NFL Nation: Calvin Johnson

» AFC Scenarios: East | West | North | South » NFC: East | West | North | South

Yes, the start of training camps is two months away, but it’s never too early to consider the coming season. A look at the best-case and worst-case scenarios for the Detroit Lions in 2012.

Dream scenario (12-4): The team moves past its string of silly/immature problems, tightening up not only its off-field behavior but also its discipline on the field during games. Mikel Leshoure and Jahvid Best give the Lions a power/speed dimension in the backfield they lacked for most of last season. Rookie receiver Ryan Broyles' knee heals quickly enough to provide a legitimate fourth option among receivers and further spread out opposing defenses. Defensive tackle Nick Fairley realizes his playmaking potential and teams with Ndamukong Suh to provide consistent and dominant interior play. Fairley, Suh, Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch protect an undermanned secondary and Lions make big defensive plays against opponents feeling pressure to keep up with their offense.

Nightmare scenario (7-9): Best and Leshoure don't provide the balance the Lions hope for, either because of injuries or skill deterioration. Broyles takes longer than expected to return, Titus Young has a sophomore slump and opponents flock to receiver Calvin Johnson. Left tackle Jeff Backus can't hold up for another season as the Lions hope. Despite the formidable defensive line, the Lions can't cover for their secondary and give up too many big plays.
A committee of ESPN experts -- including Trent Dilfer, Mel Kiper, Gary Horton, Matt Williamson -- assembled this offseason to create a unique version of our traditional Power Rankings.

Naturally, NFC North teams are featured prominently in what amounts to a three-year projection of Power Rankings for the 2015 season Insider. The Green Bay Packers received the top spot as the team best equipped to compete three years from now, while the Detroit Lions were not far behind at No. 6.

The file requires an Insider subscription to read in full, but I can pass along where our four teams ranked and also a glimpse at the methodology used. Here is how the committee evaluated each team and the degree of impact each category had:
  • Roster (32.5 percent of total score): Players under 30 emphasized
  • Coaching (20 percent): Capability and stability of current staff
  • Quarterback (17.5 percent): Where quarterback play would be in three years
  • Draft (15 percent): Based on team's 2012 class and how many picks available in next three years.
  • Front office (15 percent): Ability to manage roster and market's attraction to free agents.

Now on to the NFC North rankings with comments from me:

1. Green Bay Packers
Seifert comment:
The presence of a 28-year-old MVP quarterback and one of the NFL's top general manager-coach combinations puts the Packers on an ideal long-term path.

6. Detroit Lions
Seifert comment:
Quarterback Matthew Stafford had a 5,000-yard season before his 24th birthday. That's a nice start. General manager Martin Mayhew has elevated the team's talent level every season of his tenure and most of their key players -- Stafford, receiver Calvin Johnson, tight end Brandon Pettigrew, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, safety Louis Delmas and linebacker Stephen Tulloch -- are under 30.

17. Chicago Bears
Seifert comment:
Jay Cutler is a legitimate franchise quarterback, but the best players on the Bears' defense are all over 30. That list includes defensive end Julius Peppers, linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, and cornerback Charles Tillman.

31. Minnesota Vikings
Seifert comment:
Questions about quarterback Christian Ponder's long-term prospects made it difficult for the committee to project future success. There are also concerns about a lack of young impact players on defense. Defensive end Jared Allen is 30 and linebacker Chad Greenway is 29.
There's little sense in taking the bait when San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh tells a radio program Michael Crabtree "has the best hands I've ever seen on a wide receiver."

Anyone with a strong grasp of NFL history would place Cris Carter, Raymond Berry and Steve Largent on a short list for receivers with the surest hands.

Hall of Famer Ken Houston, speaking for a 2008 piece on all-time great wideouts, stood up for AFL stars Otis Taylor and Lionel Taylor.

"Lionel Taylor, I mean, he would catch a BB," Houston said.

Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson, speaking for the same piece, said Randy Moss, then with New England, had the best hands in the NFL at that time (2008).

"A lot of guys can catch," Thompson said then. "He can catch on any platform, as we say in scouting. He can adjust and catch it over the top of somebody's head, catch it falling down, and it doesn't matter if he is covered."

With Moss now on the 49ers, it is possible Crabtree does not posses the best hands among wide receivers on his own team.

Oops. I wasn't going to take the bait on this one, but now it's too late. Time to regroup.

Bottom line, I suspect Crabtree has impressed Harbaugh this offseason, and Harbaugh would like that to continue for as long as possible. By offering such strong public praise for Crabtree, Harbaugh is setting a standard for Crabtree to meet this season. He realizes Crabtree has the ability to meet that standard, or else he wouldn't make the statement.

We should all recall Harbaugh's calling quarterback Alex Smith "elite" and promoting him for the Pro Bowl last season. Then as now, Harbaugh was standing up for his guy. Smith enjoyed the finest season of his career and even outplayed the truly elite Drew Brees at times during the 49ers' playoff victory over New Orleans. The way Harbaugh backed Smith played a role in that performance, in my view.

Back to Crabtree. He has the ability to rank among the most sure-handed receivers in the game. He has not yet earned that status, but now he has little choice, right?

As the chart shows, Crabtree finished the 2011 season with 12.2 receptions per drop, which ranked 28th in the NFL among players targeted at least 100 times. Larry Fitzgerald led the NFL with 80 receptions and only one drop. Those numbers are according to ESPN Stats & Information, which defines drops as "incomplete passes where the receiver should have caught the pass with ordinary effort."

Crabtree suffered six drops last season by that standard, a few too many for the player with the best hands his head coach has ever seen on a wide receiver.
Every team in the NFC West had a 1,000-yard rusher last season.

Coaches in Seattle, San Francisco and St. Louis have promoted run-first philosophies. Arizona has invested first- and second-round picks in running backs Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams, respectively.

Run, run, run.

And yet the division focused on the passing game quite a bit during the 2012 NFL draft -- on both sides of the ball. NFC West teams drafted a league-high three wide receivers in the first two rounds. Teams from the division drafted three cornerbacks in the first three rounds, tied with the NFC North for most in the league.

The charts show how many receivers and corners each division added through the first three rounds. The combined total for the NFC West (six) was the most for any division, one more than the NFC North.

St. Louis drafted cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins (second round) and Trumaine Johnson (third round). Arizona used a third-round choice for cornerback Jamell Fleming. Arizona (Michael Floyd) and San Francisco (A.J. Jenkins) used first-round picks for receivers. St. Louis added receiver Brian Quick in the second round (and another receiver, Chris Givens, in the fourth).

NFC West pass defenses could face additional pressure given the scheduling rotation in 2012.

Every NFC West team faces New England with Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Wes Welker.

The division also faces Green Bay (Aaron Rodgers, Jermichael Finley, Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson), Detroit (Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew) and Chicago (Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall).

San Francisco draws New Orleans (Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston) and the New York Giants (Eli Manning, Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz). Arizona faces Philadelphia (Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin) and Atlanta (Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Julio Jones). Seattle faces Dallas (Tony Romo, Jason Witten, Dez Bryant) and Carolina (Cam Newton, Steve Smith).

The top five teams in 2011 passing yardage -- New Orleans, New England, Green Bay, Detroit and the Giants -- show up on NFC West schedules. Green Bay, New England, the Giants and Saints comprised the top four in yards per passing attempt. The top seven teams in passing touchdowns -- Green Bay, New Orleans, Detroit, New England, Dallas, Atlanta and the Giants -- play a combined 16 games against the NFC West.

And, of course, NFC West teams must face each other, which means games against Larry Fitzgerald, Vernon Davis, Randy Moss, Sidney Rice and others.
Ryan BroylesBrett Deering/Getty ImagesBy drafting Ryan Broyles Detroit stuck to their philosophy of targeting talent instead of need.
As they approached their second-round position Friday night, the Detroit Lions sure seemed to be sitting pretty. A team with a shortage of cornerbacks was looking at a nice group of second-tier defensive backs whose time on the market appeared up. In addition, the draft's top center was still available if the Lions were inclined to secure a future replacement for starter Dominic Raiola.

With their No. 54 overall pick, the Lions passed on Wisconsin center Peter Konz, who ultimately went one slot later to the Atlanta Falcons.

They turned away a trio of cornerbacks: Vanderbilt's Casey Hayward, Montana's Trumaine Johnson and Central Florida's Josh Robinson. Hayward went at No. 62 to the Green Bay Packers, Johnson at No. 65 to the St. Louis Rams and Robinson at No. 66 to the Minnesota Vikings.

The Lions? Naturally, they went for a 24-year-old slot receiver who tore his anterior cruciate ligament last November. Oklahoma's Ryan Broyles will join a seemingly crowded position group that also includes Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson and 2011 second-round pick Titus Young.

I got a number of immediate reactions along these lines of this one from @breynolds0324: "Sadly, best case he is 4th receiver. That secondary made [Matt] Flynn a multimillionaire. Feel like we are a secondary away from SB."

I understand where you're coming from, and perhaps some of you were assuaged when the Lions drafted Louisiana-Lafayette cornerback Dwight Bentley in the third round. But I feel like many of you allowed your immediate emotions to overtake rational thought, and more importantly, what should be a clear understanding of how the Lions operate under general manager Martin Mayhew and coach Jim Schwartz.

You can object to the relative lack of attention the Lions have paid their secondary during this rebuilding process. Feel free to dispute their assessment of the talent they've passed over. But by now, like it or not, you should have come to expect that they will follow their board in as much of a vacuum as any team in the NFL. And I hope you also realize that approach has left the Lions short in the secondary but is probably the single-biggest factor in their return to contention.

"You don't solve needs by drafting poor players," Lions coach Jim Schwartz told reporters in Detroit. "… There's a discipline that goes into it. You have to be able to stick with that philosophy. The philosophy is: 'Talent rules the board.' … If you chase need, you're chasing a moving target. What looks like a need one day might not be a need another day. If you have the discipline to say, 'Hey look, let's get good football players that fit a philosophy that we have a plan for, that continue to be the highest rated guys on your board,' then you're going to be successful over the long run.

"Even in this organization in the past, I think everybody knows some examples where this organization reached for certain players because of needs. I don't see how that solves your need. When it's all said and done, the need is still there."

It would be reasonable to question whether, say, Hayward would have been a reach at No. 54 when the Packers selected him just a few spots later. But the more relevant question is whether the Lions would have left a more talented player on the board. And in the Lions' evaluation, they would have. That made their decision easy Friday night at No. 54.

Broyles is one of the most productive receivers in the history of college football, having caught an NCAA-record 349 passes in his career. Just five months after surgery to repair his ACL, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds. Mayhew, whose success in recent drafts grants him some leeway in making such judgments, told reporters: "If the guy were healthy now he'd have been gone way before our pick."

And while they are in fact stacked at the front end of their depth chart, the Lions in reality were one injury away from not being able to use offensive coordinator Scott Linehan's three-receiver set. Burleson, meanwhile, will turn 32 this summer. In other words, the Lions could be a year or two away from having an obvious need at receiver. As we discussed Thursday, the key to orderly transitions is acquiring the replacement before he is needed.

Look, the Lions don't need me to be an apologist for a decision -- and thus far, an entire draft -- that might not have much impact on their 2012 team. You have a right to dispute it. But you shouldn't be surprised, and the Lions' success to this point earns them at least a partial benefit of the doubt from me.
The Detroit Lions' decision to use a second-round draft pick on Oklahoma receiver Ryan Broyles is one we probably shouldn't examine too thoroughly until we've had a chance to hear from all concerned parties.

Broyles
Broyles
The fact is that Broyles tore an anterior cruciate ligament five months ago and hasn't fully recovered. He didn't work out at the NFL scouting combine but did get on the field for his pro day.

The Lions are relatively deep at receiver with Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson and Titus Young. Broyles was a highly touted prospect before the injury, and so the success of this pick would seem to rest with his recovery and what plans the Lions have for him among their crowded receiving corps.

Regardless, you wonder how much either of the Lions' top two picks -- offensive lineman Riley Reiff and Broyles -- will contribute in 2012. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It could be seen from a position of strength, but it also means the Lions still haven't addressed their cornerback or safety positions. More a bit later this evening.
The St. Louis Rams found a player fitting the mold of a No. 1 wide receiver.

Quick
Quick
Appalachian State's Brian Quick, chosen 33rd overall as the 2012 NFL draft entered its second round, fits the profile. He's 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds -- more in line with wide receivers selected among the top few overall choices. Quick lasted until the 33rd pick because he's raw, from a smaller program and lacking elite speed.

"Former hoops standout and high-jumper has had to endure four positional coaches in four years and would be best with simplified assignments, but possesses a unique combination of body length, hand-eye coordinator, hand strength and leaping ability," Nolan Nawrocki wrote for Pro Football Weekly's draft preview.

The Rams watched Jacksonville select Justin Blackmon fifth overall, one spot ahead of where the Rams were picking. Then, after trading down, they watched Arizona select the next wide receiver, Michael Floyd.

Blackmon and Floyd were the highest-rated receivers in the draft, but there was no consensus either qualified as a clear No. 1 wideout. The Rams traded back, took defensive tackle Michael Brockers at No. 14 and then watched the San Francisco 49ers use the 27th overall choice for A.J. Jenkins, a player the Rams had rated not far behind Blackmon, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Blackmon, 6-1 and 207, did not fit the physical profile for wide receivers considered elite enough for teams to to draft among the top three overall choices (see chart). Quick fits that profile -- starts, but no guarantee he'll turn into that type of player.
video
I can't bring myself to write another word about the "Madden Curse."

It's real. It's not real. Is it going to ruin the Detroit Lions season? Is it going to enhance it? Are robots, including Megatron, immune? I have no idea. Like most intangible, mystical figments of the netherworld, it's difficult to pinpoint, understand and project consequences for.

So on the occasion of Lions receiver Calvin Johnson winning a national vote Wednesday to make the cover, let's not freak about the Madden Curse. Let's instead note how thoroughly impressive Johnson was on the SportsNation reveal show when compared to an insufferable, and presumably nervous, Cam Newton.

The Carolina Panthers quarterback strutted around the stage as if he believed he was a pre-ordained winner. For a moment I wondered if ESPN producers had informed him before the show that he had won. Just before the announcement, Newton jokingly (I think) said he would toss free copies of the game to the crowd "like Frisbees" if he won. Utimately his "Cam-pain" didn't work.

All the while, Johnson sat back, chuckled, and didn't have much to say. When the announcement was made, Newton said: "I thought you guys loved me." Johnson said: "People voted. They got what they wanted. I am very grateful for that. This is great."

I don't want to pick on Newton. In truth, his approach offered us yet another example of the best thing about the Lions' return to competitiveness: It has introduced the country to Johnson's genuinely understated and mature personality. For the same reason it was nice to see him rewarded with a $132 million contract in March, I'm glad that it's him and his Calvin Johnson Jr. Foundation will draw the attention that goes with the Madden cover. That's all.
Relax Carolina fans. You no longer have to worry about the "Madden Curse."

Your quarterback, Cam Newton, will not be on the cover of Madden 13. The winner was just announced and it is Detroit receiver Calvin Johnson.

He narrowly edged out Newton in an election that included about 20 million votes. Johnson and Newton started off in a field of 64 players and fans narrowed it down through a series of head-to-head votes.

I know some Carolina fans voted against Newton because they didn’t want to subject their quarterback to the curse. I’m not a big believer in curses and didn’t think Newton was bound for a bad season if he had won. But I did grow up a Boston Red Sox fan, so I at least understand why some people believe in curses.

So maybe it’s a good thing Newton isn’t on the cover.
This may not be news that a lot of Carolina Panthers fans want to hear. But quarterback Cam Newton has made it all the way to the final round of the Madden 13 Cover Vote.

Newton is up against Detroit receiver Calvin Johnson and the winner will be announced April 25.

I know there’s apprehension about seeing Newton on the cover of the popular video game. That all stems from the alleged “Madden Curse’’. There’s obviously a precedent that some guys who have been on the cover have been injured or had bad seasons. But this hasn’t applied to everyone that’s been on the cover.

I say Carolina fans should embrace the fact Newton is up for this honor. It’s a sign of how far the franchise has come in recent years. Newton is the reason Carolina will play two prime-time games in 2012.

Like it or not, Newton’s ability and personality automatically make him a drawing card. You can vote for him or not, but be ready to see him on the cover because it probably will happen.
During his visit Tuesday to ESPN.com headquarters, Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson sat down for a SportsNation chat. One of the questions: Was he worried about the so-called "Madden Curse" that befalls those who appear on the cover of Madden football?

Johnson
Johnson's response: "No, I don't worry about it. All things come to an end."

We're one step away from finding out if that's true.

Johnson has eliminated Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the semifinals of the tournament to determine the "Madden 13" cover. He'll face Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton for the honor.

In the chat, Johnson revealed that he plays more "FIFA" than "Madden," preferring the allure of Man City over more football in his free time. But will "Megatron" soon become synonymous with "Madden"? And Lions fans, will you vote for or against having your team represented on the cover? By all means, fill the comment section below. There's plenty of elbow room in there these days.

The winner will be revealed April 25 on SportsNation at 5 p.m. ET.

Detroit Lions schedule analysis

April, 17, 2012
Apr 17
8:02
PM ET
Breakdown: A 2011 playoff appearance, along with the quarterback-receiver combination of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson, was enough to earn the Detroit Lions four prime-time games and a total of five nationally televised games.

The Lions will play at the San Francisco 49ers (Sunday night) in Week 2, at the Chicago Bears (Monday night) in Week 7 and at the Green Bay Packers (Sunday night) in Week 14, and will host the Atlanta Falcons (Saturday night) in Week 16. As usual, they'll also play Thanksgiving Day, hosting the Houston Texans in the early time slot (12:30 p.m. ET).

It's the first time in 14 years the Lions have had five nationally televised games and the second time in their history that four of them will come in prime time.

Complaint department: I'm not a huge fan of the Week 5 bye. Generally you would like to see it closer to the middle of the season to maximize injury rehabilitation. But it will give the Lions a chance to regroup for a difficult two-game stretch immediately after the bye. They'll play at the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6 and then at the Bears.

Bracketing the schedule: The Lions play four of their first six games on the road, a stretch that includes the aforementioned bye. My first-blush reaction is that the Lions should be happy to be 3-3 at that point after traveling to San Francisco, Tennessee, Philadelphia and Chicago. But the payoff comes at the end of the season. A team in the playoff chase couldn't ask for anything more than to play its final two games at home. The Lions will do just that, hosting the Falcons in Week 16 and the Bears in Week 17 in a game that better be as much fun as it looks like from here.

Lions Regular-Season Schedule (All times ET)
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 9, St. Louis, 1:00 PM
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 16, at San Francisco, 8:20 PM
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 23, at Tennessee, 1:00 PM
Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 30, Minnesota, 1:00 PM
Week 5: BYE
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 14, at Philadelphia, 1:00 PM
Week 7: Monday, Oct. 22, at Chicago, 8:30 PM
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 28, Seattle, 1:00 PM
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 4, at Jacksonville, 1:00 PM
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 11, at Minnesota, 1:00 PM
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 18, Green Bay, 1:00 PM
Week 12: Thursday, Nov. 22, Houston, 12:30 PM
Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 2, Indianapolis, 1:00 PM
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 9, at Green Bay, 8:20 PM
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 16, at Arizona, 4:05 PM
Week 16: Saturday, Dec. 22, Atlanta, 8:30 PM
Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 30, Chicago, 1:00 PM
The St. Louis Rams' need for a wide receiver has not diminished in recent days.

But would the team really trade up two spots in the 2012 NFL draft to select Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon with the fourth overall choice? I do not think that is likely, but a recent report caught my attention.

"Rams and Eagles among about four teams interested in trading up to No. 4 with Browns, sources say," a headline in the Cleveland Plain Dealer said Friday.

The story itself says nothing about the Rams expressing a specific interest in acquiring that choice to select Blackmon or anyone else. It refers to public comments from Rams coach Jeff Fisher suggesting Cleveland could be one potential trading partner.

"At the NFL owners meetings last month, Fisher said he'd consider trading up with the Browns depending on what they wanted in return," the story said. "He didn't specify which player he'd trade up for, but the Rams are believed to have interest in Blackmon. Fisher re-iterated Friday that he'll trade up, down or stay where he is."

If the Rams absolutely had to have Blackmon or any one player in this draft, they could have held onto the No. 2 overall choice. Instead, they traded that pick to Washington with an eye toward building for the long term. They are in position to choose from a group that could include Blackmon, tackle Matt Kalil, cornerback Morris Claiborne, running back Trent Richardson and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, among others.

We've discussed whether Blackmon would be worthy of such an early choice and, earlier, how the 6-foot-1, 207-pound prospect compares physically to wideouts drafted among the top three selections.

I've noticed a differentiation in physical attributes and career success among receivers based upon standing within the first round.

The first chart shows wide receivers drafted among the top three overall choices since 1990. All were at least 6-3. They averaged 220 pounds. Five of the six have been selected to a Pro Bowl as a wide receiver (as opposed to a returner).


The second chart shows receivers drafted fourth through sixth overall, also since 1990. Half were at least 6-3. They averaged 205 pounds. Two are just getting started, making it premature to evaluate their careers. One of the other four, Torry Holt, earned Pro Bowl honors as a wide receiver.



Todd McShay set off alarms as he considered if NFL teams drafting sixth (St. Louis Rams) and 10th (Buffalo Bills) might consider selecting wide receivers with those choices.

The alarms grew louder as McShay, speaking in the video above, noted that Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon, widely rated as the top receiver in the 2012 NFL draft, did not possess prototypical size.

Blackmon, though obviously talented, doesn't fit the physical mold for receivers drafted among the top three overall choices over the past 25-plus years. We discussed the reasons back at the combine, when the Rams held the second overall choice and Blackmon was a consideration for them.

The Rams subsequently traded the second overall choice to Washington. They now hold the sixth overall choice. Blackmon would be a more logical value there than at No. 2, except for those alarms going off.

Consider recent draft history.

First, take a look at receivers drafted among the top five overall choices since 2000, listed in the first chart below.

Three of the seven are superstars: Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson. Another, A.J. Green, is coming off an impressive rookie season. Braylon Edwards has enjoyed sporadic success. The other two, Charles Rogers and Peter Warrick, fell far short of expectations.

Those seven players have combined for 12 Pro Bowl appearances (Fitzgerald 5, Johnson 5, Johnson 1, Edwards 1).

The next set of receivers, listed below, were drafted sixth to 15th overall. I selected that range because three NFC West teams -- the Rams, Seattle Seahawks (12th) and Arizona Cardinals (13th) -- hold picks in that area.

The 16 players listed in the second chart have combined for two Pro Bowls, one by Roy Williams and the other by Koren Robinson as a return specialist in Minnesota, long after Robinson had bombed as a receiver.

Receivers talented enough to command selection among the top few overall choices have fared better than the ones with enough question marks to push them down into the next tier.

That is something to consider when weighing how the Rams, Seahawks and Cardinals should use their first-round selections, even if the Rams did land Torry Holt with the sixth overall choice in 1999.
We're not scared of you, Rob Gronkowski. Not here in the Black and Blue division.

Something tells me you wouldn't be quite this tough if you were sitting next to the actual Megatron and not a toy in your latest video campaign to be on the cover of "Madden 13."

But the Fathead is a nice touch. Really.

Most of you know that Gronkowski, the New England Patriots tight end, is the third-round opponent of Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson in bracket-style voting for the cover winner. The winner, announced Wednesday, moves on to the semi-final round.

I don't expect to see Johnson return the favor, via video or otherwise. As we discussed last month, one of Johnson's most admirable traits is his refusal to act like an idiot.

And given the immediate futures of the most recent winners (call it a curse if you like), many Lions fans would be thrilled if Gronkowski wins this tournament. So go right ahead, Rob-o. Go right ahead.

BACK TO TOP