Calvin Johnson | WR | Detroit Lions
Posted: 5/20/2013 1:24pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson confirmed he played with broken fingers last season. He has been trying to straighten them out this offseason, but didn't have surgery.
Huddle Up: Scary to think what Megatron might accomplish this season with a pair of healthy hands.
Posted: 3/19/2013 1:19am et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson agreed to restructure his contract, which has created nearly $3.5 million in salary cap space for the team. The team decreased Johnson's 2013 base salary from $5 million to $715,000 and converted the remaining $4.285 million into a signing bonus.
Huddle Up: Megatron can't do it alone in Detroit, so reworking his deal to free up cap space makes sense. Now let's see what the Lions do with the extra money.
Posted: 3/3/2013 1:52pm et
Mississippi State CB Johnthan Banks said he is confident he can cover any wide receiver in the NFL, even Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson. 'I think I can play against anybody. I can own anybody,' Banks said. 'I think I can cover Megatron.' Banks added he believes SEC schools can compete with NFL teams, so his college experience has him ready for the pro game.
Huddle Up: Megatron has rolled up a league-high 3,645 receiving yards over the past 2 seasons -- going against proven NFL CBs -- and ranks second with 21 TD grabs. Best of luck, kid.
Posted: 2/21/2013 1:27pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson played with at least two broken fingers most of the season and has been seen around the area with his hand wrapped. Head coach Jim Schwartz would not confirm the report, but he did not necessarily deny it, either. 'I am not going to comment on any of our players' health,' Schwartz said. 'But that's not uncommon for a wide receiver.'
Huddle Up: If true, this only adds to legend of Megatron who has paced NFL fantasy wideouts in each of the past 2 seasons.
Posted: 12/31/2012 1:28am et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson caught 5 passes for 72 yards in Sunday's Week
17 game and finished with an NFL single-season record 1,964 receiving yards --
36 shy of the league's first 2,000-yard receiving season.
Huddle Up: The Bears had about the only antidote for Megatron, holding him to a combined 8
receptions for 106 yards in sweeping the season series. Johnson, however,
shattered the Madden cover jinx and delivered more than a few of his fantasy
owners to the championship round, even though he finished with only 5 TDs
among his 122 receptions.
Posted: 12/27/2012 7:01pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson (knee, ankle) returned to practice Thursday, Dec. 27.
Huddle Up: They may be garbage yards for a struggling team, but fantasy owners are reaping the rewards as Johnson takes aim at an NFL milestone: 2,000 receiving yards in a season.
Posted: 12/26/2012 5:03pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson (knee, ankle) did not participate in practice Wednesday, Dec. 26.
Huddle Up: This is routine for Johnson, who has 2,000 yards in his sights after passing Jerry Rice for the all-time record in a single season last week. Unless he misses practice on Friday, don't sweat it.
Posted: 12/23/2012 12:10am et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson caught 11 passes for 225 yards Saturday night in the Week 16 game against the Atlanta Falcons, and, in the process, broke Jerry Rice's 17-year-old NFL record of 1,848 receiving yards in a season. Johnson broke the mark on a fourth-quarter catch and now has 1,892 yards on the season with a game left to go. Johnson also eclipsed 100 receiving yards for the eighth consecutive game to set another NFL record.
Huddle Up: Johnson continues to be a fantasy owner's dream, racking up catches and yards and chasing down NFL history as the Lions continue to lose, dropping their seventh straight game Saturday night. The 225-yard outing on 16 targets was the 2nd-highest single-game total in Megatron's career, and he's had a jaw-dropping 76 catches for 1,254 yards and 4 TDs over the Lions' past 8 games -- again with 7 of those being losses.
Posted: 12/18/2012 9:43pm et
Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz said the Arizona Cardinals used double coverage on WR Calvin Johnson on almost every play and had several defenders on him at the line of scrimmage on several occasions. 'Early in the season, we were facing defenses that were more prevent-type defenses, where they were just trying to prevent a big play,' Schwartz said. '(They) had respect for a lot of other players. This game, they took the approach of saying, 'If Calvin can't make the play, then we're going to challenge all the rest of the guys.'' WRs Nate Burleson (knee), Ryan Broyles (knee) and Titus Young and TE Brandon Pettigrew (ankle) all were not active last week. WRs Kris Durham and Brian Robiskie and TEs Tony Scheffler and Will Heller had a combined seven catches for only 77 yards. The Atlanta Falcons are expected to employ similar tactics as the Cardinals in order to try to take Johnson out of the game in Week 16. Johnson still managed 10 catches for 121 yards against Arizona.
Huddle Up: Pettigrew will try to return this week after missing the past game and a half, but his status remains up in the air. As for the rest, Scheffler has the most experience in the offense, but he hasn't done much over the past 2 weeks, catching a combined 6 passes for 56 yards and a TD over the past 2 games.
Posted: 12/3/2012 11:18am et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson is on pace to break former NFL WR Jerry Rice's all-time single-season record of 1,848 receiving yards. In Week 13, Johnson became the first player in league history to gain at least 140 receiving yards in four consecutive weeks.
Huddle Up: Megatron is averaging 119 yards per game for the season; he needs to average just 115 yards a game the rest of the way to catch Rice. He's proven to be uncoverable, so no reason to bet against him.
Posted: 11/14/2012 3:13pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson had a career-high 244 yards with a touchdown in his last meeting against the Green Bay Packers. In nine career meetings, Johnson has 10 receiving touchdowns.
Huddle Up: Johnson has come on strong the past couple of games, so he might be catching this great matchup at the perfect time. Lick your chops, it should be a good one.
Posted: 11/9/2012 12:49pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson (knee) and WR Titus Young (knee) returned to practice Friday, Nov. 9.
Huddle Up: This is more than Johnson did last week in terms of practice, and all he did was catch seven passes for 129 yards. The bigger concern is Antoine Winfield and that Vikings defense, which held him to just 54 yards last time out.
Posted: 11/8/2012 7:04pm et
Updating previous reports, Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson's (arms, knee, concussion) said nerve damage he suffered in a September game has made it tough for him to grip the football, but he said the problem has subsided despite dealing with aftereffects. Johnson was knocked out in the game against the Minnesota Vikings temporarily with a concussion, although head coach Jim Schwartz says that wasn't the case. Johnson said the big hits he's taken this year haven't made him reluctant to go over the middle to catch passes. The nerve damage was similar to a stinger, where Johnson had shooting pain down his arm. However, his knee issue has been what has limited him the last several weeks, causing him to miss practice again Thursday, although he said he's feeling much better now.
Huddle Up: Nerve damage, concussions and knee issues -- maybe there is something to this Madden Curse. And although Johnson is still stuck on 1 TD, he hasn't missed a start and is once again is among the league leaders with 48 catches so far.
Posted: 11/7/2012 1:14pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson (knee) was not participating during the media-access portion of practice Wednesday, Nov. 7.
Huddle Up: As we saw last week, this sort of thing does not affect Johnson's production very much. Going up against elite cornerbacks is a bigger issue; while Antoine Winfield is not necessarily "elite," he is quite good. The Vikings held Megatron to five catche for 54 yards earlier this season, but he garnered 12 targets that day and dropped one in the end zone. He should be fine this week.
Posted: 11/5/2012 5:23pm et
Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz said WR Calvin Johnson (knee) came out of the Week 9 game without any additional problems. Johnson likely will be limited during practice this week.
Huddle Up: Johnson owners hope there is no setback to his point output going forward.
Posted: 11/5/2012 11:33am et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson said he had to take painkillers before Week 9 to play on his injured left knee. Johnson met with QB Matthew Stafford, offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, receivers coach Shawn Jefferson and quarterbacks coach Todd Downing prior to the game to let everyone know what he could or could not do. Johnson wanted to play despite a knee injury, but had a limited range of motion. After the meeting, Linehan devised a strategy that would play to Johnson's strengths, and hide his weaknesses. "He (Linehan) called the game plan around that, for the most part. It's successful the way he did," Johnson said. It appears Johnson's injury is an issue he will deal with for the rest of the season. "It's probably something I'm going to have to deal with," Johnson said. "As much running as we do, especially in this game, it's stuff that really could take the whole season to get over with. It would be great if it can get over it before. It's something that I expect to linger. You just got to stay on top of it with treatments."
Huddle Up: If Megatron can deliver 7-129 while loaded up on painkillers, and the team doctors have determined he can't do any additional damage to his knee, then we're all for it. Expect plenty of missed and limited practices the rest of the way, and there are bound to be games where Johnson doesn't feel quite right or Linehan's modified game plan doesn't successfully feed the ball to Megatron. But his upside requires that you keep him in your fantasy lineup.
Posted: 11/4/2012 6:10pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson caught seven passes for 129 yards in Week 9 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Huddle Up: Megatron was a game-time decision, but looked to be just fine, hauling in 6 passes for 111 yards in the first half and just missing a TD reception when he was tripped up at the 1-yard line.
Posted: 11/3/2012 7:45pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson (knee) will be a game-time decision for Week 9.
He could be limited to third down work if he does play.
Huddle Up: Johnson's knee issues finally have caught up with him, and if he is active, fantasy
owners are going to have to decide if Megatron at 50-70 percent is a better option
than their bench wideouts.
Posted: 11/2/2012 5:31pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson (knee) is listed as questionable for Week 9.
Huddle Up: Johnson has missed practice all week, which has not been the case throughout the season. He has missed practices before, but this is a bit more concerning.
Posted: 11/2/2012 12:10pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson is being held out of practice this week to monitor his sore knee and get him as healthy as possible for the game.
Huddle Up: The injury must be hindering Megatron more than he's letting on, as he has uncharacteristically dropped balls and only found the end zone once. Johnson's productivity has suffered to the point that he's no longer an automatic start, and if he's missing practice on a regular basis fantasy owners are going to have some tough decisions to make about keeping him in their lineups.
Posted: 11/1/2012 12:18pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson will not practice Thursday, Nov. 1.
Huddle Up: Megatron has complained of knee soreness, and now he's missed two practices this week. If he's active he should be in your fantasy lineup, but Johnson has been dinged up and unproductive enough that you at least need to think about backup plans. The Madden Curse strikes again!
Posted: 10/31/2012 1:22pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson (knee) is not practicing Wednesday, Oct. 31.
Huddle Up: The same as it ever was in 2012. Do not fret, Johnson should be fine for this weekend. And he doesn't have to face Charles Tillman or Richard Sherman.
Posted: 10/29/2012 12:00pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson said following Week 8 that his sore knee contributed to a weak performance, in which he dropped two passes, including a wide-open would-be touchdown pass. "I just have to get my head around," Johnson said. "I didn't come out of my break like I wanted to. It's tough to stick my foot in the ground with my knee hurting, but that's not (an) excuse."
Huddle Up: If Megatron wanted to make an excuse without making an excuse, why not just blame the Madden Curse? In fantasy leagues where touchdowns matter Johnson has been a massive disappointment; if he's truly nursing a knee injury that is hampering his play to the degree demonstrated yesterday, that productivity is not going to get better any time soon.
Posted: 10/26/2012 5:53pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson (knee) did not participate in practice Friday, Oct. 26, and is probable for the team's Week 8 game.
Huddle Up: As usual, Megatron's midweek absences are much ado about nothing, though one has to wonder if some of his drop issues have to do with missing practices. He gets another tough matchup against Richard Sherman and the Seattle Seahawks this week, though.
Posted: 10/23/2012 12:47am et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson managed only 3 receptions for 34 yards in Week 7 against the Chicago Bears Monday, Oct. 22. Johnson did not post his first catch until the second half, and it was well into the fourth quarter before he had his second grab.
Huddle Up: CB Charles Tillman and the Bears' defense are good, but this shouldn't happen to the near-unanimous No.1 fantasy wideout entering the season. Johnson dropped the first 2 passes thrown his way Monday and never recovered, going without a TD for the fifth time in 6 games this season. Through 6 games a year ago, Johnson had 9 scoring receptions en route to 16 on the season, but a combination of increased attention from defenses, QB Matthew Stafford's struggles and a slight drop-off in his own play has led to Johnson's disappointing 2012 so far.
Posted: 10/20/2012 10:04pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson is not concerned over his lack of touchdown production so far this season. Johnson had nine touchdowns through the first five games of 2011. He has one in 2012. 'Nah, not really,' Johnson said. 'If I was dropping a bunch of touchdown passes, yeah. The coverage can dictate a lot of things. It'll come. As long as we're able to help out moving the ball down the field, that's all that matters right now.' QB Matthew Stafford said he and Johnson are getting closer to connecting and he will continue to look for him in the passing game.
Huddle Up: Johnson has done everything but find the end zone with frequency, ranking 8th overall in the league with 35 receptions and 4th in receiving yards with 558 -- and that's with the bye week thrown in.
Posted: 10/11/2012 12:20pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson admitted playing through a concussion after a vicious helmet-to-helmet collision with Minnesota Vikings LB Chad Greenway in Week 4. "He rung my bell pretty good, he got me, he caught me around the chin, that was a good hit," Johnson said. "It's a part of football, you get concussed, you gotta keep on playing. You can't get afraid to go across the middle any more than you were at the beginning." Johnson also said he underwent a concussion test on the sideline after that hit. "They come and do the little test with the finger ... ask you what day, what game it is, stuff like that," Johnson said.
Huddle Up: The league is not going to like hearing the phrase "played through a concussion" from one of its biggest stars. On the bright side, there doesn't appear to be an issue with Johnson playing this week, aside from him already having a concussion on his docket.
Posted: 9/29/2012 6:48pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson is tied for 10th in the NFL with 31 targets. Johnson was third in the league last season with 9.875 targets per game, and he's ahead of that pace in 2012 (10.333).
Huddle Up: Not surprising in the least. Where Johnson has come up short so far, though, is in TD catches as he only has 1 through 3 games. He led the league with 16 scoring grabs a year ago.
Posted: 9/26/2012 5:57pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson (ankle) was limited in practice Wednesday, Sept. 26.
Huddle Up: This is an improvement over the past couple of Wednesdays, when Johnson did not practice at all. Once again, this is nothing to worry about with Megatron, who has played well through injury in the past.
Posted: 9/22/2012 5:51pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson believes there will be some big-play
opportunities available in Week 3 versus the Tennessee Titans. The Titans rank
25th in the NFL in yards allowed per game (403) and 20th in passing yards
allowed (248) this season. 'We feel like there are some things we can get done (on
offense) with this (Titans) defense we're going up against,' Johnson said. 'If they
play (the coverage schemes) we've been seeing on film, that would be fantastic for
us ... we can move the ball up and down the field.'
Huddle Up: Johnson and Co. are due for a breakout game with QB Matthew Stafford having
thrown only 2 TDs so far, with neither going to Megatron. If they can't get
something going against the Titans, fantasy owners will be left to wonder when
exactly the big numbers will come.
Posted: 9/20/2012 1:56pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson (foot) returned to practice Thrusday, Sept. 20.
Huddle Up: As has been the M.O., Johnson sits out a practice early in the week and then is fine the rest of the week and -- most importantly -- on Sunday. This week, he's looking for his first TD catch of the season.
Posted: 9/19/2012 5:00pm et
Updating a previous report, Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson (ankle) did not participate in practice Wednesday, Sept. 19.
Huddle Up: Johnson missed a Wednesday practice last week and looked just fine on Sunday. Of course, the same happened to Nicks and he was ruled out of Thursday night's matchup against the Panthers. Thankfully for Johnson owners, he does not have an early game this week, though he might have played through the injury.
Posted: 9/19/2012 12:40pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson (foot) did not take part in practice Wednesday, Sept. 19. Johnson did not practice at the start of last week but did play in Week 2.
Huddle Up: He has played through injury in the past, and this seems to be a minor situation. Johnson had a fine game last week despite getting shut out of the end zone by the 49ers defense once again. He should have a huge game soon.
Posted: 9/14/2012 5:50pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson (foot) fully participated in practice Friday, Sept. 14, and is listed as probable for Week 2.
Huddle Up: Move along, nothing to see here. Megatron is always a must-start, even if he's dinged up and going against a stout 49ers defense.
Posted: 9/13/2012 1:14pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson (foot) returned to practice Thursday, Sept. 13.
Huddle Up: With Madden 2012 cover man and No. 1-ranked fantasy wideout missing practice Wednesday, it sent up alarms across the super-information highway. No worries, though, aside from the 49ers, who can continue working on their triple-coverage plans for Sunday night's game.
Posted: 9/12/2012 2:36pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson is not participating in practice Wednesday, Sept. 12, but is likely just getting a day off.
Huddle Up: This news is making its way around the Internet in alarmist fashion. Hopefully it is indeed just a planned day off for the stud receiver. There has been no indication of injury for the stud receiver, and he has played well through injury before. Monitor his status, but it looks like he's fine.
Posted: 8/27/2012 11:59pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson (finger) did not practice Monday, Aug. 27, and he once again was wearing a splint on his left index finger.
Huddle Up: This doesn't sound like a huge deal, but any type of finger injury obviously has the potential to be dicey when it comes to receivers. It's at least something to keep an eye on, considering Johnson's status as the No. 1 preseason fantasy wideout.
Posted: 8/18/2012 7:25pm et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson had five receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown in the team's preseason game Friday, Aug. 17.
Huddle Up: What Madden Curse??? Well, at least through Week 2 of the preseason, Johnson looks every bit of the No. 1-ranked fantasy wideout he's billed to be. Johnson simply had a monster season (96-1,681-16 TDs) a year ago, and he's going to be hard-pressed to match those figures. Still, barring the Curse kicking in at some point, Megatron simply is too physcially talented not to at least come close. Draft him with no reservations.
Posted: 6/26/2012 5:10am et
Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson has looked stronger and faster during offseason practices, according to WR Nate Burleson. 'I know it sounds corny,' Burleson said. 'You wouldn't think a guy like that could come back and get better, but he does... He probably dropped a little bit of weight, so he's in extremely good shape. I see him in the weight room, so I know he's stronger. And on the field he's yards ahead of us in conditioning drills; he's still running past guys easily.'
Huddle Up: Megatron's laser-cannon legs and silver-chromed hands are already the finest in the NFL. Now he's refining his neutro-fusion hull for optimum battle mode.