Calvin Johnson has been every bit as good a wide receiver as the Detroit Lions hoped he’d be when they chose him with the second pick in the 2007 NFL draft.
But the Lions haven’t been anywhere near as good as Johnson hoped they’d be, and he admits that all the losing wears on him.
“Losing always gets to you,” Johnson told the Detroit News on Thursday while attending workouts at the Lions’ facility. “If you are a competitor, you hate losing. But you have to know it’s part of the game. The big thing for me this year is to stay healthy so I can be out there every Sunday so I can help.”
Johnson managed to lead the Lions in catches (67) yards (984) and touchdowns (five) despite missing two games and hobbling through some others with injuries last season, and he says he thinks his offseason work is going to keep him healthier in 2010.
He also said he thinks the presence of the newly acquired wide receiver Nate Burleson will keep him from being doubled as often as he was last year.
“It’s rough. You don’t see as much single coverage as you would like, but that’s just part of the game,” Johnson said. “The teams, they respect me, not playing single coverage, so you must be doing something right. . . . Nate has some speed. He has great run after the catch. I look forward to seeing him get the ball so he can make some moves and get down the field.”
Ya it would suck playing for the Lions. They suck as a team, ownwership, organization.
Trade Megatron to a team that can protect their QB long enough for him to pass.
Sorry Cal, but Nate won’t be drawing any double coverage away from you
the guy is simply a amazing wide receiver and its a shame hes getting berry sanders treatment LIONS GET A CLUE PROTECT YOUR PLAYERS AND BUILD A OLINE
Very classy guy.
Calvin is the man!
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im_not_lion…GO LIONS!
I like how you used the title “losing wears on Calvin” when in the ACTUAL article in the Detroit News he never said or eluded to any of that?????
How about you guys print how Larry Foote backed tracked on his words to the Detroit Media … now he Loves the Lions and that wasnt really what he was saying??? what a punk that guy is
I’m sure Losing didn’t help but he was mostly talking about how the injuries and the TRIPPLE coverages got to him a little bit …..
They should sign T.O. to a 1 year incentive laden deal.
“Who needs an O-line when you have great WR’s?” -Matt Millen
agreed…Calvin Johnson is Detroit’s new age Barry Sanders. Amazing talent but completely wasted on a going no where team, but he’s to good to trade away. Sucks for Megatron!
yeah he is definitely thinking very wishfully. burleson wont do crap!
Gosh, how many years does this guy have left on his contract?
If you get drafted by a horrible, team… you have to be smart enough to avoid signing a lengthy rookie contract! Hopefully, he get’s a chance to play for a contender by not re-signing with the Lions when the time comes.
In other words, he will not be redoing a contract with the lions. He wants out and I don’t blame him.
Love having Calvin on my team. Don’t worry CJ. Soon enough this team will be turning the corner. Just might be one more year, that’s all. Keep working.
Would love to see him play with Brady or Peyton. He would be awesome.
I don’t blame him. I’d rather eat glass than live in Detroit or play for the Lions. I’m impressed he’s this restrained though. Very professional.
maybe if this dbag can stay healthy, they would win some games
At some point, DIGNITY actually kicks in and compels a player to leave the Lions.
@simple_simon,
You have ALL the answers for improving the Bears, but that’s the best advice you have for your own suck-ass team?
“Keep working”?
Oh, okay.
Hey Habib its the nfl it does not matter when his contract runs out. The lions can simply franchise him
I wish Kiffin had gotten his way and Calvin was a Raider, it would kill two birds with one stone. Great WR and no JR
Stafford and CJ now have a year together and when the Lions draft Okung it is Pro Bowl time for Calvin. The Lions won’t win until they can stop bleeding points but CJ will get his respect.
I feel for him, but there are better players that have endured losing longer than he has.
Stifle there Megatron.
I’m surprised Florio didn’t write this. MDS did you even read the actual article? The title was “Star receiver Calvin Johnson’s mood is more upbeat as Lions enter new season” and the article focused on positive aspects of the upcoming season. Yes, we all know the Lions aren’t good, but you can at least avoid making it seem like our best player can’t wait to leave.
Even if that is the case…
We will send you the Bengals 2010 1st and next years 2nd for Calvin Johnson…..Deal???????
He won at Pitt? Give me a break dude and collect your checks.
I meant GT, not Pitt. Still, what does he know about winning?
@ROSSSWEETMINUS
you’re a joke and don’t know sh*t about The Lions.
@staffordinfection
U totally swacked my username get off my shit
Calvin is a free agent in 2013. Unfortunately the world will end before then and he’ll never get his place in the books dying a lion!
Dewey Axewoond:
////You have ALL the answers for improving the Bears, but that’s the best advice you have for your own suck-ass team?
“Keep working”?
Oh, okay. ////
Actually I have no advice for the Bears. I just don’t like the decision to spend as much as they did on Peppers when with the money they could have addressed many other, more glaring problems such as WR or O-line.
And yes, the best advice is always to keep working. You see, the Lions are a young, rebuilding team with a completely new coaching staff and completely new strategies. Therefore, we know we sucked for many years. The difference between Lions and Bears fans is at least we have no illusions of Superbowl aspirations. You seem to!!!!
@habib
Rookies need to get the longest deal possible coming out of college actually. They’re excited for their payday and if they are a bust they still get paid a lot of guaranteed money over a longer span. Long term deals are great for rookies who are drafted high.
@SIMPLE_simon1
Wrong on ALL counts, Corky.
First, you must have me and my Bears fan-brethren confused with those delusional purple fairy horn-blowers up north.
Bears fans get cautiously optimistic each off-season, but we’re not chest-thumping braggadocious blowhards like the toolboxes in Miniscrota who scream “Super Bowl” each and every July and August, without fail.
I defy you to find a single post of mine where I even suggest as much.
Secondly, the HELL you don’t think you have all the answers for the Bears (I reponded to this earlier on the Nit-pick-a-Peppers article, but Flo-hole and gang haven’t posted it)…you said:
simple_simon1 says:
March 18, 2010 11:55 AM
JTAM963
“They needed Cutler for the future, so what if he had a terrible year, any QB would with a crap OL and Hester as your #1 receiver.”
That’s the point. With the money you just spent on Peppers, one of the best positions you already had, you could have gotten WR help and traded up in the draft for a good young O-lineman. You went with the big money signing, just like Washington last year, and now have no money left or draft picks, to address the WR or O-line positions. You also need CB’s. Terrible signing in my opinion. This is the type of stupidity I watched the Lions do for years when they just kept adding WR’s but had no defense. Utterly retarded!!!”
The only thing utterly retarded here is your assessment of the Bears’ needs–I actually stopped reading when you said DE was “one of the best positions we already had…”
Who, the DEAD guy? (Gaines Adams)
The old guy we’re about to cut? (Ogunleye)
The guy who had a good rookie year but hasn’t been heard from since? (Mark Anderson)
Or the guy who’s seen as many NFL snaps as I have? (Henry Melton)
Or the unknown guy with only a few more than that? (Gilbert)
Alex Brown is the only one worth anything, and even he’s been inconsistent.
As Brad Biggs–THE Bears beat writer–said it (before the Peppers deal):
“The Bears have to develop or acquire a player who can be a considerable threat as an edge rusher. They have to find a way to generate a
consistent pass rush without having to blitz as much. It’s the No. 1 area of need for the offseason, and that’s saying something because
there is work to be done.”
All those Millen years must’ve done permanent damage to the brains of you Lions fans–you must think ANOTHER WR is the answer in every case now, huh?
Secondly, Bears fans were pissed that Lovie stayed on, ownership realized that and wanted to do damage control/throw us a bone, so they pretty much cut them a blank check to spend away in free agency… and I’m glad they did.
Plus, if you look at the Peppers & Taylor deals as their picks in Round 1 and 2 of this year’s draft, (where they would’ve spend comparably on rookie contracts), there’s no real difference.
Now, kindly STFU, because it’s clear you don’t know squat about the Bears.
Lions won’t be losers this year if, IF they can keep Stafford out of the emergency room. He goes through another season with not one but two serious injuries he’s going to be out of football before he’s 25. Don’t kind yourselves about J Blake, get a real left tackle FAST!
@ Popeye
Yeah its Calvin’s fault the Lions can’t win?!?!?
You’re a “D-Bag”
Well Dewey, I think that about sums it up. I usually like your postings with exception to the name calling. You need to be a little more clever in that area:)
As far as C. Johnson goes just wait until this first contract expires and then he will demand more money than any player in the league. As a result the Lions will struggle to sign him, but eventually they will make it happen and put themselves in a nice bind which will reduce money to sign others players. Sound familiar Simple?
They’re going to win more this year. It just takes awhile to overcome that absolute disaster that Moron Millen created.
Nobody could have created a worse foundation for the Lions if they tried. Seriously!
Dewey Axewoond:
“First, you must have me and my Bears fan-brethren confused with those delusional purple fairy horn-blowers up north. ”
You might be right there. There are a lot of Vikings fans who are clearly delusional but when I said what I did I wasn’t referring to you specifically. I was referring to a lot of posts directly after the Cutler trade. The trade that I instantly said would pay off in the future but in the beginning he had nobody to throw to so he would have a worse statistical year than Orton. Doesn’t mean Orton is better. Of coarse he isn’t. Simply, the Bears need WR’s.
Next, the only reason I said you guys were good on D-line was because in the games I watched that seemed to be one of the things the Bears did quite well, getting after the QB. If this was because of blitzes, etc, ok. I guess I was wrong.
Next you said: “All those Millen years must’ve done permanent damage to the brains of you Lions fans–you must think ANOTHER WR is the answer in every case now, huh?”
Ya, it probably did a lot of damage to all us Lions fans…LOL… How could it not? But you’re absolutely as delusional as the Vikings fans you talked about earlier if you honestly don’t see that you need WR’s and CB’s.
Next: “Plus, if you look at the Peppers & Taylor deals as their picks in Round 1 and 2 of this year’s draft, (where they would’ve spend comparably on rookie contracts), there’s no real difference”
You’re right on the comparable contracts. My point was that you have 2 young good RB’s already. And I like the Taylor move by the way. But I don’t like the Peppers move. That’s all. You could have gotten a much less flashy DE or DT with WR’s in free agency for the same price and helped some other areas. You don’t have to know “squat” about the Bears, as you put it, to reallize that they spent 40+ million in guaranteed money and for the same price they could have went after anybody from Marshall to Bolden and still added another D-lineman for the same price.
But, don’t matter to me. If you like the move, and other Bear fans like the move, who am I to judge. They might be the next best pick up since Reggie White. Time will tell. If he’s great in the end, so be it and good pick up. Until he shows it this season, I’ll refrain from the praise you seem to want to give.
Midway Monster:
“As a result the Lions will struggle to sign him, but eventually they will make it happen and put themselves in a nice bind which will reduce money to sign others players. Sound familiar Simple?”
Ya. Very well could happen. Happens to every good player eventually. That’s why the Lions better start to get much better before it does happen.
And Dewey: Don’t get so bent out of shape over it. I’m allowed to have an opinion about a signing. If I’m wrong, ok. Thanks for pointing it out. I didn’t reallize the Bears didn’t need WR help. If you say so, then that’s great.
I’ll say to you what I said to somebody else on a different blog. I think I might start signing off this way:
Go take your meds and lie down for a little while if you’re feeling a bit angry. But please don’t forget to take those meds with some milk so you don’t bother your tummy, ok?