Foster sang Calvin Johnson’s praises to Stafford

BY NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • APRIL 9, 2009   Before he re-signed with the Lions, offensive tackle George Foster was a free agent working out at his alma mater, Georgia. And while there, he talked a little with Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford, a candidate to be the Lions’ pick No. 1 overall.   “I told him that there are some pieces in place up here — and mainly, Calvin,” Foster said today with a laugh. That would be wide receiver CalvinJohnson, whom the Lions drafted No. 2 overall in 2007. Foster told Stafford that if he didn’t return to Detroit, the guy he would miss, beyond his buddies on the offensive line, would be Johnson. “He’s a game-breaker, kind of like what we had in Champ Bailey in Denver,” said Foster, who spent his first four NFL seasons with the Broncos. “You just knew he was going to do something to change the game. That’s how I feel about Calvin.” Foster stressed he was no scout and didn’t know how to evaluate quarterbacks. But asked for his impressions of Stafford, he said: “As far as the eye test, he probably got an A-plus.” “Physically, there’s not a throw he’s going to have a problem making that I can see,” Foster said. “Again, I am not a scout. How did he throw the out? I don’t know. I just know the ball got there really quick, on point, and that’s all I can say.”