The Bears have exhausted their stock of NFL metaphors when asked about Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson.
So they went to the best of the NBA in their latest attempt to describe him.
“He can do everything,” Bears cornerback Charles Tillman said, via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. “He’s the LeBron James of football. If you could create a player — that’s Calvin Johnson. Size, speed, hands, agility, quickness, strength.”
Very few people have been able to stop Johnson this year, as he’s already surpassed Jerry Rice’s single-season receiving yardage record, and needs just 108 to reach 2,000 for the season.
Of course, the Bears have done as good a job on him as anyone, limiting him to three catches for 34 yards in the first meeting between the teams. Johnson has 1,300 yards in the nine games since, a 144.4 yards per game average.
That leaves Tillman a little less than confident they can repeat.
“It would be cool if we did,” Tillman said. “But I don’t know how.”
Having a pair of Pro Bowl cornerbacks (along with Tim Jennings) gives the Bears a better shot than most, but that may not be enough this time.