He's unassuming, soft-spoken and committed. He's almost always available. And he really knows how to play the game.
The Green Bay Packers figured they could do better than Montgomery at defensive end after his contract expired in late February. It wasn't until the unrestricted signing period was 3 1/2 weeks old that they brought him back with a two-year deal worth $2.85 million.
Clearly, the Packers are glad they did. With Justin Harrell and Johnny Jolly out with injuries and B.J. Raji out of camp for two weeks, Montgomery has started for the last 10 days at left end in the base 3-4 and at left tackle alongside Cullen Jenkins in the 4-2 nickel defense.
"You know what he is? Just a meat-and-potatoes type guy," defensive line coach Mike Trgovac said. "Mike is not the typical guy, but Mike makes plays and Mike busts his (expletive). There's a place for a guy like him."
The Packers weren't the only ones who doubted if Montgomery could hold up in a 3-4 defense. Slump-shouldered with a mincing gait mindful of Ichabod Crane, he's almost a sapling among the gigantic oak trees at his position.
Montgomery, however, has a knack for finding the ball. Reggie McKenzie, a long-time personnel man for the Packers, said exactly that less than a week into Montgomery's first training camp in 2005.
"It's football," said Montgomery. "I just feel my way through it."
Despite standing just 6 feet 5 inches, Montgomery had a scholarship offer from Division I Stephen F. Austin to play center or power forward on the basketball team.
Again, Montgomery got a lot more than his share of rebounds because he understood the angles, how to position his body and the meaning of being physical.
The same thing applied to carving out his niche in the 3-4. Montgomery thought about trying to bulk up to 290 but instead focused on building strength, just like he always had.
Montgomery's weight remains at 275, the same as what he was a year ago when he lined up wide in a 4-3. Even though he's playing head-up over the tackle in base and the guard-tackle gap in nickel, his weight hasn't been an issue.
"When you draw up a 3-4 end it doesn't look like Mike," Trgovac said. "He's one of those guys that breaks the mold. If you get teams that are trying to knock him off the ball all the time, obviously you'd like to have a little more weight. But with good technique he gets the job done."
When you ask Montgomery about what it's like to give away 40 to 50 pounds to the average tackle, he boils it down to the bare essentials.
"It doesn't depend on how much you weigh," he said. "It's really about playing my leverage and playing low."
Montgomery has done an excellent job getting off blocks against the run and using his long arms to separate from pass blockers. Hes had a fine August in the one-on-ones, frequently knocking down the hands of an offensive lineman while at the same time sinking his hips and slipping by.
As his fifth National Football League season draws near, Montgomery reflected on why he's here and all those others from his football-mad home area of east Texas aren't.
"I'd say God and me being self-motivated," he said. "At times it was just me going out there working out myself. Striving. I don't got all my goals, but I got some of them."
His mother, Rosie Kellum, played professional basketball and later coached basketball at several high schools in Texas. Montgomery didn't even play football until the family moved to Center, Texas (pop. 5,000) before his junior year.
"When I was young I always said I either wanted to go pro in football or basketball," he said. "I did it. That's one thing they can't take away from me. If times get bad or get rough, I can always say I did what I said I would do when I was little."
Experiencing immediate success on the gridiron, Montgomery admitted he had a "one-track mind" toward gaining an athletic scholarship. With his grades in disarray, he had to play two years of football (and one year of basketball) at Navarro Junior College before moving on to Texas A&M in 2003-'04.
Montgomery battled a balky right knee during portions of his first three seasons in Green Bay but has been problem-free this summer.
"He's in great shape and has good strength," strength coach Dave Redding said. "Consistent as hell. Never complains. Keeps slobbering away at it."
Montgomery makes his home in Houston these days, a far cry from Center where, for several summers, he worked for Tyson as a "primary poacher and processor." He'd put on gloves, then chase and snatch the chickens by the legs to begin the process.
Years later, he puts on gloves of a different kind, chasing quarterbacks and his dreams.
"I know they had people ahead of me," said Montgomery. "I'm a realist. But I can only do the best I can. You know, I really love the game."