Calvin Johnson: the Detroit Lions Are Losers
The Detroit Lions are losers.
Something we’ve known for a long time. There was the 0-16 season. The fact they haven’t ever been to a Super Bowl. Their last championship was in the 1950s. Until 2015, they hadn’t won a game in Green Bay since the early 90s. The list goes on.
The team’s best player — next to Barry Sanders, probably of all time — receiver Calvin Johnson abruptly retired following the 2015 season.
A lot of Green Bay Packers fans dreamed of Johnson joining the team after he retired, but that was never going to happen. Aside from the cost, well… the Lions are losers and Johnson said as much this week.
“I mean, I thought about it,” Johnson said, when asked if he thought about changing teams. “Just like in basketball, you know, guys, they create these superteams. But it’s not quite like that in football where I had the freedom just to go.
“I was stuck in my contract with Detroit, and they told me, they would not release my contract, so I would have to come back to them. I didn’t see the chance for them to win a Super Bowl at the time, and for the work I was putting in, it wasn’t worth my time to keep on beating my head against the wall … and not going anywhere.”
Beating my head against the wall.
That’s what it’s like to play for the Detroit Lions.
And just think if the Lions had released him from his contract. Johnson may have signed with a team like the Packers for a low rate just for the chance to achieve the ultimate goal.
But the Lions beat you down. That will probably never change.
Boy, that’s some creative license you got going on there interpreting what Calvin said. Guys like Calvin and Barry might feel the Lions as a football team were losers. In their own minds. As a couple of the greatest players ever, not only for the Lions but in NFL history, they are a little too classy to actually say something that derogatory and alienate that entire fan base. Unlike Favre, who decided what a true Packer fan is (one that worships Favre of course).
Johnson also said his body was telling him to give it up. I don’t watch a lot of Detroit games, but Stafford at least in his early years threw his receivers into some big hits. I think this, along with something Johnson did took a toll on Johnson’s body/lower legs. That is one thing the Packers receivers should appreciate about Rodgers. Rodgers will throw his receivers for the most part to open field. Some of those low throws are on purpose to avoid hits.
Johnson was a great receiver. One thing Johnson did that suprised me was he was not consistent in how he aligned pre snap. Maybe this was because he was having lower leg issues? Most all receivers line up with their lead foot being closest to the center. Johnson would change his lead foot. Most, but not all the time, when Johnson would line up with his lead foot being closest to the sideline he would run a fly, corner or out route. When Johnson would line up with his lead foot being closest to the center he would run a slant or in route. I believe a lot of teams noticed this and Johnson took some big hits on those slants. One other current receiver does the same thing, only not quite as often as Johnson did. It surprises me his coaches don’t make him line up the same way every play.
“It’s the definition of insanity,” Johnson added laughing.
“That’s everybody’s goal, when they come to the league, is to win a Super Bowl,” Johnson said. “That’s the ultimate goal. … I wanted to win it, and like I said, I just didn’t see that opportunity.”
Johnson compared staying with the Lions to insanity. LOL. Let’s just hope Rodgers doesn’t start to feel the same way.
As much as it pains me, this article has some merit. You don’t even have to read between the lines much, Johnson is just being honest. He basically was saying he was stuck in Detroit. Much like Barry Sanders when he retired before his time. I think Sanders lost his desire before the 98 season, and he still gained 1500 yards. He had enough of carrying that team on his back, same as Johnson i’m guessing. I relate this somewhat to Rodgers, it’s a wonder he doesn’t feel somewhat the same by now.
I have mad respect for Johnson and Sanders, at the same time you almost feel sorry for Detroit fans. Suffering through the Matt Millen era. What have they won in the last 50 years, like 1 playoff game or something like that? Ouch.
So, was he really upset about not getting out of his contract or the fact that they made him give them money back ? Funny how he never said a bad word about the Lions until he found out that he would have to payback a portion of his contract. A lot of talking heads around the league thought it was a crap move by the Lions considering what he did for them.