Why Matthew Stafford to Calvin Johnson Will Be the NFL's Best Aerial Duo in 2011

Peyton to Marvin, Young to Rice, Brady to Moss, other notable quarterback in history to other notable wide receiver that you think should have been included here.

I'm sure you'll let me know.

NFL history is littered with famous duos in the passing game. Most of them gained notoriety after several years of domination. Some, such as Brady-to-Moss, just had a season or two in which they blew everyone's doors off.

Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson could be looking at a season like that in 2011.

Johnson has already put up some pretty impressive numbers in his career, but he's been catching passes from at least three quarterbacks per season since 2008. Most of those quarterbacks were sub-par at best. Shaun Hill is average and Drew Stanton has grown, but neither of them are Matthew Stafford.

Stafford appears to have undergone as much development as possible in his first two years in the NFL. Not only did he locate almost every single one of his preseason passes exactly where he wanted them, but the comfort level and poise he has shown in running the offense is comparable to a 10-year veteran.

However, it's not just about Stafford-to-Johnson, because Stafford's work with Nate Burleson, Titus Young, Brandon Pettigrew and others are going to be equally important.

Part of the reason that Johnson is looking at a breakout season (even further than in 2010) is because defenses have other offensive weapons to be concerned with.

Last year, Nate Burleson was a relative unknown, oft-injured and the Lions' third receiver was Bryant Johnson.

This year, the Lions are four-deep with respectable receivers and still sport a pair of dangerous receiving threats at tight end in Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler.

That's good for the Lions' offense as a whole, but also for Johnson. To start out, every team is going to roll coverage to Johnson to keep him contained. However, the more the Lions take advantage of that and make defenses pay with other weapons, the more coverage around Johnson will have to loosen up.

Simply put, if Johnson can make plays in triple-coverage, what will he do in double or (gasp) man coverage?

What will he do when he's catching passes from a first overall pick, who's poised for his coming-out party?

Stafford and Johnson haven't played together enough to complete passes with their eyes closed, but they do have two years in the same locker room behind them and seem to understand one another's timing.

Even if the Stafford-to-Johnson connection doesn't break records just yet, they still may very well be the best aerial hook-up in the land this year. Brady-to-Ochocinco isn't off to a great start, Peyton Manning isn't even looking like he'll play for the first quarter of the season and Drew Brees has too many "really good" targets and no "great" individual.

The biggest competition Stafford and Johnson should face this year will be Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson in Houston. Those two are certainly poised to have a pair of huge years, but Schaub doesn't have the talent that Stafford does. The Johnsons are just about equal in talent, but the Lions may hold the edge in talent surrounding their No. 1 receiver, which helps keep the pressure off.

Of course, the reality is that Stafford and Johnson aren't facing any competition greater than themselves. Stafford's injury woes are well-documented and Johnson seems more susceptible than most to bumps and bruises. Both will need a healthy 16 games to really make their mark on the league.

However, if they get that, there's no reason they can't continue making that mark right into the playoffs and the Pro Bowl.

Maybe even the NFL record books.