Calvin Johnson

Calvin Johnson, Jr. (born September 29, 1985), nicknamed Megatron, is an American football wide receiver for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Georgia Tech, and was recognized as an All-American twice. He was selected by the Lions with the second overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. On March 14, 2012, Johnson signed an eight-year, $132 million contract extension with the Lions, one of the largest sports contracts ever. Johnson has a rare combination of size, hands, speed, strength, leaping ability, body control and hand-eye coordination. His nickname "Megatron" was given to him by former Lions wide receiver Roy Williams and the name caught on with fans. On December 22, 2012, Johnson broke Jerry Rice's single-season record for receiving yards, which had previously been 1,848. In that same Saturday night game versus the Atlanta Falcons, Johnson also set the NFL records for consecutive 100-yard games (8) and consecutive games with 10 or more receptions (4). He also tied Hall of Famer Michael Irvin's record for most 100-yard games in a season with 11.

Early years
Johnson was born to Calvin Sr. and Arica Johnson on September 29, 1985 in Newnan, Georgia. Johnson was 6 feet tall in middle school, and 6 feet 4 inches in 10th grade. He attended Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Georgia and was a student and a letterman in football. In football, he was a three-year starter as a wide receiver. As a sophomore, he made 34 receptions for 646 yards and 10 touchdowns. As a junior, Johnson caught 40 passes for 736 yards and eight touchdowns. His number, 81, was retired on October 22, 2010.

Johnson was rated among the nation's top 10 wide receivers and top 100 players by virtually every recruiting analyst. He was tabbed the No. 4 wide receiver and No. 15 player in the nation by TheInsiders.com, and named to the Super Southern 100 by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Rivals 100 by Rivals.com, TheInsiders.com Hot 100, the SuperPrep All-America 275 and the Prep Star Top 100 Dream Team.

He was also rated the No. 1 player in Georgia, No. 12 in the Southeast and No. 37 in the nation by Rivals.com, the No. 7 wide receiver in the nation by SuperPrep, and first-team all-state selection (Class AAAA) by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Finally, he was tabbed to the AJC's preseason Super 11. By the time he was a junior, he was ranked as within the top 10 wide receivers and the top 100 players in the nation by almost every writer.

College career


Johnson attended the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he played for coach Chan Gailey's Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team from 2004 to 2006. He is considered one of Georgia Tech's most highly publicized signees in recent years. In his career at Georgia Tech wearing number 21, Johnson made a case for being the greatest Georgia Tech receiver of all time. Johnson had 178 receptions in his career, good for 2,927 yards and 28 touchdowns. He ranks first in school history in career receiving yards, second in receptions, first in touchdown receptions, and first in career 100-yard receiving games with 13.

As a freshman in 2004, Johnson was a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) selection. Johnson was the Jackets' leading receiver with 48 catches for 837 yards and seven scores, which were Georgia Tech freshman records. Johnson ended his freshman campaign against Syracuse University in the Champs Sports Bowl, where he recorded a touchdown. 2005 was Johnson's sophomore year, when he earned first-team All-American honors. He also earned All-ACC honors for the second straight year and was semifinalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award. He led Tech with 54 catches for 888 yards and six scores.



Johnson entered his 2006 junior season in the running for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy. Although Johnson finished tenth in the Heisman voting, he won the Biletnikoff as the best college wide receiver. Johnson was honored as the ACC Player of the Year, was a first-team All-ACC selection for the third consecutive year, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American. Johnson tallied 1,202 yards on 76 catches. Johnson's 15 touchdowns in 2006 was a new Georgia Tech single-season record. Against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Toyota Gator Bowl, Johnson had nine catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns, albeit in a losing effort.

College record

 * Georgia Tech career receiving yards – 2,927

College awards and honors

 * First-team Freshman All-American 2004
 * All-American 2005 and 2006
 * First-Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference, 2004, 2005 and 2006
 * ACC Rookie of the Year, 2004
 * ACC Player of the Year, 2006
 * Four-time ACC Rookie of the Week
 * Best Wide Receiver in the nation by IGN.com, via NCAA Football 07
 * Biletnikoff Award, 2006
 * Paul Warfield Trophy, 2006
 * 10th 2006 Heisman Vote - 43 total votes (76 rec, 1202 yds, 15.8 avg, 15 TD)

Academic activities
During the 2006 summer, Johnson, who majored in management with a background in building construction, was given the option of working on either constructing environmentally friendly luxury condos, or a project building solar latrines to improve sanitation in Bolivia. Johnson chose the latter, as he wanted to help the less fortunate. The "solar latrines" use the sun’s rays to safely transform bacteria-laden waste into fertilizer.

2007 NFL Draft
Coming out of college, Calvin Johnson was hyped to be one of the best wide receivers of all time. Calvin Johnson was SI.com's Midseason NFL Draft Projection #1 pick, though Johnson had stated that he intended to earn his degree from Georgia Tech. On January 8, 2007, Johnson declared himself eligible for the NFL Draft, bypassing his senior season at Georgia Tech. He was regarded as the best athlete to come out of the draft and was the #1 player on most draft boards. Johnson was said by ESPN to be able to be productive as a rookie, much like receiver Randy Moss was as a rookie. In a mid-February workout with speed and conditioning coach Mark Pearsall, Johnson clocked a 4.33-second 40-yard dash, recorded an 11-foot standing broad jump, and had a vertical leap of 43 inches.

Johnson surprised many when he weighed in at 236 pounds at the combine, 12 pounds more than expected, although he claims that this season he played "at about 235 and I got up to 238" and that his weight was not a problem. Johnson had told the media that he would not run the 40-yard dash at the combine but would wait until his March 15 workout at Georgia Tech. Johnson ran a 4.35 and wowed scouts with his jump drill results, his receiving skills, and his 11 ft 7 in (3.53 m) broad jump, which is "best broad jump I can ever remember an NFL prospect having," according to Gil Brandt.

Johnson was selected by the Detroit Lions as the second pick overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. This is the highest a Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket has ever been drafted. The Lions were expected to trade Johnson, most likely to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the team announced that they were keeping him. The next day, the Detroit Tigers invited him to throw out the first pitch.

2007 season
Johnson attended Reebok's NFL Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles. The Lions, being told by the league that Johnson would have to skip the minicamp to attend, rescheduled the camp to accommodate Johnson. On August 3, 2007, Calvin Johnson signed a six-year deal with the Detroit Lions after holding out for eight days, and passed his physical in time to be on the field for the start of that morning's practice. He was represented by agent James "Bus" Cook. The contract is worth up to $64 million, with $27.2 million in guaranteed money, making Johnson the third highest-paid player in Lions history (the highest at the time, since passed by Matthew Stafford and Ndamukong Suh) and the highest-paid receiver (in guaranteed money) in the NFL.

Although he did not start the game, Johnson had an impressive NFL debut on Sunday, September 9, 2007, catching 4 passes for 70 yards and his first career touchdown in Detroit's 36–21 win over the Oakland Raiders. He sustained a lower back injury after making a catch over two Philadelphia Eagles defenders on September 23, 2007. He scored his first NFL rushing touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 21, 2007 on a 32-yard reverse play. Fellow teammate Roy Williams nicknamed Johnson "Megatron", due to his large hands being similar to that of the towering Decepticon. The nickname caught on well with fans. Williams later changed the nickname to "Bolt" after Jamaican sprinting phenom Usain Bolt, comparing the two athletes' similar height and running abilities. Johnson finished the 2007 season with 756 yards and 5 total touchdowns.

In 2008, Johnson said he could "still feel" the lower-back injury that bothered him throughout his rookie season. Johnson took five weeks off after the 2007 season and was taking part in the Lions' offseason program. "I know it's there but it doesn't hurt," he said. Johnson revealed that he needed Vicodin to play through the final three months of the 2007 season. He needed the medication to help him play with a bone bruise in his back. "I was on meds the rest of the season," he said. "I was taking Vicodin twice a game just to get through the game. I stayed hurt the whole season, probably because I was trying to come back too soon." Johnson averaged 15.8 yards on 48 catches in the 2007 season.

2008 season
Johnson and the Lions faced the Atlanta Falcons on the road on September 7, 2008, to begin the season. As the official starting wide receiver behind Roy Williams, Johnson led the team in receptions and yards, collecting 7 catches for 107 yards, which included one 38-yard catch-and-run in the Lions' 34–21 loss. During week 2 versus the Green Bay Packers, he had two key touchdowns late in the game, which sparked a large comeback late in the game, though the Lions eventually lost the game, 48–25. Both touchdowns catches included a run after the catch (the first catch going for 38 yards and the second going for 47 yards, both over the middle) displaying Johnson's speed and breakaway ability. He ended the game with 6 receptions for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns. In the following two games, losses to San Francisco and Chicago, Johnson failed to score a touchdown or gain over 50 yards receiving. However, against the Minnesota Vikings, Johnson had 4 receptions for 85 yards and his third touchdown of the season.

On October 14, before the week 6 trade deadline, Roy Williams was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a first, a 3rd and a 7th-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, making Johnson the Lions' starting wide receiver and the last big threat on the offense. In his first game without Roy Williams alongside him in the week 7 game against the Houston Texans, Johnson had caught only 2 passes, however, totaling 154 yards receiving; the first pass didn't come until Dan Orlovsky threw a pass up for grabs at the end of the first half which Johnson caught for 58 yards and the second pass came on a 96-yard touchdown catch-and-run. With Williams gone and starting quarterback Jon Kitna lost to injury for the season, the Texans defense had little to do to stop the Lions' offense but shut down Johnson, winning the game 28–21.

Johnson set a career high for receptions in a game during the week-9 match-up against their division rivals, the Chicago Bears, with 8 receptions that garnered 94 yards and one touchdown, although still losing the game 27–23. During week 10, formerly retired All-Pro quarterback Daunte Culpepper was signed to a one-year contract with the Lions in hopes to spur the offense and earned the starting job for the next two games. Johnson ended his first game with Culpepper at quarterback with 2 receptions for 92 yards in a 38–14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. In Johnson's 4th game with Culpepper, he had 5 catches for 66 yards. During the week 14 match-up against the division rival Minnesota Vikings, Johnson passed the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the first time in his career after collecting 3 catches for 84 yards and one touchdown, ending the week with 1,055 yards receiving and 9 touchdowns on the season.

Johnson and the 2008 Detroit Lions finished the first ever 0–16 season in NFL history after a 31–21 loss to the Green Bay Packers in week 17. Despite the Lions' failures, Johnson finished as one of the strongest wide receivers, statistically, for the season, finishing fifth in receiving yards (1,331) and 7th in receiving yards per game (83.2), and leading the league in receiving touchdowns (12). However, Johnson missed the Pro Bowl with most experts attributing the snub to the Lions dismal winless season (he was named an alternate instead).

2009 season
After 2008, Detroit's front office and coaching personnel were essentially overhauled by the team ownership. Matt Millen, the team's incumbent general manager and CEO since 2001, was terminated on September 28, 2008. His replacement, Martin Mayhew, ultimately terminated head coach Rod Marinelli in the off-season. Marinelli was replaced by Jim Schwartz, then defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans. Schwartz ultimately revamped the entire Detroit offensive (and defensive) philosophies - hiring Scott Linehan and Gunther Cunningham, respectively. Detroit held the first pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, and selected Matthew Stafford out of the University of Georgia. Stafford was named the team's starting quarterback out of training camp, but he battled various injuries throughout the season. Much of the 2008 Detroit roster was released by the new regime, and the 2009 team was viewed as somewhat of a work-in-progress, but Johnson still finished the 2009 season with 67 receptions 984 yards and five TDs, while completely missing two games.

2010 season


In a week 1 game against the Chicago Bears, Johnson caught a pass with 31 seconds left in regulation in the end zone for what looked like a game-winning touchdown. However, referee Gene Steratore ruled the catch incomplete, saying that Johnson had not maintained possession of the ball through the entire process of the catch. The Lions lost the game, 19–14.

Johnson amassed 77 receptions for 1,120 yards and 12 TDs during 2010. He was also selected to the first Pro Bowl of his career on December 28. Following the 2010 season, Johnson was the recipient of the Lions/Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association/Pro Football Writers Association (Detroit Chapter) Media-Friendly Good Guy Award.

2011 season
In 2011, Johnson had his best statistical season of his NFL career, reaching a career-high 1,681 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. In a week-4 game against the Dallas Cowboys, Johnson helped rally the Lions from a 24-point deficit to a 34-30 victory by catching two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter. This performance gave Johnson 8 touchdown receptions through the first four games of the season and tied Cris Carter for most consecutive games with multiple touchdown receptions at 4. In a Week 17 game against the Green Bay Packers, Johnson had a career-best 244 receiving yards in a 45-41 loss. Johnson and the Lions clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 1999, and the first time in Johnson's career, after a 38-10 beating of the San Diego Chargers on Christmas Eve.

However, Detroit would ultimately lose on the road against the Packers the following week (New Year's Day) and would find themselves on the road again in a 2012 NFC Wild Card game against the heavily favored New Orleans Saints in the playoff bracket. Always tough to play against at the Superdome, the Saints wore down the Detroit defense and New Orleans would go on to a win 45-28. In the game, Johnson caught 12 passes for 211 receiving yards and two touchdowns - breaking Detroit's playoff record of 150 receiving yards in a playoff game previously held by Brett Perriman and Leonard Thompson.

2012 season
On March 14, 2012, Johnson signed an 8-year extension worth $132 million with the Detroit Lions, with $60 million guaranteed, making Johnson the highest-paid receiver in the league. On September 9 he made 111 receiving yards and 6 receptions. Johnson was named the Madden NFL 13 cover athlete on April 25, 2012, on SportsNation. From week 9-16, he has recorded consecutive games with 125 receiving yards or more, which has broken the NFL record previously held by Pat Studstill. On December 22, 2012 against the Atlanta Falcons, Johnson broke Jerry Rice's single-season receiving yards record. Johnson was also named a starter for the NFC in the Pro Bowl played in Honolulu, Hawaii. Johnson finished with 72 yards against Chicago in week 17, missing out on 2000 by just 36 yards. Johnson finished the season leading the league in receptions with 122, along with receiving yards with 1,964.

NFL records

 * Most receiving yards in a single season: 1,964 yards (2012)
 * Most receptions in a single calendar month: 49 receptions (December 2012)
 * First player with at least 2 receiving touchdowns in a team's 1st 4 games of a season (2011)
 * First NFL player in history to have consecutive seasons with at least 1,600 yards receiving (2011, 2012)
 * Seasons with 1,600 yards receiving (2) - tied with Marvin Harrison and Torry Holt
 * Most consecutive games with at least 100 receiving yards (8)
 * Most consecutive games with at least 10 receptions (4)
 * Most 100 receiving yard games in a single season (11) - tied with Michael Irvin
 * Most consecutive games with at least 2 receiving touchdowns (4) - tied with Cris Carter

Lions franchise records

 * Most receiving touchdowns in a single season: 16 (2011)
 * Most seasons with 10+ receiving touchdowns: 3