Memo to Lions: Throw to Johnson more
Jeffri Chadiha wants to know one thing: Why aren't the Detroit Lions getting rookie WR Calvin Johnson more involved in the offense?
DETROIT -- Calvin Johnson wants to stay positive. He realizes he's just two-thirds of the way through his rookie season with the Detroit Lions. He knows it's important to bide his time, to run the plays the coaches call for him and to play through the pain of a sore back he has suffered from since a Week 3 loss to Philadelphia.
Even after Sunday's 16-10 loss to the Giants -- the Lions' second consecutive defeat -- Johnson was saying all the right things, trying not to display any negative vibes.
What he wouldn't say, however, is something that has become far too obvious: He's frustrated by the way his first season is going.
Sunday's defeat was just one more example of what has become a weekly mystery in the Lions' offense -- mainly, why isn't Johnson more involved in that offense?
Yes, he did snag a critical 35-yard touchdown pass from Jon Kitna late in the fourth quarter, but that was his only real highlight of the day. Until that point, he had just two catches for 10 yards -- not exactly the kind of numbers many predicted when the Lions drafted Johnson second overall and inserted him in a high-octane system run by noted genius Mike Martz.
Through the Lions' first 10 games, Johnson has 24 catches for 402 yards and just three TDs. He has yet to crack the 50-yard barrier in any game since that early loss to Philadelphia, and he had appeared in six consecutive games without a TD catch before Sunday.
Part of the problem is his back injury, which sidelined him one week and continues to nag him. But the other problem is the play calling. Johnson was so invisible in portions of Sunday's loss that it was easy to forget he had even suited up.
Lions coach Rod Marinelli explained that Johnson's lack of opportunities had more to do with game management than anything else.
"Sometimes you just have different groups running in and out," he said.
Well, the Lions might want to think long and hard about making Johnson part of more of those groups.
To Johnson's credit, he hasn't complained about his situation -- "I just wait until my number is called and then I try to make a play," he said -- but nobody would lose respect for him if he were openly upset about his role.
Just consider what the Lions did after Johnson's touchdown pulled them within seven points of beating the Giants. On the next possession, Martz called a play that required Kitna to throw a corner route to Shaun McDonald -- that would be 5-foot-10 Shaun McDonald -- as opposed to throwing to 6-5 Johnson.
It was no surprise when Giants safety James Butler -- who, at 6-3 and 215 pounds, seemed like a literal giant next to McDonald -- intercepted the pass on the goal line.
McDonald later failed to come up with a pass that Giants cornerback Sam Madison picked off, but it was the Butler interception that doomed the Lions on Sunday. It was a call that exemplified Martz's ego, his belief that his scheme could work regardless who was running the routes.
But what we discovered Sunday is that there's a significant difference between throwing to McDonald and ignoring a rookie wide receiver who is so talented that many called him the best prospect in the April draft. And it's a difference the Lions need to figure out quickly -- starting, say, on Thanksgiving against the Packers -- if they want to make a run at a playoff spot.
Obviously, it's not as though Johnson doesn't want to make plays. Martz pointed out that Johnson's back is so beat up that most receivers wouldn't even try to play in his condition, yet he has missed only one game. Veteran teammates have even urged him to take it easy in practice, lest he aggravate the injury.
"Last week, [Detroit wide receiver] Mike Furrey took Calvin's helmet and laid it on the sideline just so Calvin would take a break," Lions wide receiver Roy Williams said. "Calvin wants to compete so bad that he doesn't want to miss any reps."
| Rec | Yds | TD | Avg | Long | YAC |
| 24 | 402 | 3 | 16.8 | 39 | 91 |
Johnson is hungry to contribute as much as he can. He has been a gifted playmaker throughout his career, the kind of player who could strap an entire offense to his back and make it dangerous. Now, he's biding his time, trying to fit in and doing his best to be a good teammate. That can be tough on a kid who is used to being a star, especially when he's drafted to be an impact player in this league.
The other Detroit receivers empathize with Johnson, but they haven't tried to counsel him too much about the value of staying patient. They see that he's a mature rookie, and they believe he'll become more involved in the offense. But when? After all, it will take awhile for Johnson to feel comfortable in a system that includes more than 180 pass plays.
Of course, the backstory in all this is the Lions' recent draft history with receivers. Williams has been the primary target since he joined the team in 2004, but he has seen other highly drafted players struggle to find their stride in that No. 2 role. Drug problems and injuries eventually ruined whatever promise Charles Rogers once had, and a poor work ethic doomed Mike Williams. Both players were top-10 picks. Both now are wondering how their careers crumbled so quickly.
It's unlikely Johnson will suffer a similar fate because he's smarter and more focused on doing the right things. As Roy Williams said, "We've been trying for a long time to find a guy who can team with me to give us that 1-2 punch in the passing game. I think we have that guy with Calvin."
Sounds like a terrific endorsement. Now all somebody has to do is pass the message along to Martz, Marinelli and the rest of the Lions' offensive coaches.
Jeffri Chadiha is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
- Rumors: Reggie Bush's future home
- Scouts Inc. on team needs: AFC | NFC
- Kiper on team needs: AFC | NFC
- Draft: Kiper mock | McShay mock | Big Board
