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topicnews · September 9, 2024

Detroit Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs learns from his summer thigh injury

Detroit Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs learns from his summer thigh injury

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Jahmyr Gibbs missed some time in training camp due to a torn hamstring. It is the third time in less than 12 months that the Detroit Lions running back has struggled with this injury.

Now that he’s back, Gibbs’ position coach hopes his young playmaker has learned something about his health.

“It’s the old hot stove theory,” running backs coach Scottie Montgomery said Friday. “You can tell a kid all you want, ‘Yeah, don’t touch it. Don’t touch the stove. Don’t touch it.’ And they still want to go and touch it. And now he’s touched the stove, and now that he’s touched the stove, it’s really made him understand that even though he feels good, even though everything’s going right, everything feels perfect with his body, he still needs preventative care. I still have to be there and do more.”

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Gibbs strained his hamstring during practice in early August and missed the final two weeks of training camp. He missed two games because of a similar injury sustained during practice last season and sat out part of OTAs because of another soft tissue injury.

Gibbs said Tuesday he was feeling “good” and was ready to play in Sunday’s season opener against the Los Angeles Rams.

He is not listed on the Lions’ weekly injury report.

“Lifting and running isn’t enough anymore,” Montgomery said. “This is professional sport, you have to be one step ahead of everyone else. And another thing you see in him is that his diet has gotten better. Everything has gotten better. He listens. He does what we ask of him, not just his body but his time. He rests more, he does all these things. He’s becoming a professional. He happened to become a professional at 20, 21.”

“Lots of love” for Corum

Former Michigan football running back Blake Corum will make his NFL debut on Sunday at Ford Field as the Los Angeles Rams’ second running back behind Kyren Williams.

Corum fell to the third round in April’s draft, but Montgomery and Lions coach Dan Campbell both said they are big fans of the Wolverines’ seventh-best runner of all time.

“We really liked Corum,” Campbell said. “We brought him here, we had the local day and all that, got to sit down with him and obviously he’s been in our backyard, so we’ve certainly seen a lot of him. We have a lot of respect for the way he plays the game, his background. He’s just one of those football guys. He runs hard, he’s smart, he’s explosive, he’s tough, he’s fast and he’s going to fit in well with them. He’s going to fit in well over there. Those two defenders they have, I think they’re going to be a tough nut to crack.”

Williams led the NFL last season with 95.3 rushing yards per game, while Corum ran for 1,200 yards twice at Michigan.

“Great player,” Montgomery said. “Great contact balance. Plays with really, really high speed. Incredible vision. Can catch the ball out of the backfield. I liked a lot of things about him. I liked a lot of things about him. I’ve known him a long time, watched him a long time. He’s getting better and better. I know his work ethic, I know how he was raised. Man, I liked a lot of things about him. There wasn’t much I didn’t like about him.”

Dave Birkett is the author of the new book “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline.” Pre-order now from Reedy Press.

Contact him at [email protected]Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

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