Top Calvin Johnson moments we’ll remember, with career in doubt

Is this really it for Calvin Johnson? If so, he’d be walking away from the game after only nine season — but nine brilliant ones, and we’re still the lucky ones.

From the moment the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Johnson borrowed someone’s shoes at the Indianapolis scouting combine and, oh yeah, blazed a 4.35-second 40-yard dash, we knew we were about to see a different kind of dude.

Over those nine seasons, Johnson played in only two postseason games but became an icon as the best receiver in the game for most of that time. Here are five of his indellible moments with his career very much in doubt.

Beating Cover 3

Johnson was a jump-ball specialist, and it almost didn’t matter how many defenders he was matched with — he likely could jump higher. Watch in this 2013 play from Week 7 that season against the Cincinnati Bengals as three defenders (with a fourth in the vicinity) can’t stop him on his Hail Mary-esque touchdown catch from 50 yards out.

Calvin Johnson Rule

The existential birthplace of “What is a catch?” might have been Week 1 of the 2010 season when Johnson caught a touchdown pass with 24 seconds left to take the lead against the rival Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Or, rather, that’s what our eyes told us. Our ears heard the call: Johnson did not control the ball all the way through the process of the catch (what?) and thus it was ruled incomplete. It’s as absurd today as it was five-plus seasons ago. We still talk about this play, and we still don’t know what a catch is in this league. Pshaw, as if that matters …

Cowboy killer

In 2011, the Dallas Cowboys were beating the Lions 27-3 five minutes into the third quarter when Johnson and the Lions started roaring back. Johnson outshined Dez Bryant in the game, and on this ridiculous jump-ball TD in the fourth quarter he outleaped three Cowboys in what would be a 34-30 Lions win. Johnson would have some of his finest games against this team.

As we were saying …

Two years after that game against the Cowboys, Johnson would put on a historic show against them. On 14 catches, Johnson amassed 329 yards receiving — the second-most in NFL history behind Flipper Anderson’s 336 in 1989. Just sit back and watch the show. The Cowboys had zero answers for him that day in 2013.

That magical season

The Lions fell from 4-4 and looking respectable to losers of their final eight games of 2012. But don’t blame Johnson, who had a season for the ages — 122 catches for 1,964 yards, the most ever in league history. Johnson broke Jerry Rice’s 1995 record of 1,848 yards in a season and did so in style, even if he was on a bad team, as often was the case in Johnson’s career in Detroit.

Thanksgiving feasting

Johnson’s Lions played on Thanksgiving every season, and he found a way to eat well almost every year in that traditional early game slot. Here’s a smorgasbord of Johnson touchdowns, which often served as the main dish even if the Lions didn’t always come to play on the holiday.

Calvin, if this is it, we’ll miss watching you.

– – – – – – –

Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm