Calvin Johnson and the Most Disappointing NFL Players so Far This Season
Who has been the most disappointing player in the NFL this season? The name Calvin Johnson comes to mind.
Johnson’s 928-yard pace would be impressive for most players, but this is Megatron we’re talking about. The four-time Pro Bowler hasn’t gone under 1,000 yards receiving in a season since 2009.
And what about St. Louis Rams defensive end Robert Quinn? The reigning NFC sack leader has been invisible all season.
Johnson and Quinn are not alone when it comes to underachieving. Here are ten players (and a few extras) we expected more from in 2014.
To clarify, these rankings are based purely on our preseason expectations for each player. For example, Danny Amendola may be having a weaker season statistically than Calvin Johnson, but because more was expected of Johnson, we have Johnson higher on the list.
Dishonorable Mentions
1 of 11
Danny Amendola, WR, New England Patriots
Bill Belichick is a Hall of Fame coach but his work as general manager leaves a lot to be desired. Exhibit A: replacing Wes Welker with Danny Amendola.
In the past, injuries have been to blame for Amendola’s lackluster production. This year, he doesn’t have that excuse.
With only five catches in seven games, it’s clear Amendola isn’t a good fit for this offense. Don’t be surprised if the Patriots dump him after the season.
Riley Cooper, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Following the departure of DeSean Jackson, Cooper seemed primed for a breakout season. Instead, Cooper has regressed significantly: Though his 24 receptions through six games has him on pace to eclipse last year's catch total, Cooper has only 217 receiving and just one TD.
Even if Cooper and LeSean McCoy (we’ll get to him a bit later) haven’t been as sharp as they were last season, Eagles fans have to be happy with the team’s 5-1 start. Perhaps this week’s bye will rejuvenate both players.
EJ Manuel, QB, Buffalo Bills
Most of us were expecting at least some improvement from Manuel after an up-and-down rookie season. That hasn’t happened. In fact, Buffalo head coach Doug Marrone benched him for journeyman Kyle Orton two weeks ago.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Manuel get another shot later in the year, but Bills fans have to be disappointed with the young QB’s lack of progress.
Hakeem Nicks, WR, Indianapolis Colts
There’s a silver lining here. Nicks already has more touchdowns than he had last season! Considering Nicks didn’t score in 2013, that isn’t saying much.
Nicks, a perennial 1,000-yard receiver during his five-year stint with the New York Giants, has yet to reach 100 yards in a game this season. His season high is only 50 yards.
Nicks is an afterthought in the Colts’ stacked offense, and unless T.Y. Hilton or Reggie Wayne gets hurt, it’s going to stay that way.
No. 10: Percy Harvin, WR, Seattle Seahawks
2 of 11
For those of you expecting a 1,000-yard season from Harvin, it’s not going to happen. Harvin remains a talented gadget player with elite speed, but he hasn’t been a difference-maker.
Through five games, Harvin has totaled 225 yards from scrimmage including just three last week in an upset loss to Dallas. Harvin has plenty of time to turn things around, but this certainly wasn’t the start he was hoping for.
No. 9: Justin Tuck, DE, Oakland Raiders
3 of 11
Tuck was arguably the top defensive end on the market last offseason. Now it looks like the Raiders overpaid for him.
Tuck tormented opposing quarterbacks to the tune of 11 sacks last season. This year, he has only one sack in five contests and is on pace for 25 fewer tackles than he recorded in 2013.
With their team mired at 0-5 and approaching seven games against teams that were in the playoffs last season, there isn’t much for Raiders fans to be optimistic about.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
No. 8: Toby Gerhart, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
4 of 11
Congratulations, Jaguars. You got played.
In his final season with the Minnesota Vikings, Gerhart was a behemoth down the stretch, generating 91 yards on the ground against the Green Bay Packers and another 89 versus Baltimore.
Jacksonville took the bait, signing the relatively unproven halfback to a three-year deal. So far Gerhart has delivered on none of his promises while collecting a dreadful 2.6 yards-per-carry average.
At least the Jags have Blake Bortles to look forward to. And that weird pool where people wear jeans.
No. 7: Chris Johnson, RB, New York Jets
5 of 11
Johnson earned the nickname CJ2K when he rushed for 2,006 yards back in 2009. This year, he’d be lucky to reach 1K.
The 29-year-old has labored his way to 261 rushing yards through seven games and looks to be in steep decline.
At this stage of his career, Johnson is nothing more than a change-of-pace back. Expect Chris Ivory to get most of the carries for the Jets going forward.
No. 6: Zac Stacy, RB, St. Louis Rams
6 of 11
Stacy burst onto the scene with 973 rushing yards in 2013, second-most among NFL rookies. At this rate, that may end up being the highlight of his career.
The Vanderbilt product hasn’t rushed for more than 71 yards in any game this year and is ceding most of the goal-line work to Benny Cunningham. If Stacy doesn’t pick up the pace, he could find himself behind both Cunningham and Tre Mason on the Rams’ running back depth chart.
No. 5: Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
7 of 11Patterson is an incredible athlete, there’s no denying that. If you want further evidence, check out the clip above.
So how is it that Patterson has only one touchdown on 22 touches (17 receptions, five rushes) this season?
Maybe it’s the lack of chemistry he has with rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Or maybe Patterson, a first-round pick out of Tennessee in 2013, just isn’t as good as we all thought.
But don’t worry. He’s only 23. There’s still time for Patterson to grow.
No. 4: Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco 49ers
8 of 11
Here’s another player who may have peaked too early. Since his two-touchdown opening week, Davis has averaged a mere 25.7 yards per game without making a single trip to the end zone.
He’s still big and fast enough to draw targets in the red zone, but Davis will need to stop dropping passes if he wants to get back on Colin Kaepernick’s radar.
No. 3: LeSean McCoy, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
9 of 11
McCoy is actually coming off his best effort of the season, a 149-yard outing against the New York Giants in Week 6.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that Shady is on pace for 1,125 rushing yards, nearly 500 yards fewer than what he produced in 2013. To make matters worse, McCoy is in the midst of a four-game touchdown drought. With matchups against Arizona, Houston and Carolina coming out of the bye week, there’s a good chance McCoy’s slump will continue well into midseason.
Fantasy football owners who drafted McCoy first overall cannot be too pleased.
No. 2: Robert Quinn, DE, St. Louis Rams
10 of 11
Quinn was unstoppable last season, shredding his way to a career-best 19 sacks. But the magic seems to have disappeared. It’s mid-October and the 6’4” pass-rusher still doesn’t have any sacks. That’s unforgivable for an athlete of Quinn’s caliber.
The Rams shouldn’t be too worried, though. Last year, Quinn didn’t hit his stride until midseason, finishing with 13 sacks from Week 7 on.
This week Quinn faces the Seattle Seahawks. He sacked quarterback Russell Wilson four times in two meetings last season.
No. 1: Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions
11 of 11
Who would have guessed Golden Tate would be leading the Lions in receiving yards?
A bum ankle has limited Megatron to just 46 yards a game over his last four contests, and he hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 1. Seeing the NFL’s single-season receiving-yards leader settle for sidekick duty has been alarming to say the least.
Despite Johnson’s woes, the Lions are still leading the division with a respectable 4-2 record. With that kind of cushion, Detroit can afford to keep Johnson out until after the team’s bye in Week 9.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Post-June 1 Trade Candidates ☎️")
.JPG?w=600 "TO Talks Cowboys Relationship")
.jpg?w=600 "Taylor Heinicke Retiring")
.jpg?w=600 "49ers OC Hypes Mike Evans 🤩")