Detroit Lions wide receivers coach/assistant head coach Scottie Montgomery opened his Thursday press conference with an interesting statement.

“Tremendous amount of respect (for) how we played—the guys played—without the football,” Montgomery said, before praising Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Kalif Raymond, and the entire offensive line for that work.

While it may be unconventional praise, it speaks to the character and identity of this team. The game of football is just as much about the 10 players without the football than it is the one who is carrying the rock.

Montgomery pointed to two salient examples from the Lions’ blowout win over the Chicago Bears, highlighting players away from the football doing the dirty work, helping to execute a pair of explosive plays.

The first was

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