Detroit Lions in Review - Receivers

I have been wondering how to truly judge the Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson. He had a sub par season, far below what he is capable of, but was it his own fault?

After a 2008 season in which Megatron brought in 78 catches for 1,331 yards and 12 touchdowns, he followed that up with a mediocre 67 grabs for 984 yards and only 5 touchdowns. Defending him are the simple facts that he was injured often in the season and he had a rookie quarterback in Stafford and a has-been in Culpepper throwing to him. Neither QB played very well this year. To make things worse, the two receivers who were supposed to take some pressure off of him (Bryant Johnson and Dennis Northcutt) were horrible.

Yet even with the excuses, I felt Johnson looked slow. Calvin Johnson is as talented a receiver as you will find in the NFL. He has superb speed, great size, huge leaping abilities and strength to drag defenders with him to go along with his well above average hands. My thought against him is that he doesn't seem to have learned how to shake a defender very well. Maybe his routes never call for him to fake defenders out, I cannot say ye or nay on that. All I know is that it is rare he goes deep and leaves the opposition eating his dust. Far too often for a receiver of his talents, he will have the defenders running right along with him on deep routes. Until he learns to shake the defenders off and break away, I cannot grade him as a true elite receiver in the league. Maybe he was simply slowed down by his injuries this year. Time will only tell. But of his three seasons in the NFL, he has spend time on the bench due to injuries in two of them. That in itself is something to worry about.

Bryant Johnson and Dennis Northcutt were as I have already said. Horrible! While defenses double teamed Calvin Johnson, these two were in consistent one-on-one battles and it was not often enough that they broke into the open. When they did there were too many dropped passes. In fact, the two of them together did not match up to the sub par season by Calvin Johnson. To make things worse, both of them barely matched up to the output of the rookie Tight End Brandon Pettigrew who only played 11 games.

Considering the situation and the injury to Calvin Johnson, I would give him a "B+" for the season. Bryant Johnson would receive a standard "F" while I would give Northcutt a "D". Northcutt I give a little leeway due to the fact he is a slot receiver and not supposed to put up huge numbers.

Receiver Grade overall = ( C )

Detroit Lions Receivers

Calvin Johnson is possibly the only player on the Detroit Lions who is truly untouchable. As good as many fans believe Stafford will be, if another team offered 2 first round picks for him, I would take it. Until he has proven himself, he is still only worth a 1st round pick. Calvin Johnson has proven himself. He has shown he can play in the NFL and play extremely well. I do not know if there is any trade offer worth giving him up.

Not only is Calvin Johnson a proven star now, he could possibly become the best receiver in the NFL. What about Larry Fitzgerald you say? Fitzgerald has had Anquan Boldin playing opposite him, making it very difficult for opposing defenses to double team him. Randy Moss has had Welker. Who has Calvin Johnson had? The best receiver Johnson has had play opposite him is Roy Williams and his bad attitude.

In 2008, Calvin Johnson had a modest 78 catches. He also had the fifth most receiving yards in the NFL (only 100 yards behind Fitzgerald), and was tied with Fitzgerald for the most touchdowns by a receiver with 12.

In the 2009 draft, the Detroit Lions added TE Brandon Pettigrew who is known for his receiving skills. If Pettigrew proves to be a decent receiving threat, he will force the opposing defenses to worry about the middle a little more and not always double Calvin Johnson up.

Still, as great as Calvin Johnson could be, he is only one receiver. In the off season, the Lions brought in Bryant Johnson who has some upside and down side to him. The good is that he does have talent. Bryant was drafted 17th overall in 2003 so he is no slouch in talent. However he has never had more than 49 receptions or 740 yards. This could be attributed to the fact he played in Arizona and has had Fitzgerald and Boldin in front of him. But in 2008, Bryant Johnson played in San Fransisco and still only had 45 catches for 546 yards.

Bryant Johnson is a big receiver, standing 6'3" and 211 lbs, so if Calvin Johnson is doubled up, this will leave Bryant with one on one coverage where his size may be an advantage. Calvin Johnson's 6'5" 235-lbs frame is always an advantage.

Expect Calvin Johnson's numbers to repeat what he did in 2008 and if Bryant Johnson and Brandon Pettigrew prove themselves, Calvin's numbers will rise.