Pressers and scrums: Gibbs learns from touching hot stove, Reader questionable and some love for Corum

Allen Park — There’s a contrast between the lofty expectations the Detroit Lions have for second-year running back Jahmyr Gibbs — who racked up 1,261 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns as a rookie — and his ability to stay on the field.

Gibbs missed two games last year with a hamstring strain, and he's been hampered by the same tendon all offseason, limiting his opportunities to develop this summer.

Young professional athletes often take their health for granted, failing to fully invest in all the preventative measures they have available. It’s something they have to learn the hard way when things uncharacteristically break down over the grind of a 17-game season.

The good news is the Lions believe Gibbs has learned that lesson quickly and he's taking necessary steps to ensure his availability going forward.

“Yeah, it's the old hot stove theory, right?” Lions running back coach Scottie Montgomery said. “You can tell a kid as many times as you want, 'Don't touch that stove. Don't touch it,' but they still want to go up and touch it. Now, what he's done is he's touched the stove. Now that he's touched the stove, it really has triggered him into understanding even though he feels good, even though everything is going right, everything feels perfect with his body, 'I still need prehab. I still need to be doing more.'

“Lifting, running, that's not enough now, right?” Montgomery continued. “This is professional athletics, where you've got to be one step ahead of everybody. You know, the other thing you see about him is his nutrition is better. Everything has gotten better. He's listening, he's doing what we're asking him to do, not only with the management of his body, but management of his time. He's getting more rest, he's doing all these things, he's becoming a professional. He just happened to become a professional at 20, 21 years old.”

Beyond learning the nuances of taking care of his body, Detroit’s optimism with Gibbs is rooted in another thing he’s doing behind the scenes; growing his football IQ.

“One of the things about him is he came in with a high football IQ, right, because of his coaching, his teaching and the program he came from,” Montgomery said. “His football IQ is already high. …I really like where he is in the meeting room, in the big meeting room, in the offensive meeting room. He's now not (only) worried about what he's doing. He's worried about the entirety of the concept.

“Once you get a young guy to start thinking about the entirety of the concept, whether it's in the passing scheme or it's in our run schemes, then it puts him in a different spot,” Montgomery said. “That's when things really start to slow down. Sometimes, when you have super-talented players, they never reach the point. …What he's done is put a little more pressure on himself to know everybody's responsibilities, not just his.”

● Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson likes to refer to the team’s offensive line as the engine that makes his offense go. When coach Dan Campbell was asked about his eagerness to see the team’s revamped defense in action this Sunday, he interestingly referenced the upgraded defensive line’s potential in those same terms.

“They’re ready to show the work that’s been put in and the pieces that have been added and how they all work together,” Campbell said. “I think this d-line can be the engine that we’ve desperately needed, and I think they will be.”

There’s a reason most believe football games are won in the trenches. A stout defensive line can quickly make an opponent one-dimensional by stopping the run. And a talented front significantly decreases the effectiveness of an opponent’s passing game every fraction of a second they can shave off the time they need to disrupt the pocket.

The Lions believe they’ve improved in both areas this offseason, starting with the continued development of young stars, Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill, and through the free-agent additions of Marcus Davenport and DJ Reader.

● Because of Gibbs’ electric playmaking ability, David Montgomery sometimes gets taken for granted by the fan base. The veteran was excellent in his first season with the Lions, cracking 1,000 rushing yards for the second time in his career, while averaging a personal-best 4.6 yards per carry.

Where Montgomery isn’t taken for granted is inside the building. The Lions know what they have and appreciate everything he brings to the table.

Scottie Montgomery explained how after each season, players are given “action plans" — stuff to work on while away for the offseason to ensure they’re at their best when they return for OTAs, minicamp and training camp. Not only did Montgomery meet every ask, he exceeded each item on his checklist.

Having that kind of tone-setter makes life easy for a coach because of how it raises the bar for everyone else on the roster.

“I tell him all the time that a lot of the things that we do in our room, and even other people’s rooms, they do it because he does it,” Scottie Montgomery said. “He is the kind of guy that sets the tone for the day of practice, with the way that he finishes. You guys have seen out there, some of these runs that most people would stop running after 25 (yards), he’s going 50, 60, 70 yards. There was an opportunity in practice the other day where I think (Amon-Ra St. Brown) made a play, maybe at the end of practice, and (Montgomery) took off running and ran the entire way to the field. I looked up and there were four guys down there with him. So he’s bringing the type of juice and energy. Leadership, not only with his actions, but his words as well. He’s telling these guys it’s what we need to do, so we really, really like where he is.” 

● Lions fans might remember Chiefs offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor repeatedly getting away with lining up an illegal depth during last year’s season opener. Apparently, the league agreed and has made cracking down on illegal formation a point of emphasis this season. During Thursday's game between the Ravens and Chiefs, Taylor and Baltimore counterpart Ronnie Stanley drew a combined four flags for the infraction.

That emphasis could bring a greater spotlight to Detroit left tackle Taylor Decker, not necessarily for his alignment, but his tendency to come out of his stance a fraction of a second ahead of the snap.

Campbell said he wasn't able to watch Thursday's game, but was aware of the flags, leading to the team addressing the issue ahead of Friday morning's practice.

“I know as of the last preseason game this year, they were going to make a point of that,” Campbell said. “They warn you once and that’s it. There are no more and then they’ll just start flagging them. Our guys know that, and we’ll be ready for it.”

● While running back probably wasn’t viewed as a significant need heading into this past offseason's draft, it didn’t stop the Lions from selecting Sione Vaki in the fourth round. Sure, special teams ability made that decision easier, but it just drove home a point that general manager Brad Holmes won’t hesitate to select the best player available, even if the depth chart appears crowded at a position.

This week, with the way Lions coaches raved about Blake Corum — who the team will see as part of the Los Angeles Rams’ backfield rotation Sunday night — you have to wonder at what point in the draft Detroit would have efforted to keep the former Michigan standout local.

“Tremendous player,” Scottie Montgomery said. “Great contact balance. Plays at a really, really high speed. Vision and credibility to catch the ball out of the backfield. I liked a lot about him. I liked a lot about him. I’ve known him for a long time, been able to watch him for a long time. He’s continued to get better. I know what his work ethic is like, I know how he was raised. Man, I liked a lot about him. Not much I didn’t like about him.”

Corum was drafted in the third round by the Rams, No. 83 overall. That’s more than 20 spots after Detroit selected cornerback Ennis Rakestraw in the second. The Lions didn’t pick again until the fourth round, No. 126 overall, and they had to trade a future third-rounder to acquire that choice.

● Another Rams draft pick with local ties the Lions liked was Braden Fiske. At the time, I don’t think any of us recognized how good Levi Onwuzurike was healing, which made it feel more likely the Lions would be happy to address defensive tackle in the draft. And they did, just not until the sixth round, when they snagged Mekhi Wingo.

Fiske, who wrapped his college career at Florida State, was a standout at Western Michigan before the transfer. He not only acquitted himself against the higher level of competition, he destroyed the combine, posting some of the best measurables we’ve ever seen for an interior defensive lineman.

If you have to replace Aaron Donald, it’s not a bad start.

“Yeah, he has an active, high motor,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said when asked for the team’s evaluation on Fiske heading into the draft. “Powerful, explosive player, and he was that in college. That’s what he showed. I mean, he’s a football player. We didn’t see any of the preseason, but the way he plays translates in this league. So what I would anticipate a better player already than what we saw on his college tape.”

● DJ Reader is officially listed as questionable on the injury report, but it sounds like there’s a realistic chance he makes an earlier-than-expected debut.

“Yeah, he looked pretty good,” Campbell said before Friday’s practice. “Now, it’s just a matter of, if he plays, how many (snaps) can he play? By doing that, will he have the ability to get a little bit more next week, or is it just a setback, or are we just kind of even right now?”

Campbell said he’ll consult with the team’s medical and training staffs, as well as Reader, before a final determination is made. Regardless of whether he’s active or not, expect veteran Kyle Peko to be elevated off the practice squad to provide depth.

The only other players on Detroit’s injury report are a pair of safeties. Ifeatu Melifonwu is doubtful with a lingering concern with his ankle, while undrafted rookie Loren Strickland is out with a thumb injury he suffered way back in Detroit’s second preseason game.