Calvin Johnson Stats - Pride Of Detroit

Calvin Johnson

#81 / Wide Receiver / Detroit Lions

Height: 6-5

Weight: 235

Born: Sep 25, 1985

College: Georgia Tech

An Empty Widget

No Data Available

Wednesday Notes: Jason Hanson Back to Full Health?

by Sean Yuille on Aug 27, 2008 1:30 AM EDT in Notes

The Lions practiced outside in helmets and shorts on Tuesday afternoon. It appears there will not be any practice today as the Lions are having their annual kickoff luncheon. And on Thursday they will head to Buffalo to play the Bills.
Rod Marinelli said after yesterday's practice that Jason Hanson is 100% healthy "according to the trainers."
Marinelli also said that it's possible that Drew Henson could play as much as an entire half against Buffalo. The playing time he gets will depend on how many plays he has learned, so the coaches should have a pretty good idea of where he's at right now.
Dan Campbell will not play tomorrow against Buffalo. Daniel Bullocks, on the other hand, should play.
Sports Illustrated has predicted the Lions to go 7-9 for the second season in a row. It is only the preseason, but the Lions seem like they have improved quite a bit on defense and on offense (sans the running game). If they can move the ball on the ground successfully then I think 7-9 is certainly a possibility. I might even be inclined to say the Lions could get to 8-8 or better.
While on the topic of predictions, I projected the Lions to go 6-10 back in late May/early June. I'll reevaluate that prediction before the season starts, and I feel like I'll probably agree with SI and give them a 7-9 record.
Roy Williams believes that he and Calvin Johnson are the NFL's third best receiving duo. He doesn't think they're quite on the level of the Colts' Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne or the Bengals' Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh just yet. I would agree with him considering Calvin Johnson's rookie season wasn't out of this world amazing or anything like that, but this season Roy and Calvin have a great chance to move up that list. C.J. is due for a breakout season and if Roy can be Roy, the numbers won't lie.
Michael Strahan is going to stay retired.
The official Pride of Detroit Fantasy Football League's draft was held last night and it went smoothly. I'm not exactly thrilled with how some of my picks went, but you can read more about that in a separate post. The overflow league's draft will take place tonight at 8 p.m. ET.

0 comments | 0 recs

Monday Notes: Kitna, Others Likely Won't Dress for Preseason Finale

by Sean Yuille on Aug 25, 2008 3:12 AM EDT in Notes

First, a couple of reminders: If you're in the official Pride of Detroit Fantasy Football League, don't forget that your draft is at 8 p.m. ET tomorrow. If you're in the overflow league, your draft is at the same time on Wednesday.
Although it would be nice to see the Lions go undefeated this preseason, the coaches are more worried about keeping everyone healthy. With only one game left in the preseason it would be devastating for any player to suffer an injury, and that especially can be said about the starters. Jon Kitna isn't expected to even be in uniform as he already has had a couple mishaps that involved him being kicked. How he managed to get kicked on two separate occasions is beyond me, but it shows that accidents can happen, so I don't want Kitna anywhere but the bench on Thursday.
Assuming Kitna won't play at all against Buffalo, we should expect to see Dan Orlovsky for most of the first half. The Lions need to be careful with him as well considering their depth at QB is already thin, so the hope is that Drew Henson will play quite a bit.

Just how long Orlovsky and Henson will play depends on how much of the offense Henson can learn in the coming days. He only knows six plays right now, so he'll have to study up. My hope is that Henson plays most of the game as Orlovsky really shouldn't be in there more than he has to. An injury to him could really screw the Lions if Kitna were to go down during the first part of the regular season.
Kitna won't be the only starter that doesn't dress for Thursday's game. I wouldn't expect players like Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson to be in uniform at all, and then there are many other starters that will probably see little to no playing time.
All of this talk of not playing the starters is because allowing injuries to potentially happen at this point in the preseason is simply irresponsible. Injuries do happen, and to take that risk in the final preseason game is just dumb.
The Giants know firsthand how bad it feels to watch a star player get injured in the preseason as Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora is out for the season due to a torn lateral meniscus. I bet Michael Strahan's phone is exploding right now with calls about him coming out of retirement. Lord knows the Giants need him now more than ever.
Detroit's first opponent of the regular season, the Atlanta Falcons, have named rookie Matt Ryan their starting quarterback.
A select group of Lions fans got to watch part of the Browns game on the sideline.

0 comments | 0 recs

Friday Notes: No Word of a Blackout Yet

by Sean Yuille on Aug 22, 2008 12:00 AM EDT in Notes

The Lions headed indoors on Thursday and practiced in helmets and shorts.
So far I haven't heard anything about Saturday's preseason game against the Browns being blacked out, but we'll have to wait and see if anything comes out today. If it was going to be blacked out I imagine we would know by now, so hopefully that means we'll get to watch the Lions live at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Speaking of that game, I will be doing live updates once again in the comments section of the game thread. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do live updates for the final game of the preseason on Thursday as I'll be busy moving to Ann Arbor that day, so check back next week for an update on the status of that game thread.
Kevin Smith is positioning himself to start at running back.
Daniel Bullocks and Shaun McDonald are expected to play tomorrow against Cleveland, whereas Dan Campbell will not. Jason Hanson is a game-time decision.
Game On believes Calvin Johnson will be a player to watch this season.
Artose Pinner is making a case for a spot on the 53-man roster.
Lions offensive guard Edwin Mulitalo helped the Detroit Martin Luther King Jr. High School band go to China to play at the Olympics.
Tickets are still available for the Lions' kickoff luncheon on August 27.
I was a guest on Dynasty Rogues Radio earlier this week to talk about the Lions. You can listen to the interview here.

0 comments | 0 recs

Thursday Notes: Tatum Bell Is Not Fond of Mike Martz

by Sean Yuille on Aug 21, 2008 1:42 AM EDT in Notes

The Lions practiced in shells on the outdoor field yesterday.
Tatum Bell really hates Mike Martz and loves the Lions' new commitment to running the ball. He better start having more success when running the ball or he won't get a chance to be part of that commitment come the regular season.
Five of the Lions' seven sacks this preseason have been by rookie defensive linemen.
Fullback Jerome Felton is impressing players and coaches on the field, and off it he is very, very intelligent.
According to Rod Marinelli, Jason Hanson has been limited to stretching in practice. Marinelli went on to say that he is "getting a little work," and that his target return is this week. I certainly hope that's the case.
Rod Marinelli isn't sharing his starting linebacker plans with anyone just yet.
As long as the Lions win, Roy Williams has no problem with Calvin Johnson catching more passes than him.
I wholeheartedly agree with Philip Zaroo from MLive; I'll gladly drink to Kyle Orton being the Bears' starting quarterback.
Brian Kelly and Rod Marinelli get along quite well.
Game On, a blog on the USA Today's website, thinks the Lions are one of five teams that were under .500 last year that will "take a leap forward in 2008."
Along with Derek Anderson, these five Cleveland Browns are not expected to play against the Lions on Saturday:

Running back Jamal Lewis (hamstring), receiver Braylon Edwards (foot), kick returner Josh Cribbs (ankle), safety Brodney Pool (concussion) and linebacker Willie McGinest (groin) also didn't practice.
If Anderson doesn't play that means we'll get to see a lot of Brady Quinn. That means I'll have to get ready to boo until I can't boo anymore because I hate Brady Quinn. My hate for him stems from his days at Notre Dame, and I'll just leave it at that.
The Pride of Detroit overflow fantasy football league still has two spots open, so if you want to be in it leave a comment and I'll send you details of how to sign up.

UPDATE: The league is now full.

2 comments | 0 recs

Monday Notes: Bengals Game Observations

by Sean Yuille on Aug 18, 2008 1:54 PM EDT in Notes

Before getting into last night's game, it should be noted that training camp is officially over. The Lions are off today and will start having only one practice a day when they return to Allen Park.
Calvin Johnson is a beast. He towered over Leon Hall to make a catch to start the game and then got into the endzone by outrunning the Bengals' secondary later on. I'm starting to realize why Roy Williams picked Johnson for his fantasy team.
Through two preseason games, Jon Kitna's quarterback rating is a perfect 158.3. He has only thrown one incompletion so far this preseason (it was against the Giants) and has 2 touchdowns to go along with 182 yards. The best pair of stats is that he has 0 interceptions and hasn't been sacked yet, either.
Drew Stanton definitely played better than Dan Orlovsky. Stanton made a great TD pass and then executed a perfect naked bootleg that also resulted in a TD. Orlovsky didn't play awful, but he certainly could have done better. Many of his passes were thrown right into coverage, and he just couldn't catch a break when he tried to run a bootleg. All three times (that I remember) Orlovsky ran a bootleg there was a defender immediately in his face. He did a nice job of throwing the ball away, at least, as he didn't get a single intentional grounding penalty.
Punter Nick Harris has always been an asset for the Lions, and last night he showed us why he is so important. One of his punts actually rolled out of bounds at the 1-yard line, leaving the Bengals with little room to work with. Although the punt was outstanding, the defense did let Cincinnati go 99 yards down the field to score a touchdown. Earlier in the game, Harris had a punt downed at the 2-yard line by Mike Furrey, but Cincy got to start on their own 20 due to Furrey getting a penalty for being the first player to touch the ball after stepping out of bounds.
Rookies Kevin Smith and Jerome Felton started last night. Smith is already looking like the Lions' best running back, and Felton stepped in for an injured Jon Bradley, who didn't play at all against the Bengals. I guess that means I'll have to revise my next roster prediction as it appears Felton will make the team as the second FB.
Tatum Bell has really been disappointing so far this preseason. He hasn't looked all that impressive, and honestly, Artose Pinner has outperformed him. I would be surprised if Bell ended up getting cut, but then again, when others are playing better than you, your roster spot shouldn't be locked up.
The running game as a whole still isn't coming off as something that will be a strength this season, but it was much better against the Bengals. Rather than getting stuffed for only a short gain like they did against the Giants, the Lions did move the ball on the ground at some points in last night's game. Kevin Smith and Artose Pinner played well, and as I said, Tatum Bell still didn't look all that good. Brian Calhoun didn't do horrible, but he did put the ball on the ground, although Dan Orlovsky did recover the fumble.
Rookie Gosder Cherilus played both right and left tackle against the Bengals.
Wide receiver Ron Bellamy got a concussion during the game.
Although it was assumed that Devale Ellis would be the Lions' 5th wide receiver if they take that many on the 53-man roster, he is getting challenged by Brandon Middleton. Middleton had a 50-yard TD reception against Cincinnati and tried returning a kickoff. The very fact that he was back there means that he could take Ellis' spot on the roster as he has versatility. I don't think it will happen, but a lot could change in the next couple of weeks.
Speaking of wide receivers, John Standeford really played well. He is a big long shot to make the team, but he is making his case on the field.
Chad Johnson strained his left shoulder when Brian Kelly ripped the ball out of his hands for an interception. Johnson left the game and went into the locker room to get x-rays and an MRI (both turned out to be negative).

12 comments | 0 recs

Monday Notes: Calvin Johnson Misses Practice

by Sean Yuille on Aug 11, 2008 1:45 AM EDT in Notes

After having Friday off, the Lions returned to their indoor field on Saturday and had an early evening practice in helmets and shorts. The Lions then went back to their usual two-a-days format on Sunday and practiced in both the morning and afternoon. Both sessions were held in helmets and shorts.
If you didn't check out Pride of Detroit over the weekend, then you may want to catch up on some transactions that happened and had an effect on the Lions. For starters, Jason Hanson is out for at least a week (probably more) due to an injury, so the Lions waived Eddie Johnson and signed former Michigan State kicker Dave Rayner. Similarly, Stanley Wilson is done for the season, so the Lions replaced him with cornerback Kiwaukee Thomas. Also, Detroit released and signed a pair of offensive linemen.

Finally, in a move that indirectly affects Detroit, the 49ers signed linebacker Takeo Spikes, who at one time appeared to be close to joining the Lions.
Due to a bruised leg, wide receiver Calvin Johnson didn't participate in practice on Sunday and is day to day according to Rod Marinelli. Also absent from practice were Jon Bradley, Cory Redding, Langston Moore, John Owens, Gilbert Gardner, and the three players on the PUP list.
Although Kevin Smith practiced with the starting offense on Sunday, Rod Marinelli says that we shouldn't read into it as "there's no rotation right now."
Dave Rayner is excited to play for the Lions.
Decisions about what to do if the Lions win the coin toss will be made on a game-by-game basis.
Marinelli was "pleased" with the way Lions rookies played in Thursday's preseason opener against the Giants.
If you caught any of the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills over the weekend, you may have noticed Ben Curtis, who finished tied for second, was sporting Lions gear throughout the tournament. Quite a few people were wondering if he was a Lions fan or was just doing it because he was in Michigan, but actually Curtis has a sponsorship deal with Reebok to sport NFL clothing, so he was wearing Lions apparel for contractual reasons.
Also an interesting note from the PGA Championship is that the winner of the tournament, Padraig Harrington, is the second cousin of former Lions quarterback Joey Harrington.

0 comments | 0 recs

Friday Notes: Giants Game Observations

by Sean Yuille on Aug 8, 2008 3:44 AM EDT in Notes

Gosder Cherilus did not have an ideal start to his NFL career as he was called for a couple false starts and a holding penalty during last night's game. Cherilus wasn't alone when it came to getting penalties as there were 6 total called on the Lions, but it's never a good thing when one player accounts for half of them.
I know Lions coaches want to run the ball more this year, but if the running game this season is going to look like it did last night then I hope Jon Kitna never hands the ball off. No matter who was in the game at running back, it seemed like even gaining a single yard was like pulling teeth. For evidence of that, take a look at who the Lions' leading rusher was. Drum roll please... Drew Stanton. That's right, in only three plays Drew Stanton was able to rush for more yards than any running back did. Now that is alarming.
There were three players that sustained injuries in last night's game: Stanley Wilson, Gilbert Gardner; and Jason Hanson. If you read the post below that contains quotes from Rod Marinelli then you already know what happened to each, but in case you haven't, I'll bring you up to speed.

Wilson hurt his Achilles; Gardner sustained a concussion, and Hanson strained his left thigh. Out of those three, Wilson is the one we should watch the closest as it seems like his injury is the most serious. Then again, anytime there is an issue with Jason Hanson it is a cause for concern. I guess stay tuned for further updates on each of these three players.
All of Detroit's quarterbacks played well for the most part. Their combined passing totals produced a great stat line, and I saw something I liked from each of them. Jon Kitna kept his mistakes to a minimum. Out of all the passes he made, only one was poorly thrown in my opinion (the one that went behind Roy Williams). Dan Orlovsky looked comfortable in the pocket and was hitting his targets with stellar accuracy. And Drew Stanton made plays by running when he couldn't find anyone open.
Going back to Stanton really quickly, I will say that he needs to stay in the pocket longer than he did in yesterday's game. I'm not going to criticize him too much since this was the first time he even got in an NFL game, but he needs to be more patient before taking off and running downfield.
The player of the game without a doubt was Calvin Johnson. He was all over the field making plays and he made it look easy. I hope this is a sign of things to come, because if it is, he and Roy Williams are going to make for a hell of a wide receiver duo.
Defensively, the rookies showed a lot of promise. Jordon Dizon made a couple of nice plays. Cliff Avril seemed to do a nice job of pass rushing. And Andre Fluellen came up with a huge sack toward the end of the game that helped put the nail in New York's coffin.
I have a feeling that this game put cornerback Dovonte Edwards and running back Brian Calhoun one step closer to being cut. Edwards was being targeted by Giants QBs every time he was on the field and they were abusing him quite a bit. And Calhoun simply just didn't look very impressive when he was in the game at running back. Not only is Aveion Cason more versatile with his ability to return kicks, but Artose Pinner looked much better in his limited time on the field at running back. I'd say that Calhoun is gone for sure at this point.
Leon Joe surprised me and had an outstanding game. His name was called quite a bit and in the end he finished with a team-high 6 tackles. Joe is a linebacker that was recently signed after being released by the Buccaneers, and although his chances of making the team are slim, playing like this certainly won't hurt.
To view highlights of last night's win or to look through stats from the game, head on over to NFL.com.

2 comments | 0 recs

Thursday Notes: Lions Release Eric Folwer, Sign Eddie Johnson

by Sean Yuille on Jul 31, 2008 1:11 AM EDT in Notes

Both of the Lions' two practices yesterday were held outdoors and in helmets and shorts (shells). To some people in Michigan, the fact that the morning practice was outdoors comes as a surprise as a nasty storm system went through the lower thumb area around 7:00 a.m. yesterday. It was north of the Allen Park area (I think), though, so that's why the practice was outdoors.
The Lions signed kicker/punter Eddie Johnson to add depth to both positions. As I said earlier this week, any kickers and punters not named Jason Hanson or Nick Harris strictly are in training camp for depth purposes and will be gone by the end of August.
To make room for Johnson, the Lions released wide receiver Eric Fowler. Fowler, who is from the state of Michigan and played football at Grand Valley State, was just signed on Sunday.
Rod Marinelli explained why the Lions didn't practice in pads at all on Wednesday.

"I'm conscious of the 80, really it's not even 80 when you get down with PUP's, we're down to about 70, I'll let you ask Dean (Kleinschmidt) exactly the numbers-71 or 72. But we just got bumped up in the offensive line a little bit yesterday. Hey, I'd like to get back in them tomorrow, I just have to space it out a little bit more right now. I don't like getting out of them. I think if you're trying to run the football, that's something important to have. We've got to be smart, too. We've got a game in a week, too, that we've got to be able to finish with second and third groups."
Defensive tackle Langston Moore sprained his right shoulder on Monday and is basically day-to-day.
Ernie Sims' injury isn't improving a whole lot, and he will miss the Lions first preseason game. Also, Dominic Raiola missed his first Lions practice in eight years due to a sprained ankle.
Speaking of Detroit's first preseason game, it is a week from today, which is hard to believe. Then again, it's hard to believe it's nearly August already.
Tom Kowalski wonders why Daniel Bullocks is still on the PUP list and believes Calvin Johnson is going to have a big season.
Rookie linebacker Jordon Dizon picked off a Jon Kitna pass thanks to being in the wrong place at the right time.
Offensive linemen Manny Ramirez and Chris Patrick missed practice due to injuries. Ramirez could be out as long as a week or so, and Patrick may be done for the entire preseason.
Receivers Devale Ellis and Mike Furrey collided during a punt return.

0 comments | 0 recs

Monday Notes: Ball Placed on Reserve/Injured List

by Sean Yuille on Jul 28, 2008 1:59 AM EDT in Notes

The Lions' fourth day of practice followed the same basic routine as the previous three days. Both sessions were outside and in the morning the Lions were in full pads, and in the afternoon they were in shells.
As expected, wide receiver Reggie Ball was placed on the reserve/injured list. The knee injury he suffered during Friday's morning practice was serious enough to shelve him for an extended period of time, which is why the Lions just went ahead and put him on the reserve list.
To fill the void created by Ball's injury, the Lions have signed former Grand Valley State wide receiver Eric Fowler. Fowler is actually from New Haven, Michigan, and had an outstanding career at GVSU. He signed with the Steelers after last year's draft before being cut after the preseason ended. Eventually Fowler was signed to the Rams' practice squad last December, but was cut just last week, giving the Lions a chance to bring him back home.
Just as usual, no changes have been made to the PUP list.
The Lions' new offensive philosophy that focuses on balance will greatly help Jon Kitna this season. Compared to the past two years with Mike Martz calling the shots, Kitna will be sacked far less since there will be less passing. That's good news for the Lions as Kitna isn't getting any younger, and getting hit as much as he has in the past two years didn't help.
Bill Ford Jr. has faith in Rod Marinelli but declined to comment on Matt Millen. Also, Tom Lewand claimed that the Lions are actually ahead in season-ticket sales compared to last year despite some rumblings that they were having trouble selling tickets.
Daniel Bullocks feels he is ready to start practicing, but the Lions don't want to take any chances of him getting injured again due to being rushed back too soon.
Teddy Lehman was traveling quite a bit before ending up back in Detroit.
Calvin Johnson's back thankfully didn't give him problems after he made a catch that was similar to the one that hurt him in the first place.
Center Dominic Raiola crushed a trash can before practice yesterday instead of a tackling dummy.
Rod Marinelli is likely going to utilize a new rule change that gives teams the option to defer if they win the opening coin toss. That new option means teams can send their defense out first and start the second half on offense, but still have a say in which end of the field they want to defend.
The Lions' 12th annual kickoff luncheon will be held at Cobo Center on August 27. For more information, including how to order tickets, click here.
Brett Favre did not report to Packers training camp yesterday. Originally he was planning on showing up, but he decided against it as it would only cause more problems.

0 comments | 0 recs

Saturday Notes: Interceptions for Everyone

by Sean Yuille on Jul 26, 2008 12:00 AM EDT in Notes

Saturday? Although I rarely post on the weekends in the offseason, I felt there was a need to today since so much is going on right now with the start of training camp. I can't tell you for sure if there will be another post tomorrow or if weekend posts will continue in the future, but as long as there is a lot to talk about, I will keep you all updated regardless of the time of the week.
Anyways, getting to the important stuff, the Lions' second day of practice was held outside for both sessions. In the morning the Lions wore full pads and in the afternoon were in shells.
Jordon Dizon was able to get out on the practice field in the afternoon after missing the morning session. He also said that he regrets not telling the Lions about his drunk driving arrest that happened just days before the draft. He only came clean with Rod Marinelli once the arrest became public knowledge, but at least he did admit his mistake.
Cornerback Leigh Bodden has officially signed his four-year, $27 million contract extension. Back on Thursday, Bodden picked off a pass and returned it for a touchdown. That was before he found out about his contract extension, too. I bet he was pretty happy how his first day of Lions training camp went.
On Friday, Bodden got another interception, and linebackers Paris Lenon and Buster Davis also got a couple of picks, although Davis was stripped by Calvin Johnson after the INT. Is it just me, or are there way too many interceptions being thrown? I know the Lions don't have the best QBs around, but man, it seems like a lot of passes are being picked off.
Ernie Sims participated in team drills on Friday after not being a part of them on Thursday. That's good news as it obviously means his injury isn't too big of a concern right now.
There have been no changes to the PUP list despite some speculation that a player or two would be taken off and put on the active roster.
Rookie running back Kevin Smith was treated like the rookie he is by a couple of veterans after his first practice. He had to carry the shoulder pads and helmets of Tatum Bell and Aveion Cason.
College quarterback turned NFL receiver Reggie Ball injured his knee yesterday in practice.
An Army graduate and one-time Tigers draft pick thinks that Caleb Campbell would better serve the Army by playing for the Lions rather than possibly going to Iraq in the future.
Speaking of Campbell, somebody needs to tell CNN he was a seventh-round pick, not a first-rounder.
The Free Press has a partial transcript up of Matt Millen's recent interview on WDFN.
MLive has a photo gallery of the Lions' second day of camp up.
NBC will stream its Sunday night football games on the Internet for free. This is the first time NFL games will be live on the Internet for free, and as expected, other networks aren't exactly thrilled about this development.
Finally, in an unrelated note, I f***ing hate Todd Jones. The Tigers went from being 4.5 games back to 6.5 as Jones served up a home run with only 1 more out needed for the win. They don't call him Roller Coaster for nothing.