Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson has firmly established himself as the best offensive weapon in the NFL, and any discussion to the contrary is complete nonsense.
He is a player that can hurt the opposition both physically and with his speed. NFL defenses have tried to take him away for years, but it has not worked, and his skill set is a significant reason why the Lions offense has become elite.
At 6'5" and 236 pounds, Johnson has a jaw-dropping blend of size and speed. It is an understatement to say that he is astounding to watch, and those of us that have had the pleasure of seeing him up close at training camp will testify to his terrific abilities.
The way he moves for being such an enormous man is stunning. It leaves everyone watching awestruck.
There are several crucial factors to look at when evaluating the wide receiver position. These attributes range from the ability to make plays to toughness, and everything in between.
These happen to be the areas of the game that Johnson dominates consistently in the NFL. Johnson is at the top or near the top of the list in every single way that a player can be evaluated.
Johnson is one of the NFL’s elite playmakers, and he is capable of taking every pass that is thrown to him to the end zone. He is one of the few players in the NFL that has this ability, and the only wide receiver that can make this claim. The other elite players are running backs who touch the ball 15-20 times per game.
Most wide receivers can be limited because they only touch the ball a few times during each game. Johnson has the ability to alter the outcome of a game with a limited number of touches.
He has shown the ability to take a short pass the distance, as well as the ability to challenge defenses vertically down the field. Every time he touches the ball he is a threat, and defenses have tried just about everything to stop him, without much success.
Johnson has outstanding size, and he is able to handle himself in every area of the field. He is bigger than any cornerback or safety in the NFL and just as big as most linebackers that he plays against.
He has exceptional ability to shrug off tacklers, or to run them over. He is difficult to bring down, as it usually takes more than one defender to do the job.
Johnson is an extremely tall wide receiver, and he uses his height to an advantage. He consistently wins in jump ball scenarios where he uses his physical skills to jump over defenders and come down with the ball.
He has unbelievable strength, and he is a red-zone force. Most defenses can’t defend the back shoulder throw, or the fade route because of Johnson’s sheer size and jumping skills.
Johnson rarely drops passes that are thrown his way, as he makes circus catches look easy at times. He has incredible hand/eye coordination as he consistently catches the ball away from his body.
He is a plucker, and he doesn’t allow the ball to get to his body. Defenders can’t get to the ball because of how Johnson boxes them out with his gigantic frame.
He has amazing skills in tight coverage when he needs to extend his arms to get to the ball. He also does a terrific job of catching the ball at its highest point, again preventing a smaller defender from knocking away the ball. He is one of the better pass-catching wide receivers in the game.
Johnson is extremely gifted in creating separation in all areas of the field. He eats up cushion instantly as his stride is enormous. Cornerbacks can’t press Johnson off the line because of his size and strength.
He can run through the press coverage, and defenses can't let a player like Johnson run free. He also does a fantastic job of setting defenders up to run past them.
He has improved on his route-running ability, and he has turned into an extremely efficient route-runner. He gets into and out of his breaks extremely well, creating separation immediately. He has incredible balance and control of his body, and it allows him to change direction without losing any speed.
Perhaps his greatest strength is his ability to challenge defenses vertically. His stride is so long, and it looks like he is not running fast, but he routinely runs past defenders down the field. He has remarkable deep speed, and an extraordinary ability to find the ball down the field. He does a terrific job of tracking the football.
He always shows up in games when it matters. According to the stats at nfl.com, Johnson does some startling things when games are on the line. He caught 48 passes for 807 yards and seven touchdowns in the first halves of games last year. In the second halves, he caught 59 passes for 1,045 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Johnson caught 60 passes and 10 touchdowns in road games in 2011. These are remarkable numbers for a wide receiver to put up during games away from home, as it is tough for teams to win in the road in the NFL these days. Johnson was a monster on the road in 2011.
This might be the most telling statistic. Johnson caught 67 passes for 1,159 yards and 11 touchdowns when the Lions trailed in games in 2011. He caught 35 passes and scored five times when the Lions trailed by eight points or less last year. He caught 16 passes and scored three times when the Lions trailed by nine points or more in 2011. He helped them when it mattered most.
There are a lot of intangibles that Johnson has going for him as a player. He is durable, as he has only missed three games over the past four seasons.
He has shown toughness with the ability to play through ankle problems and other problems during his career. Johnson is a home run threat as a player who can run away from the defense every single time he touches the ball.
Johnson does a superb job of securing the football, as he has only lost five fumbles during his NFL career. Rarely is his name called during a game for a negative reason. He never gets flagged for being offsides or for holding. Johnson gives the Lions a player that can be counted on in every way, and he dominates while being accountable.
Some like compare Johnson to Texans receiver Andre Johnson. Andre has caught 52 total touchdowns in his nine-year career. Calvin has caught 49 touchdowns in his five-year career. Andre has averaged 13.3 yards per catch and Calvin has average 16 yards per catch.
To put it simply, there is no other offensive skill player that can do the things Johnson does to defenses, even when they game-plan for him.
He draws constant double-coverage, and he continually finds a way to beat what defenses draw up to try and stop him. He dominates games from the receiver position, and he is the most feared offensive player in the NFL.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1287186-is-megatron-the-best-offensive-player-in-the-nfl
No comments:
Post a Comment