Comments on: Tim Ryan: “I love Calvin Johnson”

By: jojozog

jojozog — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 22:01:20 +0000

I agree that cj is the most talented wr in the league and had a great season but if you’ve ever watched a Bengals game you would know that aj green hasn’t seen single coverage since about 5 games into his rookie year and has a qb half as good as Stafford throwing him the ball. Just pointing out that he’s not the only wr in the league that has to beat 2 or 3 guys every play

By: metzgerf

metzgerf — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 19:50:50 +0000

Dear Tim Ryan:
1. Marshall and A.J. Green aren’t guys who have to be consistently double-teamed.
2. The Lions had a much tougher schedule than both the Bengals and Bears.
3. Nobody can deny (not even you) that Megatron is the better receiver of the three. THAT should be what you base your decision on.
4. The Bears and Bengals arguably have better offensive coordinators calling plays than the Lions, which makes a world of difference.

Shall I go on??

By: hallcyon

hallcyon — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 04:58:34 +0000

Does Barry Sanders not scoring many touchdowsn negate his NFL career? He could have scored more. Imagine Calvin Johnson on a team without the problems of the Lions (red zone, personality problems, coaching conflicts, etc). He did what he could and when targeted despite having triple coverage or more being put on him. The entire defensive game plan was to take Calvin Johnson out and he still put up the bets year. The rest of the team didn’t answer. Imagine Johnson on the Patriots, Seahawks, Texans, Cowboys, Broncos, Panthers or Packers? He played as well as anyone could on his team, just as the great Barry Sanders did before him. A hall of fame season by a future hall of famer. Some just don’t get it.

He wasn’t just great, he put forth one of the best seasons in NFL history, despite being on a disgruntled disorganized undisciplined team that played poorly. Imagine them without Calvin Johnson, as the worst team in the league. He is being paid as if he were already in the hall of fame, but despite being paid with a Albert Haynesworth contract – he still put in the time and energy, and had his best season.

By: frosted21

frosted21 — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 03:54:16 +0000

nflfollower says:
Jan 14, 2013 9:39 PM
Corona55—-ok, let’s talk about it. I’m assuming you didn’t watch many lions games or you would already know this; and hey, why would you have? They weren’t a very good team. But when did aj green, brandon Marshall, or any other WR for that matter, have 2 defensive guys stacked at the line of scrimmage out wide to jam them like they were a gunner on punt coverage whenever they were in the red zone? While the other 9 played red zone defense? Nobody got attention like Johnson did this year in the red zone, in the history of the game. That was a defensive look exclusive to Calvin Johnson, created because of the incredible mismatches he creates. As a result, the lions often looked elsewhere when inside the 10.

So consider it talked about. But just for the record, this whole topic is blown out of proportion. As somebody already mentioned, nobody will remember this when Calvin Johnson is inducted into the hall of fame as a top 2 WR of all time.

I agree, Calvin is the most exceptionally talented WR in the game today. I haven’t ever seen anyone exactly like him in the NFL – not the best of all time, or top five even yet, but he’s got an excellent shot to continue this production and be worthy of that label in the future.

All that said, I take issue with people stating that Calvin’s seeing defensive coverage like no one else in NFL history, in the redzone, between the 20′s, seeing two defensive backs on him as if he was playing gunner, etc. – being fans of an NFC North team, have you forgotten that Randy Moss saw attention like this for a 3 to 4 year stretch with the Vikings, literally the same thing you’re describing – two defenders faced up, jamming him (safety over the top, linebacker inside and underneath, etc.).

It’s not as if Calvin Johnson is the first WR to see double coverage. The great ones expect to face special coverages – and thrive.

By: dltprw

dltprw — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 03:41:57 +0000

It is very obvious that mr. ryan only voted as such to attract attention to himself. Based on his philosophy many RB’s with td ratios of 1 per 10 carries or so are much more valuable than AP. Anybody voting for player awards should put some thought into it rather than voting in a biased way. Also, has mr. ryan been asked if he has EVER voted for a player on a team with a losing record.

By: purplepunisher

purplepunisher — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 03:41:05 +0000

i agree with Tim

By: stampnhawk

stampnhawk — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 02:57:21 +0000

Ryan’s entitled to his opinion, but having him do 5 or 6 Seahawks games, Ryan likes to step up on his soapbox at every opportunity and rambles on and seem more important then he is. Something like Esiason always spouting off.

This sort of press he’s getting is exactly what he wants to seem relevant, and thinking this sort of pot stirring can allow him to move up from Chris Myers as a partner.

By: bkostela

bkostela — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 02:46:50 +0000

Good point about Welker. In 2009 Welker made all-pro with only 4 TDs. I’m sure Mr. Ryan didn’t vote for him either. LOL
_______________________

the main difference between welker and johnson is the pats still won most of their games in ’09. welker isn’t exactly the team’s only option in the red zone, like johnson is.

think about it this way: if peterson rushes for 2000 yards this year but only scores 5 touchdowns instead of 12 and his team finishes 4-12 instead of 10-6, is he still the favorite for league MVP? doubt it…

By: nflfollower

nflfollower — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 02:39:37 +0000

Corona55—-ok, let’s talk about it. I’m assuming you didn’t watch many lions games or you would already know this; and hey, why would you have? They weren’t a very good team. But when did aj green, brandon Marshall, or any other WR for that matter, have 2 defensive guys stacked at the line of scrimmage out wide to jam them like they were a gunner on punt coverage whenever they were in the red zone? While the other 9 played red zone defense? Nobody got attention like Johnson did this year in the red zone, in the history of the game. That was a defensive look exclusive to Calvin Johnson, created because of the incredible mismatches he creates. As a result, the lions often looked elsewhere when inside the 10.

By: trunord

trunord — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 02:02:54 +0000

Tim Ryan has an incredible knowledge of the NFL. He is insightful and well spoken. Those of you that think of yourselves as football heads and don’t know who he is, should. He could teach you more about the game than you ever thought there was to learn. But hey, you could just sit behind you keyboard and believe you’ve got more credibility on the subject matter. “Talk about it.”

By: sp1der12

sp1der12 — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:58:03 +0000

Good point about Welker. In 2009 Welker made all-pro with only 4 TDs. I’m sure Mr. Ryan didn’t vote for him either. LOL

By: ptestonm

ptestonm — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:53:16 +0000

He didn’t have double digit TDs excuse? Explain to me why Welker is always mention among the best but he has never caught more than 9 in a season. He has 700+ career receptions and 38 TDs. 38?!?! Really?

By: tokyosandblaster

tokyosandblaster — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:52:22 +0000

boondocksaint7 says:
Jan 14, 2013 8:37 PM
The only person who knows less then Ryan about Detroit receivers is Matt Millen.

—

EXACTLY. Can you believe that guy picked Titus Young over Randall Cobb?

By: boondocksaint7

boondocksaint7 — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:37:18 +0000

The only person who knows less then Ryan about Detroit receivers is Matt Millen.

By: larryboodry

larryboodry — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:36:44 +0000

And here’s another thing…If CJ was talented enough to beat all that double and triple coverage en route to leading the league in catches and yards, and to break Rice’s record in the process, then there is no excuse for only having 5 TDs, arbitrary ur otherwise.

By: jetshorty

jetshorty — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:30:17 +0000

Tim Ryan knows more about football than of the contributors on this site. Not even close.

By: rebels22

rebels22 — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:11:23 +0000

Johnson has two defensive backs lined up directly in front of him as if he was covering a punt? I have never seen that? The guy set a record for receiving yards while being doubled teamed most of the time. He’s a freak and if 49 out of 50 voted for him?

By: tabdanger

tabdanger — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:07:20 +0000

Calvin Johnson had the same amount of TD’s as Darrius Heyward-Bey..

By: steelerfan9598

steelerfan9598 — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:48:55 +0000

‘TD’s are arbitrary’? Sure, except that they come in handy when trying to actually score and, um, win football games.

By: 1uniquename

1uniquename — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:45:00 +0000

Brian hartline, nuff said.

By: thestrategyexpert

thestrategyexpert — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:43:04 +0000

Glad to know Ryan is willing to cast votes for political reasons. Now ban him from ever voting again, he should not be allowed. This is serious business and a vote should be based upon who earned the votes, not for marketing reasons.

By: kingshockeyclub

kingshockeyclub — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:37:38 +0000

He’s cross-eyed.

By: gmart4041

gmart4041 — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:33:45 +0000

One thing people are forgetting in regards to the TDs is that Calvin is defended differently in the red zone than anyone else is. There were times this season when the Lions got inside the 10 and teams were literally putting 2 guys right up on him like he was a gunner on special teams. Heck, teams were triple teaming him down there at times. And why wouldn’t you? He’s the best WR in the league and the Lions had trouble getting production out of any other WRs (Burleson, Broyles were injured, Young essentially went mental). It only makes sense. This is stuff that gets missed when you just look strictly at the numbers.

By: seeptermean

seeptermean — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:26:13 +0000

Whether you like it or not, the arguments for whether TD’s or yards are more important are supportive of Tim Ryan’s decision and the outcome of CJ not being a unanimous pick for all-pro. We can’t even decide amongst ourselves, so in my opinion, he doesn’t deserve to be unanimous all-pro.

By: lks311

lks311 — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:12:07 +0000

Stop all the TD nonsense. No player in the NFL is doubled and tripled team as much as Calvin Johnson—even moreso in the red zone. Ryan has had a few days to change his argument from drops to TDs. Yet, it’s one vote move on.

By: rg3andthensome

rg3andthensome — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:07:36 +0000

Nice job Tim!!! You really BLEW IT!

By: nagaswan

nagaswan — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:04:29 +0000

They are among the top 5 no matter how you slice it

By: threexfirst

threexfirst — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:21 +0000

TDs or not, Megatron is the best in the league. Fair point was made earlier about him being stopped on the 1 yard line a handful of times. Yes, he also dropped a few TDs as well, but the guy is a beast and his numbers don’t lie. There is a reason he has more targets, receptions and yards than any other WR…

That being said, Ryan makes a valid argument. Does not mean I have to agree.

By: xlax1306

xlax1306 — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 23:58:08 +0000

To the guy who said “TDs are arbitrary”:

Go look yourself in the mirror and say that out loud.

By: WatchThis

WatchThis — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 23:46:41 +0000

Last year, CJ was the “third best” receiver on the Cowboys. I was still glad to have him.