Calvin Johnson apparently aggravated his back injury early in this past week's game and ended up with 3 catches for 37 yards. Word out of Detroit this week is that Martz intends to incorporate more fade passes into their weekly game plan to take advantage of Johnson's as well as Roy Williams' size/athleticism.
The Detroit News is addressing the
elephant in the Detroit Lions' living room: why is the uniquely talented Calvin Johnson being used less than Shaun McDonald and Mike Furrey? Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Lions: Notebook
Johnson's role is a question
Prize rookie didn't see ball much in Sunday's loss and was ignored during crunch time.
Mike O'Hara / The Detroit News
ALLEN PARK -- The way Calvin Johnson has been used -- and not used -- in the Lions' offense gives the impression that a giant-sized receiving threat is hiding in plain sight.
Every play Johnson has made in the first 10 games of his rookie season shows the enormous potential that caused the Lions to draft him second overall. And it also raises the question of why he hasn't been put in position to make more plays.
Johnson has 24 catches for 402 yards and three touchdowns. He scored a fourth touchdown on a 32-yard run on an end-around in which he displayed an amazing assortment of physical skills -- speed, power and agility.
Johnson is an imposing physical force at 6-foot-5 and 239 pounds. He was timed in 4.35 seconds in the 40-yard dash and had a recorded vertical jump of 42.5 inches.
Johnson was more decoy than dominator in Sunday's 16-10 loss to the Giants at Ford Field. He caught three passes for 45 yards. One catch was a leaping grab over two defenders in the end zone. Johnson caught the only three passes thrown to him.
On the final two possessions, when the Lions needed a touchdown to win, Johnson and Roy Williams -- the team's leading receiver with 55 catches for the season -- did not have a pass thrown to them.
Quarterback Jon Kitna threw five passes to Shaun McDonald and two to Kevin Jones on the last two series. The last drive ended when a ball deflected off McDonald's hands for a game-clinching interception by Giants cornerback Sam Madison.
Coach Rod Marinelli offered an explanation of the Lions' pass distribution Monday. Johnson played 35 of the Lions' 57 offensive plays -- 46 pass plays and 11 runs -- Marinelli said.
"And he was in seven of the last eight plays," Marinelli said. "Coverage sometimes dictates certain things. That's why the inside guys have a lot of receptions.
"He and Roy got nice, big plays at one time, those guys (Giants defensive backs) biting the cheese, those safeties. It opened up a lot of other things inside. You've just got to catch it."
McDonald had seven catches for 113 yards. Kitna threw 15 passes in McDonald's direction. Williams caught six of the 11 passes thrown to him. Mike Furrey had five catches.
In most formations, Furrey and McDonald play the inside slot position, with Williams and Johnson on the outside to utilize their height. Williams is 6-3. Furrey is listed at 6-0 and McDonald at 5-10. However, McDonald's official height at the NFL 2003 Combine testing was 5-8 1/2 -- almost nine inches shorter than Johnson.
Why isn't Johnson being used more? And why not force the ball to him at times and let him take it away from smaller defenders?
Lingering effects of a back injury sustained in the third game at Philadelphia are one factor, Marinelli said. The Lions' offensive scheme is another.
"I don't know if that's what you want to do, is force," Marinelli said. "Just by his presence, he opens up some stuff. We said that when we drafted him. We had some great matchups.
"We've got four really good receivers, and the throws were all balanced. It's a team concept in terms of what we're doing."
The Lions missed connecting on two throws in the fourth quarter. Kitna had to roll to his left to avoid the rush and was late making a long throw into the end zone to McDonald. Giants safety James Butler had time to react and got over to make the interception.
Williams got open on a coverage breakdown. There was no defender within 12 yards, but there was a mixup on the pattern, and Williams couldn't get to the ball.
Johnson hasn't said anything about his role, which is typical of most rookies.
"Whatever the coach calls -- I just play," Johnson said after Sunday's game.
Kitna alluded to Johnson's back injury as a factor that has limited his role.
"Calvin hasn't been healthy since the Philadelphia game," Kitna said. "If Calvin was 100 percent healthy, he'd be more involved."
You can reach Mike O'Hara at (313) 982-3810 or mike.ohara@detnews.com.