Getty Calvin Johnson on the field in 2016.
A pair of the best receivers in NFL history wore No. 81 in Terrell Owens and Calvin Johnson, and while both were unquestioned greats of the game, who was better in the end?
That’s not a question that is easily answered, but Fox Sports analysts Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless tried to come to a conclusion. Typically, neither could agree on an answer. Bayless believes that while Owens was talented, he wasn’t nearly as good as Johnson was with the Detroit Lions.
“Look, Calvin Johnson was a freak of a beast of a rare player. We’ve never seen anything like it,” Bayless said. “He was 6-5, 240 pounds and he ran 4.35 at the combine. What? It was unheard of, it’s impossible. He could jump. He could catch, He was a package unlike anything Terrell could ever dream of.
“He had a nickname, Megatron, for a reason. It’s because nobody had ever seen anyone like him. When I think of 81, I think of Calvin as the essence of 81. I think he was the most gifted receiver ever. 81 should belong to Calvin Johnson. He was just better than Terrell.”
Shannon Sharpe, of course, disagreed with what Bayless had to say, submitting Owens as his best 81, thanks to the fact that he had a longer career and made a wider impact with teams such as the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals.
Megatron had an unbelievable career, but T.O. was the best #81. PERIOD.
“When you factor in the longevity and productivity, for me, it’s just not good enough you play a long time. T.O. was productive,” Sharpe said.” He, Ted Hendricks and Deion Sanders are the only men that have been first team All-Pro for 3 different teams. Megatron had an unbelievable career, but T.O. was the best 81, period.”
Safe to say Johnson changed the game as much as any wide receiver, but Owens had changed it plenty in his own way by doing different things. The fact neither can agree on one or the other makes sense given each were splendid.
Obviously, Lions fans will believe that Johnson was the best of the best after watching him play. While he didn’t play nearly as long, he made a huge impact on the game in the time he was there with amazing plays and great statistics.
Calvin Johnson’s Hall of Fame Case Examined
While Owens is already a member of Canton, Johnson is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2021, and it’s interesting to see some of the hype he is getting as it relates to making it to Canton next year. Recently, John Breech of CBS Sports debated some of the candidates for Johnson’s class, and explained their chances.
When it came to Johnson, Breech explained the potential ups and downs of Johnson trying to get the call next year. Here’s a look at his conclusion:
“You can definitely make a strong argument that Calvin Johnson belongs in the Hall of Fame, but Megatron might have a tough time getting in during his first-year of eligibility, and that’s mainly because his career was so short. Johnson decided to retire after just nine seasons, and that was mainly due to two reasons: His body was beat up and he was fed up with the Lions. As a matter of fact, Johnson actually did a recent interview where he took another shot at his former team.
“First thing, I’m like, ‘Whoa, this is how you should take care of your players,'” Johnson told the Behind the Mask podcast. “I go to Miami — it ain’t like Miami’s winning, but they’re taking care of their players … I go to Oakland, I’m like, ‘Damn, we don’t have none of this in Detroit.'”
Despite his sour relationship with the Lions, he did thrive during his time with the team. During his nine-year career, Johnson led was named an All-Pro three times and he led the NFL in receiving yards twice. Megatron also led the NFL in receptions in 2012 when he caught 122 passes. The impressive thing is that he did all of this even though he was usually the focal point of every opponent’s defense. During that 2012 season, Johnson finished with 1,964 receiving yards, which is still the NFL’s single-season record. As a matter of fact, no player in the NFL has even finished a season with 1,900 yards.
The biggest knock on Johnson is that he never really played on any good Lions teams. During his time in Detroit, the Lions went just 54-90 and he went 0-2 in the playoffs. Of course, no one will be blaming those losses on Johnson, especially his first one. Back in January 2012, Johnson caught 12 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-28 loss to the Saints.”
Johnson would seem to be a lock to make it to the Hall of Fame eventually given what he did in the NFL for years and also given the way he changed the game at wide receiver.
Calvin Johnson Lions Statistics
Since he came into the league with the Lions in 2007, Johnson wasted little time putting up great plays and amazing statistics. In his career, Johnson put up 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns and more than that, was a human highlight reel unlike any other receiver on the list. Out of Georgia Tech, Johnson was labeled as one of the freakiest players in the draft and he lived up to that distinction in the NFL.
Johnson shattered Rice’s record of 1,848 receiving yards during the 2012 season and was a stable force for the team, often playing through pain and discomfort on the field. He walked away following the 2015 season, leaving a gaping hole in Detroit’s wideout group. Since, Johnson has been embroiled in a feud with the Lions for the last few seasons over money that the team made him pay back upon retirement.
It doesn’t seem like any of this will prevent Johnson from getting his call to the hall when the time comes. As for who’s the best 81, it is likely a simple matter of personal preference as this latest debate shows.
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