Yardbarker: Calvin Johnson

If You Read This Blog, It’s Not A Surprise: Lions Sign Matt Stafford to a 6 Year Deal

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 02:17:23 -0500

Welcome the new face of the franchise, Matt Stafford. I’m torn. A Wide Receiver can’t be the face of the franchise, its just not the position for that. Even Jerry Rice wasn’t really the face of the frachises he was on. And Randy Moss was front page news for all the wrong reasons. But is this “the guy” or the best “guy” at this time and we’re desperate? No doubt we’re desperate. We’re rolling the dice here too, top of the college h...

Lions Players Were Uninterested In Winning Season Finale?

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:30:04 -0500

Lions WR Calvin Johnson told Sporting News Radio that half of his teammates heading into the finale at Green Bay were not focused on the game and...

The Detroit Lions : 2009 NFL Expansion Team

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 03:01:43 -0500

You could have the best coaching staff in the universe, but they can't get wins if the talent sucks. And our talent sucks. Like I mentioned prior, we are an expansion team right now. We have Calvin Johnson and two 1st round picks. I want to know who is going to do the grocery shopping, that is my primary concern because I have such little faith in the Lions ability to draft. Was this completely the Matt Millen show for the last 8 years? I'm to believe that Mayhew hadn't a single w...

Millen still running the show in Detroit?

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:01:37 -0500

The dysfunction of this team is at an all-time high so I guess I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Millen was still working his magic behind the scenes. By the way, you know all those receivers we drafted and had on our roster, I bet you couldn't guess the other two WRs that lined up with Calvin Johnson yesterday. Kerry Colbert and John Standeford.

Time for a Rest

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:19:18 -0500

Hey guys, what's up in the yard this morning? I have to say that I am a very tired man today. The Mann Cup ended Tuesday night with a 9-6 win over New West, and the bumps, bruises and partying is taking its toll today!!! It sure was the crowing moment of an unforgettable summer for me. It is time for me to start teaching, and recover for a little while?my body needs a rest, as I played a lot of lax this summer. As I stated earlier, the Mann Cup is over and I have to say that I forgot what a feeling it is to win it. It has been since 2001 for me, although I have been close in the past little while, nothing compares to the feeling of elation when you get to hoist the "MANNER"!!! I think it is so rewarding because of what you have to go through to finally win it. The long summer, the long trips, the practices, the long weekend games etc??..You really appreciate winning, that is for sure. Anyway, I guess after a week or two of rest it is time to start ramping up for the NLL season. As I said in an earlier blog, I am really looking forward to getting that going. I can't wait to see how we shape up as a team. We will have a drastically different look, so things will be very interesting for us. On an NFL note, I am doing okay in my pool, but I have to say that it is going to be a very long season for the Lions. Calvin Johnson looks awesome, but that is about it!!! No defense, No Defense, No Defense?..Normally I can fall back on my Wolverines, but they may actually be worse this year!!! Ah well, what can you do? Stay tuned, Colin #7

Coming soon: Third annual MVN Writers' Mock Draft

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 23:01:27 -0500

LDizzle's take on draft "experts" was just in time. Its MVN's turn to compile a mock draft. This will third annual edition of the MVN writers' mock draft. Thus far, Thoughts from the Dark Side is 0-2 in predicting the Raiders choices. In 2006, I selected AJ Hawk and last year Calvin Johnson. Hopefully, this year with Rob on board we'll be able to get one right.

Hooters and athletes galore!

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 15:49:47 -0500

When I was maybe 13, my Mom found an "adult" magazine under my bed. She rambled on and on about responsibility and how there's more to life than girls and blah blah blah, were you saying something, Mom? Times have changed, and today my responsibilities include being at Hooters for hours on end. How's that for irony? Truth is, I wouldn't have minded sleeping through my alarm this morning, especially considering I was already awake, hadn't slept and was drinking beer when it went off. Normally I wake up at 5:00 a.m. Last night I went to bed at 6:00 a.m. You do the math; I'm too tired. Marshawn Lynch will be here shortly. After that it'll be Donovan McNabb and D-Train Willis. Word is that Lions WR Calvin Johnson plans on making a cameo, too. Something about Hooters brings guys out of the woodwork. Must be the wings. I'm not especially savvy when it comes to electronics -- I don't even have an HDTV; pathetic, I know -- but a couple of the guys and gals around here know what's what. So expect some videos, pictures and interviews with athletes and Hooters girls. We'll post pictures throughout the day in the comment stream below, and once the video is edited we'll post that, too. To kick things off, we're going to get three lovely ladies from Hooters to do some Super Bowl trivia with the athletes. From left to right, welcome Kyla, Alisha and Sheena to the Yard! - Dewey

The Trials and Tribulations of Genarlow Wilson

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 23:51:54 -0500

When I read that Genarlow Wilson was not being released from prison, I began to cry. Wilson was a star in the classroom and highly-regarded prep football player in Georgia who held Detroit Lions first round draft choice Calvin Johnson to four receptions in two games. Most prominent in his box of football recruiting letters were the ones from the Ivies: Brown and Columbia. He was known as an overachiever. He was also the homecoming king at his high school, Douglas County High. At a New Years Eve party in 2003, Wilson, then age 17, had consensual oral sex with a 15-year old girl. According to everyone at the party, the girl in question, and even the prosecutor of Wilson's case agreed that she initiated the act. But according to an antiquated, archaic Georgia state law, it was a felony to engage in consensual oral sex with a minor. At the same time, it is a misdemeanor - the "Romeo and Juliet" law - to engage in consensual sexual intercourse with a minor.

Calvin Johnson's Contract Addendum

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 19:02:43 -0500

Some recommendations to the Detroit Lions to add to Calvin Johnson's contract (humor).

Get stoned and go play NFL football

Thu, 24 May 2007 21:29:45 -0500

3 top 10 draft picks confessed to smoking weed, including Calvin Johnson. Still, they are now all millionaires.

Intrigue building at top of draft

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 11:57:21 -0500

With two days left before the NFL Draft, it's still anybody's guess what will happen with the first few selections. Oakland desperately needs a quarterback, and the Raiders are expected to take LSU's JaMarcus Russell with the top pick. But speculation continues to swirl that Al Davis will pass on the QB for Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson, widely considered the best player in the draft.

Draft Thoughts.....

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:59:49 -0500

It's been a busy week for me. I worked out with the team Thursday morning at 7:30 and then had a flight at noon to Miami to attend a Jay Fiedler charity event that raised money for CF (Cystic Fibrosis). Then I got on a plane to Louisiana to celebrate my birthday. I spent a lot of time on the plane thinking about the upcoming draft. The draft is intense for everyone involved. The whole thing is a long waiting process. For a lot of guys, you sit around not knowing if you are going to be drafted. I watched the draft with my family and when I wasn't selected, I knew it wasn't the end of the world. I actually got a few calls twenty minutes after the draft. It was a relief to know I had an opportunity to show teams what I had to offer. Even for expected top picks like Russell, Quinn and Johnson the whole process is intense. They'll have more security, but every rookie has something to prove. I think each of those players have something special to bring to the table. Russell is a big and smooth athlete with a tremendous arm and loads of potential. Then there's Brady who has a lot of experience in a NFL system and has been guided by Coach Weis. Johnson has size, speed and playmaking ability which forces teams to consider him the #1 Choice. Who would you pick 1st if you where a GM? I think that each of these players are safe picks, but if I had to chose....Calvin Johnson would be my guy. That would mean, Johnson and Moss would be on opposite sides. That's tough for defenses. When you have two guys like that with similar abilities someone is going to be left one on one. You can't always bring a safety over the top for help. When you have big receivers, that's a mismatch for our defensive backs. The addition of Johnson would affect the way AFC West teams gameplan for the Raiders.

The Monkey Mock Draft

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 16:27:30 -0500

The NFL draft is less than 2 weeks away and it's time to see if a monkey is smarter than Mel Kiper and all the other draft "experts". The guys at Cold, Hard, Football Facts.com have asked a monkey to draw names from a hat and then recorded the results. Most interesting picks, the monkey says the Lions will take WR Dwayne Boye of LSU and Calvin Johnson goes to the Eagles at 26. We'll check back after the draft to see who the monkey beat, hopefully it's Kiper or Pete Prisco of CBS.

Calvin Johnson

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 18:22:01 -0500

If you aren't familiar with Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson, prepare yourself for the arrival of the "next big thing" in the NFL.

Why running backs are a much better Top-5 pick than other positions

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:19:00 -0500

Draft people are saying the Raiders should take Calvin Johnson #1 overall should look at the history of Top-5 WRs versus Top-5 RBs. It's much easier to find a productive WR in the later rounds than a RB. Look at the impact the 1st round RBs had last year compared to the 1st round WRs.