Calvin Johnson is one of the legends of the wide receiver position. He was able to use his size so well. idk there’s just something about seeing him in that Detroit blue jersey that gives me chills
I mean, tell me another time you saw 6’5 and 240 pounds that could run a 4.35 40 in borrowed shoes on a bad ankle? And then add in his vertical ability and incredible hands. You couldn’t design better on Madden.
@@matthewcarroll2533 yeah, that’s what I was referencing. At the combine, Calvin decided not to run because his injury wasn’t all the way healed. That had everyone saying they knew it couldn’t be true, nobody that big can also move that fast. So, to shut that junk down, he borrowed a pair of running shoes and blazed off a 4.35. No telling what he ran when he was healthy.
One thing to note about Calvin's retirement and how his body felt is that because he was so big as a WR, defenders would try to crush him so they could bring him down. Also, his QB for a lot of that time Matthew Stafford had a rocket arm, and would constantly be breaking Calvin's fingers trying to fit passes in tight windows to him. To this day Calvin's fingers no longer bend straight.
Wow, thanks for this context Keith, appreciate the info! Can imagine the pain of that would help you want to hang up your boots sooner rather than later!
@@DNReacts do a video on Matt Stafford! He's my favorite QB and he's one of the toughest players I've ever witnessed (coming from a very biased diehard Lions fan)
Megatron was the only player I've ever seen with TWO defenders lined up directly across from him. Absolutely google that image. Y'all seem to be digesting things much quicker and deeper. I'm loving the sports journey we're on together. Thanks for the content :)
The interview of Stafford about Megatron sums it up perfectly. “He is always open” Matthew Stafford was his QB who in his own right an amazing talented QB and was traded to the LA Rams and won a Super Bowl.
Honestly, I think having Megatron made Stafford worse. He would force throws to him a lot when he didn’t have to. Stafford became a much better QB after Megatron left imo
@@DNReacts As a Packer fan, we played the Lions twice a year and they were always either terrible or at best a .500 team, but you feared Megatron so much you didn’t want to play the Lions. I used to think Stafford had no skill because it seemed all he did was chuck the ball up to Calvin Johnson, even if he was double covered, and of course the ball was caught almost every time. No one else in the league could make you feel so helpless to stop them
@@DNReacts you know that does make senses. having that blanket to force throws doesnt make you better just complacence. But I do want to say Mcvay is the best coach he probably ever had as well
My dad used to say “Whether people are a fan of his or not, if you ask anyone to build the perfect receiver, they’ll end up describing Calvin Johnson” The guy was near perfect, it’s a shame we couldn’t do right by him in Detroit, but he was the most fun player to watch in my lifetime by far
Genuinely the greatest receiver I ever seen with my own eyes with one of the greatest nicknames of all time the lions ruined his career being so inept for so long
@@DNReacts Megatron was a classic example how how people that don't watch football just can't comprehend the level of athletes they are. Dude was 6'5", ran a 4.3 40, had a 42" vertical, and could probably bench press a small car. The combination of size, speed, agility, power, jumping... just unreal.
Came here immediately I saw it. Thanks for the reaction. Calvin "MEGATRON" Johnson was a 6 ft 5 239 lbs wide receiver (insanely large for his position) who ran a 4.35 40-yard dash and had a 42.5 inch standing vertical. According to NFL, he is the second most athletic NFL player of all time behind Bo Jackson. Injuries and lack of team success caused him to retire at the age of 30 after playing only 9 nfl seasons. His receiving yardage in a season record would be 10 or 11 years next season. He is my favorite wr of all time and I am glad he is in the Hall of Fame (2021 class, I think).
@@DNReacts Anytime. On your own you can check out his top 50 plays. Some of them are already in this video but this video doesn't do enough justice to him.
8:43 I don’t know if Joseph Vincent did a video about the quarterback, Matthew Stafford, but you might want to put that on your list as well. After Megatron retired, Stafford kept putting up stats, but Detroit never made it back to the playoffs. He was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 & the Rams won the Super Bowl that year, their first Super Bowl title while residing in Los Angeles (their previous title was when they were in St. Louis.)
There's a terrific A Football Life documentary on Calvin and his career and his life to this point. He goes into detail about why he decided to retire, including reminding people that falling from the heights that he jumps to is like falling off a ladder. He just had enough of that and I can't blame him. Incredible athlete and football player: one of the top 5 receivers of all time.
The fact that you can have one of the greatest arm talents in NFL history paired with the greatest athlete in NFL history and never win a playoff game is wild
Jerry Rice is the best WR ever to play the game. Everyone else is playing for second place. At the age of 40, he caught 92 passes for over 1k yards and 7 TD. There are many WR's that are fun to watch play, but no one was better than Rice.
Damo, Nick thanks for covering Calvin. From a career standpoint, he’s not close to Jerry Rice or Randy Moss, but from a talent standpoint, he might be the greatest. 6’5” 240lbs and he had all the WR skills and freak athleticism. Teams were putting 2 or even 3 guys on him every play and he still put up insane numbers. There’s a reason he’s in Canton only playing 9 seasons.
If Calvin had a great qb he would've crushed moss records. 4.35 40 time 40+ inch vertical 6'5" 240lb. T.v doesn't do him justice. On the field he physically dominated every person he lined up across from.
I worked for the Lions many years ago and CJ was always my favorite. Seeing him play up close was awe-inspiring. He had over 1000yds receiving in '08 and we won ZERO games! He was also the nicest player I ever met. Very chill small town kinda guy and a Detroit legend.
I am a lifelong Lions fan, and it’s been painful. For context , the quarterback throwing to Calvin was Matthew Stafford who spent his whole career in Detroit, never winning a playoff game, up until two seasons ago when he was traded to the LA Rams. He won the Super Bowl in his first year there. The great thing about the people of Detroit is that even though they could be bitter and had no reason to support him anymore, we were all so proud and supportive of him. I might have even cried a little out of happiness. The lions went 3-13-1 that season. 2021 Fast forward to present day, The Lions finished last season really strong, winning eight of the last 10 games, and we’re one of the most fun teams to watch across the whole league last year. This year, they are favorites to win the division, and many people are saying a possible Super Bowl appearance for their first time ever. I think if any fans out there deserve this it’s those diehard loyal lions fans 🦁
As a Lions fan (unfortunately, raised in Michigan so I blame my dad for this misery) it pains me to think what both Barry and Calvin could’ve accomplished on a more competent team. Stafford (the QB in these clips) won a Super Bowl his first season on a different team (the Rams in 2022). Incompetence to waste their careers the way we did. Johnson had potential to be the GOAT WR. The Lions organization has felt a lot better since Sheila Ford Hamp took over as owner from her parents, and it seems we’re mending the relationship with Calvin/Barry, but it hurts knowing you squandered greatness. Editing to add a fun note that Calvin now heavily participates in the legal marijuana industry in Michigan, not very relevant just think it’s neat. His career with the Lions heavily damaged his body so he went all in after retirement 😅
I’ll just keep adding on with Lions lore, if you’re interested. The Lions were actually a powerhouse team in the 50s, pre Super Bowl era, but traded away our star Quarterback Bobby Layne 2 games into the 1958 season for pretty much scraps after winning the 57 Championship. We’ve suffered since, and it’s considered a curse. I think treating Barry and Calvin the way we did only piled it on. Trading away Stafford so he could go on to win a Super Bowl feels like it could’ve helped lift the curse. Peyton Manning actually did an “exorcism” on Ford Field to remove the curse last year, which was right around the turning point where we went from a 1-6 record to finish the year 9-8. I’m not superstitious, but I like to hope that it worked for my own sanity’s sake.
I would love to split a blunt with Calvin and thank him for the happy childhood memories. I genuinely think he’ll be the one to de-stigmatize cannabis in the NFL
@@downrighttt it's just too perfect a punishment to be anything else, honestly. Here's to hoping Brad Holmes, Dan Campbell and Ben Johnson can break us out of a 70 year rut. I don't even need a Super Bowl win - just a playoff win that isn't 8 years before I was born would be nice 😂. I was spoiled with the Red Wings as a child, at least, but that's gone too now...
Nate, loved these comments, just read through them, I have so many questions 😂 I wouldn’t even know where to start. I think the biggest shock is Peyton Manning carrying out an exorcism lol. Interesting re 1958 too. Appreciate this, thanks for commenting this detail.
Just like all Detroit Lions stars, you're right that Calvin Johnson never won a Super Bowl and he also retired "early" just like Barry Sanders. Detroit have been the lovable losers for basically the entire Super Bowl era - even though I'm a Giants fan, the Motor City has a special place in my heart as a car guy. I would suggest looking into the current Detroit team however, as last year they made a staggering comeback from a 1-6 record to finish 9-8 and their coach Dan Campbell is quite simply an awesome guy that everyone seems to love. Choosing the Lions as one of your teams this upcoming year might be a great experience
@@TyJStern Totally agree, especially last year. After watching Hard Knocks, I just couldn't stay away from watching every Lions game and when they went 1-6 I felt it almost as much as if the Giants had. The difference is, the Giants have had tons of success while the Lions and Detroit have suffered forever. When they started winning game after game and really buying in, I was so pumped. Can't wait for next season
And for added relevance to this video, look up Calvin Johnson's recent comments on current Lions HC Dan Campbell - "Calvin Johnson explains why players love Dan Campbell"
Thanks Pete, you sell the Lions really really well 😅 You’re selling them more than the Giants 😂 Got me thinking about our picks for next season! Thanks for the comment.
@@DNReacts Whenever I hear you guys talk about the Lions, I can tell there's something there in terms of liking the team and wondering why they've had such a rough time - it would be amazing if one of you picked the Lions as your team! The Giants have enough supporters as it is 😂
It’s always sad when a career gets cut short. But at least he got to do it on his own terms. I really respect people who pay attention to their bodies and set a good example for not pushing too hard for too long.
I've been waiting for you guys to get to Calvin Johnson. I was impressed that you made the Sanders connection as far as great Lions retiring too soon. There was talk of Johnson signing with another team and chasing a ring at the end of his career, and the Lions would have let him go, but he chose to retire instead. One other thing that was so great about Calvin Johnson is the unreal mind meld that he had with his quarterback, Matthew Stafford. I remember one highlight in which Stafford was calling an audible pre-snap, saw something in the defense, and just gave Calvin a look. Calvin gave a slight nod back, and then they snapped the ball and torched the defense for a long gain. I wish I could remember the opponent because I'd really love to see that play again.
As a Cowboys fan watching that game that he had 300+ yards receiving, all I could think was "I can't take much more of this, I need a 12 pack of beer ASAP to numb the pain." I can't put him over Jerry Rice, but if he had a good team around him and had kept playing...he would have been there. The Lions have a knack for wasting some of the greatest talent to ever take the field.
He was able to have all that success while playing on an awful team. The only good players on the team for most of his career were him and Stafford (the QB). Such a freak athlete, you couldn't have designed a better wide receiver in a lab, 6'5" about 240, 4.35 40 yard dash time. Truly had it all. Retired early due to injury concerns, and a terrible relationship with the team ownership
Megatron was one of the greatest wide receivers of all time, being a detroit lions fan and having the chance to get to watch him play was such a honor. I went to quite a few games while he was playing and absolutely could not respect that man more. I'm sad hes gone, but happy we got to witness the monster he was on the field.
It's worth watching the video "Charles Tillman's Open Letter to Calvin Johnson." Peanut Tillman went head to head with him twice per year and had enormous respect for him. He's also one of the best corners ever, definitely the best at forcing fumbles.
As a “youngin” who only got to see Moss’ record setting 2007 season, and didn’t get to watch Jerry Rice, Megaton was my WR* goat for 10 years growing up learning and watching football.
I’m not even a lions fan but Calvin was the most dominant receiver I ever got to see play the game. He was the definition of using your physical abilities to excel in your role. 50/50 balls turned into 80/20 balls. He made double and triple teams look easy. Dude was just always open and always had to be accounted for on the field.
Love the content as always. Have to highly recommend wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. Drafted late to one of the worst nfl teams as a punt returner, never a true superstar QB, SEVERELY breaks his leg then proceeds to win a triple crown the next year. (Lead NFL in receiving yards, TDs, catches) He had no standout physical attributes at all unlike Megatron & managed to be one of 4 players to win a triple crown the last 30 years. PLUS THE BLOCKING! His Joseph Vincent video is phenomenal.
When asking "best receiver of all time," I think you can break it down into qualifiers of asking in which scenario you would want them. For a full career, it's Jerry Rice For a full season, it's Randy Moss For a must-win game, it's Calvin Johnson
In my honest opinion, I prefer the real live game footage over the Vincent videos. It shows just how dominant the players are. Like how you guys where blown away by the Troy polumalu footage
Being honest, I can’t speak for Nick, but I have also enjoyed the Highlights more as a first watch of a player. We’ve got some NFL player highlights coming this weekend and they were epic.
Calvin Johnson's career was only diminished by playing for one of the most inept franchises in the NFL. He was truly the most gifted WR ever and backed it up with tremendous intangibles and understanding of the game. I'd love to see you do Larry Fitzgerald next. He was like Jerry Rice's insane hand-eye coordination with similar size to Megatron (6'3" 220 vs 6'5" 235). Not nearly as fast as Megatron, but just had a supernatural sense of where the soft spots on the defense were. I think his ball skills were among the best ever and his college career was the most dominant by a WR, IMO
For best Wide Receivers of all time, the holy trinity for me and a lot of people is Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, and Calvin Johnson. Jerry Rice has the ridiculous longevity, still being elite in his 40s and putting up ridiculous career yardage and touchdown records that might never be broken. That stuff is completely unmatched in the history of the position. Jerry also was a key member of the 49ers dynasties of the 80s and 90s that won 5 Superbowls, 3 of them with him on the team. He was probably the most technically perfect wide receiver ever (route running, footwork, catching ability) and was known for his incredibly high level of professionalism in physical and mental preparation. He also held the single season touchdown record before Moss broke it. The crazy part is that he set the record of 22 tds in a shortened 12 game season. Rice is pretty universally held as the best, and is pretty much always ranked as one of the 3 or so greatest players of all time (Tom Brady, Jim Brown, Jerry Rice). Moss and Megatron were both absolute physical freaks, with speed and jumping power that let them just physically dominate anybody covering them, while also having great technique and smarts that elevated them to unstoppable status. Moss was quicker than Megatron, Megatron was much stronger than Moss. Funnily enough, neither won a Super Bowl. Obviously Megatron was on the Lions, who are a cursed team who are almost never good. Despite being on a consistently mediocre team, he holds the all time single season yardage record. Moss was on the Patriots with Tom Brady for 3 years including the legendary 18-1 Patriots team of 2007 who only lost in the Superbowl to the Giants, preventing the perfect season. That year the Patriots were probably the greatest offense in NFL history, with Moss breaking the touchdown record for a single season.
Let me start of by saying thanks guys, and appreciate another great video from you gentleman. I love the choice also. Can't wait for more videos and content, especially more NFL stuff. I knew you would like Calvin "Megatron" Johnson. He played only 10 seasons, never won a playoff game, on possibly the worst team for that 10 years. Him and Matthew Stafford (QB) where the only 2 things good they had at that time. 2nd most rec yds in a game, most rec yds in a season, only player in NFL history to avg over 100 rec yds every game. He could have shattered the records if he kept playing or had a better team/was on a better team. I consider him to be the 2nd greatest receiver of all time, and Jerry Rice barely ahead of him and only because Rice had playoff wins, championships, and more stats and years. But in the end, the raw numbers, and accounts by other players/coaches and etc, he was the GOAT, even Rice admits it, and we all are left wondering like with Barry Sanders, Jim Brown, and now Calvin Johnson, what could have the record books really been, if these legends amongst legends had decided to rewrite the record books, instead of retiring in their primes like when they did.
Thank you Bradley, really appreciate the comment! I know exactly what you mean regarding unfinished what ifs with these careers. Really enjoyed Calvin Johnson, and we’re definitely going to have to come back to see his greatest highlights too.
@@DNReacts My List of the all time greats. (QBs). 1:Tom Brady, 2: Otto Graham, 3: Peyton Manning, 4: Joe Montana, 5: Drew Brees. (RBs) 1: Jim Brown, 2: Barry Sanders, 3: Walter Payton, 4: LaDanian Tomlinson, 5: Marshall Faulk. (WRs) 1: Jerry Rice, 2: Calvin Johnson, 3: Randy Moss, 4: Julio Jones, 5: Torry Holt (Holt was only wr in history to avg over 1,100 rec yds every year of his career
The funny thing about watching Calvin Johnson highlights is they don't really look like highlights because everything he did looked effortless... But to give you some perspective, normally Wide Receivers have a hard time catching the ball when they have 2 defenders covering them. normally wide receivers line up 1-to-1 with the defense...so normally a Receiver only has to beat their 1 defender. But Calvin Johnson ALWAYS had 2 defenders covering him and he still set records, and made it look easy. Let alone all the times when he went up and caught the ball over 3 defenders.
Huge props to you guys for being able to recognize greatness when you are seeing it in a sport that your country is really not all that familiar with compared to the USA. I had the privilege of going to all the Lions games during Calvin's career (and even some of Barrys too when I was a kid) and let me tell, those two were just electric and unbelievable to watch. Asking if he is the GOAT is unfair, I would say of his era he is definitely the greatest, just as Jerry Rice was during his era and Randy Moss was during his. So one of the greats absolutely.
A couple fun facts surrounding this Lions team: (1.) Current Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay beat out Calvin Johnson for High School Player of the Year in Georgia in 2003. (2.) Matthew Stafford (A Georgia Bulldog) and Calvin Johnson (A Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket) became the first Georgia/Georgia Tech duo to ever combine for a passing/receiving touchdown in NFL history.
Johnson was a very good WR, was enshrined in the Pro Football HOF in 2019. Had he played a few more years for a better franchise he may have been considered better. He wasn't named as top WR on the NFL top 100 team (10 Wide Receivers named) a contemporary Larry Fitzgerald was named to that team.
If I recall correctly, he wanted out of Detroit. He wound up retiring, wanted to come back and play, but Detroit still had the rights to him and wouldn't give them up. Was basically a situation of play here or don't play at all.
Please continue to post reactions when the 2023 season starts! You guys can react to the highlights of the games from Sunday on Monday or something. I’d love to go thru this season with y’all!!
100% we will keep posting thanks Joe. We’ve had some trouble with NFL Highlights (3 of 4 blocked so far). College Highlights seem more achievable on RUclips. But we’ll see what we can do as buzzing for the new season.
@@DNReacts that’s crazy.. yeah I do know the NFL is super strict with copyright claims. However you guys figure it out I’m sure it’ll be awesome. Just love hearing y’all talk sum football as guys who didn’t grow up around American football. Keep it up!
Grew up 50 miles south of Detroit going to Lions games then at 25 moved to LA where the Raiders were at the time. Became a Raiders fan going to see them play. I have a Barry Sanders jersey and a Megatron jersey. I also have a Marcus Allen jersey and a Jack Tatum jersey! Raiders vs Lions in my dream Super Bowl
As a BEARS fan, we had to play MEGAtron twice a year. I missed those battles between “Peanut” Tillman and him. To be honest, I only remember the Lions being good twice in my 32 years of life. By the way, Charles Tillman has the NFL all-time record for forced fumbles as a DB.
I went to see lions at vikings in 2012. I think both Calvin and Peterson had 200+yards. Both had arguably the best seasons at their positions ever that year. Shame neither of them ever even played in a conference championship.
What made Calvin great was the fact that he had nobody around him. Teams could double and triple cover him week in and week out and he would STILL dominate them. Jerry Rice had Dwight Clark early in his career and Terrell Owens late in his career and Randy Moss had Chris Carter early and Wes Welker late in his career to take heat off of them. Calvin was a one man army
He did play for the lions his whole career and thats why he retired early Johnson said that his decision to leave the NFL after nine years was influenced by the team's inability to challenge for honors. The wideout said via ESPN: "My agreement with Detroit bound me, and they informed me that they would not sever it, forcing me to return to them.
I just discovered your channel today, and as a Georgia Tech student (the college Calvin attended before the NFL), I very much enjoyed watching you guys react to my favorite wide receiver of all time! Keep it up!
For what it's worth (and I didn't get through the comments, sorry if anyone else brought this up already!) but a lot of the narration in that sounded like Nate Burleson, another wide receiver who played for a few teams in his career and I think would be considered to have had a successful career on his own. What makes his comments interesting is that he played with both Randy Moss and with Calvin Johnson...I think he gives Moss the edge overall as well, but he would never stop talking about how awesome Megatron was in his own right. Just an interesting tidbit.
Great reaction as always Gents. Another reciever that was great but didn’t do alot of team winning was Andre Johnson. Calvin was pretty lucky to have had Stafford. Andre had some of the worst quarterbacks ever and he still ended up as one of the best ever.
Would LOVE for you guys to react to the opposite WR style of Steve Smith's career. Would be very interested to see your reaction and thoughts. Love the channel and keep it up
I will forever say that Megatron is the GOAT. The most physically dominant wide receiver in football history. Watching him routinely embarrass triple coverage just made him feel inevitable.
two things...He had one of the best arms ever in Matt Stafford throwing to him all career. Being able to put the ball up and letting Calvin's size and speed really shine. He was also double covered most of his downs which makes most of his catches that much better. They were always contested.
Calvin Johnson the 2nd megastar all time great ruined by playing for the Detroit Lions. retired early after taking a beating during his career for a losing organization, just like Barry Sanders 😢
If y’all are doing WRs, please include Sterling Sharpe. He was one of the greatest of all time, and was on track to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but had his career cut tragically short by a neck injury. His brother, Shannon, is one of the greatest TEs of all time and at Shannon’s HOF induction, he mentioned being the only person in the HOF who is not even the best player in his family.
Calvin was so good that I think it slowed Stafford's progression as a QB. Whenever things weren't working out, just throw it to Calvin. In addition to all the regular plays you would put in the game plan for your best offensive player anyway, and because Calvin was so strong Matthew, who has a ridiculously powerful arm, could just fire them in at the last possible moment (leading to Calvin's messed up fingers) and not develop the touch required for different types of passes. The year after Calvin retired was when Matthew showed the most growth as a passer, at reading through the entire progression and using a softer touch when required. Calvin was just a beast.
Just my take, but Randy Moss is still #1 and if I was a coach that that could line up any other receiver with Moss, it's Megatron. Every defensive coordinator would lose sleep going up against that duo week in and week out.
I grew up a Packer fan in Wisconsin. Although the Packers have owned that division over the last 20 years, there was always superstar talent around in the NFC North. The Vikings had a generational talent in Adrian Peterson (I'd recommend a look at him), Detroit had one of the best to ever do it in Calvin Johnson, and the Bears... well they were the Bears (I'm going to ignore Brian Urlacher and the monsters of the midway). NFC North battles were always fun to watch, it always seemed like every team, minus the Bears, would bring their "A" game against the Packers, especially Peterson and Johnson.
Megatron was fun to watch, I've been a Lions fan my whole life. He was amazing. That video did not do him justice. And yes, Matthew Stafford has one hell of an arm
Calvin Johnson and Randy Moss are the two most physically gifted WRs to ever play the game, but neither of them played long enough to come near Jerry Rice's career. Rice has over 100 more receptions than the 2nd place career leader and 5,450 yards more than anyone else in history so he's close to untouchable as the best career by an NFL WR. He also has 40 more touchdowns than any other receiver. Because Calvin Johnson's career was so short, he only amassed half the amount of career receiving yards as Jerry Rice and is 32nd on the career yardage list.
Joe Vincent Troy Polamalu. Troy was a saftey who played at the same time of Ed Reed. They were 1a and 1b as the best safeties of their generation and he was a playmaker that can’t be replicated on the back end of the defense
As a Lions fan, he was basically the only highlight for a while, as Barry Sanders was back in the 90s, and like Sanders, it was sad to see him go, but everyone understands why. The Lions have a way of dragging down good talent unfortunately. Thankfully we set Stafford free to go win a Superbowl. Edit: Speaking of Stafford, it might be worth checking him out. “Long Road to the Championship” and his mic’d up videos are great.
Calvon johnson is the greatest wr of all time. Then yall can argue between moss and rice. Calvin was unbeliveable, and he came out of georgia tech who threw the ball about 3 times a game
As a Giants fan, Megatron is my second favorite player of all time. He was just such a joy to watch. There will never be another one. In my opinion he was the most gifted WR of all time. Absolutely love this guy.
@@DNReacts Eli Manning. Payton’s younger brother. He was never on the level of the greatest QB’s, but all Giants fans will forever love him. He beat Tom Brady in the Super Bowl twice. The first one spoiled an undefeated Patriots team that is considered one of if not the greatest team ever made. Eli had moments that some of the Greats couldn’t even match, but he was never considered an all time great QB. For some reason in the playoffs he just found something special every time. I’m not sure he would make a great reaction due to most of his career being pretty pedestrian. I should also add that his greatest quality was that he never missed a game due to injury. He took massive hits his whole career but he always got back up. His teammates revered him for his toughness. For roughly 15 years he was the only QB to ever take a snap for the giants. He only ever missed one game late in his career because he got benched. The coach who benched him was fired a couple weeks later. Giants fans were pretty upset because it ruined the second longest streak of consecutive games played of all time. Appreciate the response! Absolutely love the videos fellas.
Calvin Johnson was straight up a cheat code. His QB Matthew Stafford was good, but Megatron was so great that it actually stunted the QB's growth. Stafford could just hurl the ball 3 feet above the defenders (plural) heads and Calvin would just come down with it. He made watching the Lions fun every week even if we had a losing season. In 2012 we actually had a fairly strong team that lost in the playoffs to a bad call (story of being a lions fan). Its a shame we made him retire in his prime, but he is the best player to have played the game full stop.
Calvin Johnson is considered one of the greatest receivers of the new era of the NFL. He is just an absolute beast sucks he was on the Lions as they are absolutely terrible. He ended his career short due to his body giving out on him but he was so good that he was inducted into the Hall of Fame as one of the best to ever play the game.
I'm a die-hard Detroit Lions fan. Cool to see outsiders' perspectives on the Lions. They're definitely one of the worst franchises in pro sports history but have been blessed to have two of the greatest skill position players to ever lace up. The similarities between Barry and Megatron are almost heartbreaking. Both players unquestionably deserved better from the Lions' front office. What needs to be said about Calvin's greatness, is his route running. We may never see another 6'5" 40+" vertical player who could run routes in the slot like him. Slot receivers, or receivers who line up inside and run shorter routes in the middle of the field are typically "little" guys, but often Calvin could be lined up there and even with his frame he had the quickness and finesse to run those quick, choppy routes. You simply couldn't stop him. Couldn't cover him in the slot, couldn't cover him outside, double team, triple team him, that was it. If you couldn't tell, the Lions really (outside of 2014) didn't have much help around Stafford (the QB) and Calvin Johnson. 2014 the pieces all fell in place but the team lost an absolute heartbreaker in their first playoff match up after getting a sizable lead. After that, none of the talent was retained on both sides, followed not too long after by Calvin's retirement. Seems my Lions are perpetually cursed, but it was such an honor watching Megatron play. I caught some of Barry's career but I was quite young. On a final note, the new Lions' front office and coaching staff have quickly turned the franchise around, after trading QB Matthew Stafford and "bottoming out", the new GM has done an incredible job of drafting talented young players, and the Lions are currently favored to win their division and host a home playoff game heading in to the upcoming season. We fans deserve some success after enduring decades of disappointment. Wish us luck 👏 🙏 🤞
May have slipped by you, but he is 6’5”, 235 lbs. That is an INSANE size for a WR. The ones who are that size tend to be a bit slower (DK Metcalf notwithstanding) and have difficulty separating in and out of breaks. Not the case with Johnson. Not sure if you have an awareness of 40 yd dash times (the football measuring stick), but he ran a 4.35 which is absolutely elite for someone of ANY size, much less his. He was a hands catcher too, not a body catcher. And he did all this as the only weapon the Lions had in the passing game (unlike someone like Moss or Rice, who often were paired with excellent WRs on the other side. Moss, for example, had Hall of Fame WR Cris Carter on the other side of the field). He was THE focus of defensive attention every week and still put up video game numbers. If you made me pick a WR to start my all time team - the team I needed to pick to save the earth in a winner take all football battle with aliens - I’d pick our own alien, Megatron.
Detroit Lions have a history of "Sports malpractice". They had 2 legends and did basically did nothing with their careers. Megatron (The name coming from the prime villain from the Transformers comics and movies) was the baddest dude ever to play that position A humble guy that had the speed of Barry, the hops of Moss, the power of Bo, all combined with a work ethic that was second only to Jerry Rice. It was a shame that he spent his entire career with the Lions, he was a talent that deserved at least a chance to play for a championship. Your body feels a lot better when you can actually win a few games every season and make it into the playoffs.
You guys should check out HBO Hard Knocks which followed the Detroit Lions preseason this year. You would really like it. They feature a different team every year.
As a Lions fan, his retirement shocked and hurt me. I didn't understand until years later, but this man had so many injuries and he played through them all. With his size, when he went down, he went down hard and it finally caught up to him. Some people may argue he is the GOAT, some may argue he can't be due to retiring early, but I'm pretty sure we can all agree he is the most talented player ever to play the Wide Receiver position. This dude was 6'5", 230lbs, and ran a 4.35 40 dash. Unheard of. This man caught balls in double, even triple coverage unlike anybody else. The catch against the Bengals in triple, almost quadruple coverage, will forever to me be the greatest NFL catch ever. Injuries suck, they ruin careers. He should easily be in everybody's top 3. Anybody who doesn't have him in the top 3 doesn't watch Football or has something against him. If he finished his career, he'd 100% be #1. He'll always be #1 to me, but I get people saying due to retiring before 30, he can't be stat wise. Talent wise, he's arguably one of the greatest football players ever, and will forever be the most talented WR ever.
There's absolutely no doubting how great a WR Calvin Johnson was. But he was NOT the best WR ever. That audio clip was ridiculous. He was a physical and imposing WR. Randy Moss was similar as far as being so physically gifted. Although they were physically gifted in different ways. BUT Jerry Rice is undoubtedly the best WR to ever play. PERIOD. He won't wow you physically. But his numbers speak for themselves.
The best ever- Jerry Rice, not even close! Career 22,895 receiving yards, 1549 catches, 14 1000 yard receiving seasons-most ever. 208 total TD's-most in history of any player. 23,546 total yards. Many other SB and playoff records. Where is second place, nowhere to be found.
Megatron in my opinion was the only good First Round pick that former Lions President Matt Millen got right in the draft. Joey Harrington could have been great if he went to a better team with a better sense of direction. Then you have Charles Rogers (God Rest your soul Charles) Mike Williams, both were horrible draft busts. Until Calvin was drafted in the 2007 draft, I'd argue that Roy Williams was the only good WR that the lions drafted in that time. Calvin is easily in the discussion for top 10 Receivers of all time. I'd put Jerry Rice as number 1, Randy Moss behind him, Lynn Swann, Chris Carter
My favorite Calvin Johnson game was the 329 receiving yard game he had against the Dallas Cowboys. F… Dallas!!! 😂 The greatest wide receiver of all time is between Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, & Calvin Johnson. No one will be mad at you for choosing any of them…no one except Jerry lol 😂😂😂
Personally… as a fan of his teams rival… he’s the best I’ve personally ever seen in 23 years of life at WR. Completely unguardable, like Randy Miss but 30-40 pounds heavier. That team had NO ONE on it, and they would win games by just chucking it to MegaTron every single play
Calvin Johnson was like ShaQ O'neal at wide receiver. No other receiver in history was double teamed on the goal line with man to man press coverage! Not other receiver was tripled teamed more in his career. He distorted defensive game plans. Matt Stafford, his QB said sometimes it was pointless watching game film for defenses because they would not play the same defensive scheme when playing against Calvin "Megatron" Johnson!
Calvin Johnson is one of the legends of the wide receiver position. He was able to use his size so well. idk there’s just something about seeing him in that Detroit blue jersey that gives me chills
We loved this video, left us wanting a lot more! We’ll have to come back for his greatest highlights too.
I mean, tell me another time you saw 6’5 and 240 pounds that could run a 4.35 40 in borrowed shoes on a bad ankle? And then add in his vertical ability and incredible hands.
You couldn’t design better on Madden.
@@tonym2513 For real, a dream prospect for scouts seeing him in the combine.
@@matthewcarroll2533 yeah, that’s what I was referencing. At the combine, Calvin decided not to run because his injury wasn’t all the way healed. That had everyone saying they knew it couldn’t be true, nobody that big can also move that fast.
So, to shut that junk down, he borrowed a pair of running shoes and blazed off a 4.35.
No telling what he ran when he was healthy.
One thing to note about Calvin's retirement and how his body felt is that because he was so big as a WR, defenders would try to crush him so they could bring him down. Also, his QB for a lot of that time Matthew Stafford had a rocket arm, and would constantly be breaking Calvin's fingers trying to fit passes in tight windows to him. To this day Calvin's fingers no longer bend straight.
Wow, thanks for this context Keith, appreciate the info! Can imagine the pain of that would help you want to hang up your boots sooner rather than later!
@@DNReacts I know you all use hang up your boots, generally in football it's hang up the pads when someone retires. Just a bit of different language
@@DNReacts do a video on Matt Stafford! He's my favorite QB and he's one of the toughest players I've ever witnessed (coming from a very biased diehard Lions fan)
@Jimmy Wold i always heard hang up the cleats
@@M3ntalVib3z never heard someone say that, always hang up the cleats
Fave Calvin moment: He got mic'd up and said he didn't know why they bothered to mic him up because he never says anything.
This is brilliant 😂😂
Megatron was the only player I've ever seen with TWO defenders lined up directly across from him. Absolutely google that image. Y'all seem to be digesting things much quicker and deeper. I'm loving the sports journey we're on together. Thanks for the content :)
Thank you, really appreciate this comment! Cannot wait for the next season, buzzing!!
That is the coolest image of all time. He should have that up in his house. That’s the greatest compliment any defensive coach can give you
Randy moss and jerry did this wayyyyyyy before.
@@ZachWilsonsMomsFriend bro your name is toooooo funny 😂
Jets fan?
@@LionsOnTheHunt313 lmao thanks🤣 yessir big jets fan!✈️✈️✈️
The interview of Stafford about Megatron sums it up perfectly.
“He is always open”
Matthew Stafford was his QB who in his own right an amazing talented QB and was traded to the LA Rams and won a Super Bowl.
Honestly, I think having Megatron made Stafford worse. He would force throws to him a lot when he didn’t have to. Stafford became a much better QB after Megatron left imo
Thanks for this, appreciate the comment and context!
@@xz-sn9hf Interesting take, does make sense too, thanks for this.
@@DNReacts As a Packer fan, we played the Lions twice a year and they were always either terrible or at best a .500 team, but you feared Megatron so much you didn’t want to play the Lions. I used to think Stafford had no skill because it seemed all he did was chuck the ball up to Calvin Johnson, even if he was double covered, and of course the ball was caught almost every time. No one else in the league could make you feel so helpless to stop them
@@DNReacts you know that does make senses. having that blanket to force throws doesnt make you better just complacence. But I do want to say Mcvay is the best coach he probably ever had as well
My dad used to say “Whether people are a fan of his or not, if you ask anyone to build the perfect receiver, they’ll end up describing Calvin Johnson”
The guy was near perfect, it’s a shame we couldn’t do right by him in Detroit, but he was the most fun player to watch in my lifetime by far
Calvin Johnson is one of my favorite players of all time and I'm not even a Lions fan. Dude was absolutely UNSTOPPABLE.
Love this. Thanks for the comment!
Genuinely the greatest receiver I ever seen with my own eyes with one of the greatest nicknames of all time the lions ruined his career being so inept for so long
Megatron is indeed the coolest nicks of all time!
100% Fantastic Nickname!
I started watching nfl in 2012, Megatron is definitely the best ive seen with my 2 eyes
@@DNReacts Megatron was a classic example how how people that don't watch football just can't comprehend the level of athletes they are. Dude was 6'5", ran a 4.3 40, had a 42" vertical, and could probably bench press a small car. The combination of size, speed, agility, power, jumping... just unreal.
Came here immediately I saw it. Thanks for the reaction. Calvin "MEGATRON" Johnson was a 6 ft 5 239 lbs wide receiver (insanely large for his position) who ran a 4.35 40-yard dash and had a 42.5 inch standing vertical. According to NFL, he is the second most athletic NFL player of all time behind Bo Jackson. Injuries and lack of team success caused him to retire at the age of 30 after playing only 9 nfl seasons. His receiving yardage in a season record would be 10 or 11 years next season. He is my favorite wr of all time and I am glad he is in the Hall of Fame (2021 class, I think).
This is great Samuel, thank you for this info, crazy stats and detail, really does bring out just how good he was! Appreciate the comment.
@@DNReacts Anytime. On your own you can check out his top 50 plays. Some of them are already in this video but this video doesn't do enough justice to him.
@@DNReacts cooper kupp came 17 yards short of his record in the rams Super Bowl run. Matthew stafford also was his qb
@@Keegs14 When Matthew has a good receiver, he WILL find a way to get them the ball.
8:43 I don’t know if Joseph Vincent did a video about the quarterback, Matthew Stafford, but you might want to put that on your list as well.
After Megatron retired, Stafford kept putting up stats, but Detroit never made it back to the playoffs. He was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 & the Rams won the Super Bowl that year, their first Super Bowl title while residing in Los Angeles (their previous title was when they were in St. Louis.)
Thanks for this suggestion and the context, have got Matthew Stafford added to our watch list!
There's a terrific A Football Life documentary on Calvin and his career and his life to this point. He goes into detail about why he decided to retire, including reminding people that falling from the heights that he jumps to is like falling off a ladder. He just had enough of that and I can't blame him.
Incredible athlete and football player: one of the top 5 receivers of all time.
Thanks for this one Matt, it sounds great, have got it added to our watch list!
No hes not
The Lions had a play called, 'Calvin go get it'
😅 May explain too why his body suffered so much.
The fact that you can have one of the greatest arm talents in NFL history paired with the greatest athlete in NFL history and never win a playoff game is wild
Is definitely crazy Hayden, shame he never had the opportunity to get to the SB.
@@DNReacts I don’t know if someone told you but he was on the 2008 Detroit Lions who went 0-16 (winless)
Jerry Rice is the best WR ever to play the game. Everyone else is playing for second place. At the age of 40, he caught 92 passes for over 1k yards and 7 TD. There are many WR's that are fun to watch play, but no one was better than Rice.
Not to mention the Superbowl Rings. 4 I think
No they arent… jerry and moss then everyone else
Damo, Nick thanks for covering Calvin. From a career standpoint, he’s not close to Jerry Rice or Randy Moss, but from a talent standpoint, he might be the greatest. 6’5” 240lbs and he had all the WR skills and freak athleticism. Teams were putting 2 or even 3 guys on him every play and he still put up insane numbers. There’s a reason he’s in Canton only playing 9 seasons.
Thank you for this info Jaxon, appreciate the comment!
If Calvin had a great qb he would've crushed moss records. 4.35 40 time 40+ inch vertical 6'5" 240lb. T.v doesn't do him justice. On the field he physically dominated every person he lined up across from.
Calvin was a generational talent. 6'5" Very fast and an incredible vertical leap.
I worked for the Lions many years ago and CJ was always my favorite. Seeing him play up close was awe-inspiring. He had over 1000yds receiving in '08 and we won ZERO games! He was also the nicest player I ever met. Very chill small town kinda guy and a Detroit legend.
I am a lifelong Lions fan, and it’s been painful. For context , the quarterback throwing to Calvin was Matthew Stafford who spent his whole career in Detroit, never winning a playoff game, up until two seasons ago when he was traded to the LA Rams. He won the Super Bowl in his first year there. The great thing about the people of Detroit is that even though they could be bitter and had no reason to support him anymore, we were all so proud and supportive of him. I might have even cried a little out of happiness. The lions went 3-13-1 that season. 2021
Fast forward to present day, The Lions finished last season really strong, winning eight of the last 10 games, and we’re one of the most fun teams to watch across the whole league last year. This year, they are favorites to win the division, and many people are saying a possible Super Bowl appearance for their first time ever.
I think if any fans out there deserve this it’s those diehard loyal lions fans 🦁
Colts fan here rooting for you guys! Kinda sad swift got traded tho.
Really hope that it could be your year 🤞🤞 Great read of this, thanks for the comment!
I hope y’all have a post season run too, the fans deserve it. Wishing you good fortune in every game, except for when our teams square off at M&T🍻😅
I was at the lions eagles game last year it was an insane game and if the defense can get it together lions could have a chance at breaking the curse
You're embarrassing
love the channel
Thank you Greg 🙏
As a Lions fan (unfortunately, raised in Michigan so I blame my dad for this misery) it pains me to think what both Barry and Calvin could’ve accomplished on a more competent team. Stafford (the QB in these clips) won a Super Bowl his first season on a different team (the Rams in 2022). Incompetence to waste their careers the way we did. Johnson had potential to be the GOAT WR. The Lions organization has felt a lot better since Sheila Ford Hamp took over as owner from her parents, and it seems we’re mending the relationship with Calvin/Barry, but it hurts knowing you squandered greatness.
Editing to add a fun note that Calvin now heavily participates in the legal marijuana industry in Michigan, not very relevant just think it’s neat. His career with the Lions heavily damaged his body so he went all in after retirement 😅
I’ll just keep adding on with Lions lore, if you’re interested. The Lions were actually a powerhouse team in the 50s, pre Super Bowl era, but traded away our star Quarterback Bobby Layne 2 games into the 1958 season for pretty much scraps after winning the 57 Championship. We’ve suffered since, and it’s considered a curse. I think treating Barry and Calvin the way we did only piled it on. Trading away Stafford so he could go on to win a Super Bowl feels like it could’ve helped lift the curse. Peyton Manning actually did an “exorcism” on Ford Field to remove the curse last year, which was right around the turning point where we went from a 1-6 record to finish the year 9-8. I’m not superstitious, but I like to hope that it worked for my own sanity’s sake.
I would love to split a blunt with Calvin and thank him for the happy childhood memories. I genuinely think he’ll be the one to de-stigmatize cannabis in the NFL
@@naterkd the Bobby Layne curse is very real. I did an entire project on it in college
@@downrighttt it's just too perfect a punishment to be anything else, honestly. Here's to hoping Brad Holmes, Dan Campbell and Ben Johnson can break us out of a 70 year rut. I don't even need a Super Bowl win - just a playoff win that isn't 8 years before I was born would be nice 😂. I was spoiled with the Red Wings as a child, at least, but that's gone too now...
Nate, loved these comments, just read through them, I have so many questions 😂 I wouldn’t even know where to start. I think the biggest shock is Peyton Manning carrying out an exorcism lol. Interesting re 1958 too. Appreciate this, thanks for commenting this detail.
Just like all Detroit Lions stars, you're right that Calvin Johnson never won a Super Bowl and he also retired "early" just like Barry Sanders. Detroit have been the lovable losers for basically the entire Super Bowl era - even though I'm a Giants fan, the Motor City has a special place in my heart as a car guy. I would suggest looking into the current Detroit team however, as last year they made a staggering comeback from a 1-6 record to finish 9-8 and their coach Dan Campbell is quite simply an awesome guy that everyone seems to love. Choosing the Lions as one of your teams this upcoming year might be a great experience
@@TyJStern Totally agree, especially last year. After watching Hard Knocks, I just couldn't stay away from watching every Lions game and when they went 1-6 I felt it almost as much as if the Giants had. The difference is, the Giants have had tons of success while the Lions and Detroit have suffered forever. When they started winning game after game and really buying in, I was so pumped. Can't wait for next season
And for added relevance to this video, look up Calvin Johnson's recent comments on current Lions HC Dan Campbell - "Calvin Johnson explains why players love Dan Campbell"
Thanks Pete, you sell the Lions really really well 😅 You’re selling them more than the Giants 😂 Got me thinking about our picks for next season! Thanks for the comment.
@@DNReacts Whenever I hear you guys talk about the Lions, I can tell there's something there in terms of liking the team and wondering why they've had such a rough time - it would be amazing if one of you picked the Lions as your team! The Giants have enough supporters as it is 😂
It’s always sad when a career gets cut short. But at least he got to do it on his own terms. I really respect people who pay attention to their bodies and set a good example for not pushing too hard for too long.
Have to agree Nathan, definitely sad to see them go, but they know best what the body is saying!
I've been waiting for you guys to get to Calvin Johnson. I was impressed that you made the Sanders connection as far as great Lions retiring too soon. There was talk of Johnson signing with another team and chasing a ring at the end of his career, and the Lions would have let him go, but he chose to retire instead. One other thing that was so great about Calvin Johnson is the unreal mind meld that he had with his quarterback, Matthew Stafford. I remember one highlight in which Stafford was calling an audible pre-snap, saw something in the defense, and just gave Calvin a look. Calvin gave a slight nod back, and then they snapped the ball and torched the defense for a long gain. I wish I could remember the opponent because I'd really love to see that play again.
As a Cowboys fan watching that game that he had 300+ yards receiving, all I could think was "I can't take much more of this, I need a 12 pack of beer ASAP to numb the pain." I can't put him over Jerry Rice, but if he had a good team around him and had kept playing...he would have been there. The Lions have a knack for wasting some of the greatest talent to ever take the field.
He was able to have all that success while playing on an awful team. The only good players on the team for most of his career were him and Stafford (the QB). Such a freak athlete, you couldn't have designed a better wide receiver in a lab, 6'5" about 240, 4.35 40 yard dash time. Truly had it all. Retired early due to injury concerns, and a terrible relationship with the team ownership
Megatron was one of the greatest wide receivers of all time, being a detroit lions fan and having the chance to get to watch him play was such a honor. I went to quite a few games while he was playing and absolutely could not respect that man more. I'm sad hes gone, but happy we got to witness the monster he was on the field.
He was an outside linebacker doing an “INCREDIBLE” imitation of a wide receiver !? Say what .
It's worth watching the video "Charles Tillman's Open Letter to Calvin Johnson." Peanut Tillman went head to head with him twice per year and had enormous respect for him. He's also one of the best corners ever, definitely the best at forcing fumbles.
Thanks for this suggestion Jared, have got it added to our watch list, sounds great!
As a “youngin” who only got to see Moss’ record setting 2007 season, and didn’t get to watch Jerry Rice, Megaton was my WR* goat for 10 years growing up learning and watching football.
I’m not even a lions fan but Calvin was the most dominant receiver I ever got to see play the game. He was the definition of using your physical abilities to excel in your role. 50/50 balls turned into 80/20 balls. He made double and triple teams look easy. Dude was just always open and always had to be accounted for on the field.
I CANNOT wait for the 04’ ALCS video🙌
Not far away now. A few days 🤞
Love the content as always. Have to highly recommend wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. Drafted late to one of the worst nfl teams as a punt returner, never a true superstar QB, SEVERELY breaks his leg then proceeds to win a triple crown the next year. (Lead NFL in receiving yards, TDs, catches) He had no standout physical attributes at all unlike Megatron & managed to be one of 4 players to win a triple crown the last 30 years. PLUS THE BLOCKING! His Joseph Vincent video is phenomenal.
Thank you, really appreciate your support 🤝 Have added Smith to our list, sounds such an incredible story too! Thanks for the comment
When asking "best receiver of all time," I think you can break it down into qualifiers of asking in which scenario you would want them.
For a full career, it's Jerry Rice
For a full season, it's Randy Moss
For a must-win game, it's Calvin Johnson
In my honest opinion, I prefer the real live game footage over the Vincent videos. It shows just how dominant the players are. Like how you guys where blown away by the Troy polumalu footage
Being honest, I can’t speak for Nick, but I have also enjoyed the Highlights more as a first watch of a player. We’ve got some NFL player highlights coming this weekend and they were epic.
@@DNReacts in my opinion I would probably watch the raw highlights 1st then to watch the Vincent videos.
Calvin Johnson's career was only diminished by playing for one of the most inept franchises in the NFL. He was truly the most gifted WR ever and backed it up with tremendous intangibles and understanding of the game. I'd love to see you do Larry Fitzgerald next. He was like Jerry Rice's insane hand-eye coordination with similar size to Megatron (6'3" 220 vs 6'5" 235). Not nearly as fast as Megatron, but just had a supernatural sense of where the soft spots on the defense were. I think his ball skills were among the best ever and his college career was the most dominant by a WR, IMO
Thank you for this comment and the context Will, appreciate it!
detroit may have been inept at the time but now brad holmes has flipped the script and made them a good franchise again and here to stay (i hope lol)
For best Wide Receivers of all time, the holy trinity for me and a lot of people is Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, and Calvin Johnson.
Jerry Rice has the ridiculous longevity, still being elite in his 40s and putting up ridiculous career yardage and touchdown records that might never be broken. That stuff is completely unmatched in the history of the position. Jerry also was a key member of the 49ers dynasties of the 80s and 90s that won 5 Superbowls, 3 of them with him on the team. He was probably the most technically perfect wide receiver ever (route running, footwork, catching ability) and was known for his incredibly high level of professionalism in physical and mental preparation. He also held the single season touchdown record before Moss broke it. The crazy part is that he set the record of 22 tds in a shortened 12 game season. Rice is pretty universally held as the best, and is pretty much always ranked as one of the 3 or so greatest players of all time (Tom Brady, Jim Brown, Jerry Rice).
Moss and Megatron were both absolute physical freaks, with speed and jumping power that let them just physically dominate anybody covering them, while also having great technique and smarts that elevated them to unstoppable status. Moss was quicker than Megatron, Megatron was much stronger than Moss. Funnily enough, neither won a Super Bowl. Obviously Megatron was on the Lions, who are a cursed team who are almost never good. Despite being on a consistently mediocre team, he holds the all time single season yardage record. Moss was on the Patriots with Tom Brady for 3 years including the legendary 18-1 Patriots team of 2007 who only lost in the Superbowl to the Giants, preventing the perfect season. That year the Patriots were probably the greatest offense in NFL history, with Moss breaking the touchdown record for a single season.
Well said sir 💯
Let me start of by saying thanks guys, and appreciate another great video from you gentleman. I love the choice also. Can't wait for more videos and content, especially more NFL stuff. I knew you would like Calvin "Megatron" Johnson. He played only 10 seasons, never won a playoff game, on possibly the worst team for that 10 years. Him and Matthew Stafford (QB) where the only 2 things good they had at that time. 2nd most rec yds in a game, most rec yds in a season, only player in NFL history to avg over 100 rec yds every game. He could have shattered the records if he kept playing or had a better team/was on a better team. I consider him to be the 2nd greatest receiver of all time, and Jerry Rice barely ahead of him and only because Rice had playoff wins, championships, and more stats and years. But in the end, the raw numbers, and accounts by other players/coaches and etc, he was the GOAT, even Rice admits it, and we all are left wondering like with Barry Sanders, Jim Brown, and now Calvin Johnson, what could have the record books really been, if these legends amongst legends had decided to rewrite the record books, instead of retiring in their primes like when they did.
Thank you Bradley, really appreciate the comment! I know exactly what you mean regarding unfinished what ifs with these careers. Really enjoyed Calvin Johnson, and we’re definitely going to have to come back to see his greatest highlights too.
@@DNReacts My List of the all time greats. (QBs). 1:Tom Brady, 2: Otto Graham, 3: Peyton Manning, 4: Joe Montana, 5: Drew Brees. (RBs) 1: Jim Brown, 2: Barry Sanders, 3: Walter Payton, 4: LaDanian Tomlinson, 5: Marshall Faulk. (WRs) 1: Jerry Rice, 2: Calvin Johnson, 3: Randy Moss, 4: Julio Jones, 5: Torry Holt (Holt was only wr in history to avg over 1,100 rec yds every year of his career
You would’ve had to watch Calvin Johnson in actual games, the highlight reels never do him justice.
The funny thing about watching Calvin Johnson highlights is they don't really look like highlights because everything he did looked effortless...
But to give you some perspective, normally Wide Receivers have a hard time catching the ball when they have 2 defenders covering them. normally wide receivers line up 1-to-1 with the defense...so normally a Receiver only has to beat their 1 defender. But Calvin Johnson ALWAYS had 2 defenders covering him and he still set records, and made it look easy.
Let alone all the times when he went up and caught the ball over 3 defenders.
Huge props to you guys for being able to recognize greatness when you are seeing it in a sport that your country is really not all that familiar with compared to the USA. I had the privilege of going to all the Lions games during Calvin's career (and even some of Barrys too when I was a kid) and let me tell, those two were just electric and unbelievable to watch. Asking if he is the GOAT is unfair, I would say of his era he is definitely the greatest, just as Jerry Rice was during his era and Randy Moss was during his. So one of the greats absolutely.
A couple fun facts surrounding this Lions team: (1.) Current Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay beat out Calvin Johnson for High School Player of the Year in Georgia in 2003. (2.) Matthew Stafford (A Georgia Bulldog) and Calvin Johnson (A Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket) became the first Georgia/Georgia Tech duo to ever combine for a passing/receiving touchdown in NFL history.
Johnson was a very good WR, was enshrined in the Pro Football HOF in 2019. Had he played a few more years for a better franchise he may have been considered better. He wasn't named as top WR on the NFL top 100 team (10 Wide Receivers named) a contemporary Larry Fitzgerald was named to that team.
And larry should have been…. Look at his numbers
If I recall correctly, he wanted out of Detroit. He wound up retiring, wanted to come back and play, but Detroit still had the rights to him and wouldn't give them up. Was basically a situation of play here or don't play at all.
Please continue to post reactions when the 2023 season starts! You guys can react to the highlights of the games from Sunday on Monday or something. I’d love to go thru this season with y’all!!
100% we will keep posting thanks Joe. We’ve had some trouble with NFL Highlights (3 of 4 blocked so far). College Highlights seem more achievable on RUclips. But we’ll see what we can do as buzzing for the new season.
@@DNReacts that’s crazy.. yeah I do know the NFL is super strict with copyright claims. However you guys figure it out I’m sure it’ll be awesome. Just love hearing y’all talk sum football as guys who didn’t grow up around American football. Keep it up!
Grew up 50 miles south of Detroit going to Lions games then at 25 moved to LA where the Raiders were at the time. Became a Raiders fan going to see them play. I have a Barry Sanders jersey and a Megatron jersey. I also have a Marcus Allen jersey and a Jack Tatum jersey! Raiders vs Lions in my dream Super Bowl
Like Barry he retired early, only 9 seasons. He was unstoppable.
People never gave Matthew Stafford the respect he deserved playing for Detroit all those years. The dude rarely played bad and rarely missed a game.
As a BEARS fan, we had to play MEGAtron twice a year. I missed those battles between “Peanut” Tillman and him. To be honest, I only remember the Lions being good twice in my 32 years of life. By the way, Charles Tillman has the NFL all-time record for forced fumbles as a DB.
Megatron did not feel real, even when watching him live. It’s unbelievable, truly.
You guys have to check out Marvin Harrison jr. he's in college but is one of the best receivers I've ever seen at the college level
I went to see lions at vikings in 2012. I think both Calvin and Peterson had 200+yards. Both had arguably the best seasons at their positions ever that year. Shame neither of them ever even played in a conference championship.
100% agreed. Thanks for the comment, appreciate it!
What made Calvin great was the fact that he had nobody around him. Teams could double and triple cover him week in and week out and he would STILL dominate them. Jerry Rice had Dwight Clark early in his career and Terrell Owens late in his career and Randy Moss had Chris Carter early and Wes Welker late in his career to take heat off of them. Calvin was a one man army
He did play for the lions his whole career and thats why he retired early Johnson said that his decision to leave the NFL after nine years was influenced by the team's inability to challenge for honors. The wideout said via ESPN: "My agreement with Detroit bound me, and they informed me that they would not sever it, forcing me to return to them.
He could have played for other teams.
@@areguapiri The Lions weren't going to let him go.
I was at the Cincinnati game where he caught the touchdown over 3 defenders.
Sadly he is not normally brought up in discussions of wide receivers now, yet he was very dominant at the time.
I always gotta get Calvin in MUT. He’s such a beast
I just discovered your channel today, and as a Georgia Tech student (the college Calvin attended before the NFL), I very much enjoyed watching you guys react to my favorite wide receiver of all time! Keep it up!
Thanks Micah, appreciate it and welcome to the channel. Love that, same college. Hope you enjoy the channel, plenty up in the playlists too.
For what it's worth (and I didn't get through the comments, sorry if anyone else brought this up already!) but a lot of the narration in that sounded like Nate Burleson, another wide receiver who played for a few teams in his career and I think would be considered to have had a successful career on his own. What makes his comments interesting is that he played with both Randy Moss and with Calvin Johnson...I think he gives Moss the edge overall as well, but he would never stop talking about how awesome Megatron was in his own right. Just an interesting tidbit.
Great reaction as always Gents. Another reciever that was great but didn’t do alot of team winning was Andre Johnson. Calvin was pretty lucky to have had Stafford. Andre had some of the worst quarterbacks ever and he still ended up as one of the best ever.
Thanks Dennis 🤝 Appreciate the comment and your support, have added Andre to our list as haven’t come across the name before!
Would LOVE for you guys to react to the opposite WR style of Steve Smith's career. Would be very interested to see your reaction and thoughts. Love the channel and keep it up
Thank you, really appreciate your support. Have got Steve Smith on our list, thanks for the suggestion
I will forever say that Megatron is the GOAT. The most physically dominant wide receiver in football history. Watching him routinely embarrass triple coverage just made him feel inevitable.
two things...He had one of the best arms ever in Matt Stafford throwing to him all career. Being able to put the ball up and letting Calvin's size and speed really shine. He was also double covered most of his downs which makes most of his catches that much better. They were always contested.
Calvin Johnson the 2nd megastar all time great ruined by playing for the Detroit Lions. retired early after taking a beating during his career for a losing organization, just like Barry Sanders 😢
He had the choice to play anywhere.
If y’all are doing WRs, please include Sterling Sharpe. He was one of the greatest of all time, and was on track to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but had his career cut tragically short by a neck injury. His brother, Shannon, is one of the greatest TEs of all time and at Shannon’s HOF induction, he mentioned being the only person in the HOF who is not even the best player in his family.
Calvin was so good that I think it slowed Stafford's progression as a QB. Whenever things weren't working out, just throw it to Calvin. In addition to all the regular plays you would put in the game plan for your best offensive player anyway, and because Calvin was so strong Matthew, who has a ridiculously powerful arm, could just fire them in at the last possible moment (leading to Calvin's messed up fingers) and not develop the touch required for different types of passes. The year after Calvin retired was when Matthew showed the most growth as a passer, at reading through the entire progression and using a softer touch when required. Calvin was just a beast.
Just my take, but Randy Moss is still #1 and if I was a coach that that could line up any other receiver with Moss, it's Megatron. Every defensive coordinator would lose sleep going up against that duo week in and week out.
I grew up a Packer fan in Wisconsin. Although the Packers have owned that division over the last 20 years, there was always superstar talent around in the NFC North. The Vikings had a generational talent in Adrian Peterson (I'd recommend a look at him), Detroit had one of the best to ever do it in Calvin Johnson, and the Bears... well they were the Bears (I'm going to ignore Brian Urlacher and the monsters of the midway). NFC North battles were always fun to watch, it always seemed like every team, minus the Bears, would bring their "A" game against the Packers, especially Peterson and Johnson.
Megatron was fun to watch, I've been a Lions fan my whole life. He was amazing. That video did not do him justice. And yes, Matthew Stafford has one hell of an arm
Calvin Johnson and Randy Moss are the two most physically gifted WRs to ever play the game, but neither of them played long enough to come near Jerry Rice's career. Rice has over 100 more receptions than the 2nd place career leader and 5,450 yards more than anyone else in history so he's close to untouchable as the best career by an NFL WR. He also has 40 more touchdowns than any other receiver. Because Calvin Johnson's career was so short, he only amassed half the amount of career receiving yards as Jerry Rice and is 32nd on the career yardage list.
Joe Vincent Troy Polamalu. Troy was a saftey who played at the same time of Ed Reed. They were 1a and 1b as the best safeties of their generation and he was a playmaker that can’t be replicated on the back end of the defense
He's called Megatron bc he was born from the allspark lol
Thanks Wesley 😅
Steve Smith - Agent 89!
Smallest big time WR you'll see and also the toughest guy on the field.
As a Lions fan, he was basically the only highlight for a while, as Barry Sanders was back in the 90s, and like Sanders, it was sad to see him go, but everyone understands why. The Lions have a way of dragging down good talent unfortunately. Thankfully we set Stafford free to go win a Superbowl.
Edit: Speaking of Stafford, it might be worth checking him out. “Long Road to the Championship” and his mic’d up videos are great.
Calvon johnson is the greatest wr of all time. Then yall can argue between moss and rice. Calvin was unbeliveable, and he came out of georgia tech who threw the ball about 3 times a game
Love the vids lads
As a Giants fan, Megatron is my second favorite player of all time. He was just such a joy to watch. There will never be another one. In my opinion he was the most gifted WR of all time. Absolutely love this guy.
Thanks for this comment. I may be asking a really stupid/obvious question, but who is your favourite player of all time?
@@DNReacts Eli Manning. Payton’s younger brother. He was never on the level of the greatest QB’s, but all Giants fans will forever love him. He beat Tom Brady in the Super Bowl twice. The first one spoiled an undefeated Patriots team that is considered one of if not the greatest team ever made. Eli had moments that some of the Greats couldn’t even match, but he was never considered an all time great QB. For some reason in the playoffs he just found something special every time. I’m not sure he would make a great reaction due to most of his career being pretty pedestrian.
I should also add that his greatest quality was that he never missed a game due to injury. He took massive hits his whole career but he always got back up. His teammates revered him for his toughness. For roughly 15 years he was the only QB to ever take a snap for the giants. He only ever missed one game late in his career because he got benched. The coach who benched him was fired a couple weeks later. Giants fans were pretty upset because it ruined the second longest streak of consecutive games played of all time.
Appreciate the response! Absolutely love the videos fellas.
The best receiver to ever play the game is Jerry Rice and I went to Candlestick Park many times to see him play.
Put this into perspective the first year Calvin played on Detroit they became the first team to not win a game in a season
Another great wide receiver to watch is Terrell Owens
Thanks for this suggestion, have got them added to our watch list!
Calvin Johnson was straight up a cheat code. His QB Matthew Stafford was good, but Megatron was so great that it actually stunted the QB's growth. Stafford could just hurl the ball 3 feet above the defenders (plural) heads and Calvin would just come down with it. He made watching the Lions fun every week even if we had a losing season. In 2012 we actually had a fairly strong team that lost in the playoffs to a bad call (story of being a lions fan). Its a shame we made him retire in his prime, but he is the best player to have played the game full stop.
Calvin Johnson is considered one of the greatest receivers of the new era of the NFL. He is just an absolute beast sucks he was on the Lions as they are absolutely terrible. He ended his career short due to his body giving out on him but he was so good that he was inducted into the Hall of Fame as one of the best to ever play the game.
Y'all should keep an eye on the Lions this season, the "poor Detroit" era is at an end and they're playoff bound with one of the leagues best offenses
Fun fact at 4:30 time stamp that’s me in yellow shirt at 19 years old and my dad in camo hat lol
I'm a die-hard Detroit Lions fan. Cool to see outsiders' perspectives on the Lions. They're definitely one of the worst franchises in pro sports history but have been blessed to have two of the greatest skill position players to ever lace up. The similarities between Barry and Megatron are almost heartbreaking. Both players unquestionably deserved better from the Lions' front office.
What needs to be said about Calvin's greatness, is his route running. We may never see another 6'5" 40+" vertical player who could run routes in the slot like him. Slot receivers, or receivers who line up inside and run shorter routes in the middle of the field are typically "little" guys, but often Calvin could be lined up there and even with his frame he had the quickness and finesse to run those quick, choppy routes. You simply couldn't stop him. Couldn't cover him in the slot, couldn't cover him outside, double team, triple team him, that was it. If you couldn't tell, the Lions really (outside of 2014) didn't have much help around Stafford (the QB) and Calvin Johnson. 2014 the pieces all fell in place but the team lost an absolute heartbreaker in their first playoff match up after getting a sizable lead. After that, none of the talent was retained on both sides, followed not too long after by Calvin's retirement.
Seems my Lions are perpetually cursed, but it was such an honor watching Megatron play. I caught some of Barry's career but I was quite young.
On a final note, the new Lions' front office and coaching staff have quickly turned the franchise around, after trading QB Matthew Stafford and "bottoming out", the new GM has done an incredible job of drafting talented young players, and the Lions are currently favored to win their division and host a home playoff game heading in to the upcoming season. We fans deserve some success after enduring decades of disappointment. Wish us luck 👏 🙏 🤞
May have slipped by you, but he is 6’5”, 235 lbs. That is an INSANE size for a WR. The ones who are that size tend to be a bit slower (DK Metcalf notwithstanding) and have difficulty separating in and out of breaks. Not the case with Johnson. Not sure if you have an awareness of 40 yd dash times (the football measuring stick), but he ran a 4.35 which is absolutely elite for someone of ANY size, much less his. He was a hands catcher too, not a body catcher. And he did all this as the only weapon the Lions had in the passing game (unlike someone like Moss or Rice, who often were paired with excellent WRs on the other side. Moss, for example, had Hall of Fame WR Cris Carter on the other side of the field). He was THE focus of defensive attention every week and still put up video game numbers. If you made me pick a WR to start my all time team - the team I needed to pick to save the earth in a winner take all football battle with aliens - I’d pick our own alien, Megatron.
Detroit Lions have a history of "Sports malpractice". They had 2 legends and did basically did nothing with their careers. Megatron (The name coming from the prime villain from the Transformers comics and movies) was the baddest dude ever to play that position A humble guy that had the speed of Barry, the hops of Moss, the power of Bo, all combined with a work ethic that was second only to Jerry Rice. It was a shame that he spent his entire career with the Lions, he was a talent that deserved at least a chance to play for a championship. Your body feels a lot better when you can actually win a few games every season and make it into the playoffs.
just shy of 6'6" and about 240lbs (about 109kg). And he ran a 4.35 40 yd dash at the combine, and agile, flexible and great hands. Best ever. Yikes!
Best receiver ever? No fucking way….
You guys should check out HBO Hard Knocks which followed the Detroit Lions preseason this year. You would really like it. They feature a different team every year.
Awesome video.
Thank you Christopher 🤝
Interestingly, Megatron's QB, Matthew Stafford, was traded to the Rams and won a Superbowl.
Makes you wonder, if Barry and Calvin had been transferred too, what could have happened
As a Lions fan, his retirement shocked and hurt me. I didn't understand until years later, but this man had so many injuries and he played through them all. With his size, when he went down, he went down hard and it finally caught up to him.
Some people may argue he is the GOAT, some may argue he can't be due to retiring early, but I'm pretty sure we can all agree he is the most talented player ever to play the Wide Receiver position. This dude was 6'5", 230lbs, and ran a 4.35 40 dash. Unheard of. This man caught balls in double, even triple coverage unlike anybody else. The catch against the Bengals in triple, almost quadruple coverage, will forever to me be the greatest NFL catch ever.
Injuries suck, they ruin careers. He should easily be in everybody's top 3. Anybody who doesn't have him in the top 3 doesn't watch Football or has something against him. If he finished his career, he'd 100% be #1. He'll always be #1 to me, but I get people saying due to retiring before 30, he can't be stat wise. Talent wise, he's arguably one of the greatest football players ever, and will forever be the most talented WR ever.
you guys should also react to DK Metcalf, freak of a player, huge reciever with insane speed
Thanks for this suggestion, have got him on our watch list!
There's absolutely no doubting how great a WR Calvin Johnson was. But he was NOT the best WR ever. That audio clip was ridiculous. He was a physical and imposing WR. Randy Moss was similar as far as being so physically gifted. Although they were physically gifted in different ways.
BUT Jerry Rice is undoubtedly the best WR to ever play. PERIOD. He won't wow you physically. But his numbers speak for themselves.
The best ever- Jerry Rice, not even close! Career 22,895 receiving yards, 1549 catches, 14 1000 yard receiving seasons-most ever. 208 total TD's-most in history of any player. 23,546 total yards. Many other SB and playoff records. Where is second place, nowhere to be found.
Megatron in my opinion was the only good First Round pick that former Lions President Matt Millen got right in the draft. Joey Harrington could have been great if he went to a better team with a better sense of direction. Then you have Charles Rogers (God Rest your soul Charles) Mike Williams, both were horrible draft busts. Until Calvin was drafted in the 2007 draft, I'd argue that Roy Williams was the only good WR that the lions drafted in that time.
Calvin is easily in the discussion for top 10 Receivers of all time. I'd put Jerry Rice as number 1, Randy Moss behind him, Lynn Swann, Chris Carter
My favorite Calvin Johnson game was the 329 receiving yard game he had against the Dallas Cowboys. F… Dallas!!! 😂 The greatest wide receiver of all time is between Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, & Calvin Johnson. No one will be mad at you for choosing any of them…no one except Jerry lol 😂😂😂
Personally… as a fan of his teams rival… he’s the best I’ve personally ever seen in 23 years of life at WR. Completely unguardable, like Randy Miss but 30-40 pounds heavier. That team had NO ONE on it, and they would win games by just chucking it to MegaTron every single play
Matthew Stafford is the QB throwing to him. Super fun player to watch. Glad he got the Super Bowl with the Rams.
1 of 2 lions players in history to strike the fear of god in your heart 😂
Calvin Johnson was like ShaQ O'neal at wide receiver. No other receiver in history was double teamed on the goal line with man to man press coverage! Not other receiver was tripled teamed more in his career. He distorted defensive game plans. Matt Stafford, his QB said sometimes it was pointless watching game film for defenses because they would not play the same defensive scheme when playing against Calvin "Megatron" Johnson!
The quarterback of the Lions (Matthew Stafford), was a #1 overall pick. Once he was traded from Detroit to Los Angeles, Stafford won a Superbowl.