On Monday, Dan Campbell said it looked like David Montgomery is "going to require surgery that will put him out for the rest of the year" after the Lions running back reportedly tore his MCL in their loss to the Bills. Not yet, says Montgomery.
The Lions did not place Montgomery on injured reserve Tuesday along with the likes of Alim McNeill (torn ACL) and Carlton Davis (fractured jaw). At a coat drive that Montgomery hosted Tuesday night, he told team reporter Dannie Rogers, "We’re still working through the logistics right now. Things may change."
"So we’re just staying positive and praying and allowing God to do what God does best," he said.
Asked if there's a chance that he plays again this season, Montgomery said, "I hope so."
Campbell said Tuesday that Montgomery is getting a third opinion on the injury before deciding how to proceed, "so that’s why we have not put him on injured reserve. We’re in a waiting mode here.”
"It's one of these injuries that’s unique because you need to know, is it stable, is it fixed? Or will it scar and then be stable for now and for later?" Campbell said. "And then you have to rely on him (to tell you), ‘Hey man, I’m good. I can do this.’ So it’s a combination certainly of the doctors, but him as well, where he thinks he can go with it, can he protect himself and play at a high level?
"We’re in a holding pattern, which as of right now, that’s a positive.”
In general, Montgomery said he's feeling good: "I’m alive, I’m well, I can breathe. My son’s healthy, my family’s healthy, I’m good, yeah."
As for the coat drive, which was hosted at The Yunion, a youth center in Detroit, Montgomery said he "wanted to start something that I could do annually, starting here in the city of Detroit and hopefully it can branch out."
"We are collecting lightly-worn and new coats for the community, trying to give the people who aren't able to afford coats, trying to get them warm for the winter," he said.