Do the Detroit Lions miss Calvin Johnson anymore?

In his prime, Calvin Johnson was the focal point of the offense for the Detroit Lions. But since his retirement in 2016, the Lions have done fine without him.

We’ve seen countless times in the NFL that when a superstar leaves a team, said team struggles to recover from the loss. Look no further than the Detroit Lions for a great example, as the running game has never even been above average, let alone good since running back Barry Sanders left the team in 1999.

Many fans thought a similar thing would happen when wide receiver Calvin Johnson left the team in 2016. Those thoughts were fairly justified, as its pretty hard to replace a future Hall of Famer who revolutionized the position and was good for at least 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns every year.

Listing statistics and trivia to prove Johnson’s impact on the team is meaningless, as all of us fans had the pleasure of watching him dominate this league for nine years. We all saw his legendary speed and highlight-reel plays right before our eyes.

According to recent reports from Sporting News and ClutchPoints, it seems that Johnson’s ankles are in worse shape than we thought. Despite what many of us dreamed of in the back of our minds, Megatron will most likely never step foot on an NFL field, especially with the Lions.

And that’s not just because of the ankles. The relationship between Johnson and Detroit has been rocky to say the least, leaving a bitter taste in the mouth of many Motor City Maniacs.

There’s no doubt that what Johnson did for Detroit will not be forgotten any time soon, as he may go down as one of the best Lions of all-time. But to say the Lions offense has suffered from his loss would not really be an accurate statement.

Many haters of Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford projected him to struggle without being able to rely on his trusty receiver. But his stats have remained the same, and in terms of his poise and leadership abilities, one could say Stafford has drastically improved since Johnson’s departure.

Thanks to the spectacular play of receivers Golden Tate and Marvin Jones Jr., fans have been forgetting about Megatron more and more every day. Tate has an ability to make defenders miss in the open field that Johnson never really had, and Jones Jr. has made catches in traffic his specialty, similar to the future Hall of Famer in his hay day.

And let’s not forget, Detroit Lions fans: Bob Quinn may have already drafted the next Calvin Johnson in 2017. While young receiver Kenny Golladay may never be able to fully replace Johnson, he showed flashes of greatness in his rookie season and has a chance to follow Johnson into the Hall of Fame one day.

While many thought the Lions would struggle once Johnson left, Motor City rallied behind the great play of Stafford, solid defensive play and the leadership of new general manager Bob Quinn to make the playoffs in 2016, the same year that Calvin left.

Detroit’s passing game in 2017 was among the best in the league, as they ranked in the top five league-wide in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, proving yet again that they don’t need Megatron to throw the ball well.

What is nice to see is that Johnson seems happy with his life post-football. He’s gone back to school at Georgia Tech, and is still around the game he grew up loving, coaching young receivers at his camp on how to become NFL wide receivers like himself one day.

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Despite the endless highlights and pleasant memories, it’s nice to see Calvin Johnson and the Detroit Lions both doing well without each other. Hopefully Johnson continues to live his best, healthy life. And hopefully the Lions continue to succeed post-Megatron as well. Maybe this break-up is for the best.