Detroit Lions: 2025

[sagnam]

On 12/19/2025 at 8:39 AM, StrangeBird said:

The Rams and SF are also “good teams.”

Carolina is obviously weaker, but they beat GB and the Rams. I guess neither of those teams is good.

What are you trying to say? This was always about good teams losing 3 in a row.

[sagnam]

3 hours ago, 1984Echoes said:

The running game will be fixed when the O-Line is fixed/ improves....

And Monty and Sioke and Gibbs will ALL benefit...

Because noone can run behind an O-Line sieve.

And it won't matter whether it's Monty or Sioke... As soon as the O-Line is working, Sioke will be just as explosive as Monty (or even more so), able to gain the same tough yards, more catches out of the backfield, and still have some room for superior explosion run plays than Monty.

IMO.

Whoa! I think that’s discounting Montgomery’s talent. He’s not as replaceable as stated here.

[1984Echoes]

5 minutes ago, sagnam said:

Whoa! I think that’s discounting Montgomery’s talent. He’s not as replaceable as stated here.

1) Monty has a lot of great talent for a RB. 

2) Our high-end O-Line, when functioning superbly (like last year) let our RB's produce. Monty/Gibbs had 2,185 yards last year with 28 TD's and an average 5 yards per carry.

3) Our O-Line has been a sieve this year at times, and spectacular at other times (freeing up both of them for some great runs). It makes it hard on all the RB's when they are a sieve... But still, Monty/Gibbs have combined for 1,750 yards this year and ~ 5 yards per carry, along with 21 TD's, with two games left still.

4) But other RB's do produce behind this line. For the past 3 years, Craig Reynolds has averaged 4.5 yards per carry. And in 2022 Jamaal Williams and Swift did the same thing as Monty/Gibbs: 1,608 yards and 22 TD's (mostly Williams), at 4.5 yards per carry.

5) Sione Vaki has explosive talent (or so the Lions and Holmes believe...); which, if he is healthy in 2026, and our O-Line is fixed... I believe he can produce at a very high level. I believe he will be able to produce at a higher level than Craig Reynolds or Justin Jackson.

All of the above are true.

So I don't discount Monty's talent. I just think the health/ competence of our O-Line trumps all.

On a WAG, I'm going to guess a healthy Vaki could put up similar numbers to Craig/ Swift/ Justin Jackson in 2022 if he ended up with 150-ish carries, for whatever the reason (this is all faith in Brad Holmes speaking here) at 750-ish yards, high 4 to low 5 yards per carry and half a dozen TD's...  Which doesn't say as much about Monty IMO (as you are saying) but I think says a whole lot more about the health of our O-Line.

[sagnam]

I guess we will just have to see.