Analysis of the Los Angeles Rams, the Detroit Lions’ opponent in Week 1
Nolan Bianchi and Richard Silva of the Detroit News analyze the Detroit Lions’ Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Allen Park — Speed and agility are exciting and necessary traits that often lead to big plays, but sometimes a team just needs someone to make the difference.
Luckily for the Detroit Lions, they have both options in their backfield with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.
Gibbs is flashy, the bright part of the tandem, often acting as a pass receiver and prone to making a run or a short pass down the stretch when space is tight. Montgomery functions as the thunder, a thicker running back who can get behind his pads and run through a defender in short-yardage scenarios.
Because of his role, Montgomery is not considered one of the best running backs in the league, but head coach Dan Campbell knows what Detroit thinks of him.
“That (the perception of Montgomery) might be outside of this building, but not in this building,” Campbell said Friday. “We know the value he brings to us on offense. This guy is a true running back in this league. He can do it all. That’s what makes him who he is. The way he works, he’s all about business.”
“You talk about urgency and game preparation, the way he practices, the way he studies. Outside of practice, he’s the same guy every day. He works on his craft, he gives it everything he’s got, he finishes every run, he works on defense. He just keeps getting better.”
The Lions develop action plans for each of their returning players at the end of the season. The 2023 season ended dismally after a loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game, but running backs coach Scottie Montgomery said Friday that the staff quickly went to work to create those plans.
Scottie wouldn’t say much about what David wanted to get better at so other teams “don’t know what we’re doing in the building” — though he did mention that David is working more on a route tree so he can be a weapon in the passing game — but he praised his muscular back for doing what he needed to do during the offseason.
“I can say he did more than we asked of him,” Scottie said. “He came back as good as anybody I’ve ever seen come back. I think he probably had the most consistent training camp ever, not just on our team, but of anybody. And when I say consistent, I mean consistently great, not consistently good or average.”
Montgomery ran for 1,015 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2023, the best season of his career statistically, and he will look to build on that in 2024, when the Lions aim for their first Super Bowl.
“He’s a workhorse,” Campbell said of Montgomery. “He’s there when you need him the most. He’s a guy that can finish games for you. He can start the game and set the pace and demeanor that you need – set the tone – and then he can finish it for you. For me and for this offense, you need two backs.”
“You need a D-Mo and you need a Gibbs. If you have that, you’re safe.”
@rich_silva18
