Tag: Calvin Johnson

Lions gift Jameson Williams picture of Calvin Johnson tribute

Lions gift Jameson Williams a great picture of his Calvin Johnson tribute

Christmas came early for Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams. The team gifted Jamo with a framed picture of his touchdown celebration during the Week 4 win over the Seattle Seahawks. The picture includes a photo of Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson and his similar touchdown dunk celebration.

Not only that, but Johnson signed the photo for Williams, granting Williams’ wish. He mentioned the Lions on Instagram saying, “Can I get this pic framed with Megatron signature?”

Ask and ye shall receive.

 

Williams may have been fined for that touchdown celebration but it seems to be in agreement that getting a signed photo from the great Megatron more than makes up for a minor fine.

The ‘Calvin Johnson rule’ happened 14 years ago today

The ‘Calvin Johnson rule’ happened 14 years ago today in a game between the Lions and Bears and it remains a terrible use of the NFL rule

On this date 14 years ago, September 12th of 2010, NFL fans learned the phrase “process of the catch” thanks to the Detroit Lions and Hall of Fame wideout Calvin Johnson. It was a (non)catch by Johnson in the Chicago end zone that brought the previously obscure rule into greater consciousness.

We know it now as the “Calvin Johnson rule.” Say those words and everyone–certainly in the Lions world–knows exactly what you’re talking about.

If you’re too young to remember it, or blocked it out of the memory banks in a combination of anger, sadness and disbelief (all valid emotions), here’s the play in question, via TikTok:

 

@javier.baezazz2 HOW IS THAT NOT A CATCH?!? 🤯 2010 Lions vs Bears Week 1 !! Calvin Johnson !! #widereciever #touchdown #catch #controversial #nflfootball #americanfootball #sports #football #gridironfootball #throwback #nfithrowback #throwbacknfl #oldnfl #nfl2010 #nfl2010s #nfltiktok #nflmemes #nflcomedy #calvinjohnson #lions #bears #megatron #nfl #fyp #explorepage #enjoy @Detroit Lions @Chicago Bears ♬ original sound – javier.ba3zaz

Johnson caught the ball on a pass from Shaun Hill, filling in for an injured Matthew Stafford. No. 81 landed with full control of the ball, getting both feet down inbounds. As he went to the ground, Johnson put the ball on the ground after palming it in his hand in clear control of the catch. Referee Gene Steratore’s crew ruled it incomplete on the field despite the official you see clearly raising his arms to indicate a touchdown in the clip. When Johnson put the ball on the ground before he had completed going to the ground, it meant the process of the catch wasn’t complete.

And that, for me, has always been the part the NFL truly got wrong. You don’t think Calvin Johnson did that on purpose knowing full well he’d scored a game-winning touchdown?! He completed the process of the catch and going to the ground as the rule dictates.

To this day, 14 years later, NFL analysts and broadcast commentators still refer to these sorts of situations as the Calvin Johnson Rule. It remains one of the most confusingly subjective rules in football.

Calvin Johnson names Vikings fan favorite as best trash talker

The former Lions’ wide receiver named Jared Allen as the best trash talker he can remember.

Calvin Johnson was one of the greatest wide receivers to play the game of football. He played nine years with the Detroit Lions before retiring, and many felt it was way too early. He caught for over 11,000 yards and caught 83 touchdowns. During his playing days with the Lions, Johnson had heard plenty of things while playing on the gridiron — but who was the biggest trash-talker?

Johnson appeared on the St. Brown Podcast, hosted by Amon-Ra St. Brown, and called Vikings legend Jared Allen the best trash talker.

“Jared Allen,” Johnson said. “When we played the Vikings, their D-Line was just ruthless, and Jared Allen was the ring leader. He would talk so dirty to our lineman, I would feel bad for them.”

Allen played with the Vikings from 2008 to 2013 and was one of the best defensive end players. He racked up an amazing 85.5 sacks during his stay with the Vikings, and fans will always cherish what he did for Minnesota after coming over from the Kansas City Chiefs.

Watch: Calvin Johnson fights back tears upon learning his Pride of the Lions honor

Lions legend Calvin Johnson fights back tears upon learning his Pride of the Lions honor

Calvin Johnson will be the newest member of the Pride of the Lions, an honorary elite for Detroit greats. Johnson learned of his pending induction into the Pride of the Lions in a special way.

The Hall of Fame wide receiver was out at the Detroit Golf Club hosting his celebrity golf outing when Lions COO Mike Disner and Lomas Brown, the most recent inductee into the Pride of the Lions, let Johnson know he was next.

A beaming Johnson is clearly quite proud and happy when learning he’s headed for the Pride of the Lions.

Johnson was clearly taken aback by the honor. He fought off tears to get through a speech.

Congrats to Johnson for earning his rightful place in the pantheon of Detroit Lions football.

Special thanks to Jeanna Trotman for capturing it all on video.

Calvin Johnson will be inducted into Pride of the Lions

Johnson was a first-ballot Hall of Famer and now he’ll receive the Lions franchise’s highest honor

Calvin Johnson has been one of the greatest players in Detroit Lions history almost from the moment he took the field as the team’s first-round pick back in 2007. Already a first-ballot member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Johnson will now be formally honored by the Lions with induction into the Pride of the Lions.

Johnson, the Lions’ all-time leader in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, will join the elite group during a ceremony at halftime of the Monday Night Football matchup in Ford Field on September 30th against the Seattle Seahawks.

The team began the Pride of the Lions program in 2009 to honor the franchise’s greatest players. Johnson will be the 20th addition to the Pride. Lomas Brown was the last addition, coming in 2023.

“We are thrilled to add Calvin Johnson Jr. to the Pride of the Lions,” said Detroit Lions President and CEO, Rod Wood in a statement. “His commitment on the field and to the city of Detroit are legendary and this is a well-deserved honor. We are proud that he will be forever memorialized inside Ford Field and as a Detroit Lion.”

Congrats to Johnson, arguably the greatest Lions player of the Super Bowl era. It also shows the issues between Johnson and the team are thankfully now a thing of the past.

NFL analyst calls Steelers WR George Pickens a threat to single-season receiving record

NFL analyst calls Steelers WR George Pickens a threat to single-season receiving record

2023 was a breakout season for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens. Despite some dreadful quarterback play, Pickens finished with an impressive 63 receptions for 1,140 yards and a league-leading 18.1 yards per catch. But with Pickens only heading into Year 3 and with a huge upgrade at quarterback, the sky really is the limit for the young superstar.

NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks offered up his top candidates to break the record for receiving yards in a season. That mark was set by Calvin Johnson in 2012 when he had 1,964 yards. Brooks included Pickens on his short list and here’s what he had to say about him.

Though the Steelers will adhere to a run-centric offensive approach under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Pickens could light up the stat sheet as the big-play specialist on the perimeter. The third-year pro has averaged nearly 17 yards per catch for his career, including a league-leading 18.1 yards per catch in 2023 with a revolving door at quarterback. With Russell Wilson and Justin Fields potentially being significant upgrades over their predecessors, the Steelers’ top playmaker could see his numbers spike as the focal point of a passing game committed to pushing the ball down the field. 

The biggest thing that will hold Pickens back from such a lofty goal is the fact that the team traded away Diontae Johnson, which means all the coverage will roll to Pickens. Pickens might have the best hands in the NFL but he ranks near the bottom in his ability to create separation. If the Steelers don’t address the wide receiver position and get Pickens some help, he’s going to have a tough time getting the looks he got last season when Johnson was drawing double teams.

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Cowboys’ Lamb not listed among top threats to break single-season receiving record

From @ToddBrock24f7: NFL.com named 5 WRs most likely to break Calvin Johnson’s record of 1,964 yards in a season. Inexplicably, CeeDee Lamb isn’t on the list.

One of football’s gaudiest records seems ready for a fall, but one of the game’s premier playmakers apparently isn’t a real threat to break it.

That’s what NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks thinks, anyway. He recently showcased a list of five pass-catchers who he deems the biggest threats to Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving record, but Cowboys superstar CeeDee Lamb is nowhere to be found.

It’s a somewhat puzzling stance, considering that Lamb led the NFL last season in receptions to finish a full 16 catches over the two runners-up (both of whom, coincidentally, did make Brooks’s list) and came in second in receiving yards.

Lamb was one of just two men- along with Miami’s Tyreek Hill- to top 1,700 receiving yards in 2023. That’s getting awfully close to Johnson’s mark of 1,964, which he set in 2012. Johnson himself has noted that his record is bound to be toppled- likely soon- given both a heavier emphasis these days on passing and the addition of a 17th game to the NFL season.

But according to Brooks, it’s more likely to be Hill, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Justin Jefferson, George Pickens, or- you may want to sit down for this, Cowboys fans- Amari Cooper that does it than it is Lamb.

Hill is an obvious choice, having come within 166 yards of the record last year. Hitting 1,965 yards in 17 games requires a per-game average of 115.6 yards per contest. Hill wrapped up his 2023 with 112.4, putting him well within reach of Megatron.

St. Brown’s young career is still on the rise. In three seasons, his single-season yardage total jumped from 912 to 1,161 to 1,515. It could go even higher, but most of the Lions’ stacked offense returns for 2024, and there’s only one ball to go around.

The Vikings will look to get a big return on their investment in Jefferson. He was one of just three receivers to average triple digit yards per game last season, so he can set the field on fire… but can Sam Darnold/J.J. McCarthy reliably get him enough passes?

Pickens led all qualifying receivers last season in yards per catch, with 18.1. Even at that rate, he’d need 109 receptions to break the record, and only five players had that in 2024. (Pickens had 63.) New Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith would have to really commit to a downfield attack.

Cooper’s appearance on the list stings for Cowboys fans who still believe the team was too hasty in shipping him out of town prior to the 2022 campaign. The 30-year-old is still putting up quality numbers in Cleveland, and now has Ken Dorsey as his offensive coordinator… but is he really a more potent threat than his 25-year-old former teammate?

It’s story problem time.

Lamb averaged 13.0 yards per reception last year. It’s totally reasonable to think he’ll repeat that, since 13.0 also happens to be his career per-catch average over four NFL seasons. (He hit 13.9 in 2021 and has never turned in a season below 12.6.) At 13 yards per grab, Lamb would need 152 catches to break Johnson’s benchmark. He had 135 last year.

Math says that if Lamb had caught 17 more passes- just one more ball per game– in 2023 and simply maintained the per-catch average he’s already held for four full seasons, he’d already have broken Johnson’s record.

But he’s not a threat to do it in 2024???

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As long as we’re playing with Lamb’s very steady production rate of 13 yards per catch, let’s keep going.

Looking at the Dallas offense, it’s not out of the question. The emphasis will clearly still be on the passing game in 2024, as the team has actually taken a step backward with its running back corps. And while Brandin Cooks and Jake Ferguson are still there and there’s the annual expectation of some newbie to catapult into the WR3 role and make a noticeable contribution, there’s no real reason (yet) to believe that the ball will be distributed much differently than it was in 2023.

So let’s give Lamb two extra catches per game over his total from last year. That would be 169 catches. Granted, that’s a new all-time record for a season, and by 20 receptions, a decent amount. But two additional catches per outing actually doesn’t seem outrageous. Lamb ended 2023 with two or more targets than receptions in 13 of 17 games, so the chances were certainly there.

At 13 yards per catch, that would put Lamb well over 2,000. In fact, with that many grabs, his per-reception average could plummet to a career-low 12.0 yards, and he’d still top 2K.

Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving yards record will fall. Sooner or later, so will the 2,000-yard barrier. But to suggest that CeeDee Lamb isn’t one of the top legitimate candidates to do it?

That’s just dropping the ball.

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Can Justin Jefferson set the new single-season receiving mark in 2024?

In a recent interview Calvin Johnson said it’s only a matter of time before his receiving yards record falls. Could Justin Jefferson do it?

Recently, Minnesota Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson broke the record for biggest non-quarterback contract in league history. And he did so for good reason. Not only has Jefferson been arguably the best wide receiver in the league since the Vikings drafted him in 2020, he’s also been the most prolific receiver to start a career in NFL history.

Jefferson holds the record for most yards by a receiver in his first four seasons, with just shy of 6,000 yards. But one record has eluded him so far: The single-season receiving yards record.

Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, the current record holder, recently said in an interview that he believes his record will fall. Johnson, who set the all-time mark back in 2012 with 1,964, had this to say about the record and its impending fall in an interview with Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press:

I mean, it’s bound to fall at some point the way it’s going, so it is what it is… I held it down, I don’t even know how long, over a decade now.

A few receivers have come close in recent years, with the Los Angeles Rams’ Cooper Kupp falling just 17 yards shy of the mark in 2021. Jefferson himself has flirted with the mark in his career. Two years ago, Jefferson came the closest he has to this point, notching 1,809 yards in 2021.

Jefferson was on a torrid pace through the first five games of last season, averaging 114 yards per game before an ankle injury derailed his season—a pace that would have put Jefferson just 23 yards shy of Johnson’s record.

The record is bound to fall at some point, but will Jefferson be the one to become the NFL’s new receiving yardage king, and can he do it this season?

On the optimistic side, Jefferson is well established as the Vikings’ dominant offensive weapon. That’s likely to be even more the case this season as the Vikings try to integrate a rookie quarterback into the fold with first-round pick J.J. McCarthy.

McCarthy likely won’t start right away for the Vikings, but they didn’t draft him to sit on the bench. He’ll eventually work his way into the starting lineup, and he will likely lean heavily on the star receiver.

That factor is likely compounded by the fact that the Vikings may be without star tight end T.J. Hockenson for the beginning portions of the season. Hockenson suffered a significant knee injury towards the end of last season, and though his rehab has been progressing, he still may wind up on the PUP list to start the season – meaning he could be out for the team’s first six weeks. Jefferson’s already dominant role in the offense increases even more if that’s the case.

On the pessimistic side, while Johnson believes it’s inevitable that his record falls one day—and he’s likely right—it’s going to take a Herculean effort by a wide receiver to do it. Even with an extra game on the schedule now as opposed to when Johnson set the mark, no one has been able to topple him at the top of the receiving yardage mountain.

It also shouldn’t be discounted that, while Jefferson is going to be the focal point of the Vikings offense, even with T.J. Hockenson absent from the lineup, other weapons will still eat into Jefferson’s share.

Second-year wide receiver Jordan Addison likely played his way into a larger role in the offense with a solid rookie season last year. The Vikings also signed former Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones in the offseason to improve a running game that was a disappointment in 2023.

So, while Jefferson certainly has the talent necessary to become the new receiving yardage king, he will be fighting an uphill battle to take the crown from the former Lions star. Will he have enough opportunity in 2024 to set a new mark? Only time will tell.

Former Lions WR Calvin Johnson feels receiving record is bound to fall

Former Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson believes its only a matter of time before his single-season receiving record falls in today’s league

Many Detroit Lions fans consider themselves fortunate to have witnessed the supreme talents of players like Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson, both of whom are frequently included in discussions as among the greatest to have ever played in their respective positions.

In 1997, Sanders came remarkably close to shattering the single-season rushing record, falling just 52 yards short of Eric Dickerson’s mark of 2,105 yards. Conversely, Johnson made history by breaking the single-season receiving record, becoming a symbol of excellence, showcasing unparalleled skill, athleticism, and dominance on the field.

Johnson’s record-setting performance, totaling 1,964 yards during the 2012 season, is widely acknowledged as one of the most impressive achievements in NFL history. His blend of size, speed, and sheer talent made him a daunting challenge for opposing defenses, propelling him to legendary status among football enthusiasts. For years, it appeared that Johnson’s record would remain unassailable until Cooper Kupp came within 17 yards of breaking it in 2021, even with the added advantage of an extra game compared to Johnson’s 16-game season.

Given the NFL’s increasing emphasis on aerial attacks, Johnson himself acknowledges that it’s only a matter of time before his receiving record is surpassed. As he told Dave Birkett of the Free Presstold Dave Birkett of the Free Press,

“They want more offense, man, so at some point. You got to be healthy. You got to play really a full 17 now. … That’s the key. You got to be healthy. If you can play 17, guys have put up numbers, you’re going to put up numbers. That 17, you get that extra game to put another 150 or 200 (yards).”

After Kupp’s remarkable 2021 season, the receiving record has been within striking distance, with Justin Jefferson totaling 1,809 yards in 2022 and Tyreek Hill amassing 1,799 yards in 16 games during 2023.

With the expanded 17-game schedule, receivers now need to average approximately 116 yards per game, a feat that seems achievable in today’s pass-heavy league. However, as Johnson pointed out, maintaining good health is crucial. If players like Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, or CeeDee Lamb catch fire and avoid injuries, it’s not unreasonable to expect the record to be broken sooner than anticipated.

Justin Jefferson’s contract extension is comparable to legends before him

Justin Jefferson is well on his way to being one of the best wide receivers of his generation, both on the field and financially.

Justin Jefferson is well on his way to being one of the best wide receivers of his generation, both on the field and financially.

Jefferson and the Vikings have agreed to four-year, $140 million extension, which was reported Monday.

Bill Barnwell of ESPN pointed out that the Vikings financially locked Jefferson into a deal comparable to those that legends at his position before him had. The money per year is, of course, higher, but the percentage of the team’s salary cap remains similar.

Barnwell points out that Jefferson’s contract takes up 13.7% of the Vikings’ cap. It aligns with the deals that Larry Fitzgerald signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2011 and Calvin Johnson with the Detroit Lions in 2012.

Those contracts were both for eight years compared with the four years that Jefferson got. The Vikings’ overall salary cap total is also greater over a shorter period of time.

To Jefferson’s benefit, however, his deal comes when he is much younger than Fitzgerald and Johnson were when they got their extensions. Jefferson will turn 25 this month, while Fitzgerald was 28 and Johnson was 26 at the time of their deals.