So opens Jason La Canfora in the Post:
Based on talent and athleticism, Anthony Montgomery should be the Washington Redskins' top defensive lineman. Most inside the team's locker room would not debate that statement.
So why was it teammate Kedric Golston that got the call when Big Joe Salave'a struggled with injury?
Montgomery, a fifth-round pick, rarely got on the field in 2006, a victim of his erratic work habits, wavering focus and inconsistency. To some scouts, he lived up to his pre-draft billing as a classic underachiever. Montgomery became a magnet for verbal lashings by Gregg Williams, assistant head coach-defense, and defensive line coach Greg Blache, players said.
The good news is that he's turned that around. Per the article, Mt. Gomery (I need help on nicknames, he's a large man, you do the math) has participated in all offseason training in spite of it being voluntary. Quotes from Anthony also suggest that he understands physical talent alone won't carry him in today's NFL:
"I won't say I've caught up completely, but I've improved a lot and I just plan on keep getting better and hopefully I'll have a good year," Montgomery said. "Definitely, honesty, to be honest with myself, in the past I always could just kind of get by. Especially in college, I knew I was going to be a starter every year, and I would relax and knew I didn't have to work as hard as everybody else. But since I've been here, it wasn't like college anymore, and they were able to see right through that real quick. They got on my back a lot last year, but it's only for the better."...
This storyline should be familiar to reader(s), as it is consistent with Joe Gibbs' comments from the April pre draft briefing. My notes read: "Montgomery and Golston were always in the weight room, and they made huge strides because of hard work." It should come as no surprise that a 23 year old would mature and improve over time. The question is how fast -- will Montgomery see significant PT in 2007? Even if he doesn't, is he the heir apparent to Cornelius Griffin? The answer to all our prayers on the defensive line?
"I cut back on a lot of fried food and things like that," he said. "I dropped about 15 pounds this offseason and I got a lot stronger in the weight room and took my conditioning real serious, and it's paid off so far."
I refuse to work myself into an irrationally optimistic state over merely Anthony Montgomery admitting hard work is important (which he should've done years ago) though am pleased to see him progress mentally just the same. Show us what you got.