Dec 30, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) during the second quarter against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

122 catches for 1,964 yards. The numbers Calvin Johnson put up during the 2012 season were ridiculous. More of what was going on behind the scenes has been revealed, making the numbers look even more ridiculous.

It had been speculated that Calvin Johnson played at least a portion of the season with multiple broken fingers – perhaps as many of three. That had not been confirmed by Johnson or head coach Jim Schwartz. Until today:

Calvin Johnson confirmed that he played with broken fingers last season. Said he’s been trying to straighten them out. No offseason surgery

— Chris McCosky (@cmccosky) May 20, 2013

Add in the fact that Megatron was also bothered by a knee injury and it goes to show just what a freak he is. Healthy or otherwise, no receiver in the history of the NFL put up the kind of receiving yardage numbers Calvin had last season. It makes you wonder just what he could do with better health and an offense with the ability to at least occasionally draw defenses away to open up more explosive opportunities.

Megatron won’t turn 28-years old until after the 2013 season starts but he is already on the cusp of officially becoming the Lions best receiver of all-time. He needs 1,338 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns to overtake Herman Moore as the Lions career leader in both categories.

Nov.16, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Reggie Bush (22) runs against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half at Sun Life Stadium. The Dolphins won 24-3. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Titus Young forced his way out of Detroit, Ryan Broyles is coming off his second ACL injury in two years and Nate Burleson is a year older and rehabbing a broken leg. The Lions can still be solid with these group of players, but the Lions haven’t aimed to just be “solid” on offense. The offense is built to be explosive and take shots down field, or turn a screen play into a 30-yard gain. The Lions need a player that’s capable of doing both and capitalizing on one on one match ups, because of the attention Calvin Johnson will be drawing.

With that said, I feel like the most important move the Lions could make this off season through the draft would be adding Tavon Austin. There just isn’t another player like him in free agency or in the draft. And with Austin’s speed, I’m not sure there would be a defense that could keep up with the Lions. He’d also fit the budget plan as opposed to signing a big named free agent receiver with a similar skill set.

[RELATED: Detroit Lions Draft Prospects: Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia]

Let’s take a look at the Super Bowl match up this year. Both the Ravens and 49ers had elite return men in Jacoby Jones and Ted Ginn and in the Ravens case, Jones made a huge impact as a receiver as well. Players with elite speed change the game. It doesn’t matter how good defense’s coverages are if they can’t keep up with a player with world class speed and pairing a player with that skill set alongside Calvin Johnson would be a nightmare for opposing defenses.

Another huge plus for drafting Austin is the financial relief he could offer as opposed to signing a big named receiver in free agency. The Lions have needs they need to fill. Reggie Bush, if signed, will take up some cap room and I’m not sure the Lions can afford a talented receiver with needs at defensive end and in the secondary. If the Lions plan on drafting Austin, it would be a better position for the team financially.

It’s the offseason, usually the happiest time for Lions fans because there is so much to look forward to. Namely, an offense that features a legitimate threat opposite Calvin  Johnson, a dynamic running back that can stretch the field as well as anyone in the NFL paired with a brute running back like Mikel Leshoure and a top five pick that could be used to solidify Matthew Stafford‘s health for the next decade or to fill a huge need in the secondary or defensive end.

I’m not sure how the offseason will shape up, but if the Lions could add Reggie Bush and Tavon Austin they will be one of the most dangerous offenses in the NFL.

Nov 22, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) celebrates with wide receiver Ryan Broyles (84) after catching a pass for a touchdown in the second quarter of the Thanksgiving day game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Today we take a look at how the Detroit Lions’ wide receivers performed during the 2012 season with a little help from the fine folks at Pro Football Focus.

The radar chart below shows the Pro Football Focus grades for the Lions’ receivers and compares them to the best, worst and league average ratings. PFF grades each player on each play to produce a massively useful tool for evaluating the totality of a player’s season compared to others at his position.

2012 Season Review
Calvin Johnson – The PFF numbers tell us what we already know, Calvin Johnson is a stud. His +26.1 rating in the passing game is second only to Andre Johnson‘s +29.0, although Demaryius Thomas and Reggie Wayne rated as the second and third overall receivers due to better run blocking and penalty ratings. Final stats: 122 rec, 1,964 yards, 5 TD

Nate Burleson – The biggest problem with Burleson, besides getting hurt, was that he was wildly inconsistent in 2012. He alternated between solid positive and solid negative ratings from PFF through the first four weeks of the season and then had very little impact either way in his other two games before leaving with a broken leg. Final stats: 27 rec, 240 yards, 2 TD

Titus Young – There is no other way to describe Titus Young’s season as anything but a failure. Instead of seeing him take a big step forward in year two, he sabotaged his team and his own development. Pro Football focus rated Young number 99 out of 105 qualified receivers (based on 25% of team snaps), but that includes a +2.9 in the win over the Seahawks – the best non-Johnson rating for Lions’ wide receivers in 2012. The potential is there, it just hasn’t materialized like the Lions need. Despite such a low rating, there is some clear separation between Young (-7.6) and T.J. Graham (-15.3), PFF’s worst rated WR. Final stats: 33 rec, 383 yards, 4 TD

Others – Ryan Broyles didn’t play enough snaps to make PFF’s league-wide list but he did rate out at a +2.5 for the season. Project that out to a full 16-game schedule and Broyles was right around league average. He will need to improve as a run blocker but he should continue to prove himself as an asset in the passing game once he returns healthy. Mike Thomas provided nothing of value. Kris Durham‘s play landed him somewhere between oddly intriguing and nothing more than a warm body. Kassim Osgood is listed as a wide receiver but is really just a special teams player.

Offseason Plan
I feel like the specter of Matt Millen will never leave the Detroit Lions until they have a solid and complete group of wide receivers. The Lions enter another offseason in which they will need to address the position in one form or another.

Calvin Johnson: Yes, good, next.

I held out hope for Titus Young, not necessarily that he would ever play for the Lions again but that the light bulb would turn on to the point that someone was willing to give the Lions something for him. His recent twitter rant shows that has not happened, in fact, there may not even be a light bulb in the socket. Titus Young: goodbye.

Ryan Broyles and Nate Burleson will spend the offseason rehabbing from their injuries. There is no doubt that Broyles will be counted on as a member of the 2013 Lions but Burleson’s status with the team is somewhat in doubt. He is under contract but the price tag doesn’t jive with the bigger picture. Burleson has stated that he is willing to renegotiate his deal to make it more team-friendly and that he wants the Lions to be his last NFL stop. If the Lions can accommodate this given their salary cap limitations, I am in full support. Burleson can still contribute and is a solid leader.

I’m sure there was some grand vision for fitting Mike Thomas into the offense when they traded for him at the deadline. Unfortunately that plan wasn’t evident. The Lions need to find a role for Thomas, specifically in maximizing the usefulness of his speed. Otherwise, he’s of little use to the Lions.

Kris Durham is an exclusive rights free agent so the Lions will be able to keep him on the cheap. It’s a wise move to at least carry him through training camp to get some more time to figure out if he is more towards the intriguing side of things than just a warm body.

The glaring need here is a deep threat to play on the outside opposite Calvin Johnson. The Lions can’t go into next season with just Calvin Johnson and a bunch of slot receivers and that’s pretty much what they have right now. Titus Young was supposed to be that guy but he can’t stay in Detroit. I find it unlikely the Lions can fill this role through free agency so that means fans should brace themselves for another draft pick to go for a wide receiver. That’s sure to cause consternation but the Lions almost have to do it. More importantly, they have to get it right when they do.

*Those that have been around the Detroit Lions blogosphere for a while may recognize the approach presented as similar to Ty Schalter’s ‘Old Mother Hubbard’ series on The Lions in Winter. Don’t worry, he’s cool with what I’m doing here and has assured me that he’ll be back with Old Mother Hubbard later in the offseason.