(Apologize for the music)
The last time that I posted any new blogs, I was a Junior in college. I'm now a Senior, and after about a year without posting anything new, I'm right back at it. The inspiration behind this post came from Hall of Fame wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Lynn Swann, when he said that he doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame because of his team's success on the field.
Swann played during a time when rules weren't as constraining as they are today, and players were allowed to just play for the most part. Swann played 9 seasons in the NFL, was a 3 time Pro Bowler, a 1 time First-Team All-Pro, and he finished his career with 336 catches for 5,462 yards and 51 touchdowns, which is solid, especially for when he played. He also played on Super Bowl caliber teams, where he and is team won 4 Super Bowls. His teammates included players like Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, John Stallworth, "Mean" Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, and Mel Blount. Many of these players are currently in the Hall of Fame. Now let's look at the flip side of the argument.
Calvin Johnson didn't have the kind of help that Swann did with those Steelers teams. No player that Johnson has played with has been a no brainer hall of famer. However, he did play in a pass happy offense, but that doesn't make his numbers not impressive. In 9 years in the NFL, Johnson has played in 135 games, has made 731 catches for 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns, while also having 555 plays go for first downs, 6 Pro Bowl Selections, and was a 3 time First-Team All-Pro. Those are very impressive numbers, and they don't stop there. He had 7 seasons where he eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving, and only 2 where he didn't. He also holds many NFL records, including most receiving yards in a single season with 1,964 yards in 2012. The year before that he became the 1st player in NFL history to have at least 2 receiving touchdowns in each of his team's first 4 games, and he is 1 of only 3 players to have multiple 1,600+ yards receiving in a single season. The other 2 are Marvin Harrison (in the Hall of Fame) and Torry Holt. He also shares the record for most 100 yard receiving games in a single season with 11, tied only with Hall of Famer, Michael Irvin. Johnson solely holds the records for most consecutive games with 100 yards receiving (8 games), most consecutive games with at least 10 catches (4 games), most receiving yards over a 5 game span (861 yards) and 6 game span (962 yards), and he was also the fastest player in NFL history to reach 10,000 receiving yards (115 games). He also holds a handful of franchise records for the Detroit Lions, including most receiving touchdowns in a single season (16 touchdowns in 2011), most seasons with 10 or more receiving touchdowns (4 seasons), most career 70+ yard receptions (8 catches), most games with multiple touchdowns in one half (12 games), the most receiving yards in regulation (329 yards, which is second to only Flipper Anderson in NFL history, who had 336 receiving yards in an overtime game). Calvin Johnson is also ranked 27th all-time when it comes to receiving yardage and 22nd all-time when it comes to receiving touchdowns., which are the most for a receiver that has only played 9 years. In 2011, he had the 11th greatest receiving yardage season in NFL history, and in 2012 he followed it up with having the best receiving yardage season in NFL history. In one of his only 2 playoff games of his career, he had the 7th best receiving game, yardage wise in 2012, when he had 211 receiving yards against the New Orleans Saints.
Comparing Swann and Johnson side by side, it is staggering seeing the difference in the numbers. Granted, Johnson has played in a softer and pass-happy league, but his numbers are still amazing. In the same 9 year career span, Johnson has 395 more catches, 6,157 more receiving yards, and 32 more touchdowns.
All of these things considered, I would have to disagree with Lynn Swann, and say that Calvin Johnson definitely does belong in the Hall of Fame. Calvin Johnson's resume is simply amazing, and it's even more impressive knowing that for a long time, Johnson was the only legitimate receiving threat for the Lions. He could be in double or even triple coverage, and still come down with the ball on a pretty regular basis. I may be biased being a Lions fan, but having watched this guy play almost every single snap of his NFL career. I would be surprised if he doesn't make the Hall of Fame. I'm not an expert by any means, but I'm just giving it my best guess. Calvin Johnson hasn't "officially" retired yet, even though he has told many players that 2015 was his last season. That being said, here is to hoping that Megatron changes his mind.
Being my first post in a long time, I'm okay with it, but I do hope to get back in the habit of posting more thoughts on different topics. Thank you for reading if you made it this far, and stay classy.
