Calvin Johnson's Place Among the Greatest Detroit Lions Receivers

Everyone knows that Calvin Johnson is an all-world wide receiver for the Detroit Lions and the most feared offensive weapon in the NFL.  

He has led the Lions' resurgence and currently leads the NFL in touchdowns scored. His 2011 season could go down as one of the best in history if he continues at this torrid pace.

Some fans are ready to anoint him as the greatest of all time, but can he even be considered the greatest  Lions receiver?

When we look at his genetics, his highlights and his potential, it is hard not to get carried away and simply give him the title.

But this is only the first half of one season. Johnson is young—there is a lot more football for him to play in his career.

Are some people letting current greatness cloud their memory about great players of the past?

This is my attempt to determine how Calvin Johnson stacks up against the Lions' all-time great receivers. 

Not where he'll be at the end of his career, but how he rates now, based on his career so far. 

Criteria

In order to be included on this list a receiver has to have at least 200 receptions (or equivalent "touches", see #10) and played for the Lions at least five years.  During those five years there had to be a level of excellence established.  I weighed heavily on how the individuals performance impacted  the overall team performance.  So players that made the team better also fared better than those who's accomplishments did not.

Honorable Mention

Here are some players that I considered for this list, but for various reasons did not include.  I expect vigorous debate regarding some of these omissions.  Honestly, arguments for some of these players to be included would be valid.  For other players listed below, most people will agree that they fall just short.

Just Missed:  Leonard Thompson, Cloyce Box, Freddie Scott, Germane Crowell

10. Mel Gray

I can hear you screaming, "Mel Gray was not a receiver!" But the Lions listed him as RB/WR/return specialist.

I could probably count on one hand how many downs he played as a wideout, but that is neither here nor there. His impact on the Detroit Lions was greater than any other receiver I could have have selected.

You can debate his position, but you cannot debate Mel Gray's impact on the Detroit Lions in the '90s, who contended for NFC titles every year.

During his six-year career with the Lions, Gray made First Team All-Pro three times and the Pro Bowl four times. He amassed nearly 7,000 return yards and seven touchdowns.

1994 was his best year,  when Gray averaged 28 yards per kickoff return and had three kickoff return touchdowns of 91, 98 and 102 yards. 

He also seemed to come up with clutch returns whenever the Lions needed one, giving the Barry-Sanders-powered offense good field position time and again.

Taken from DetroitLions.com:

Gray’s timing on returns was also spectacular. In 1991, as the Lions (10-4 at the time) were gunning for a NFC Central crown, Detroit was in a close battle at Green Bay December 15. The Lions clung onto a slim 14-10 lead at Lambeau Field, and Gray put the game out of reach with his longest punt return in Honolulu Blue and Silver with a 78-yard return for touchdown with 4:40 left to play in the fourth. This play was one of the many great memories during the team’s greatest season since their 1957 title.

9. Barry Sanders

Barry Sanders was the most electrifying football player in Detroit Lions history and perhaps the most popular athlete in the history of professional sports in Detroit. 

He will be remembered for his amazing runs, his innate ability to make defenders miss and the rushing yards he accumulated (third all time in the NFL).

But during his 10-year career with the Lions, he amassed impressive receiving numbers as well. As the video shows, he was capable of highlight reel receptions, too.

He was a vital part of the Lions' passing game. His 352 receptions ranks him fourth all time. His total receiving yards and touchdown receptions are relatively low, which is expected given that his primary position was running back.

The fact that he was thrown to that many times shows just how important he was in the Lions' passing game.

Sanders was a skilled receiver and a threat to score whenever the ball was in his hands—regardless of whether it was handed to him or thrown to him.

He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame as one of the best running backs of all time, but his contributions as a receiver should not be overlooked.

* Did anyone else marvel at the athleticism displayed on the video by Scott Mitchell? 

8. Terry Barr

This University of Michigan product was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1957. During his rookie year, the Lions won their first, and only, NFL championship. 

He is the only player on this list that won a championship. 

In the Championship game, Barr contributed to the win by intercepting a pass and returning it 19 yards for the touchdown. He was drafted as a defensive back!

A year later, Barr decided to try his hand at offense and learned the wide receiver position.

Obviously he found his calling.

Barr played his entire nine-year professional career with the Lions and ranks ninth all time with 227 receptions and 3,810 yards. His 35 career touchdowns put him behind only Herman Moore and Calvin Johnson, and tied with Johnnie Morton on the Lions all-time list.

He is a member of the University of Michigan Hall of Champions and the State of Michigan and City of Grand Rapids Hall of Fame.

Unfortunately, Barr lost his long battle with Alzheimer's Disease in May 2009, but his legacy will be remembered in the annals of Michigan sports history for many years to come. 

USA Today ran an article about Barr following his death in 2009.  I've included a link here.

7. Roy Williams

Coming out of the University of Texas, Roy Williams was one of the most hyped wide receivers in NFL draft history. 

With good reason. 

He left Texas University as its greatest wide receiver; the leader in all major categories and finalist for the Belitnikoff Award his junior and senior years.

With all of that talent, the Detroit Lions couldn't resist drafting him seventh overall in 2004.  Williams joined Charles Rogers in what was supposed to be the Lions' receiving corps of the future.

But we all know how that turned out.

Despite the misfortune of being drafted by Matt Millen, Roy Williams was not a bust like most Lions draft picks of that era.

On one hand, he could be viewed as an underachiever. It's been one disappointing season after another with Dallas and Chicago.

But I prefer to remember his days with the Detroit Lions, where he was the best player on the team, highly productive and exciting to watch. 

He ranks eighth on the Lions' career receiving list with 3,884 yards, and his yards-per-game average of 64.7 is second only to Calvin Johnson. 

Not too bad for only spending five years in Detroit.

In 2006, he had the eighth-best receiving single season in Detroit Lions history with 82 receptions, 1,310 yards and seven touchdowns.

It is unfortunate that Williams was drafted by Matt Millen. Those Millen teams were inferior, and playing with a lack of talent around him impacted his career.

I'm sure going 0-16 in 2008 impacted his career as well.

It is clear that Roy Williams' best days are behind him. But I will always remember his productive days in Honolulu blue and silver—and, of course, his emphatic first down celebrations.

6. Gail Cogdill

Honestly, I had never heard of Gail Cogdill before I started researching this article, but the former Washington State Cougar, and sixth-round draft pick, turned out to be one of the best wide receivers in Lions history. 

He won the 1960 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award and was named the Lions' MVP in 1962. 

During his nine-year career with Detroit, he was selected to the Pro Bowl three times and amassed 5,221 yards. Only Herman Moore, Johnnie Morton and Brett Perriman are ahead of him.

He ranks sixth all time in receptions (325) and ninth in touchdowns (28).

Not bad for a guy who didn't start playing football until his senior year in high school!

Interestingly enough, Cogdill held an NCAA record by gaining 252 yards in one game against Northwestern on only seven receptions. 

Nice game, Gail!

5. Charlie Sanders

Like Calvin Johnson, who is a prototype of the "new" receiver in the NFL, Charlie Sanders was the prototype of the "new" tight end. 

He was both a college football and basketball player, which helped him bring an athleticism to the position that had not been seen. 

He paved the way for athletic two-sport tight ends like Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez.

Sanders was an exceptional blocker, which in those days, was the tight end's primary job. 

But Sanders was known as the Lions' secret weapon because he could run, jump and catch like a receiver. 

Teams were not accustomed to having to game-plan for a tight end in those days.

His spent his entire 10-year career with with the Detroit Lions and was voted to the Pro Bowl seven times, including as a rookie.  He was also a First Team All-Pro twice.

Sanders was also voted to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1970s, as well as the Detroit Lions 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.

I think he also should have been voted to the All-Moustache Team. Nice Fu Manchu!

In 2007, he was inducted into the NFL's Hall of Fame; making him only the seventh tight end to be enshrined in NFL history and the only Lions pass catcher.

Career receiving stats: 336 receptions (fifth), 4817 yards (sixth), 31 touchdowns (seventh).

Besides being a great player, Charlie Sanders is an exceptional human being as well. He stayed involved with the Detroit Lions organization since his retirement and is active in many charities and community activities in the Detroit area—including the Charlie Sanders Scholarship Foundation, which funds at least 2 scholarships annually for Detroit-area kids.

Way to go, Charlie!

4. Brett Perriman

Some people might argue that Brett Perriman was lucky: A slightly above-average receiver who came along at the right time and benefited greatly from the talent that the Detroit Lions had assembled on the offensive side of the ball. 

However, it could also be argued that Brett Perriman's numbers, and legacy, could have been even greater if not for Herman Moore, who was the primary receiver and favorite red-zone target of Scott Mitchell.

Despite playing second fiddle to Moore, Perriman enjoyed an outstanding six-year career with the Lions. He was an integral part of Lions teams that went to the playoffs four out of five years in the first half of the '90s.

1995 was a record-setting offensive year for the Lions and was Perriman's best year. It was the first time in NFL history that two teammates had over 100 receptions in the same year: Perriman and Moore. 

In fact, Perriman's 108 receptions and 1,488 yards that year rank second in Lions history. Can you guess who is first? 

Currently Perriman ranks third on Detroit's all-time list with 428 receptions, 5,244 yards and 25 touchdowns.

3. Calvin Johnson

Like I said in the intro, it is hard not to let the greatness Johnson has shown this year cloud our judgment. It would be easy to look at his talent, his overall impact on the Lions, and then predict his career.

Most people would agree that, barring significant injury, Johnson will own all major Detroit Lions receiving records when his career is over, making him the greatest Lions receiver of all time.

But we cannot make that leap in reasoning and award the title of "Best Ever" to Johnson yet.

That would be unfair to those that came before him. Those players that worked hard and have numbers that Calvin Johnson simply does not have. Players that achieved greatness over long careers—not just one-and-a-half years of outstanding football.

Sorry, guys, Calvin's first three years were really good, not great.

Since 2007, Johnson has amassed 317 receptions, 4,995 yards and 44 touchdowns. This ranks him seventh in receptions, fifth in yards and second in touchdowns.

He might be first in touchdowns by the end of the year!

But factually, he doesn't have the numbers yet to truly be considered the greatest.

2. Johnnie Morton

I will not let Morton's disastrous attempt at MMA affect my opinion of him, nor his testing positive for anabolic steroids after the fight. 

I prefer to remember Morton for what he did as a Detroit Lion. 

The former USC Trojan was Detroit's first-round pick in 1994 and as a rookie that year, learned the receiving game from legendary Lions Herman Moore and Brett Perriman.

In 1995, he was a major contributor on one of the greatest Lions offenses in history. Morton was the featured slot receiver and kickoff/punt returner, racking up 44 receptions, 590 yards and eight touchdowns that year.

Morton took on a more prominent role in the Lions offense with the departure of Perriman and the abrupt retirement of Barry Sanders in 1999.

In fact, 1999 was his best season. He finished with 80 receptions and 1,129 yards. He led the surprising Lions to the playoffs that year—giving fans something to cheer about in the wake of Sanders leaving.

For his career, Morton ranks second on the Lions all time list with 469 receptions, 6,499 yards and 35 touchdowns.

1. Herman Moore

Quite simply, Moore holds every major receiving record for the Detroit Lions: career, season and single game.  

His career marks of 670 receptions, 9,174 yards and 62 touchdowns seemed untouchable until Calvin Johnson came along.

Moore's best year came in 1995, when he was voted the Lions' offensive MVP. Moore set a franchise and NFL record with 123 receptions that year to go along with 1,686 yards and 14 touchdowns.

In 1995 against the Chicago Bears, Moore had his best game, catching a franchise-record 14 passes for 185 yards.

Perhaps more importantly than his individual stats, his impact on his team makes him No. 1 in my book. Herman Moore simply made the Detroit Lions an infinitely better team. 

Barry Sanders was the most important player on those Lions squads. But for all of Barry's greatness, he could not carry the load himself. His running style would not allow it. The Lions needed another reliable weapon on offense to complement Barry.

Herman Moore lived up to that. He was the original red-zone threat. Just throw it up and let Herman Moore go get it. 

Moore's Lions teams enjoyed success that no team had seen before and none since. The Lions made six playoff appearances, won the NFC central division title twice, and vied for the NCF division once.

I think it is clear that, for now, Herman Moore still stands alone atop the Detroit Lions receiving mountaintop. 

But we all now records are made to be broken.

The next few years will be fun to watch with Calvin Johnson and this new Lion bunch.  If this season is any indication, we might be looking at a revival of the Detroit "glory days," and the eventual successor to Herman Moore as the Greatest Ever.