In a recent appearance on CFTV, veteran Detroit Lions‘ running back David Montgomery discussed his collegiate days at Iowa State and the dynamics of having Jahmyr Gibbs in the same running backs room.
“I didn’t really have many opportunities coming out of high school. I only had one full ride scholarship, which was to Iowa State, so I already felt like I had the odds and the card stacked against me,” Montgomery recalled.
“And I promised myself when I got out of high school, like I knew what I was capable of, and every opportunity that I had to be the best version of myself, I would take and I would create opportunities for myself. So, if I had to do anything to try to improve who I was and how I performed, I was willing to sacrifice anything at any cost to be able to reach my full potential.”
Addressing the competitive environment in Detroit, David Montgomery emphasized the positive aspects of having Gibbs as a teammate. “People in the outside world, they want to do comparison. Like he should be this and I should be that. But no actually, I don’t think it works as well if we don’t have each other,”
David Montgomery explained. “Understanding that like a lot of times competition brings the best out of you. I look at Jahmyr like he is an electric player and he is going to be a good player, a great player for a long time. But it’s like you said, I know I’m damn good too.”
As Montgomery enters his sixth year in the league, he views competition as a motivator for both himself and Gibbs. “I’m going into year six. It ain’t like I’m just going to take it back. Nah, if anything, I’m going to push myself so that I can push him (Gibbs) to be closer to what he is capable of being,” Montgomery asserted. “And him being exactly who he needs to be for himself and his capabilities to be at his expectations, that’s enough to push me to say like, ‘I gotta go harder.’ I can’t just fold.”