Detroit Lions running backs coach Scottie Montgomery swung and missed with last year's nickname for running back duo David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. The tandem's new name is more likely to stick.
"'Sonic and Knuckles' -- it's official now, I've been warned that that's what they want to be called -- 'Sonic and Knuckles' are doing what we ask them to do," Scottie Montgomery said Wednesday, via MLive. "As you can see, if you watch David, he is a huge fan of cartoons and Disney channels and 'Sonic and Knuckles' and the speed and then also the brashness of Knuckles.
"And, of course, I knew about it because I have children, right? So 'Sonic and Knuckles,' I think it works well. They love it, so I'm gonna run with it."
Last year, the RB coach dubbed the duo "peanut butter and jelly," which never took off. Montgomery jokingly admitted that the lack of traction on that moniker was because no NFL player wants to be called jelly.
David Montgomery revealed the new nickname last week, an ode to the video game characters.
It's a perfect fit. Gibbs brings the Sonic the Hedgehog speed while Montgomery plows through would-be tacklers like Knuckles the Echidna, a foe-turned-friend (akin to Monty going from the Chicago Bears to the Lions).
Let's pause here to gander at some of the other RB duo nicknames in NFL history (not meant as an exhaustive list).
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: Miami Dolphins' Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick
Thunder and Lightning: New Orleans Saints' Chuck Muncie and Tony Galbreath
Bull Elephant backfield: Los Angeles Rams' Dick Hoerner, Paul "Tank" Younger and "Deacon" Dan Towler
WD40: Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Warrick Dunn and Mike Alscott
Double Trouble: Carolina Panthers' DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart
Earth, Wind and Fire: New York Giants' Brandon Jacobs (Earth), Derrick Ward (Wind) and Ahmad Bradshaw (Fire)
Smash and Dash: Tennessee Titans' Chris Johnson and LenDale White
For my money, Sonic and Knuckles should sit at or near the top of any RB nickname rankings. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is the only creative one that comes close.
As evidenced by our list, it takes potency to get a nickname that sticks.
Gibbs and Montgomery certainly have that.
Gibbs (452 scrimmage yards, four TDs) and Montgomery (445 scrimmage yards, six TDs) are the only teammates in 2024 each with 400-plus scrimmage yards and four-plus touchdowns.
Knuckles has forced 32 missed tackles in 2024, fourth-most in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats, with 37.6 percent of touches resulting in a missed tackle (highest among 28 players with 70-plus touches in 2024)
In 20 career games played, Sonic has 1,292 rushing yards, 13 rushing TDs, 66 catches, 420 receiving yards and two receiving TDs. He's the fourth player since 1970 with 13-plus rush TDs, five-plus yards per carry, and 50-plus catches in his first 20 games, joining Saquon Barkley (2018-19), Alvin Kamara (2017-18) and Maurice Jones-Drew (2006-07). Gibbs is one of three players with 1,200-plus rushing yards and five-plus yards per carry since 2023 (Lamar Jackson, Christian McCaffrey).
The ability to interchange backs allows the Lions offense to stay multifaceted regardless of who is on the field. It also keeps both players fresh during games and in a long season.
"It just kind of works out differently. But you know, we talked about being built for the long haul," Scottie Montgomery said. "And when you talk about the long haul, both of them out there at the same time, which we've been able to do now a little bit more. Starting to do that. There are things that we can do schematically to help us. But the truth of the matter is that with backs, it's about the wear and tear on back. How they come through Week 13 and Week 14, how they feel. If we can continue to get these guys at 50-50 or sometimes 60-40, either way, we can reduce the amount of hits that are taken.
"We're just reducing the mileage, and they look so fresh when they're in the game. It's like, next guy comes in, there are no hands on the waist. There is nobody bending over. They have a look, they'll look at each other and just look, and they know -- 'OK, I'm not 100% coming in. You be 100%.' So, really appreciate that."
Having two dynamic backs fresh in the fourth quarter grinds on defenses, which at that point are exhausted at keeping having to tackle the video-game-like backs.
Gibbs and Montgomery will play massive roles in Sunday's bout against the Minnesota Vikings. Brian Flores' top-rated defense is a menace on quarterbacks, particularly once the Vikes get the lead. To keep the blitz-happy defensive coordinator at bay, the Lions must once again lean on their dynamic running back duo to churn out yards, keep the Vikes off balance, and keep an Aidan Hutchinson-less defense on the sideline.
Hutchinson's season-ending injury thrust more pressure on the Lions offense. Luckily, they have the best duo in the NFL in Sonic and Knuckles to carry the load.
