Detroit Lions: Kerryon Johnson more essential than Barry Sanders right now

The multi-talented rookie second-round pick out of Auburn has been everything Quinn and Matt Patricia have hoped for. Kerryon Johnson can run, catch, block and play video games with the best the NFL has to offer.

And despite the fact that Matt Patricia has preached that they will be productive on the ground by platooning their backs and carries, Johnson has emerged as the workhorse.

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Yes, they have given carries to LeGarrette Blount, Theo Riddick, and even Ameer Abdullah, but the fact of the matter is that Johnson is not only their most explosive back, but he’s easily the most productive runner they have.

His patience and vision have allowed him to make plays many other backs in this league can’t make. Basically, his on-field maturity is outstanding and has benefited both himself and the Lions and his importance to this franchise is crucial.

Now there will be some major work on this defense next offseason, which will be extremely important to any chances at making a serious run to the Super Bowl, but in the right here and now, Kerryon Johnson is probably the Lions most essential player.

I would even say he is more essential than Barry Sanders was when he graced the Pontiac Silverdome with his incredible talent. At least for right now.

I know that is a controversial statement to make about perhaps the greatest player in Detroit Lions history, but here’s why I say that; Barry was phenomenal and probably the best pure runner the game has ever seen, yet his Lions teams didn’t win.

This wasn’t his fault by any means, but he, unfortunately, played at a time and on a team, he had to carry, but it wasn’t talented enough outside of him to become true contenders.

Meanwhile, even though it is early in his career when Kerryon Johnson has played well, the Lions have won. That makes him an incredibly important piece of the puzzle. At least for now. He still has almost more than humanly possible to do before he could ever catch up to what Barry accomplished individually.

Hopefully, in the near future, Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia will solve the Lions defensive woes creating a team that is capable of winning games by controlling the trenches on both sides of the ball. Because the less individual players, a team has to rely on to save them, due to what they are accomplishing as a team, the better chance that team has of winning a title.

Everyone likes to have stars to cheer for on their team, but in the end, the real point is to win championships. Regardless of who is or isn’t wearing a Lions jersey.