How Good Was Calvin Johnson Actually?

[@zachgizzi7893]

This dude was so good he was in his prime for his whole NFL career! 🏈

[@hthrun]

But Megatron hated Prime. I'll see myself out...

[@Lazaven]

@@hthrun 😭🤣😂

[@Megatron_James_Brady8121]

And injured

[@JoeMACofNAC]

For real though, he was never a rookie 🤣

[@theindooroutdoorsman]

He set the single season receiving yards record after being on the Madden cover *and* he did it in Detroit. That's how good he was.

[@malachniman]

Beat the curse

[@josiahwilliams1441]

Hands down ultimate checkmate to all other comments on this matter... 🙌👏

[@81sam]

Wym he did it in Detroit lol he had an A tier qb

[@theindooroutdoorsman]

@@81sam Yeah, and imagine what his stat line would have been somewhere like New England, Indianapolis, Jersey (Giants), Oakland, New Orleans or Green Bay.

[@81sam]

@@theindooroutdoorsman he would arguably have a worse statline lol

[@austinclubb2093]

His prime as a WR is probably the best of any to ever play.

[@17thN.O]

Yeah. That's probably true.

[@venezuelilla]

Randy Moss

[@chrishandsome4267]

@@venezuelilla nah

[@Inbound66]

Cooper cupp

[@ballsballsballs3617]

@@Inbound66 kupp wouldn’t have broke his record without the extra game

[@iMarzie]

How the hell did he not make the pro bowl in his second season with 1200+ yards and a league leading 12 TD’s with an 0-16 team that had 5 different QB’s that year?

[@aureity9678]

fax.

[@hunterkennedy641]

For the exact reason you just said. It was an 0-16 team and it was only his 2nd season. People vote for "BIG names" when it comes to pro bowls and that type of stuff. He probably wasn't anywhere as recognizable in his 2nd season vs say in his prime years.

[@lancethedragonmaster8562]

​@@hunterkennedy641if i remember roy williams was still detroits #1 reciever at the time. Weird enough roy was also a beast.

[@shhshlhshshs2806]

Not gonna talk about his 300+ yard receiving game 😐

[@UnholyWrath3277]

Ikr not only that but he came within 10 yards of breaking the record which was set during an OT game. So the record holder had almost an entire extra quarter to get what Johnson did in regulation

[@rellllzzz2473]

Detroit vs everybody

[@suiciiiddee]

Right! People do him so dirty. He should be talked about more. Best WR EVER IN MY OPINION. Beat jerry rices all time record and was the first

[@yourmom7491]

He fr was a freak

[@giannisantetokounmpo4794]

I do that in madden every game not impressive at all

[@godlevel5495]

Megatron was a beast! Miss watching him play on Sundays

[@thereilneid2868]

Great choice on this one, as usual. Being able to see him live here in Detroit was special. He could take over a game himself. He would shut down 1/2 the field to deal w/him defensively. Too bad the Lions ALWAYS sucked to take advantage of it. 1st ballot HOF'ER

[@Jus2K]

He should've left the Lions but this man is still a legend

[@TQBClips]

He couldn't every time he tried to the Lions will try to keep him in or try to franchise tag him

[@garrett9562]

@@TQBClips I guess its sad but true. The lions just don't care about their players. Look at Barry sanders too

[@TQBClips]

@@garrett9562 that's really sad what the Lions did to Barry Sanders Sadly did the same thing with Calvin Johnson a few years later I wish both of those guys run better organizations so they can both win the super bowl and at least one championships but both of them did good in their time with Detroit

[@phoenixfeathers132]

@@garrett9562 not true barry loved the lions and chose only to play on the lions

[@sto1238]

If only we could’ve drafted him instead of JaWalrus Russell 🤮

[@shottadrew]

Man saw the future of the lions and was like nah fam😂

[@bigboy3664]

Uhhh… yeah he would’ve been 40 by now but hey we winning now 😂

[@michaelmitchell570]

If Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson played on the same team defenses would've been truly terrified

[@43captrexkramer]

Think about facing them in the pro bowl along with Larry Fitzgerald.

[@james_ford86]

Only problem there is salary cap. No team could afford to have both Moss and Megatron on the same team at any point in their careers, save maybe when Moss was already washed up and about to retire. Before you start spouting off about rookie pay scales, don't. Both Moss and Johnson were drafted before the rookie pay scale, and both signed mega-contracts that would make keeping both on the same team impossible. Moss was already on an expensive contract when Johnson was drafted. That said, yeah, if no salary cap, then a team with those two (in their primes) would truly be unstoppable.

[@tedjordan7567]

Would’ve had to run a true dime package with 10 DBs 😁

[@evan0927]

Doesn't matter organization career longevity, everybody knows it. He's literally a physical phenomenon

[@terancem6240]

1200 receiving yards on a team that ran the option 80% of the time is damn impressive

[@Fadyfad]

the option wasnt ran in gt till johnson left. they were a regular offense back then

[@poindextertunes]

he was the only guy Stafford would throw to tho

[@JemarreoHorton-yi1xs]

Reggie ball was his Qb at gt and he was a short running Qb with terrible accuracy who could barely see over his offensive line

[@brookiecookieprod7218]

Matthew stafford and Calvin Johnson are the most underrated duo ever

[@Thetopplug]

Yesass

[@17thN.O]

Yeah they put up beau coup yards.

[@Germanboi-ke9up]

How can you dislike this video it is literally perfect, I recommend you do more like this pls

[@morganmanning1381]

It's hard to like a "sports channel's" video when they say national powerhouse Miami and then show a picture of Miami University's stadium.

[@ianmcgrath71]

I love Calvin Johnson in fact he's my favorite player and as a Lions fan I wish we could've at least made a super tea, around him or trade him away because he needs a ring

[@MB-kf1xl]

We could have, but we were robbed in the 2014 playoffs by the refs in Dallas 😭

[@Megatron_James_Brady8121]

If you would like to play virtual Bingo with Calvin on February 27th let me know and I’ll get you all the details👍🏽

[@eljefe797]

@@Megatron_James_Brady8121 I do

[@Megatron_James_Brady8121]

@@eljefe797 already past..... but whenever we do something again I’ll let u know👌🏽

[@musicmedia-]

It's true that he was still in his prime, but he was still plagued by injuries.

[@backlog2389]

Pretty sure in an interview he stated that he left the NFL because his body couldn't take it anymore. Although I don't doubt that playing on one of the worst teams in league also helped.

[@raylopez99]

Don't blame him, if the opposing team ganged up on him...those head injuries...get out while your still have a working brain and 60 million guaranteed.

[@therealdakshina1051]

@@raylopez99 fr, even now his fingers and walking look fucked up

[@raylopez99]

@@therealdakshina1051 That's too bad.

[@donsolos]

His ankles were fucked. He played through a lot of injuries for the lions. His final season you could tell he was deteriorating fast. He made the right move

[@youvegottabekiddingme1955]

Do the other Lion legend - Barry Sanders

[@43captrexkramer]

Follow that with Chris Spielman.

[@3siemon]

You should do a "the story of Aldon Smith" he has a really cool story

[@quan8786]

yes definitely

[@jymirsmith5282]

Yeah he should

[@bostonk.o.]

I hope he becomes a star again

[@Oneshoe_IV]

How to commit crimes and come back?

[@chaseembry55]

@@Oneshoe_IV the complete definition of Michael Vick lol

[@Equivalate]

Still my favorite player to have played. Generational talent

[@Megatron_James_Brady8121]

If you would like to play virtual Bingo with Calvin on February 27th let me know and I’ll get you all the details👍🏽

[@troyboy322]

Now imagine Barry sanders + Calvin Johnson on the lions at the same time

[@bostonk.o.]

If Madden had All Time teams.....

[@DanielSong39]

Barry Sanders had Herman Moore though. He was an absolute stud in his prime

[@k.a.m8261]

@@DanielSong39 a stud but not Calvin plus he had no qb but stafford and Calvin on Barry’s team with Herman Moore and u got an unstoppable offense

[@liamgale3586]

And stafford

[@alschwartz8732]

remember they had herman moore, who was one of the best slot receivers at the time. but imagine those 3 on the field.

[@nicholasknotts8531]

How good was he? NOBODY could cover him, even in double, hell, he could beat triple coverage. If the ball was even close to him, he would come down with it.

[@toltaldominationx7183]

Dude was a beast just about all of his career but when he was ON his game against whoever he was arguably the most unguardable WR in history. Imo. Too big, too strong and too fast. I'm no Lions fan but have crazy respect for Johnson and Sanders. Two of the best to ever play were stuck in Detroit and Lions fans cant even argue that.

[@collinbeutenmiller4842]

I mean growing up as a lions fan can suck, but when we had Calvin Johnson Stafford duo they were something to brag about❤️

[@davesaidy1900]

I'm a Huge Fan! Always thought He would be one of My receivers if ran a team. At least I'd like to have His talent on My team. Also You can't really be that confused how a multimillionaire would retire while His Heath was still perfect. Professional Football is a really Really dangerous game. Those Guys are the size of filled Refrigerators. He just wasn't greedy. He had enough money for the rest of His Life. Good for Him!

[@noteminemsburneraccount324]

In his prime was literally the greatest receiver to ever play and would hold every record had he played anywhere else

[@james_ford86]

I disagree about the "anywhere" part of that comment. Had he played for the Browns, the Jaguars, or any other team with bad QB play, I don't think your comment comes true. That said, if he'd gone to a competent team that won with regularity, and had good QB play, then yes, I could see that being true.

[@noteminemsburneraccount324]

@@james_ford86 if you got a bad qb but an elite receiver who literally could out jump anyone then that wr can make a qb look good sure he wouldn't have the laser on the string throws but he'd still be getting all the short slants he got in detriot after he got hurt or the deep ball over the top knowing not many can guard

[@james_ford86]

@@noteminemsburneraccount324 I still disagree. Calvin would not have put up HOF numbers with guys like Charlie Fry throwing him the ball. It just would not happen. Once Stafford got to Detroit, Megatron's career went to the next level. If that had not happened, Megatron would not have even been HOF, much less first ballot. Now, if you want to put him on any team with a competent QB, then I'd agree with you, but that doesn't include teams with over a decade of bad QB play, like Jacksonville or Cleveland.

[@noteminemsburneraccount324]

@@james_ford86 Megatron was in the league for what 1 year before they got Stafford so we don't really know persay but I see your point. this is all speculation I just believe Megatron from watching him every week and being at every home game and watching Stafford throw basically jump balls to Megatron most his career and 3-4 guys at most times couldn't stop it that he could of still done it

[@james_ford86]

@@noteminemsburneraccount324 Okay a few things in reply: 1. Calvin was drafted in 2007, two years before Stafford was drafted in 2009, not one year. Second, Matthew Stafford landed on IR in his first two seasons, leaving Calvin to play most of those two years with guys like Shaun Hill, Daunte Culpepper (washed up at that time), and Drew Stanton throwing him the ball during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. The only QB out of those who could have potentially been a starter on a team desperate for QBs would be Hill, and his arm was weak AF. 2. In 2007 and 2008 (0-16 year) Calvin was playing with guys like Jon Kitna (meh starter, threw too many INTs), Josh McCown, and Dan Orlovsky. Again, trash QBs. Megatron did put up decent numbers during these years, but nowhere near the HOF caliber record-breaking numbers he did once Stafford finally started a full season in 2011 onward. 3. Those jump balls you're talking about aren't as easy as you make it seem. Many of these "jump balls" were from 40+ air yards away. Matthew Stafford is one of only a few QBs in the NFL who has the arm strength to even attempt those throws, let alone put them in a spot where only Megatron can make a play on it. You act like that's a knock on Stafford and seriously underestimate the arm strength and skill needed to make those throws. Heck, look at the jump balls Calvin caught over three defenders, first against Dallas, then against Cincinnati later. Both of those were not easy throws, by any stretch of the imagination. 4. Calvin would have gone down as a very good WR had he played for a team like the 2007-2010 Lions or the Jaguars/Browns for the length of his career, but he would NOT be HOF as his numbers didn't start taking off until he finally got a good QB in Stafford.

[@chandlerpendergraft2785]

megatron is top 3 all time receivers. not even a question

[@laurenz4528]

7:04 he retired because of the health issues of getting older, he talked about how he just wasn’t able to recover and his ankle was so stiff if he had to roll on the right to catch a ball he couldn’t do it.

[@loganoutlaw9769]

Good for him getting out early. Hope hes chilling healthy and loving life.

[@bradyfeliciotto9602]

“Such as other national powerhouses” *shows picture of Miami of Ohio

[@Coonan3272]

I thought I was the only one who noticed😭😭

[@iMarzie]

Gotta love the national powerhouse MAC school of Miami

[@DanielSong39]

@@iMarzie Actually for a Group of Five school Miami-OH has done pretty well, several conference titles and finished #10 in the final rankings in 2003

[@iMarzie]

@@DanielSong39 yeah I don’t disagree. I graduated from Central Michigan so I’m pretty familiar with some good ole Maction lol. And you can’t forget what Western Michigan did under PJ Fleck just a few years back.

[@21tchrist]

He doesn’t watch college football I guess

[@otmthewave]

everyone knew about Megatron. i never was to big on football but man when i played madden i knew who to go get

[@airjordan780]

calvin prime years has to be the best ever this game has seen

[@ItzClobert]

Megatron could've been up there with Moss and Rice if he was on a good organization. Imagine if he was on the Patriots with Brady throwing to him.

[@Ayden_1-]

@@TDeuce-u3f he’s still top 10

[@shadyorphan420]

He would be traded 2 years within the patriots

[@evan0927]

He's better

[@aoifedeacon3077]

He's already up there with them 🤣

[@garrett6566]

i personally think the top 3 is megatron, jones, and rice (in no particular order)

[@connerwalters2836]

In his rookie season he suffered a back injury that lingered with him for his career, as well as multiple concussions. Made sense why he would want to retire.

[@justAman548]

I will forever remember that catch. Dude was completely horizontal it seemed like. They were playing the eagles in those weird blue/yellow jerseys, I think.

[@Trevdawg48]

When at his best (which he almost always was), he is the best WR ever. If I'm making an all-time team, I'd pick him first at WR, and I'd actually pick Moss over Rice due to that speed. I am more of a basketball fan and Rice is Kareem, Moss is Shaq, and Megatron is Wilt.

[@donsolos]

Rice>randy. Randy was more talented but rice had it all, especially the mental aspect of the game. Randy was a all about me type of player

[@Dbkhaady_ttw1]

Diddy 😂 3:33

[@Jxmybuckets]

Lmfaooo that was my exact reaction

[@kidflashiv]

Absolute beast💪🏾

[@michaelcambridge1542]

Megatron!! Nuff said!!

[@johnpool1922]

Love megatron but he’s a perfect example of accomplishing as much as you can without switching up whether it be teams or his own personal beliefs. And also knowing and listening to the people that care about him (family) when talking about his future and that he no longer needs to prove anything. Always put your health first because these franchise won’t no matter what bull shit media headline they come up with. Do what’s best for you and your family

[@ripkenwhetstine3877]

the 3 best WRs in NFL history would have been jerry rice,calvin johnson and larry fizgarald if calvin didn't retire

[@michaelattisha5964]

If its based on talent, Johnson is easily top 3. If its based on overall career stats, then he’s top 5

[@dasherif1271]

What about Moss

[@bea625]

Moss and Calvin Johnson were probably the 2 most athletically gifted WRs. Rice worked his ass off to play as long and be as good as he was. I do agree though, statistically all he had to do was average a bit over 1000 yards a season and he’d be 35 with over 17,000 yards. Remarkable.

[@lancethedragonmaster8562]

Megatron, larry fitzgerald, and andre hohnson were all in the league at the same time. CRAZY

[@CMATT850]

Him and barry said I can't do this shit anymore

[@TuckyTuck]

Most talented, unguardable receiver to ever touch the turf imo

[@HonoluluBlue81]

If you combined Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, and Terrell Owens you get Calvin Johnson. His combination of size, speed, strength, athleticism, hands and route running will never be seen again. Megatron is the GOAT.

[@209smokie9]

In my eyes Megatron is the most dominant and the most destructive wr in the NFL. If he would of been in a better team. Once in a lifetime talents. Sad he didn't get a ring

[@hustleman8797]

Its crazy people actually trying to compare DK Metcalf to this guy

[@serikjones6852]

Best wr ive seen in my lifetime

[@michaelbutler9251]

In my opinion he is the best wide receiver of all time and I know that is a stretch so I will go with second but I do think he could have been

[@marcospinelli6367]

On his way to becoming one of the best WR ever? He was there, my man. That's how good he was.

[@2infinity_and_beyond]

Calvin Johnson is the receiver you would create in Madden

[@hmonsta1189]

He always looked like he was running in slow motion, but he was so quick. I think it is because of his running stride.

[@vansh1968]

seeing his total tds in his rookie year shows me how special chase claypool is since he got 10 of em

[@llopnikgaharrison3136]

Man there was decent talent around still when he retired.

[@AB-nv7bz]

Greatest wr to ever live. Before we start spouting stats about Jerry, he played with 2 HOF qbs in an offensive system no one knew how to defend(at least for the first 10 years). He was also a perfect fit for the system. Calvin played on awful teams and never had a #2 to force 1 on 1s.

[@claw1004]

He played on a couple good lions teams, and had golden tate for a few years as well

[@AB-nv7bz]

@@claw1004 good lions teams? No he had some incredible years that took bad teams to the playoffs.

[@claw1004]

@@AB-nv7bz Lions had something like the 1 or 2 ranked defense in 2014. I agree most of the teams he played on were bad but they had some good players outside of Calvin

[@Famemusicoffical]

Actually makes it more harder doing what he did cause the defense knew they was gonna go to him yet they still couldn’t stop him

[@pnuttyinthacutty]

Miss watching him play

[@evanhoward9164]

I believe that Megatron is the best WR ever. He had everything, in only 9 seasons had almost 12k yards and 83 TDs. Imagine if he got his wish and the Lions let him go somewhere else and he kept playing? There would be no doubt he was the best by a wide margin.

[@colingriffin4463]

Screw rice, Megatron is the goat

[@josiahwilliams1441]

Hr made the best catch I ever seen when he had to stop on a post or something and reach back to catch it.

[@brucelee5576]

When the Lions played my Saints in the playoff we put 3 defenders on him at all times.

[@austinmitchell3461]

Fun fact. Sean McVay beat out Calvin Johnson for Georgia's high school football player of the year.

[@bowhunter8532]

No way...seriously?

[@tamikoturner7613]

The reason he quit early was bcuz since he was a big dude ppl would aim for his legs and it got to the point where he couldn’t even lift his feet off the ground when u was at home he would shuffle around

[@ohishwaddup]

Him and Andrew Luck made the right decision of knowing when to hang it up. You only get one life so while you might have millions of dollars you can only enjoy so much with a broken body.

[@j.fusilier.0247]

GOAT in my book

[@matthewkim605]

The ineptitude of the lions as a franchise is still mind-boggling to this day.

[@hunterkennedy641]

I know this video is a few years old now, but Calvin retired because of HEALTH issues. He said that his ankles were stiff and he could barely even move them. He was playing in pain for his last season or two then finally decided to call it quits. So for the narrative of this video to shit on him basically making it seem like he retired out of spite against the team or because they weren't a good team is quite off-putting👎 Calvin gave it everything he had for 9 seasons at Detroit and he for sure would've went another handful of seasons if his body allowed him.

[@justinmaitland7335]

You forgot he was the first receiver to get double teamed off the line of scrimmage and teams would plan solely for him

[@monkeydude9192]

No one else gonna mention that the home video is from Oct 2007, when Megatron would’ve been a month into his rookie NFL season?

[@zachfromontario8213]

If Megatron ever came back now, he would break 1000 receiving yard with the newer rule change. Go Lions 🏈

[@Coolgiy67]

Best of all time

[@tylerjobes1090]

Top 3 all time no debate

[@evan0927]

Greatest WR in my opinion

[@rickyrichreacts9667]

I'LL SAVE YALL THE TIME: He was really REALLY good. You're welcome.

[@Patkilla7558]

I have a friend who is the biggest cheesehead, and his team was getting cooked by this man. For whatever reason, he loved Megatron. I will never get over that.

[@conkieplays2451]

if Calvin did not retire he may off been in the G.OA.T or goat wr conversation

[@hookedlifting4243]

Imagine him and stafford met at Georgia

[@somebodycomegether770]

he was amazing. video over

[@Gizbo1328]

My dog Reggie Ball could SLING it at GT. Used to absolutely dominate everybody with that GT team in the old dub days. Good times.

[@MarkSmithhhh]

He was like a create a player

[@krewsoper3653]

Anyone else notice that the video is 8:01 minutes long!

[@GP-gm4zq]

Noti gang

[@Keakzz]

This video drops as madden disrespects him with his new MUT card smh

[@maddmancord]

His card a beast wym

[@darrenlobban9365]

6'5", ran a 4.3 40 and a 42 inch vertical.

[@sorenkarna2619]

Good, Amazing even, him and BS retired early and still had incredible stats

[@sirjohn7738]

the most dominant receivers of all time, him or moss no doubt

[@Wp3III]

Mock my words my nfl career will be talked about like this except untangled out of high school

[@afitzpatrick2050]

Flemlo Raps has a video explaining why megatron retired if anyone is interested

[@siler7]

He didn't even look like he was trying while running that 40. Like he was running alongside his little brother and didn't want to show him up.

[@dripskylark6054]

He was really good. Thanks For Watching!

[@BlackAF1stepper]

Not even a debate he was one of the best wr.

[@polodolo1192]

Video Idea: Do players who had one good year but then were trash

[@nicholaswoods4055]

3rd best receiver of all time

[@Free10zin]

All bandwagon cooper kupp fans need to watch this video💯

[@paytonblankenship5825]

not even gonna watch the vid and i’ll answer the question. he was really fucking good

[@jacoblahr]

Whats up with Lions players retiring early or departing quite fast?

[@walshdog61]

Dominant, and a top 3 Detroit Lion ever. Enough said.

[@kurt.31.obrien68]

Top 1

[@ExistentialNights]

And he did most of this while being constantly double teamed

[@Gofast49442]

Lions head coach: "great player but even better person"

[@Gtthe7080]

Megatron vs Mapletron

[@KJC_4real_]

Can you do a Julio Jones video please?

[@scouserdan3]

Should do the story of Aaron Hernandez he has a really cool story

[@mrfake675]

Stand up guy

[@gregrowe1168]

All he did was “hang around “