A look back at the incredible career of Calvin Johnson, who was the most unguardable player we've ever seen! Follow BLITZ Instagram: / blitz Imagery supplied by Getty Images
its fucking criminal that DET had arguably the best WR and RB of all time on their rosters and managed to be such a horribly run franchise that they both quit football early. EDIT: To clear up something, I understand Rice is the clear all time WR because his career stats are insane, he IS the GOAT. I'm a 49er fan too. I said these two are ARGUABLY the BEST RB and WR ever, as in the most talented and gifted athletically to ever play the position. The point is that if Barry and Calvin were on well run franchises instead of one of the worst run franchises to ever exist, they may have enjoyed football more and played out full careers barring major injuries. A good franchise would have protected their assets and let them fully heal when dealing with normal injuries. If that had happened, its arguable that they would both be in the top spots in the career record books as well. We will never know, because the ownership destroyed any chance at that.
Well, bad teams often get high draft picks. This leads to situations like what lions greats had to endure. A bad team gets a special player and they lean on him too much.
I hope people realize that his junior year in college was absolutely bananas. Tech didn’t throw the ball like that. Option team. He had like half their team’s yards through the air and caught 15 out of 25 total passing TDs. The year after he left, they threw for 9 TDs and the best receiver had less than 600 yards. Not until Demaryius Thomas in 2009 did they have another receiver that looked even close to that in their offense, and after he left it was back to pure option again. What Calvin (and Demaryius to a lesser extent) did in that offense is amazing, and what he did in the pros is mind blowing.
Tech was not an option team at that time, it was him shagging sprayed passes from Reggie Ball under Chan Gailey's molasses offense. Paul Johnson didn't come to GT until the 2008 season.
So glad he’s back here and cheering on the Lions! His relationship was so soured with the Lions that he lost his love for the sport altogether. Now the team is doing good and winning the division and winning playoff games and he’s having a great time! Miss watching him play every week!
@@chevy4x466 you haven't described anything that suggests he "took for granted his experience in Detroit". If anything, it's the opposite. They had an all time great WR for 5+ prime years and did not empty the bank to keep him or provide the necessary support. He delivered every year without being a distraction. That's not him taking anything for granted. That's Detroit wasting an opportunity.
I'm glad he's happy seeing his former team finally getting that elusive playoff win, but imagine if this man was a bit younger, we'll say 30-32 years old, being a veteran big play threat with all of these present day playmakers like Amon-Ra, LaPorta, Montgomery, Gibbs, etc. Imagine that offense. It really is a shame that a generational talent like him was wasted by a team that just couldn't get over the hump.
Yea, he literally lost his love for the game because of the constant losing. It was bitter sweet watching him every week because we knew even if he was having a great game, we would probably blow the game somehow. But it’s nice to see him at our current playoff games, looking happy as hell! He told Stafford before the game, “Give me one or two, and im not talking TDs” lol man was talking INTs.
@@-BUGZ-he said in his documentary that Stafford would throw hospital passes, I couldn’t even imagine what he would do on the patriots, people would without a doubt call him the greatest wr ever
@@willscott2498Also didnt help that defenders would hit him low just because he was so large and was harder to take down. Maybe not the Patriots, I think Brees wouldve done him insanely well with more accuracy/completions per game.
As a Lions fan, this kills me on the inside. He was so good, and I loved having him on the team, but we ruined his career. We did the same thing to Barry and almost did the same thing to Stafford. Forever thankful for what he did, but will always have a sour taste in my mouth because of what he could have been with a decent team. Thank you Megatron. Wish we could have done better for you.
Detroits inability to field a competitive team with megatron and Stafford is franchise malpractice. 2 personal favourites of mine, I mean look at Stafford even this year he’s a top 5 qb
I remember growing up and the only thing we could look forward to on the lions team was megatron. It was bad times. But he was explosive. An absolute privilege for us fans to watch him. He was talented and a hard worker. He deserved to win a title. He also stayed loyal to the franchise.
What gets missed on the "Detroit wasted his career" narrative is that he signed a 7-year contract extension after his rookie deal with the Lions. He wanted to stay with the Lions. He also still lives in the Metro Detroit area to this day.
That's interesting to hear... well shit, glad he gets to see his team destroying this year. Hope the 49's go down... they've had their victories. Love the underdog teams.
Had he been given the opportunity to get a few rings with Tom Brady, don't you suppose he would've entertained the idea of moving out East? Patriots would've paid the man.
And trading him away to a contender for the back end of his career wouldn’t have changed his love for Detroit. He was just a huge competitor that wanted more than just franchise records. 2 total playoff games for a player like that is saddening.
They still wasted him though. Barry, too. They wasted amazing talent that actually wanted to play for them. Fkn bonkers if you ask me😂 Apparently all they needed was a crazy coach!
Megatron was a freak. He was tall, strong, fast, had good hands, could run routes and catch any contested jump ball. Shame Detroit couldn't get their shit together during that time, he gave them everything and was loyal to the end. Truly a special player.
Detroit has never been about winning a championship or Super Bowl. They get great picks and burn them out. Barry had had enough. Hershel had had enough. They just hand the ball off to their big pick until they are wore out. The ownership sucks. Frankly, the fans should have shut them down until they got a championship. If they lost the franchise, it was no big loss because they never won anything anyway. I grew up watching this team play mediocre ball season after season. They never did anything. Screw that!
The saddest part about his career was that Detroit wasted a top 5 all time receiver. I’m a die hard vikes fan but I loved watching tron anytime he took the field
@@Newmoneyy247 and he'd still be unstoppable lol. It was never his hands that made him Megatron. It was his legs and his vertical. In another life, he could have easily gone pro in the NBA and put up some stupid numbers.
Honestly disgusting the way Detroit treated Barry and Calvin. Almost literally left them no choice but to leave the game. That's fckd up considering how high they set the bar for the rest of the league
I am from southeast Michigan. This is the way the Lions have always been run. It is sad, because they ruined perfectly good talent. The franchise never had an effective plan to win a championship. If it ever happens, it will come from new ownership/leadership only. The fans kept coming, so the ownership was satisfied with mediocrity, just like the Browns. The solution is to just turn away and never look back.
He would have walked of the field the greatest wide receiver ever if he had of spent a longer career on the right team without a doubt imagine if he spent the same years gronk did with Tom Brady or if Green bay had of gone after Megatron etc etc
Similar to what Randy Moss did with his short time with New England. They would have been wild! Guys that big should not be that fast. Megaton kind of killed like he was running in slow motion but was MOVING! Gronk was similar, but obviously not as fast, though plenty of people have commented on Gronk’s speed saying someone that large should not move like that and PLENTY say that about Johnson. Thankfully Detroit is not only team to go 0-16. Thanks Cleveland!!
@@blacklabelholsters1635 Gronkowski was a true freak. He LUMBERED, but he was still fast: too fast for linebackers, too big for safeties to guard him, and he would just run over corner-backs.
No way was Calvin better than Jerry Rice. You can believe in what if’s because you don’t have to prove them, nor can they be disproven because they don’t exist. What does exist are facts… Rice was the all-time leading receiver in college, Calvin was not. Rice is the all-time leading receiver in the pros, Calvin is not. Rice at the age of 40 playing for the Raiders had more catches (92) than Calvin had in 7 out of his 9 years in the NFL. To put that into perspective, Calvin Johnson is 38 years old now in 2024 and he’s been out of the league going on 9 seasons. Calvin in no part of his football life was he ever better than Jerry Rice.
Mentioning him playing for Georgia Tech and not mentioning, for the casual, that Georgia tech is a triple option school does his talent a bit of a disservice. He was so good that he made a run only school pass the rock! Once in a lifetime talent. Just like Barry, we can only ask ourselves what if, and that is such a monumental disservice to the talent that this man had. All hail Megatron
Except for the fact that Paul Johnson, who ran the offense you describe, was not the coach at Tech when Calvin was there. Calvin's head coach was Chan Gailey. And his quarterback was Reggie Ball. Both of those facts were much bigger barricades to success for a receiver than if Tech HAD been running a triple option
@@andrewteal5981this is so true. Ball was terribly inconsistent. Calvin’s first two seasons he wasn’t thrown the ball nearly enough. His junior year they finally started going to him a lot more. He bolted Georgia Tech at the right moment, his stock was sky high.
@@ginger_breadman actually he is not the best, the ONLY thing he has on Randy moss is his weight, 240 to 210, Randy was almost as tall, 6'4" to 6'5", was faster, he ran a 4.25 to Calvins 4.35, 1 second in the 40 is a lot, made the same type of catches. But even Randy is not the best. Jerry Rice is
@@davidrooks3274 My “I believe he is” … was in reference to his “hope he’s doing well”. I do not think Megatron is the best, it is Sir Jerry Rice 💯. I will put him in the mix with Moss though, I do not necessarily think Moss is better.
@@davidrooks3274 I did not say Megatron is the best. I updated my original comment to make it clear. Sir Jerry Rice is still the best. Maybe Moss is second but I still believe Megatron was a good as Moss.
Calvin Johnson along with a handful of others is the result of life trying to get us ready for the next lead in our evolution. 6’6 240lbs with a 4.3 and some of the softest hands in receiving history. Every now and then we are gifted with absolute athletic “one-of-a-kinds” and I’m just incredibly glad I am here to witness them.
Calvin was a freak! Never seen a receiver like him. Man, guys went hard after his legs because it was the only way to stop him. Often, very often, he was the sole focus of defenses against the SOL Lions. Also, though, Calvin is one very cool dude
As a Bears fan, I was in awe of Johnson's skills. Charles Tillman played him really tough as he did with Randy Moss, but no one was going to stop those two. Nasty player.
Its amazing that Detroit had arguably the best running back of all time who ended his career early, and then also the same with Calvin also being arguably the best receiver of all time who walked out early... Detroit did them both DIRTY!
Sports Science did a piece on Calvin Johnson and concluded that he’s receptive reach was equal to a two-car garage! Throw it anywhere in that area and he will catch it! Kudos to you Megatron!
Stafford was to blame for plenty of Lions' lack of success. He was simply never the 'elite' talent many people retroactively tried to claim him as. Detroit had a number of seasons with very talented rosters in Stafford's time, and he fell short himself quite a bit. And a lot of his high yardage(and this goes for Calvin as well) totals were due in part from garbage time.
@@patrickr2691 I haven't seen that with randy moss. And I saw moss at Marshall. Moss got doubled over the top. Calvin got doubled at the line of scrimmage, with safety help over the top. Fyi
@@sholovesholove4620 you guys have poor selective memory. I have seen near every snap of both of their careers. Randy Moss saw significantly more coverage on a regular basis than Johnson. I would say they're not even comparable. Moss is famous for changing the way defenses played, nobody says that about Johnson & 95% of the clips in this video are against obvious single coverage. How blind are some of these fans? BTW here is Moss doubled at the LOS on the 45 yard line for example, this took me 2 seconds to find: ua-cam.com/video/HaasanqRyEQ/v-deo.htmlm07s
Guy didn't score with anything resembling the rate of Moss or Rice, he was not as effective as those guys in the red zone, he was too stuff for the condensed area
Just came here from watching his Hall of Fame reaction video, knowing little of the NFL or football. It was so genuine I had to check out his work. Remarkable talent.
Johnson and Moss are two of the most freak athletes to ever play at the WR position. Both ring less and both squandered by their organizations. Imagine if Johnson landed on the Colts and had Manning throwing to him or on the Saints and had Brees throwing to him.
Megatron was a WR who could catch any ball thrown his way, and Stafford was a QB who could make any throw. Together, even without a running game or offensive line or a decent Offensive Coordinator, the two of them together were unstoppable.
Most skilled and talented WR ever by a mile. Mad respect for Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald, but for me is no debate, i take Megatron over everyone all day.
Like Barry, think about what Mega could have accomplished with a competent organization during his career... With that said, the Brand New Lions are lookin GRITTY!
Can you imagine plugging prime Calvin into the current Lions roster? Thankful for all his efforts in all those bad years, I was there for all of them, but always wonder what could have been. Thanks again big guy, we'll never forget ya!
One of my favorite NFC North players to watch besides Bears players. The mad amount of respect for that guy that I have, even though he is a rival, is unique. He made Lions Vs Bears all the more fun. Even though he murdered Tillman most of the time, they had great battles. He is the reason I petition the Bears to consider Marvin Harrison JR. If he even is half the WR of Calvin Johnson he would still be a great NFL reciver.
Megatron proves the theory that no matter how good, you have to have more than one good player to make the team work. Put him and Stafford on nearly ANY other team and they'd be a playoff team.
Defenses would literally scheme around this one person and he still set so many records. Megatron went through an uphill battle on top of an uphill battle every game. Detroit universally respects him so much.
Man i feel for calvin for what the lions put him through. That 0-16 doesnt just go away when the season ends. That pain sticks with you. I remember times seeing how upset calvin would get on the sidelines at the end of games when they would inevitably blow it again.
Watching Megatron live was one of the wildest experiences ever. I have never been to a game where it was so obvious who a player was and how dominant they could play.
This is why I love the fact Sheila Ford Hamp took over as the owner. So much dictatorship with how the Ford's parents and how they ran this team for so long. Never having the love for the game, having there soul mindset being towards making a profit as opposed to putting a competent tram together year after year. The fact they denied trades to Barry and Calvin absolutely shows who they were as owners. It's just dumb business imo. You can get value from both guys but refuse to trade them, so in response they cut their careers short. So Lions end up with absolutely nothing but 2 retired HOF's in their prime. The Fords for far to many years made this team very hard to like. Shiela has passion for the game and is committed to having guys that want to be apart of that success. Stafford did not so she gave the green light to send his ass packing. Those two have everything they had to the city of Detroit. I as a fan was absolutely pissed to serve them both retire. Nothing worse than how bad my hatred was towards Sheila's parents and how they operated this team. I'm am truly happy they found it in them to let bygones be bygones and commit to showing this team love week in and week out. Love those guys. GO LIONS 🦁 😤
According to the "Bye, bye Barry" Detroit passed on Joe Montana when he was leaving the 49ers. "Because he was too old." The Lions were treated like a tax write off for the Ford family.
Calvin Johnson, the man, the myth, the legend! I'm a GT fan. Go watch his Tech highlights. He played 3 years with a really, really REALLY bad qb. The plays he made were unbelievable, because he had to.
Went to a Bengals/Lions game in Detroit. 4th quarter Bengals were winning by a TD. The last drive they only threw to Calvin Johnson. Bengals had 3 guys covering him and he still made catch after catch. It was easily the most amazing thing I'd seen at a sporting event. 1 dude, unstoppable. Lions fans were going crazy. Alas, Bengals won a last second FG lol
Stafford & Megatron basically played 2v11 while half injured every play. People don’t realize how awful the rest of the offensive roster was during Megatron’s prime.
I grew up a massive Carter fan, then Moss, Megatron is the best. Played with no one. The entire game was , shut down Megatron. Yet no one could come even close. Its nuts He did what he did with no team.
MEGATRON boy. a once in a lifetime Athlete and I am thankful I got to watch his entire career. You could see in his face he wasnt happy about Detroit drafting him. Us either, Calvin!
The best tickets at Bobby Dodd stadium for a few years were on the left side of the goal line. At least once a game, Calvin would post up the safety at the line and Reggie Ball would throw one that ONLY Calvin could catch. Classy guy, generational talent.
Sounds like a similar situation with Terry Mclaurin (obviously Megatron is better). I hate that my team is wasting McLaurin's career. I hope we can change his trajectory with new management
Can someone finally come along and tell people how great this man was. I was a young kid watching one of the best wr's I've ever seen. While still at GT 🤣
"Fuck it, Megatron down there somewhere" was the culture of the Lions for a while. Now were 1 win away from the NFC Championship. Cannot believe it
1 win away for the Super Bowl, the Lions are the real America's team :)
😅😅😅😅
I hope you win and JJ fades away.
I still don't get why they ever punted
life long Bears fan here. I am rooting for you guys to take it all! Good Luck Detroit!
As a Cowboys fan, this dude destroyed us pretty much EVERY DAMN time he played against us. Mad Respect for MegaTron.
Fucc he had no love for y’all…
We had Dez, he had to assert dominance
@Newmoneyy247 lemme get a number 7 with a large coke and a side of shut the f--- up broke bus boy...
Darelle revis locked him up twice !! Made him non existent
Darelle
Revis made him human…
its fucking criminal that DET had arguably the best WR and RB of all time on their rosters and managed to be such a horribly run franchise that they both quit football early.
EDIT: To clear up something, I understand Rice is the clear all time WR because his career stats are insane, he IS the GOAT. I'm a 49er fan too. I said these two are ARGUABLY the BEST RB and WR ever, as in the most talented and gifted athletically to ever play the position. The point is that if Barry and Calvin were on well run franchises instead of one of the worst run franchises to ever exist, they may have enjoyed football more and played out full careers barring major injuries. A good franchise would have protected their assets and let them fully heal when dealing with normal injuries. If that had happened, its arguable that they would both be in the top spots in the career record books as well. We will never know, because the ownership destroyed any chance at that.
Well said, very true. =( Miss watching Megatron.
Couldn’t agree more. Insane talents and they never were a competitive squad. Absolutely criminal
Megatrons was more of injuries than him just quitting
Well, bad teams often get high draft picks. This leads to situations like what lions greats had to endure. A bad team gets a special player and they lean on him too much.
RB is arguable i agree, but WR there is no argument, Rice period. Still top 5.
I hope people realize that his junior year in college was absolutely bananas. Tech didn’t throw the ball like that. Option team. He had like half their team’s yards through the air and caught 15 out of 25 total passing TDs.
The year after he left, they threw for 9 TDs and the best receiver had less than 600 yards. Not until Demaryius Thomas in 2009 did they have another receiver that looked even close to that in their offense, and after he left it was back to pure option again.
What Calvin (and Demaryius to a lesser extent) did in that offense is amazing, and what he did in the pros is mind blowing.
RIP DT..
Tech was not an option team at that time, it was him shagging sprayed passes from Reggie Ball under Chan Gailey's molasses offense. Paul Johnson didn't come to GT until the 2008 season.
Only the Lions can manage to have such talent like Cal and not win anything.
@@stephenwebb9882 Yeah, Chan had a pro style offense. Ball wasn’t an elite QB but I remember how Calvin caught some bad passes that were behind him.
@@jeremiah_12 his behind-the-back catch against NC State was absolutely insane.
So glad he’s back here and cheering on the Lions! His relationship was so soured with the Lions that he lost his love for the sport altogether. Now the team is doing good and winning the division and winning playoff games and he’s having a great time! Miss watching him play every week!
@@chevy4x466 Non-Lions fan here. Going for the Lions all the way!
@@chevy4x466how did he take his Detroit experience for granted?
@@chevy4x466 you haven't described anything that suggests he "took for granted his experience in Detroit".
If anything, it's the opposite. They had an all time great WR for 5+ prime years and did not empty the bank to keep him or provide the necessary support. He delivered every year without being a distraction. That's not him taking anything for granted. That's Detroit wasting an opportunity.
@@chevy4x466what a stretch. You went that far to mention LeBron James. Comparing the NFL to the NBA is like comparing apples to raccoon steaks.
As a Packers fan. Watching Barry and Calvin was both a pleasure and a pain.
I use to say don't throw it to "Megatron" he gon catch dat👀😭✔️
Imagine if the Detroit Lions had Jarod Golf /Tate/Sanders/Megatron/ shiiit... Aaron probably wouldn't won nothing 👀😭
@@litcityentertainment Marvin Jones Calvin Johnson, Javid Best, Golden Tate & Sanders would have been a all Madden team 😂 😭
Sam
As a lions fan I hear ya. Farve and Roger's did the same to us. And also that one second stringer I can't remember the name of.
I'm glad he's happy seeing his former team finally getting that elusive playoff win, but imagine if this man was a bit younger, we'll say 30-32 years old, being a veteran big play threat with all of these present day playmakers like Amon-Ra, LaPorta, Montgomery, Gibbs, etc.
Imagine that offense. It really is a shame that a generational talent like him was wasted by a team that just couldn't get over the hump.
Yea, he literally lost his love for the game because of the constant losing. It was bitter sweet watching him every week because we knew even if he was having a great game, we would probably blow the game somehow. But it’s nice to see him at our current playoff games, looking happy as hell! He told Stafford before the game, “Give me one or two, and im not talking TDs” lol man was talking INTs.
@@-BUGZ-he said in his documentary that Stafford would throw hospital passes, I couldn’t even imagine what he would do on the patriots, people would without a doubt call him the greatest wr ever
@@willscott2498Also didnt help that defenders would hit him low just because he was so large and was harder to take down. Maybe not the Patriots, I think Brees wouldve done him insanely well with more accuracy/completions per game.
@@coolmemesbudd I was also thinking the superbowls but yeah would of been unbelievable
detroit really let barry and megatron retired young cause of the bs they put them thru 😂🤦🏼♂️
As a Lions fan, this kills me on the inside. He was so good, and I loved having him on the team, but we ruined his career. We did the same thing to Barry and almost did the same thing to Stafford.
Forever thankful for what he did, but will always have a sour taste in my mouth because of what he could have been with a decent team.
Thank you Megatron. Wish we could have done better for you.
Detroits inability to field a competitive team with megatron and Stafford is franchise malpractice. 2 personal favourites of mine, I mean look at Stafford even this year he’s a top 5 qb
I remember growing up and the only thing we could look forward to on the lions team was megatron. It was bad times. But he was explosive. An absolute privilege for us fans to watch him.
He was talented and a hard worker. He deserved to win a title. He also stayed loyal to the franchise.
No choice they refused to trade him
This feels like my rams for a while but with Steven Jackson hahahah
You should of seen barry. I was so disappointed when he retired.
@@LEWiSGare you gonna be pumped up for the battlehawks?
What gets missed on the "Detroit wasted his career" narrative is that he signed a 7-year contract extension after his rookie deal with the Lions. He wanted to stay with the Lions. He also still lives in the Metro Detroit area to this day.
That's interesting to hear... well shit, glad he gets to see his team destroying this year. Hope the 49's go down... they've had their victories. Love the underdog teams.
Had he been given the opportunity to get a few rings with Tom Brady, don't you suppose he would've entertained the idea of moving out East? Patriots would've paid the man.
And trading him away to a contender for the back end of his career wouldn’t have changed his love for Detroit. He was just a huge competitor that wanted more than just franchise records. 2 total playoff games for a player like that is saddening.
Him and Barry.
They still wasted him though. Barry, too. They wasted amazing talent that actually wanted to play for them. Fkn bonkers if you ask me😂
Apparently all they needed was a crazy coach!
Woudn't it be funny if a team took an all-time bust right before Calvin Johnson got drafted? Couldn't imagine.
*cough *cough JaMarcus Russell
@@tonyyost331Jamarcus Russell is the goat💀💀💀💀💀
@@Palmtreeartarea you right my bad lol
@@Palmtreeartarea.....said no one ever.😅
I know Jamarcus was a huge bust but a lot of drafting has to do with team need. The raiders needed a Quarterback @NoStudyPoker
Megatron was a freak. He was tall, strong, fast, had good hands, could run routes and catch any contested jump ball. Shame Detroit couldn't get their shit together during that time, he gave them everything and was loyal to the end. Truly a special player.
Lll
Detroit has never been about winning a championship or Super Bowl. They get great picks and burn them out. Barry had had enough. Hershel had had enough. They just hand the ball off to their big pick until they are wore out. The ownership sucks. Frankly, the fans should have shut them down until they got a championship. If they lost the franchise, it was no big loss because they never won anything anyway. I grew up watching this team play mediocre ball season after season. They never did anything. Screw that!
no shit
The saddest part about his career was that Detroit wasted a top 5 all time receiver. I’m a die hard vikes fan but I loved watching tron anytime he took the field
Wasn’t wasted megatron set records he might not have got with other teams
bruh yall wasting JJettas and Diggs career right now so stfu.
@@visionstealth7827got a point there
@@troytullar2123Nonsense bruh, if he played on a competent team he could have set records that never would be touched. Just like Barry Sanders.
I hate this rhetoric because you can say this about a lot of players
Having an nickname for a bad guy Megatron, he was one of the nicest players on and off the field you would ever met.
100%
On the field he was definitely Megatron 😂😂😂😂
Man he was my favorite player growing up as a lions fan wish he played for this lions team
It’s a shame how many all-time greats the Lions have wasted because of just sheer incompetent management
@@yourlocaltrucker313 true
@@yourlocaltrucker313why Dan gamble is making history
He wouldn’t have been available to get drafted to this team if they were actually good…
Im still convinced that he could come out of retirement right now and still be terrifying to go up against in the end zone
Lol true 😂
Hell nahhh he just golf’s now.. most his fingers are broken
@@Newmoneyy247 and he'd still be unstoppable lol. It was never his hands that made him Megatron. It was his legs and his vertical. In another life, he could have easily gone pro in the NBA and put up some stupid numbers.
In today’s game he’d be a TE. Good luck linebackers.
@@Newmoneyy247 I mean yeah, I'm sure he doesn't want to come out of retirement, but if he did, I bet he could still make a crazy play here and there
Megatron was invented in a lab and a monster! It is a shame, that the Lions teams where trash, when he was on them! Absolute heck of a player!
imagine if detroit had Barry sanders and Megatron at the same time!
@@tyroneharris38 That should have been, for them and for every real football fan!
Imagine if The lions had Jarod Golf and Megatron at the
Same damn time 🤔👀😭
Shiiit...😂
Megatron was basically the entire Lion's offense at certain points, when nobody else is open who you gonna throw it to? MEGATRON
Honestly disgusting the way Detroit treated Barry and Calvin. Almost literally left them no choice but to leave the game. That's fckd up considering how high they set the bar for the rest of the league
I am from southeast Michigan. This is the way the Lions have always been run. It is sad, because they ruined perfectly good talent. The franchise never had an effective plan to win a championship. If it ever happens, it will come from new ownership/leadership only. The fans kept coming, so the ownership was satisfied with mediocrity, just like the Browns. The solution is to just turn away and never look back.
Barry yes, he deserved better. But Calvin was never worth anything.
You forgot my boy Stafford
@@hillbilly4christ638the new ownership and leadership just took them to a superbowl dog
@@zorotarded178 the Lions have never made it to the Super Bowl.
He would have walked of the field the greatest wide receiver ever if he had of spent a longer career on the right team without a doubt imagine if he spent the same years gronk did with Tom Brady or if Green bay had of gone after Megatron etc etc
Similar to what Randy Moss did with his short time with New England. They would have been wild!
Guys that big should not be that fast. Megaton kind of killed like he was running in slow motion but was MOVING! Gronk was similar, but obviously not as fast, though plenty of people have commented on Gronk’s speed saying someone that large should not move like that and PLENTY say that about Johnson.
Thankfully Detroit is not only team to go 0-16. Thanks Cleveland!!
@@blacklabelholsters1635 Gronkowski was a true freak. He LUMBERED, but he was still fast: too fast for linebackers, too big for safeties to guard him, and he would just run over corner-backs.
No way was Calvin better than Jerry Rice. You can believe in what if’s because you don’t have to prove them, nor can they be disproven because they don’t exist. What does exist are facts…
Rice was the all-time leading receiver in college, Calvin was not. Rice is the all-time leading receiver in the pros, Calvin is not. Rice at the age of 40 playing for the Raiders had more catches (92) than Calvin had in 7 out of his 9 years in the NFL. To put that into perspective, Calvin Johnson is 38 years old now in 2024 and he’s been out of the league going on 9 seasons. Calvin in no part of his football life was he ever better than Jerry Rice.
Mentioning him playing for Georgia Tech and not mentioning, for the casual, that Georgia tech is a triple option school does his talent a bit of a disservice.
He was so good that he made a run only school pass the rock!
Once in a lifetime talent. Just like Barry, we can only ask ourselves what if, and that is such a monumental disservice to the talent that this man had.
All hail Megatron
Except for the fact that Paul Johnson, who ran the offense you describe, was not the coach at Tech when Calvin was there.
Calvin's head coach was Chan Gailey. And his quarterback was Reggie Ball. Both of those facts were much bigger barricades to success for a receiver than if Tech HAD been running a triple option
@@andrewteal5981this is so true. Ball was terribly inconsistent. Calvin’s first two seasons he wasn’t thrown the ball nearly enough. His junior year they finally started going to him a lot more. He bolted Georgia Tech at the right moment, his stock was sky high.
moss is still my number one. but Calvin was absurd
He was 100% to best. He was raised right, made his money and moved on with his life. Hope he's doing well 🙏
I believe he is doing well and still lives in the Detroit area/Michigan
[updated for clarity]
@@ginger_breadman actually he is not the best, the ONLY thing he has on Randy moss is his weight, 240 to 210, Randy was almost as tall, 6'4" to 6'5", was faster, he ran a 4.25 to Calvins 4.35, 1 second in the 40 is a lot, made the same type of catches. But even Randy is not the best. Jerry Rice is
@davidrooks3274 Randy shed tears on television because John Gruden said "Big lips" (That automatically disqualifies Moss from everything)
@@davidrooks3274 My “I believe he is” … was in reference to his “hope he’s doing well”. I do not think Megatron is the best, it is Sir Jerry Rice 💯. I will put him in the mix with Moss though, I do not necessarily think Moss is better.
@@davidrooks3274 I did not say Megatron is the best. I updated my original comment to make it clear. Sir Jerry Rice is still the best. Maybe Moss is second but I still believe Megatron was a good as Moss.
Calvin Johnson along with a handful of others is the result of life trying to get us ready for the next lead in our evolution. 6’6 240lbs with a 4.3 and some of the softest hands in receiving history. Every now and then we are gifted with absolute athletic “one-of-a-kinds” and I’m just incredibly glad I am here to witness them.
And yet he still wasn’t superior than Jerry Rice. You see measurables don’t mean a thing.
Calvin Johnson is the only person who can understand the pain & discouragement Barry Sanders went through in his career.
Andre Johnson.
Hopkins? How many bad teams did he play on in Houston before moving on to more bad teams?!
Good im glad he got his props into the NFL HALL OF FAME HE RIGHTLY DEFINITELY DESERVED IT
Dude was such a beast, Lions did that man a disservice!
That should be the franchise slogan or motto: "Dude was such a beast, Lions did that man a disservice!" That pretty much sums up Detroit's franchise.
@@gregoryjclark81 tough bro 🤣🤣🤣
I loved watching this guy play. He was one of a kind....ive never seen a double team on one receiver until he showed up lol
Calvin was a freak! Never seen a receiver like him. Man, guys went hard after his legs because it was the only way to stop him. Often, very often, he was the sole focus of defenses against the SOL Lions. Also, though, Calvin is one very cool dude
Yeah runs a weed company in Michigan now and his company comes into my work once a year. The dude is one chillest guys ever really nice
As a Bears fan, I was in awe of Johnson's skills.
Charles Tillman played him really tough as he did with Randy Moss, but no one was going to stop those two.
Nasty player.
Its amazing that Detroit had arguably the best running back of all time who ended his career early, and then also the same with Calvin also being arguably the best receiver of all time who walked out early... Detroit did them both DIRTY!
Ye I said the same thing smh
Unreal man, I remember watching this guy weekly.. looking back at the time, you don’t realize what you were watching it till they retire and are done
Sports Science did a piece on Calvin Johnson and concluded that he’s receptive reach was equal to a two-car garage! Throw it anywhere in that area and he will catch it! Kudos to you Megatron!
I like how you included the Detroit type beat in teh background when you started talking about the city. Very Creative.
As a lions fan I would have loved to have seen him go play with Brady back then. The lions tarnished his career as well as staffords
Stafford got his and maybe broke the Lion curse.
Stafford was to blame for plenty of Lions' lack of success. He was simply never the 'elite' talent many people retroactively tried to claim him as. Detroit had a number of seasons with very talented rosters in Stafford's time, and he fell short himself quite a bit. And a lot of his high yardage(and this goes for Calvin as well) totals were due in part from garbage time.
The clip of his quarterback running, getting a safety and still looking to throw is so wild
That’s dans olorsky, dude that’s comes on first take espn 😂😂
@@harmangrewal7824 lmaooo no way. He is so critical of other quarterbacks and he did this.
Criminally, underrated. Never seen a wide receiver get double teamed at the line of scrimmage, OTHER THAN CALVIN JOHNSON
With help from over top!!💯💯💯
Randy Moss received that coverage on many occasions well before Calvin, just an fyi
@@patrickr2691 I haven't seen that with randy moss. And I saw moss at Marshall.
Moss got doubled over the top. Calvin got doubled at the line of scrimmage, with safety help over the top. Fyi
@@sholovesholove4620 you guys have poor selective memory. I have seen near every snap of both of their careers. Randy Moss saw significantly more coverage on a regular basis than Johnson. I would say they're not even comparable. Moss is famous for changing the way defenses played, nobody says that about Johnson & 95% of the clips in this video are against obvious single coverage. How blind are some of these fans? BTW here is Moss doubled at the LOS on the 45 yard line for example, this took me 2 seconds to find:
ua-cam.com/video/HaasanqRyEQ/v-deo.htmlm07s
@@sholovesholove4620 ua-cam.com/video/CDIXnB3fBL4/v-deo.html moss vs. 3 on 1 coverage, molds into 4 on 1 as play develops.
He was the craziest thing to watch. Randy was the fastest man alive but Megatron was legit a monster.
And Gronk was the most unstoppable player (when healthy)
Like Barry Sanders it's a shame that Detroit wasn't able to give him a chance at a playoff run.
By far my favorite receiver too watch and trade for on Madden. Dude was unstoppable!!!
Megatron just was the best wr ever. He was literally unguardable
Guy didn't score with anything resembling the rate of Moss or Rice, he was not as effective as those guys in the red zone, he was too stuff for the condensed area
Just came here from watching his Hall of Fame reaction video, knowing little of the NFL or football. It was so genuine I had to check out his work. Remarkable talent.
He was amazing to watch. Barry Sanders, too.
As a Vikings fan, much respect. That guy and Barry Sanders were just terrifying.
Imagine this man on the Lions right now. Sheeeeeeit.
I can never forgive the Lions for wasting this man's career though.
Johnson and Moss are two of the most freak athletes to ever play at the WR position. Both ring less and both squandered by their organizations.
Imagine if Johnson landed on the Colts and had Manning throwing to him or on the Saints and had Brees throwing to him.
As a bears fan this is all truth… he’s the most incredible
Megatron was a WR who could catch any ball thrown his way, and Stafford was a QB who could make any throw. Together, even without a running game or offensive line or a decent Offensive Coordinator, the two of them together were unstoppable.
Similar career to #20 Sanders. Similar sad team to play for. Similar turf to wear down legends.
Detroit fans deserve better. Maybe tomorrow.
Calvin Johnson is combination height,speed,hops,hand eye coordination, route running,body control in a graceful package.
Megatron is a top 5 wide receiver of all time he was the only reason why I would even watch Lions games. So sad that he had to play for the Lions
As a non football watcher this was inspiring to see. You can be winning even on a losing team. Do your best even in a hopeless situation.
My forever favorite player ever, I grew up as a lions fan and I'm glad I got to witness Megatron
8:07 I love how he flips the ball casually to the ref. I wish we saw more of that.
Same thing Barry use to do.
Most skilled and talented WR ever by a mile.
Mad respect for Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald, but for me is no debate, i take Megatron over everyone all day.
Ur delusional……Johnson was awesome but Moss changed the game.
Not even a lions fan, but I just wish he could play for the 2024 lions. That team would be unstoppable.
That was a GREAT video. Thank you
Made by an AI
Like Barry, think about what Mega could have accomplished with a competent organization during his career...
With that said, the Brand New Lions are lookin GRITTY!
He was so much fun to watch. Amazing player.
Damn time flies by in a blank of a eye
11:23 That game was a response to the Cowboys coach saying Megatron would be the 3rd or 4th best receiver on their team.
LOL 2:58 Look at that look on his face. "Awww man, the fucking Lions???"
That is EXACTLY what I was about to say 😂. So obvious 😂
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Can you imagine plugging prime Calvin into the current Lions roster? Thankful for all his efforts in all those bad years, I was there for all of them, but always wonder what could have been. Thanks again big guy, we'll never forget ya!
What's scary about his college career is the team still ran the triple option during this time, so he was blocking most plays.
One of my favorite NFC North players to watch besides Bears players. The mad amount of respect for that guy that I have, even though he is a rival, is unique.
He made Lions Vs Bears all the more fun. Even though he murdered Tillman most of the time, they had great battles.
He is the reason I petition the Bears to consider Marvin Harrison JR.
If he even is half the WR of Calvin Johnson he would still be a great NFL reciver.
9:21 ref was thinking about it
I remember watching a Sports Science episode on him. His catch radius was about the volume of a two-car garage.
He and Randy Moss were unstoppable
Moss literally changed the game.
Moss was stopped more times than you think. Jerry Rice was the unstoppable one. Rice clears Calvin and Moss by miles.
@@357twilson who stopped Randy? If he played today he'd have at least 2kyds every season
@@michaelmitchell570 he was routinely stopped in playoff games
Megatron proves the theory that no matter how good, you have to have more than one good player to make the team work. Put him and Stafford on nearly ANY other team and they'd be a playoff team.
Megatron was really unstoppable😅😅😅
So was G R O N K
Defenses would literally scheme around this one person and he still set so many records. Megatron went through an uphill battle on top of an uphill battle every game. Detroit universally respects him so much.
They would even triple team him
Every team schemes against the other teams best player.
2014 was megatrons only chance at going deep in the playoffs, but the refs stopped him
Man i feel for calvin for what the lions put him through. That 0-16 doesnt just go away when the season ends. That pain sticks with you. I remember times seeing how upset calvin would get on the sidelines at the end of games when they would inevitably blow it again.
Too bad they used and abused him while not getting the needed pieces to win. Love megaton he’s forever in the Lions HOF right alongside Barry
Watching Megatron live was one of the wildest experiences ever. I have never been to a game where it was so obvious who a player was and how dominant they could play.
This is why I love the fact Sheila Ford Hamp took over as the owner. So much dictatorship with how the Ford's parents and how they ran this team for so long. Never having the love for the game, having there soul mindset being towards making a profit as opposed to putting a competent tram together year after year. The fact they denied trades to Barry and Calvin absolutely shows who they were as owners. It's just dumb business imo. You can get value from both guys but refuse to trade them, so in response they cut their careers short. So Lions end up with absolutely nothing but 2 retired HOF's in their prime. The Fords for far to many years made this team very hard to like. Shiela has passion for the game and is committed to having guys that want to be apart of that success. Stafford did not so she gave the green light to send his ass packing. Those two have everything they had to the city of Detroit. I as a fan was absolutely pissed to serve them both retire. Nothing worse than how bad my hatred was towards Sheila's parents and how they operated this team. I'm am truly happy they found it in them to let bygones be bygones and commit to showing this team love week in and week out. Love those guys. GO LIONS 🦁 😤
According to the "Bye, bye Barry" Detroit passed on Joe Montana when he was leaving the 49ers. "Because he was too old."
The Lions were treated like a tax write off for the Ford family.
As a Packer fan I always remember that draft as A. Peterson and Johnson. Both beasts.
Best running back, best receiver, no trophies....maybe soon on last
Best receiver is Jerry Rice
Calvin Johnson, the man, the myth, the legend! I'm a GT fan. Go watch his Tech highlights. He played 3 years with a really, really REALLY bad qb. The plays he made were unbelievable, because he had to.
1:28 the young what😭
Megatron bruh
@@gabrielesparza2952 🫃🏿🚌
Megatron
i heard that shit too 😂😂
Megatron
Great video ! Thanks it was sad but informative of his incredibly great accomplishments
Randy Moss is the most unguardable, hands down!
and Gronk.
This video was really well done. Love it.
Went to a Bengals/Lions game in Detroit. 4th quarter Bengals were winning by a TD. The last drive they only threw to Calvin Johnson. Bengals had 3 guys covering him and he still made catch after catch. It was easily the most amazing thing I'd seen at a sporting event. 1 dude, unstoppable. Lions fans were going crazy. Alas, Bengals won a last second FG lol
a freakishly talented, and huge physical frame. He is the prototype of the perfect receiver.
IMAGINE IF HE WAS ON THE TEAM NOW
Hey, make sure you just hold on for the ride with that big fella. That's cold 🤣🤣
Stafford & Megatron basically played 2v11 while half injured every play.
People don’t realize how awful the rest of the offensive roster was during Megatron’s prime.
I grew up a massive Carter fan, then Moss, Megatron is the best. Played with no one. The entire game was , shut down Megatron. Yet no one could come even close. Its nuts He did what he did with no team.
Exactly alot in comments don't appear to get that through their head
God bless you all, Jesus is King
Amen 🙏🏽
Who said anything about Jesus?
Yes he is. Amen. I love you God and Jesus. Amen. Amen. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
He’s the mix of every football player, tall, heavy,( depending on the position) fast, un gaurd able and more this is just insane
“He was just producing regardless”
Man this guy was beyond great, imagine if he was anywhere eles 😅
MEGATRON boy. a once in a lifetime Athlete and I am thankful I got to watch his entire career. You could see in his face he wasnt happy about Detroit drafting him. Us either, Calvin!
as a bears fan watching mega vs peanut was so much fun!!! nothing but class... barry was nothing but class as well
The best tickets at Bobby Dodd stadium for a few years were on the left side of the goal line. At least once a game, Calvin would post up the safety at the line and Reggie Ball would throw one that ONLY Calvin could catch. Classy guy, generational talent.
Definitely the best ever...not in stats...but pure god given talent
❤🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
It is like, what if he played with Brady, Wilson, Rogers, or Newton.
Just wow. Johnson definitely deserved a ring
Imagine if he played all those years with a solid offense and a great QB
Sounds like a similar situation with Terry Mclaurin (obviously Megatron is better). I hate that my team is wasting McLaurin's career. I hope we can change his trajectory with new management
Can someone finally come along and tell people how great this man was. I was a young kid watching one of the best wr's I've ever seen. While still at GT 🤣
I've seen 3 freaks of nature go through Det. Barry, Calvin and boy named Suh. A joy to watch even though I'm a Packers fan (Sharpe was my fave).
Megatron was absolutely a thrill to watch play