Player Spotlight: Calvin Johnson (1 Viewer)

[Buddy Ball 2K3]

Everything is lining up for a huge Calvin Johnson year.

1. Candyass schedule: Opp winning % .473

2. He's Calvin Johnson.

3. Martz is nuts and will feed the ball to CJ even if they are up 30 points.....not that that will ever happen.

4. The Lions can't stop anyone so even the crappy teams they play will score and give the ball back to the Lions O.

5. Roy Williams drawing coverage away.

6. The opponent has no clue yet how good he is.

7. Kitna's horrible passes will still be caught because he is Calvin Johnson.

I can think of more if you like.

I have no argument against 1-5. Not sure about 3, but won't be an issue anyway#7 - Kitna is underrated

#6 - yep, I'm sure that while all of the people on this board, all of the scouts, and every NFL GM has high praise for CJ's talents, but his opponents have no clue about him.

Gonna assume you never played any sports at a high level. No matter how good you hear a person is, or how good they look on film, nothing can prepare you for what they can do to you on the field until you experience it for yourself.Ask any rookie about playing in the NFL.

 

[FavreCo]

Everything is lining up for a huge Calvin Johnson year.

1. Candyass schedule: Opp winning % .473

2. He's Calvin Johnson.

3. Martz is nuts and will feed the ball to CJ even if they are up 30 points.....not that that will ever happen.

4. The Lions can't stop anyone so even the crappy teams they play will score and give the ball back to the Lions O.

5. Roy Williams drawing coverage away.

6. The opponent has no clue yet how good he is.

7. Kitna's horrible passes will still be caught because he is Calvin Johnson.

I can think of more if you like.

I have no argument against 1-5. Not sure about 3, but won't be an issue anyway#7 - Kitna is underrated

#6 - yep, I'm sure that while all of the people on this board, all of the scouts, and every NFL GM has high praise for CJ's talents, but his opponents have no clue about him.

Gonna assume you never played any sports at a high level. No matter how good you hear a person is, or how good they look on film, nothing can prepare you for what they can do to you on the field until you experience it for yourself.Ask any rookie about playing in the NFL.

You got that right. Even Martz was mesmerized and in awe. For that ego-maniac to be shocked is saying something.

 

[phthalatemagic]

The Lions added Foster at RT from Denver. He was a first round pick, has started all 3 seasons for Denver, and is just entering his prime. Mulitalo was an 8 year starter for Baltimore and is a huge upgrade for the Lions.

I don't know much about Foster, but Mulitalo is a shadow is his former self.

I don't think Foster is great, but the Lions did not have an NFL caliber RT on the team last year. They were starting guards at right tackle it was so bad. Mulitalo may be a shadow of his old self (I haven't seen enough Ravens games the last 2 years to really judge), but I struggle to believe he isn't better then what the Lions were working with last year.

The end of the season, the Lions started a 3rd string RT, and two 3rd string guards. This is a team that had below par starters, let alone the 3rd string. This is a major improvement.

I think people get caught up with the "addition by subtraction" idea. Yes, the Lions may have had some bad OLmen working for them last year. Just becuase they are being replaced doens't mean there will be a marked improvement. I remember a few years ago the Dolphins scraped their entire line, and several fans stated "Well, anything is better than those guys". They weren't. All the Dolphins did was shuffle around bad players. The same story could have been told by many different teams. Mulitalo may be a bit better than what you had before, but unless goes through some renaissance, he'll still be a poor player as he was last year.

 

[sholditch]

Anquan Boldin has 101 catches for 1377 yards and 8 TDs his rookie season. Hell, Michael #######g Clayton broke 1,000 as a rook. I think him breaking 1,000 his rookie year is not nearly as unlikely as everyone thinks.

I'm going to say about 65 for 1075 and 7 and seriously move the kid up my rankings

 

[lions327]

Just a point, if Calvin is one of, if not THE best WR prospects ever (and I believe most agree he is) why are so few people willing to set the bar high for him? Predicting 50-65 receptions, 650-800 yards, 4-6 TDs, that sounds like predictions for any starting #2 WR on a lot of teams.

Because he is a ROOKIE.

So was Moss, Boldin and Colston, to name a few.

So were Santanio Holmes, Braylon Edwards, Troy Williamson, Big Mike Williams, Matt Jones, Mark Clayton, Rowdy Roddy White, Larry Fitzgerald, Roy Williams, Reggie Williams, Lee Evans, Michael Jenkins, Michael Clayton, and Rashaun Woods, to name a few more. That's every 1st-round rookie WR from the last three years. Do I need to go on?

I would argue that. The Lions added Foster at RT from Denver. He was a first round pick, has started all 3 seasons for Denver, and is just entering his prime. Mulitalo was an 8 year starter for Baltimore and is a huge upgrade for the Lions.

What? Foster didn't start his rookie year, except for a meaningless start against Green Bay in week 17 when Denver was resting all of its real starters for the playoffs. Beyond that, while he very well might be a massive upgrade for the Lions, and while he probably is, in fact, "just entering his prime", Denver sent him packing because they simply didn't want him anymore. He was being outperformed by a veteran OT who had been out of football for two entire years and a rookie undrafted free agent, so "prime" might be a little misleading, here.

Denver sent him packing because he didn't play up to their standards....much of which was that he was not a good fit for the zone blocking scheme. He is a solid NFL tackle and a great fit in the Lions offense. Just because Denver got rid of him doesn't mean he can't play. Mulitalo is a solid proven guard, and I didn't think he all of a sudden lost it. He can still play.

The Lions line will be much better with the addition of 2 solid experienced players.

 

[lions327]

Just a point, if Calvin is one of, if not THE best WR prospects ever (and I believe most agree he is) why are so few people willing to set the bar high for him? Predicting 50-65 receptions, 650-800 yards, 4-6 TDs, that sounds like predictions for any starting #2 WR on a lot of teams.

Because he is a ROOKIE.

So was Moss, Boldin and Colston, to name a few.

So were Santanio Holmes, Braylon Edwards, Troy Williamson, Big Mike Williams, Matt Jones, Mark Clayton, Rowdy Roddy White, Larry Fitzgerald, Roy Williams, Reggie Williams, Lee Evans, Michael Jenkins, Michael Clayton, and Rashaun Woods, to name a few more. That's every 1st-round rookie WR from the last three years. Do I need to go on?

How many of these were considered one of the best WR prospects to ever come out of college like Calvin is? None of them, high picks or not came out of college and had the things said about them that they are saying about Calvin.

 

[SSOG]

Anquan Boldin has 101 catches for 1377 yards and 8 TDs his rookie season. Hell, Michael #######g Clayton broke 1,000 as a rook. I think him breaking 1,000 his rookie year is not nearly as unlikely as everyone thinks. I'm going to say about 65 for 1075 and 7 and seriously move the kid up my rankings

I already listed every rookie WR drafted in the first round of the last 3 years. Of the 14, only one broke 1,000 yards. If I had gone back even further in history, the rate would be even lower.

How many of these were considered one of the best WR prospects to ever come out of college like Calvin is? None of them, high picks or not came out of college and had the things said about them that they are saying about Calvin.

Larry Fitzgerald was considered one of the best WR prospects to ever come out of college, just like Calvin is. He also went to pretty much an identical system (tons of attempts, poor running game, pro bowler on the other side to draw attention). The result? 58/780/8. Big Mike Williams was also a guy that people couldn't say enough good things about- remember, he was drafted in the top 10 despite NOT EVEN PLAYING FOOTBALL FOR A YEAR. We all remember how that turned out. Keyshawn Johnson and Irving Fryar were both drafted #1 overall in the modern era, too. Keyshawn got 63/844/8, and Fryar got 11/164/1. Charles Rogers was the only other WR to get drafted #2 overall. He got 22/243/3, and went on to become probably the biggest WR bust in NFL history.

Denver sent him packing because he didn't play up to their standards....much of which was that he was not a good fit for the zone blocking scheme. He is a solid NFL tackle and a great fit in the Lions offense. Just because Denver got rid of him doesn't mean he can't play. Mulitalo is a solid proven guard, and I didn't think he all of a sudden lost it. He can still play.The Lions line will be much better with the addition of 2 solid experienced players.

I agree that both players will improve Detroit, and I agree that Foster isn't a scrub, I was just trying to provide a more realistic look at the situation.

 

[kensat30]

55/800/8

Mike Furrey will catch more passes for more yardage than Calvin Johnson. Look out in 2008, but for anyone drafting Calvin Johnson in the 6th round in 2007, I feel sorry for you.

 

[Ilov80s]

Just a point, if Calvin is one of, if not THE best WR prospects ever (and I believe most agree he is) why are so few people willing to set the bar high for him? Predicting 50-65 receptions, 650-800 yards, 4-6 TDs, that sounds like predictions for any starting #2 WR on a lot of teams.

Because he is a ROOKIE.

So was Moss, Boldin and Colston, to name a few.

So were Santanio Holmes, Braylon Edwards, Troy Williamson, Big Mike Williams, Matt Jones, Mark Clayton, Rowdy Roddy White, Larry Fitzgerald, Roy Williams, Reggie Williams, Lee Evans, Michael Jenkins, Michael Clayton, and Rashaun Woods, to name a few more. That's every 1st-round rookie WR from the last three years. Do I need to go on?

I would argue that. The Lions added Foster at RT from Denver. He was a first round pick, has started all 3 seasons for Denver, and is just entering his prime. Mulitalo was an 8 year starter for Baltimore and is a huge upgrade for the Lions.

What? Foster didn't start his rookie year, except for a meaningless start against Green Bay in week 17 when Denver was resting all of its real starters for the playoffs. Beyond that, while he very well might be a massive upgrade for the Lions, and while he probably is, in fact, "just entering his prime", Denver sent him packing because they simply didn't want him anymore. He was being outperformed by a veteran OT who had been out of football for two entire years and a rookie undrafted free agent, so "prime" might be a little misleading, here.

You are right. That should have read started the last 3 years. He came into the league one year earlier then I had thought. Denver is blessed with a great OL and he was expendable. The Lions struggled to put an NFL caliber RT on the field the last few years, yet alone a guy who could start on a playoff team 3 years in a row. I am not making Foster out to be a Pro Bowler, but he is a substantial upgrade.

 

[-OZ-]

Everything is lining up for a huge Calvin Johnson year.

1. Candyass schedule: Opp winning % .473

2. He's Calvin Johnson.

3. Martz is nuts and will feed the ball to CJ even if they are up 30 points.....not that that will ever happen.

4. The Lions can't stop anyone so even the crappy teams they play will score and give the ball back to the Lions O.

5. Roy Williams drawing coverage away.

6. The opponent has no clue yet how good he is.

7. Kitna's horrible passes will still be caught because he is Calvin Johnson.

I can think of more if you like.

I have no argument against 1-5. Not sure about 3, but won't be an issue anyway#7 - Kitna is underrated

#6 - yep, I'm sure that while all of the people on this board, all of the scouts, and every NFL GM has high praise for CJ's talents, but his opponents have no clue about him.

Gonna assume you never played any sports at a high level. No matter how good you hear a person is, or how good they look on film, nothing can prepare you for what they can do to you on the field until you experience it for yourself.Ask any rookie about playing in the NFL.

Does college count as a "high-level"?Did you play in the NFL, or are you just going by what people tell you?

"Ask any rookie about playing in the NFL" - seems a tad inconsistent with your previous statement.

 

[LBH]

I dont normally predict big years for rookies, but I think this guy is an exception when you consider talent and situation

75 1100 9

 

[phthalatemagic]

Everything is lining up for a huge Calvin Johnson year.

1. Candyass schedule: Opp winning % .473

2. He's Calvin Johnson.

3. Martz is nuts and will feed the ball to CJ even if they are up 30 points.....not that that will ever happen.

4. The Lions can't stop anyone so even the crappy teams they play will score and give the ball back to the Lions O.

5. Roy Williams drawing coverage away.

6. The opponent has no clue yet how good he is.

7. Kitna's horrible passes will still be caught because he is Calvin Johnson.

I can think of more if you like.

I have no argument against 1-5. Not sure about 3, but won't be an issue anyway#7 - Kitna is underrated

#6 - yep, I'm sure that while all of the people on this board, all of the scouts, and every NFL GM has high praise for CJ's talents, but his opponents have no clue about him.

Gonna assume you never played any sports at a high level. No matter how good you hear a person is, or how good they look on film, nothing can prepare you for what they can do to you on the field until you experience it for yourself.Ask any rookie about playing in the NFL.

I thought for sure FarveCo's post was a joke.edit: I meant farvecos, not OZ's

 

[JimboJim]

Anquan Boldin has 101 catches for 1377 yards and 8 TDs his rookie season. Hell, Michael #######g Clayton broke 1,000 as a rook. I think him breaking 1,000 his rookie year is not nearly as unlikely as everyone thinks. I'm going to say about 65 for 1075 and 7 and seriously move the kid up my rankings

In 2004, Michael Clayton had 80/1193/7. The next best WR on the Bucs that season was Joey Galloway who went for 33/416/5.In 2003, Anquan Boldin had 101/1377/8. The next best WR on the Cards that season was Bryant Johnson who went for 34/385/0.Unfourtanately for Calvin Johnson, he has to compete with Roy Williams (82/1310/7 in 06) and Mike Furrey (98/1086/6 in 06) for touches.In both Boldin and Clayton's cases, they were the unquestioned #1 WRs on their respective team as rookies, with little competition, who were just fed the ball.If you plan on projecting big numbers for CJ, then you better bump both Roy and Furrey way down on your boards.

 

[higgins]

I like Calvin Johnson for this year -- furthermore, I think he'd be tough enough to beat up a hippo in a cage match. Maybe even a few ninjas at once....

 

[FavreCo]

I thought for sure FarveCo's post was a joke.edit: I meant farvecos, not OZ's

Actually some of the reasons were jokes, including that one. However, the opponents will be ####ting their collective pants trying to guard Calvin Johnson.

 

[-OZ-]

I thought for sure FarveCo's post was a joke.edit: I meant farvecos, not OZ's

Actually some of the reasons were jokes, including that one. However, the opponents will be ####ting their collective pants trying to guard Calvin Johnson.

 

[corpcow]

Temper expectations, remember that Roy Williams is the alpha dog and will line up opposite him, and I think that these numbers are attainable and realistic:65/900/6

Which is exactly why I think he'll do well this year - if Furrey can catch 100 balls, there will be plenty for CJ, and CJ isn't going to draw the CB1 or double coverage every play.But those are about what I predict this year too

 

[Macdaddy_2004]

CJ2

95/1200/10

 

[FTRWRTR]

Anquan Boldin has 101 catches for 1377 yards and 8 TDs his rookie season. Hell, Michael #######g Clayton broke 1,000 as a rook. I think him breaking 1,000 his rookie year is not nearly as unlikely as everyone thinks. I'm going to say about 65 for 1075 and 7 and seriously move the kid up my rankings

In 2004, Michael Clayton had 80/1193/7. The next best WR on the Bucs that season was Joey Galloway who went for 33/416/5.In 2003, Anquan Boldin had 101/1377/8. The next best WR on the Cards that season was Bryant Johnson who went for 34/385/0.Unfourtanately for Calvin Johnson, he has to compete with Roy Williams (82/1310/7 in 06) and Mike Furrey (98/1086/6 in 06) for touches.In both Boldin and Clayton's cases, they were the unquestioned #1 WRs on their respective team as rookies, with little competition, who were just fed the ball.If you plan on projecting big numbers for CJ, then you better bump both Roy and Furrey way down on your boards.

Ppl focus way too much on a guy's talent and ignore the situation he'll be in which is just as important.

 

[corpcow]

Anquan Boldin has 101 catches for 1377 yards and 8 TDs his rookie season. Hell, Michael #######g Clayton broke 1,000 as a rook. I think him breaking 1,000 his rookie year is not nearly as unlikely as everyone thinks.

I'm going to say about 65 for 1075 and 7 and seriously move the kid up my rankings

In 2004, Michael Clayton had 80/1193/7. The next best WR on the Bucs that season was Joey Galloway who went for 33/416/5.In 2003, Anquan Boldin had 101/1377/8. The next best WR on the Cards that season was Bryant Johnson who went for 34/385/0.

Unfourtanately for Calvin Johnson, he has to compete with Roy Williams (82/1310/7 in 06) and Mike Furrey (98/1086/6 in 06) for touches.

In both Boldin and Clayton's cases, they were the unquestioned #1 WRs on their respective team as rookies, with little competition, who were just fed the ball.

If you plan on projecting big numbers for CJ, then you better bump both Roy and Furrey way down on your boards.

Ppl focus way too much on a guy's talent and ignore the situation he'll be in which is just as important.

I agree, but I think the situation is actually pretty GOOD for his chances. Yes, there was no competition for Clayton and Boldin, but these weren't exactly prolific passing attacks either.Let's look at the WR targets and receptions by team.

2006 DET 389 225 2859 12.71 145 14 370.90

2004 TB 253 179 2349 13.12 117 15 329.80

2003 ARI 304 158 2058 13.03 100 10 255.40

TB had 35% less targets and Arizona had almost 22% less. Of that, Clayton had almost 50% of the total WR targets (116/137) in 2004, where no other player had more than 20%. Boldin had WELL over 50% of the total WR targets, Bryant had a little less than 25%, with Gilmore getting most of the rest.

The interesting thing about Detroit is not just that they passed a lot, but that 75% of the total targets were shared by Roy and Furrey pretty evenly, and then there was basically no one else. These are numbers that look eerily similar to the 2003-2004 Rams offenses under Martz - Bruce and Holt getting the lion's share of targets, with Bruce being WR2 getting less but actually more receptions, and so on.

In other words, Furrey had only 37% of the WR targets and was the second option on his team, but still had more opportunities than Clayton, and not much less than Boldin.

Roy Williams is, no doubt, the cornerstone of that receiving corps right now. He is extremely talented from a physical perspective, and would probably thrive (or do well) in any system. I'm not totally sold on Furrey. I like him, I think he's got a lot of heart and speed, but he's not a world class physical talent. I think the numbers he put up were large in part because he was WR2 in a Martz offense.

So to answer your question, I don't think you have to bump Roy AND Furrey down the rankings... I think you have to bump one of them. If you think CJ can beat out Furrey fo r that WR2 spot, he very well could put up better numbers than either Clayton or Boldin precisely because of his circumstances.

 

[cobalt_27]

62/1035/6

 

[cobalt_27]

Anquan Boldin has 101 catches for 1377 yards and 8 TDs his rookie season. Hell, Michael #######g Clayton broke 1,000 as a rook. I think him breaking 1,000 his rookie year is not nearly as unlikely as everyone thinks. I'm going to say about 65 for 1075 and 7 and seriously move the kid up my rankings

In 2004, Michael Clayton had 80/1193/7. The next best WR on the Bucs that season was Joey Galloway who went for 33/416/5.In 2003, Anquan Boldin had 101/1377/8. The next best WR on the Cards that season was Bryant Johnson who went for 34/385/0.Unfourtanately for Calvin Johnson, he has to compete with Roy Williams (82/1310/7 in 06) and Mike Furrey (98/1086/6 in 06) for touches.In both Boldin and Clayton's cases, they were the unquestioned #1 WRs on their respective team as rookies, with little competition, who were just fed the ball.If you plan on projecting big numbers for CJ, then you better bump both Roy and Furrey way down on your boards.

Ppl focus way too much on a guy's talent and ignore the situation he'll be in which is just as important.

Oh darn...I forgot about Mike Furrey. Perhaps what Mike Martz will do is evaluate the talent of Furrey v. Johnson and determine that, you know...that Johnson kid is pretty skilled and should probably get most of the #2 reps. Not as many as, say, the great Mike Furrey. But, a chunk at least. Something like 60 catches and 1000 yards worth. Furrey can chip in with another 40 or so along the way.

 

[phthalatemagic]

I like Calvin Johnson for this year -- furthermore, I think he'd be tough enough to beat up a hippo in a cage match. Maybe even a few ninjas at once....

What about Chuck Norris?

 

[Spartans Rule]

55/800/8Mike Furrey will catch more passes for more yardage than Calvin Johnson. Look out in 2008, but for anyone drafting Calvin Johnson in the 6th round in 2007, I feel sorry for you.

Mike Furrey won't catch more passes for more yardage than Shaun McDonald in 2007.Shaun McDonald was way ahead of Mike Furrey on the depth chart with the Rams while Mike Martz was the head coach. The fact that Furrey caught so many passes in a great situation last year, while McDonald was still WR4 on a Rams team loaded with good wideouts, doesn't change that. If McDonald was a Lion last year, he would have posted Furrey's numbers... actually probably even better because he's got more speed.

 

[King of the Jungle]

62/1035/6

Only 6 TDs when he is gaining 17 YPC? Interesting......

 

[Bears_Man2]

Expect him to be in the Pro Bowl Year 1.

Everyone will be asking who Mike Furrey was by Week 1.

 

[cobalt_27]

62/1035/6

Only 6 TDs when he is gaining 17 YPC? Interesting......

See...Galloway '06Glenn '05R.Moss '05Kennison '05Lelie '04Toomer '03

 

[Irish]

55/800/8Mike Furrey will catch more passes for more yardage than Calvin Johnson. Look out in 2008, but for anyone drafting Calvin Johnson in the 6th round in 2007, I feel sorry for you.

You people are crazy if you think Furrey even sniffs the same numbers he had last yr. He will be an after thought this season. Adding CJ and McDonald will severly hinder Furrey's numbers. My predictions for CJ are 70/1050/9.