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Calvin Johnson Admits He Retired Because The Lions Stunk...

Brown Recluse : 7/12/2017 4:34 pm
Damn... Sucks to be a Lions fan.

Quote:

“I was stuck in my contract with Detroit, and they told me, they would not release my contract, so I would have to come back to them,” Johnson said, via ESPN. “I didn’t see the chance for them to win a Super Bowl at the time, and for the work I was putting in, it wasn’t worth my time to keep on beating my head against the wall and not going anywhere.”


Quote:

That means the Lions had one of the greatest running backs ever, Barry Sanders, and one of the greatest receivers ever retire at least in part because of the franchise’s ongoing futility. Johnson won zero playoff games in his career and Sanders won one. That win Sanders was part of, at the end of the 1991 season, is Detroit’s only playoff win since 1957. In the 51-year Super Bowl era the Lions have won three division titles, and none since 1993.



Calvin Johnson finally admits he retired in part because the Lions stunk - ( New Window )
They didn't have a shitty season  
BigBlueDownTheShore : 7/12/2017 4:35 pm : link
and could have had a better season with him last year.
.  
Danny Kanell : 7/12/2017 4:36 pm : link
That is absolutely insane that they only have 1 (!) playoff win in 60 years.
I felt like Barry Sanders was also sick of playing for a losing  
Moondawg : 7/12/2017 4:37 pm : link
franchise.
Oh, I just read the quote you posted  
Moondawg : 7/12/2017 4:38 pm : link
so, that.
RE: .  
Deej : 7/12/2017 4:39 pm : link
In comment 13526601 Danny Kanell said:
Quote:
That is absolutely insane that they only have 1 (!) playoff win in 60 years.


Yeah. Somehow they never really hit my futility radar, but WOW.
RE: .  
Mike in Long Beach : 7/12/2017 4:43 pm : link
In comment 13526601 Danny Kanell said:
Quote:
That is absolutely insane that they only have 1 (!) playoff win in 60 years.


I was about to comment how it's insane Johnson never won a single playoff game... and then when you put it in those terms it makes the CJ figure look like nothing.

I mean... wow.
RE: RE: .  
Danny Kanell : 7/12/2017 4:43 pm : link
In comment 13526608 Deej said:
Quote:
In comment 13526601 Danny Kanell said:


Quote:


That is absolutely insane that they only have 1 (!) playoff win in 60 years.



Yeah. Somehow they never really hit my futility radar, but WOW.


Ha, same here.
And DK,  
Mike in Long Beach : 7/12/2017 4:46 pm : link
I just realized you even managed to "sugarcoat it" a little, haha. By saying "they've won 1 in 60 years," sort of implies they had one sprinkled in there in the middle... one little period where things weren't so bad.

But the reality and more damning way of putting it is: "They haven't won a single playoff game in 60 years."

Jesus.
.  
Danny Kanell : 7/12/2017 4:47 pm : link
Listen, I love the Giants. But if they're sitting on 1 playoff win in 60 years, I think i'm shot by now. How the hell to these fans muster up the energy to get excited for a football season?
Ugh, totally disregard.  
Mike in Long Beach : 7/12/2017 4:47 pm : link
Misread the original post. I'm a doofus.
RE: And DK,  
Danny Kanell : 7/12/2017 4:48 pm : link
In comment 13526615 Mike in Long Beach said:
Quote:
I just realized you even managed to "sugarcoat it" a little, haha. By saying "they've won 1 in 60 years," sort of implies they had one sprinkled in there in the middle... one little period where things weren't so bad.

But the reality and more damning way of putting it is: "They haven't won a single playoff game in 60 years."

Jesus.


If i'm reading it correctly, they won the one playoff game in 1991.
RE: Ugh, totally disregard.  
Danny Kanell : 7/12/2017 4:48 pm : link
In comment 13526617 Mike in Long Beach said:
Quote:
Misread the original post. I'm a doofus.


Ha, ok.
but...they did win a single playoff game in 60 years  
Greg from LI : 7/12/2017 4:52 pm : link
They beat the Cowboys in 1991. Pounded them 38-6 before getting pounded themselves by the Skins.
I guess I need to refresh posts more often  
Greg from LI : 7/12/2017 4:52 pm : link
.
Add Mathew Stafford to this list when he's done  
giantgiantfan : 7/12/2017 4:55 pm : link
obviously he's not nearly as good as Sanders or Johnson, but here is a good starting QB who they will have wasted. Stafford is at least as good as Phillip Rivers who has accomplished more because even the inept Charges have been able to put talent around him at times.
The Lion's futility reminds me how happy I am to be a Giants fan  
MadPlaid : 7/12/2017 4:57 pm : link
Thank you, Dad!

Only one playoff victory in 60 years is nutz! And I thought the Browns have it rough.
It sucks cause Lions  
giantgiantfan : 7/12/2017 4:58 pm : link
have always been a team I route for if I find myself watching there game. Was a huge Barry Sanders fan growing up and I like pulling for a underdog. Same goes with the Browns. Thats another team I like to see win.
No knock on Marshall (whom I glad the team signed)  
Beer Man : 7/12/2017 5:17 pm : link
But I would have preferred Megatron lining up opposite OBJ.
This topic was being discussed on Sirius and one former front  
robbieballs2003 : 7/12/2017 5:30 pm : link
office person said that the Lions do not treat their stars well. That was about 2 months ago. Calvin Johnson had made a comment at the time that was a little cryptic but made mention of how he was treated. He felt he laid it all on the line for them and they wouldn't return the favor. So, he felt his only option was to retire. When he retired the Lions came after his signing bonus money or some kind of money. The guy that was the front office guy (no relation to the Lions) said it was just 100 bad on the part of the Lions because CJ gave them so much more and it just sets a horrible precedent with your players. I think the same was done with Barry Sanders.
We all knew this  
ZogZerg : 7/12/2017 5:48 pm : link
I guess He confirmed it.
Too bad he got stuck with Detroit.
Calvin Johnson is one of the most overrated players who ever lived...  
Dry Lightning : 7/12/2017 5:50 pm : link
He never did shit. A catchy nickname and great physical skills were all he ever had. See what happened when he left? The Lions got better.
Both players had at least one big season left in them when they hung  
SGMen : 7/12/2017 5:56 pm : link
up their gear. A true shame, especially Barry Sanders.
RE: Calvin Johnson is one of the most overrated players who ever lived...  
MetsAreBack : 7/12/2017 6:16 pm : link
In comment 13526684 Dry Lightning said:
Quote:
He never did shit. A catchy nickname and great physical skills were all he ever had. See what happened when he left? The Lions got better.



.  
arcarsenal : 7/12/2017 6:30 pm : link
They should have beaten the Cowboys in 2014. That non-PI call was ridiculous.
Well that whole postseason was unbelievable  
MetsAreBack : 7/12/2017 6:38 pm : link
in that the beneficiary of the horrible call the following week was on the receiving end of a horrible call or an excruciating loss.

Non-PI Call --> Dez non-catch --> fumbled onside kick and crazy comeback --> Pass at goal instead of Marshawn
Total joke of a franchise.  
SFGFNCGiantsFan : 7/12/2017 7:09 pm : link
People talk about the Browns all the time & rightfully so, but Detroit just might be as bad. They've won ONE freaking playoff game since freaking Eisenhower was president.
RE: Calvin Johnson is one of the most overrated players who ever lived...  
annexOPR : 7/12/2017 7:37 pm : link
In comment 13526684 Dry Lightning said:
Quote:
He never did shit. A catchy nickname and great physical skills were all he ever had. See what happened when he left? The Lions got better.


he never did shit ... who's the wide receiver with the single season yardage record?

Megatron per game production > jerry rice ... on these aforementioned garbage teams (but yeah, him retiring made them better ...)

1300 and 12 on a winless team with no help on offense ... routinely beats double/ triple coverage ...

oh, and a skill set that pairs 4.3 speed with size/vert/broad jump that puts him between 95-100th percentile ALL TIME at his position.

I know he wasted away it Detroit ... but his rare skillset and production that, per game, was better than the almighty jerry rice ... yeah, overrated. what a joke. if he was on the giants he would be a demigod on this site - as he should be.



...  
annexOPR : 7/12/2017 7:44 pm : link
for all the circle jerks on this site over Evan Engram's athleticism / "upside" [and I love Engram] ...

imagine Engram 2 inches taller, faster, slightly heavier, with a vertical/broad jump that's borderline superhero territory




Megatron - ( New Window )
RE: Calvin Johnson is one of the most overrated players who ever lived...  
arcarsenal : 7/12/2017 7:50 pm : link
In comment 13526684 Dry Lightning said:
Quote:
He never did shit. A catchy nickname and great physical skills were all he ever had. See what happened when he left? The Lions got better.


This might be one of the dumbest posts I've ever seen on BBI.

Par for the course for the poster, but even outrageous by his extremely low standard.
Dry Lightning - to take a page out of his book  
David in LA : 7/12/2017 8:17 pm : link
of wonderful adjectives, is not a "sophisticated" poster. Whatever that means.
.  
Go Terps : 7/12/2017 8:21 pm : link
Calvin Johnson was not better than Jerry Rice. Great player, but Rice was putting up Johnson's numbers back when no one else was.

Rice had a 10 year stretch where he scored fewer than 10 TDs once...and the one year he didn't he scored 9. Check out the his Pro Football Reference page...if you tried to print it out you'd run out of ink there is so much bold type.

Jerry Rice is, unquestionably and indisputably, the greatest receiver to play the game. The next guy, whoever it is, isn't even close. Titles, numbers, big game performances, longevity...it's all there in a way that only one or two players in the history of the sport at any position can claim.

I was a big Calvin Johnson fan, but he's nowhere near Rice's class.
Link - ( New Window )
Jerry Rice's career playoff numbers...  
Go Terps : 7/12/2017 8:29 pm : link
29 games
151 receptions
2245 yards
22 TDs

In the Super Bowl:

4 games
33 receptions
589 yards
8 TDs

Here are his four Super Bowl performances broken out:

XXIII: 11/215/1 (MVP)
XXIV: 7/148/3
XXIX: 10/149/3
XXXVII: 5/77/1

I don't think he's the very best player ever, but someone saying that he is wouldn't be crazy to say it. Anyone that said the same for Calvin Johnson would be laughed at.
...  
annexOPR : 7/12/2017 8:35 pm : link
I said his per game production was better - because it was

Irony of this thread, he retired because his teams were garbage ... but let's knock his longevity. Silly Calvin chose to walk away in his prime with the ability to walk and a brain that still had cognitive function - rather than of his stats. I wonder how he'd do with 2 hall of fame QBs throwing him the ball ...

blah blah blah - Calvin Johnson was an incredible talent.
.  
arcarsenal : 7/12/2017 8:40 pm : link
Ironically, Rice caught just 4 passes for 45 yards in his first playoff game @ 23 years old.

Very similar to a guy on this team who just played his first playoff game@ age 24 and put up similar numbers. Yet, for some reason, half the fan base already decided that he can't handle the spotlight.

.  
arcarsenal : 7/12/2017 8:41 pm : link
In fact, Jerry Rice didn't even find the endzone in a playoff game until his 4th try after an incredibly pedestrian first three:

4/45/0
3/48/0
3/28/0
How many more meaningful games did Johnson play  
David in LA : 7/12/2017 8:42 pm : link
compared to Jerry Rice? Rice put up the numbers he did in an era where receiving numbers aren't as inflated. Johnson is more physically gifted, but Rice is the GOAT.
Arc, and half our fanbase  
David in LA : 7/12/2017 8:43 pm : link
has proven to be incredibly dumb, and short sighted.
Who is knocking Calvin Johnson?  
Go Terps : 7/12/2017 8:46 pm : link
Guy was a great player...he's just not in Jerry Rice's class.

If you want to take longevity out of it, fine. Compare Johnson's 9 years in the NFL to the first 9 years of Rice's career:

CJ: 731/11619/83
JR: 708/11776/118

Who is more productive then? Consider also that Rice only started 4 games his rookie season and had another 4 games taken away from him by strike in his third season (a season in which he put up 65/1078/22 in 12 games).

It sounds like, by pointing to production per game, you are penalizing Rice for the incredible longevity of his career...because his later years only serve to lower his per game averages down to Johnson's level.
RE: .  
Go Terps : 7/12/2017 8:49 pm : link
In comment 13526791 arcarsenal said:
Quote:
Ironically, Rice caught just 4 passes for 45 yards in his first playoff game @ 23 years old.

Very similar to a guy on this team who just played his first playoff game@ age 24 and put up similar numbers. Yet, for some reason, half the fan base already decided that he can't handle the spotlight.


I'm not sure there is anything ironic about that. You may want to stick to your tired "Better trade Beckham" jokes.

Link - ( New Window )
.  
arcarsenal : 7/12/2017 8:59 pm : link
I'm the one with the tired act?

Boy, that's rich coming from you....

Me too.  
Sarcastic Sam : 7/12/2017 9:00 pm : link
- Barker, Tiki #thuzio #meetyourathlete
RE: How many more meaningful games did Johnson play  
annexOPR : 7/12/2017 9:25 pm : link
In comment 13526794 David in LA said:
Quote:
compared to Jerry Rice? Rice put up the numbers he did in an era where receiving numbers aren't as inflated. Johnson is more physically gifted, but Rice is the GOAT.


Johnson is more gifted ... and had way less talent around him to get him into those "meaningful games"
Rice is the best wr ever  
djm : 7/12/2017 9:37 pm : link
Until proven otherwise. He dominated the sport from a statistical standpoint that is closer to Gretzky level dominance than any other player in any other sport. Rice wasn't quite Gretzky level dominant but he was close. Really close. Matter of fact one could say maybe Rice was THAT good. From 85 through the 90s The guy bettered every skill player going. He was the most productive player period for fifteen years or so! How often has a RB done that let alone a WR who doesn't get 25-30 touches a game. Just insane. Rice was a better antonio brown in a runners era and did it through two football eras. Rice was disgustingly good.
Beckham is a super nova talent  
djm : 7/12/2017 9:44 pm : link
A pro football phenomenon during an NFL era that caters to the passing game. He's been unbelievably good his first three years. And he will never ever ever catch rice. Beckham might even make it to canton and have a longer and more productive career than any of us could hope for. Might be a postseason god. He won't catch rice. Id bet every dollar I own on it.

Sorry I know this is a Detroit lions shit franchise thread. Love talking about Rice's career. Fans that didn't see him play since early on were cheated. To me, in no particular order it's Jim Brown, LT and Rice. Holy trinity of NFL non qb players.
FWIW...  
arcarsenal : 7/12/2017 10:02 pm : link
I wasn't saying or insinuating that Beckham will be greater than or equal to Rice. My only point, (which got overlooked in exchange for some crappy grammar critique when it was pretty obvious what I meant... ) was actually that Rice is #1 in my book when it comes to the history of WR's in this sport and his postseason career didn't exactly start off with a bang. It took him a few games before he even scored a playoff TD.

Which is why I think it's crazy to put too much stock in a 1 game sample... and many here did that and have been doing it since January.

Arc  
djm : 7/12/2017 11:28 pm : link
Agreed. I knew what you were getting at.
Funny thing is, as bad As their history is  
joeinpa : 7/13/2017 5:02 am : link
I enjoy watching them play. Stafford makes plays very few quarterbacks can make. A few years ago they were pretty good, but that window closed before anything materlized.
God forbid anyone say anything negative about Calvin Johnson,  
Brown Recluse : 7/13/2017 9:25 am : link
annexOPR is coming to his rescue. =)
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