boots I had – and I didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” Montgomery told a Clubhouse Live crowd last year when recalling a very frigid ice fishing trip, which evoked gasps and laughter. “I couldn’t feel my feet, man!”

You want serious?

“A lot of kids get lost in the foster care system,” said Montgomery, whose mother raised 17 foster children. “And their futures and their dreams just get put on hold, or they get cut short because families don’t want them or families don’t take care of them, or some … homes really only look at kids like a paycheck.

“We’ve seen homes where they would have foster kids, and there would be locks on the refrigerator doors, and they’re only allowed to use a certain amount of toilet paper when they go to the bathroom. It’s really bad.”

You want football?

“When I tell you, ‘You can hear the ball coming,’ you can hear it on its way to you,” Montgomery said in describing what it’s like to catch a fastball from quarterback Aaron Rodgers. “But you don’t realize how fast it’s coming because his release is so quick and it’s so smooth. You don’t realize how fast it’s coming, even though you can hear it, until it’s just right up on you. Next thing you know, it’s just kind of like a ‘swoop!’ It’s right there, and you’re like, ‘Oh my goodness.’ ”

Now THAT’S versatility.

When the 24-year-old Montgomery isn’t toting the football and running to daylight, he’ll also be serving as the co-host of Clubhouse Live for a second straight season.

Consider that a big-time score for our team.

The award-winning show, entering its ninth season and hosted by yours truly and colleagues Ricardo Arguello and Jen Zettel, can be seen Mondays during the Packers season at 6:30 p.m. from The Clubhouse Sports Pub & Grill inside the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in downtown Appleton.

It can also be seen live online at clubhouselive.com and on Facebook Live through facebook.com/packersnews.

As always, we’ll look back on how the Packers fared, examine who’s next on the schedule and chat about the latest NFL headlines and trends.

But Clubhouse Live is a football show that’s not always about football, so don’t expect a ton of Xs and Os talk. And we won’t dissect plays on a telestrator.

Instead, we’ll give fans a glimpse of the players’ lives and personalities through a fun and engaging discussion.

For example, fullback Aaron Ripkowski told us while chuckling during a guest appearance last season that the bottom of an NFL pile is a “violent place to be.”

We listened to defensive tackle Christian Ringo share an amazing story of how he saved a Packers fan from drowning at a waterpark.

We dubbed Montgomery “Bam Bam,” a nickname he clearly embraced when he appeared on our Halloween show dressed as the character Bamm-Bamm from “The Flintstones.”

And we even invited Montgomery’s mother to the stage, where she playfully scolded Arguello – a Chicago Bears fan – and told him his “Bears still …” Well, you know the rest.

Clubhouse Live kicks off Aug. 28. Montgomery is set to join the show Sept. 11, and he’ll be bringing teammate guests throughout the season.

Look for more details and other show information on our Facebook page at facebook.com/clubhouselive.

By the way, we’ll have a big announcement very soon about our two special preseason guests. Hint: They’re both Super Bowl champions.

How’s that for a tease?

Brett Christopherson: 920-993-7117, or bchristopherson@gannett.com; on Twitter @PCBrettC