When you say the name Jerry Rice, what follows in how he can be described is the word G.O.A.T. Meaning he is one of the greatest of all-time. Were talking about the all-time leader in receptions with 1,549, touchdown receptions with 197 and a total of 208 and receiving yards with 22,895. He also had a work ethic that was second to none which allowed him to play at the Hall of Fame level that he did and allowed him to become the Hall of Famer that he is today. One of the main records that he has held for 17 years is the single-season mark for receiving yards which he set back in 1995. On Saturday night a Detroit Lion wideout out of Georgia Tech who has just about the same work ethic as Rice did placed his name in the National Football League history books.
Despite falling to the Atlanta Falcons(13-2) 31-18, who are the National Football Conference South Division champions of 2012 and clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs on Saturday night, Lions (4-11) wide receiver Calvin Johnson’s 11 receptions for 225 yards gave him 1892 yards for the season and broke the record for receiving yards in a single season.
To understand the meaning of this great accomplishment, although it came in defeat, prior to Rice’s 1848 receiving yards 17 years ago, the previous record was by wideout Charley Hennigan of the Houston Oilers who had 1,746 receiving yards in 1961. Ten years prior former wideout Elroy Hirsch of the Los Angeles Rams and the then Chicago Rockets had the record of 1,495 yards.
Also on Saturday night, Johnson set the NFL record for consecutive 100-yard receiving games with eight and consecutive games with 10-plus receptions with four. He also tied Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin of the Dallas Cowboys for most 100-yard games in a season with 11; entered into a tie for second all-time for the most 200-yard receiving games in NFL history with four and set the record for most receptions within a calendar month with 44 catches in the month of December. That ties Rice (1985-95), Hennigan (1961-62) and former Green Bay Packer Don Hutson (1942-44).
“It’s a huge accomplishment to take one of those records from the great Jerry. All the work that we put in this year is I guess you can say well deserved,” Johnson said after the game to ESPN’s Lisa Salters.
What makes this record setting performance, all be it in a loss, which was the Lions seventh consecutive, is the fact that he has been able to have the level of consistency and each defense that he is going against is geared to stop him.
It also has not helped that some of the other wide receiver on the Lions like Titus Young, Nate Burleson and rookie Ryan Broyles as well as tight end Brandon Pettigrew were missing in action on Saturday due to injury.
What has also helped Johnson become a great player is his work ethic.
One constant that is talked about around NFL circles is the fact that the man who goes by the nickname “Megatron,” which was given to him by former Lion wideout Roy Williams is that he takes great pride in his craft. What you see on Sundays is the result of preparation consistent work at his craft in the off-season and the work that is put in during the week of the regular season.
It is that kind of work that began at Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, GA, where in his sophomore and junior years he had 74 catches for4 1,382 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was rated in the top 10 of wideouts and one of the 1op 100 players by nearly every recruiting analyst. He was the No. 1 rated football player in the state of Georgia, the No. 12 rated player in the Southeast and the No. 37 rated player in the nation according to Rivals.com at that time.
At Georgia Institute of Technology where Johnson played for current Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey used the same great work ethic that made him into a great high school football player into and amazing football player in college.
In his three seasons as a Yellow Jacket (2004-2006), Johnson recorded 2,927 receiving yards. He became a two-time All-American (2005, 2006). He was named to the First-Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in all three years. Johnson was ACC Rookie of the Year in 2004 and was named ACC Rookie of the Week four times. He saved his best for last in 2006 where he won the Biletnikoff and Paul Warfield Awards for the best wideout in college football. He also finished 10th in the Heisman voting last season for his 76 catches for 1,202 yards and 15 scores.
In the classroom Johnson also excelled. In the summer that same year, the management major with a background in building construction was given the option of working on either constructing environmentally friendly luxury condos or doing a project building solar latrines to improve sanitation in Bolivia. Johnson chose to latter as he wanted to help the less fortunate.
With a career in the NFL waiting in the wings, Johnson made his decision on Jan. 8, 2007 to enter the draft that year. He was hyped as one of the best athletes to come out of the draft and he was rated No. 1 on most draft boards.
He did not disappoint at his workout as he was clocked at an unbelievable 4.35 seconds in the 40-yard dash at his pro-day at Georgia Tech. He clocked in at 4.33 seconds at a mid-February workout with speed and conditioning coach Mark Pearsall.
When the NFL Draft came that April in 2007 the Detroit Lions selected Johnson with the second overall pick.
The next day, he was invited by the city’s professional baseball team the Tigers to throw the first pitch.
After holding out for eight days of mini-camp, Johnson signed a 6-year $64 million contract with $27.2 million guaranteed.
In his rookie season, Johnson finished with 48 receptions for 756 yards and five touchdowns. The next season, he really made a name for himself with 67 catches for 1,331 yards and 12 touchdowns. His best season all across the board was last season when he posted 96 catches for 1,681 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns (Lions record for a season.
Like all great players, he saved his best for last at the end of that regular season where he recorded a career-best 244 receiving yards in a 45-41 loss to the NFC North Division arch rival Green Bay Packers.
Despite the loss, the Lions made the playoffs for the first time since 1999 going 10-6, finishing second in the NFC North. Their first playoff appearance would be a short one as they lost at the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Wild Card game 45-28. Johnson played well in the game catching 12 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns. In defeat he also broke the record of 150 receiving yards in a postseason game that was previously held by Brett Perriman and Leonard Thompson.
With all the production that Johnson has had, especially in the last two seasons, it is not possible with a prolific passer to get the ball to him and he has that in Matthew Stafford. Johnson knows better than anyone that all that he has accomplished is not possible without him.
“It’s half his too. He’s the one delivering me the ball every week,” Johnson said to the media after the game.
What has made Johnson a special player besides his production on the field and the work ethic he shows that allows him to excel on the field is the humility that he shows off of it.
There are a lot of great wide receivers in the NFL today and there have been a great many for as far back as we can remember. A lot of them though have a lot of flamboyance that they show that turns a lot of people off, especially when they score touchdowns. Those are things that Johnson rarely has shown in his NFL career and as mentioned before he is willing to put the work in at his craft. It is something that has earned him a great deal of respect from his team as well as his peers around the NFL.
“I’m a fan. I really am. He’s an unbelievable player. One of the nicest human beings I’ve ever met and couldn’t have happened to a better person,” Falcons signal caller Matt Ryan said of Johnson after the game to Salters.
“If somebody would’ve told me at the beginning of the season that the record of 18 something then I would’ve put my money on him to break it,” Stafford said after the game.
“He’s a pleasure to throw the ball to and obviously a pleasure to be a teammate with. Just the way he carries himself and the way he works.”
In a season where everything has gone wrong for the Lions both on and off the field, Calvin Johnson is the reason why a glimmer of hope remains in the Motor City. This great player is not only talented but he cares about his team, the city he plays for and the person he is. It would be very easy especially the way this season has gone after so much promise last season, but Johnson has shown what a true pros is supposed to do, prepare and produce.
That preparation has led to the production of the aforementioned single-season receiving record of 1892 yards this season. It is also how he became the first player in NFL history to have consecutive seasons of at least 1,600 receiving yards and have a franchise record of three seasons with 10-plus touchdowns. On top of that it is what allows the team to sign you to an eight-year $132 million contract extension, with $60 million guaranteed.
It is this type of work ethic and commitment to your craft that allows rewarding moments to have a chance to knock at your door and is something that earns you the respect and places you in the same conversations among the best that have played or play in the NFL It is something that Lions head coach Jim Schwartz has seen as an NFL fan as a kid and as a coach.
“I grew up in Baltimore [MD] with Hall of Famers like Johnny Unitas, Raymond Berry and a lot of great players in the history of the National Football League. I’ve coached for 19 years in the NFL, I’ve never seen a better player than Calvin Johnson and I’ll say what I said when we signed him in the spring to that contract extension. As good players as you see on the field, he’s a better person. He’s a better teammate,” Schwartz said.
Information, statistics and quotations are courtesy of 12/22/12 ESPN Special Edition of Monday Night Football with Mike Tirico, John Gruden and Lisa Salters; 12/22/12 11:30 p.m. edition of ESPN “Sportscenter” with Jay Harris and John Buccigross; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_Johnson; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_Johnson; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Detroit_Lions_season#Current_roster; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Rice; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Hutson; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elroy_Hirsch; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Hennigan;
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