Locker room buzz: Montgomery and Jamo wow, 'Alcatraz' play call finally hits and Davis vents about officiating
Detroit — The stat line might not wow, but the way Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery earned his 80 yards from scrimmage continues to define who he is as a player and why he runs the way he does.
That was epitomized not on a carry, but a short, check-down pass where Montgomery took the ball just beyond the line of scrimmage with Seattle cornerback Devon Witherspoon bearing down.
The two collided, hard, but only Montgomery emerged as the young defender was left a pile of rubble. Montgomery broke two more tackles and romped 40 yards before he was finally corralled.
“I've been doing since I've been in the league,” Montgomery said. “I'm just trying to let the world know that I'm here every chance opportunity that I get, I'm going to do that.”
Is there a trick to absorbing a big hit? Does Montgomery brace a certain way to maintain his balance? To him, it's not that complicated. It’s less a physical act and more about will.
“I'm just a dawg,” Montgomery said. “I really came from some crazy stuff in my life, so when you see stuff like that, you've got to do what you've got to do.”
In case you missed it, Ty Dunne had a fantastic story this week on the tragedies Montgomery has seen and overcome that fuel him. You should absolutely check it out.
“I mean, this guy is unbelievable,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “He is. I would never not block for that guy, ever, because the play is never over with him. It’s just not. It is not over. He’ll keep any play alive. He’s a strong runner. He can will himself to make things happen. And he’s tough, he’s relentless, he’s resilient. He’s everything you want in a back.”