Back when the Detroit Lions were kicking off training camp, each player had to pass a conditioning test to be able to take part in practice. There was one player’s performance that day that stuck out to head coach Dan Campbell – veteran running back David Montgomery.b
“I said it after we ran the conditioning test, and whatever that was, July 26, I guess. The day before we started our first practice and he was, he just, man, you talk about a guy who was in outstanding shape,” Campbell said after Sunday night’s victory at Ford Field to kick off the season.
“Look, all of our guys were, but this guy just looked, I mean he looked like he didn’t break a sweat for this thing, and then the first few days of practice he doesn’t look fatigued. And so he’s in unbelievable shape, he’s worked extremely hard, and he’s just reliable.”
That’s a great word to describe the play of Montgomery in Detroit’s 26-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams Sunday night in overtime. Montgomery looked to get stronger as the game went on and dominated overtime with five runs for 45 yards, including the game-winning 1-yard touchdown run on Detroit’s first and only possession of the extra period. Montgomery had 91 yards in the contest on 17 carries (5.4 average) with a touchdown
He runs heavy, he’s tough, he’s physical, he gets in a rhythm, and I think he’s a catalyst for us,” Campbell said. “He starts carrying it, and he gets better and better, and I think the line feeds off of him, and he feeds off of them, and we get what we get. That guy’s a stud, he’s a stud.”
Montgomery doesn’t always get his due when talking about the league’s best running backs, but he’s perfect for Detroit’s offense. The two-back tandem between Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs allows both players to stay fresh and gives them a thunder and lightning dynamic. Montgomery was a 1,000-yard back last year with 13 rushing touchdowns.
“I was in the mode though,” Montgomery said of the groove he felt in overtime. “I was already locked in at that point where I felt like I had to prove myself to myself and I felt like that was the greatest opportunity for it to happen – for me to showcase what I’m capable of, but at the same time showing how much grit that that offense and this team has.
The Lions rushed for 163 yards in the game for a 5.3-yard average with two rushing touchdowns, and it started and ended with Montgomery.
