With the feud between the Detroit Lions and Calvin Johnson, there is no clear hero or villain. It is time for both sides to stand together.
A few weeks ago, it felt like wide receiver Calvin Johnson had earned his nickname “Megatron.” Not just for his dominance, but also for his villainous stance against the Detroit Lions.
On June 2, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press published a description by Johnson of his final days as a Lion. It was an eye-opening article.
Calvin’s retirement in 2016 was always analogous to running back Barry Sanders retirement in 1999. Johnson retired just before free agency, while Barry retired just before training camp. Both retired at just 30-years of age, and still in their prime on the field.
Calvin’s retirement was a much better situation for the Detroit Lions, who had a chance to adjust their free agency and draft needs. It even led to the signing of wide receiver Marvin Jones in 2016.
With Barry, the Detroit Lions were afforded nothing, and a major hole was left on the roster. For some reason that hole has lasted 20 years, but that’s a topic for another time.
By the way, there is a hole left by Johnson’s retirement. He was a great player.
The Lions were lucky to have a pro like wide receiver Golden Tate in place already. Plus, Detroit acquired the aforementioned Marvin Jones, who has looked good in two years with Detroit.
That helped make the hole not so gaping.