‘Special, unique status’: Why RB Jahmyr Gibbs’ 3-header set has Lions eager for Year 2

ALLEN PARK, Mich. – Scottie Montgomery leaned back and played the October 2023 game in his head.

The Detroit Lions coach didn’t know it at the time. But three hours earlier, Montgomery’s junior, Jahmyr Gibbs, had created a similar play when he figured out which of his 234 rookie touchdowns best reflected his NFL potential.

The Lions were up by just 2 points against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football when Jared Goff handed off the ball to Gibbs, who started a 6-yard run behind his quarterback.

Gibbs caught the ball and ran through the middle of the Raiders defensive line. Yes, up in the middle. He did not cut to the right or to the left as he worked towards the end. Only after bursting through defender after defender did Gibbs head right into the open field.

He went through security and scored while standing, before jumping up and down in excitement.

Montgomery marveled from the sidelines.

Has the rookie just landed in such a tight spot?

“It was a tough internal process,” Montgomery told Yahoo Sports on Friday after the Lions’ meetings wrapped up. “Many young people jumped, but he decided not to jump and punched. Right after the dribbling, he burst down the right side and scored.

“That was one of those situations where we were like, ‘Okay – this is going to be a special, special situation.’

Gibbs’ rookie year was truly special. Forget the weakness the Lions took for drafting a running back in the first round — the 2023 12th overall pick needed a chance but little time to showcase his full potential.

Entering his second pro year on a roster that looks primed for something big, Gibbs isn’t just having that early success. Instead, he works and studies, and asks everyone around him how he can get better.

So the Lions expect him to do just that.

“[It’s] coming together faster than last year,” Gibbs told Yahoo Sports. “It’s more comfortable. I know the offense.”

From Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown, Gibbs gathers teachers

While Lions host Amon-Ra St. As Brown approaches, the questions begin.

What are you looking at? What visions do you get? How do you expect a hook defender to perform, and what about a flat outside defender? How can I prevent a flat defender from hitting me?

Gibbs wants to know every answer.

He rushed for 2,132 yards and 15 touchdowns in three years at Georgia Tech and Alabama, catching 104 more passes for 1,217 yards and eight touchdowns. But NFL publications are more complex and have more makeup. So for a young running back to dominate the passing game, it’s wise to ask questions.

Gibbs does it fast and often.

He asks his quarterback if he should be right on the roads and when he can be creative; linemen take a look at how he can help protect pass rushers, center Frank Ragnow talks about Gibbs’ third blitz papers.

Coaches saw how many defensive looks Gibbs got during the first two months of his NFL career. As the youth faded, Gibbs’ numbers rose from 12 to 38 in the first four weeks of the season to over 50 in Weeks 7 and 8.

“We were very impressed with his ability to go from the classroom to the field,” Montgomery said. “That can sometimes slow down a player; neither is he. ”

As Gibbs settled into the complex offense of coordinator Ben Johnson, his vision and acceleration improved and his scoring increased.

Gibbs’ 5.2 yards per carry ranks third among running backs, behind San Francisco 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey (5.4) and Pittsburgh Steelers’ Jaylen Warren (5.3).

Only running back David Montgomery has caught more touchdowns (13) than Gibbs’ 11 from scrimmage while four Lions skill players hit double figures.

Gibbs’ 1,261 meters from the script caused the uncertainty of draft analysts, his ability was clear long before the coaches believed he had reached his ceiling.

The Lions found a treasure in Gibbs – and Gibbs, a glove like a glove to the Lions.

“We’re a run-first offense that’s sprinkled with play-action and throwing [passing],” said Gibbs. “[Johnson] he really hangs his hat on running the ball forward so he wants us to improve on that. Because without a running game, [in the] more game you can support everyone.

He just knows how to plan it. It’s crazy. He knows how to get everyone involved and he makes it work.”

What will Gibbs mean as the Lions chase the brightest lights?

The Lions’ offense has so many weapons that it would be easy to overlook Gibbs’ contribution to its success.

In addition, he joined the league’s top quarterback list, according to Pro Football Focus, with a quarterback who threw for 4,575 yards (second) and 30 touchdowns (fourth) last season. , his 97.7 rating tied for ninth best in the league.

Undoubtedly, the Lions derive success from a variety of players that Johnson successfully weaves into a pattern designed to confuse defenses.

How many different games can the Lions lose in one formation? How many different songs can lead one game?

Detroit is determined to pass and play like a franchise.

But there are games, like the Lions’ Monday night game last year, when Goff played well — he would finish with 272 yards, a touchdown and an interception — and 108 yards of St. more touchdowns.

Gibbs had returned from a hamstring injury weeks ago and was ready to hit Las Vegas through the air and on the ground, which would eventually amount to 189 yards on 31 touches.

But his last run of the third quarter wasn’t just a game-tying 27-yarder and it wasn’t just a “balance” that extended the Lions’ lead to as many points.

It was also a powerful force for the Lions when they saw the unbridled energy that Gibbs ran with first.

Montgomery saw more than just the game — he saw pro-caliber potential locked into a player who was undrafted out of college.

He would see it again when Gibbs stopped the Minnesota Vikings quarterback from calling a game, and later, in the playoffs, on a well-timed field goal against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Expect Gibbs’ combination of an offensive streak, a growing receiving collection and an increasingly reliable resume to earn him more coverage in his second year in Detroit than in his first.

Expect him to be a key contributor to a Detroit franchise desperate to show that last year’s NFC championship berth wasn’t a fluke. It was a show.

The Lions saw every skill they wanted Gibbs to contribute during his rookie season. Now, they intend to use it consistently and rigorously.

“When they start reading the first level [of the defense] and to fill the secondary position, which becomes the explosives, it’s time,” Montgomery said of the running back’s ability to evaluate not only defensive linemen but also linebackers. “You take a lot of pride in looking at progress first from the point of view of mental error. Once mental errors are reduced to zero or no longer exist, you feel comfortable playing.”