Detroit Lions: 5 Bold Predictions for Calvin Johnson's 2012 Season

There is no discussion about whether Calvin Johnson is the best wide receiver in football. He is.

There was no discussion whether, despite being the best, he is worth the biggest contract in National Football League history. He is.

The Lions and Johnson signed an eight-year contract extension keeping the wide receiver at Ford Field through 2019 for $60 million guaranteed and a total of $132 million.

That is certainly going to make him one of the most closely watched NFL players this season and, therefore, most commented on. Is he going to live up to the hype like he did after being drafted in 2007?

Yes, and here are five bold predictions for the 2012 season.

Another Career High for Johnson

If he stays healthy, Johnson will score at least 20 touchdowns.

As Johnson improves his stats every season, more is expected of him. And he never disappoints.

He ended his 2011 season with career highs of 16 touchdowns and 1,681 receiving yards. If you look at his numbers for previous seasons, he’s been improving ever since 2008, which was his second season as a professional player.

In 2009—an unsuccessful year by his standards—he scored five touchdowns and ran for 984 receiving yards. A year later, these numbers were 12 and 1,120, respectively.

Yes, Johnson will show one more time that he is a threat to the defense of whomever the opponent is on the field.

Johnson and the Lions’ Quarterbacks

He will play equally well with Mathew Stafford or Shaun Hill. The reason is that they trust each other. Stafford has spoken several times about how happy he is to be playing and passing to a team player like the Megatron.

And frankly, Johnson is an instant impact player and has the ability to catch any ball. All the quarterback needs to do is just pass it in Johnson’s direction. Different quarterbacks have thrown the ball at Johnson, but his stats show that’s not a problem. 

His unique physique for a football player and body control will let him do that. He is 6’5’’ tall and he is fast. As Chase Stuart from the New York Times NFL blog described Johnson in October 201, “He was the talk of the scouting combine, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds. His vertical leap of 45 inches means no one can match him when the ball is in the air. There’s a reason he’s nicknamed Megatron.”

Catches

My bold prediction in this category is that Johnson will finish No. 1 with at least 120 receptions. This is based on Johnson’s numbers and belief in his ability to catch any throws.

After the 2011 regular season, Johnson finished fourth with 96 receptions. Again, that was an improvement from his previous two seasons in Detroit. He caught the ball 77 times in 2010 and 67 times in 2009, ranking at 15th and 32nd, respectively.

The only true competitor to the Megatron probably is wide receiver Wes Welker from New England Patriots, who tops the 2011 NFL player receiving statistics with 122.

Offensive Player of the Year

That’s probably my boldest prediction.

The Detroit Lions are clearly beatable—they finished the 2011 regular season with a 10-6 record before a playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints.

However, Johnson caught 12 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns in that playoff game. The Megatron became the first player with 200 yards receiving in a playoff debut.

So yes, the Lions lose games, but with Johnson getting better and strengthening the relationships he has with the quarterbacks on the team, Detroit may actually be at least very hard to beat.

Touchdown Celebration

Unlike another wide receiver—New York Giants' Victor Cruz—the Megatron is fairly modest when he scores touchdowns. He sometimes spikes the ball into the wall behind the end zone. It’s not salsa, but it’s not memorable either.

I’m sure he’ll come up with something big this season.