By Sunday 
The Detroit Lions didn’t just hire a running backs coach — they hired a man on a mission.
Tashard Choice, who joined the Lions’ coaching staff this year, is already sounding like the president of the Jahmyr Gibbs fan club. But don’t mistake admiration for leniency. Choice is ready to take Gibbs to an entirely new level — and he’s not sugarcoating how.
Enter the Coach, Enter the Challenge
“This isn’t going to be easy,” Choice practically says between the lines. Speaking recently via the team’s website, he laid it all out:
“I’m going to push him. I’m going to push him like no other. I have to.”
For Gibbs, who already electrified the NFL with 1,412 rushing yards, a league-leading 16 touchdowns on the ground, and over 1,900 scrimmage yards in 2024, it might sound like overkill. But not to Choice. Not when he believes we’ve only scratched the surface of what the 23-year-old back can do.
Why Gibbs Isn’t Just Another Star
Let’s be real — not many second-year players can claim they’re already among the league’s elite at their position. But Gibbs isn’t ordinary.
From his deadly one-cut speed to his growing role in the passing game (52 catches for a second straight season, with nearly 200 more receiving yards last year), he’s proving to be more than just “fast.” He’s durable, clutch, and intelligent — all the things coaches love.
Choice doesn’t just see talent. He sees football IQ. He called Gibbs:
“One of the smartest running backs I’ve ever coached.”
Coming from someone who spent six seasons in the NFL and has coached college stars at Texas, that’s no throwaway compliment.
Sonic & Knuckles: The League’s Favorite Backfield
It’s easy to forget that Gibbs is just one half of the Lions’ electric backfield duo. Alongside David Montgomery, the pair earned the affectionate nickname “Sonic and Knuckles,” and took the NFC by storm.
But even when Montgomery went down late last season, Gibbs showed he could carry the load solo — racking up 365 yards and 5 touchdowns over the final three games of the regular season. In each game, he rushed for over 100 yards. Beast mode: activated.
A Coach Who’s All In
Tashard Choice isn’t here to play it safe. He’s here to make Jahmyr Gibbs uncomfortable — in the best way.
“To see him progress, to see how smart he is… I’m going to be harder on him even more.”
That’s not a warning. That’s a promise. Because in Choice’s eyes, the sky truly is the limit.
And for the Lions? That sky just might look like a Super Bowl.