Calvin Johnson Not Expecting Age, Injuries To Slow Him This Season
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
ALLEN PARK - Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who turns 30 in late September, seemed much less concerned Thursday about his milestone birthday than many fans apparently are.
The superstar's numbers declined markedly from the 2013 season to the 2014 season, during which an ankle injury caused Johnson to miss three games and play decoy in two others.
"He was banged up quite a bit the whole year," quarterback Matthew Stafford said Thursday after mandatory minicamp concluded. "As tough as it is on us as an offense to really be explosive and function and all that kind of stuff without him, I know it's just as tough on him. He hates being out ... just about as much as we hate not having him."
Johnson still wound up with 1,077 receiving yards on 71 catches, and he points this out when questioned about whether he can continue to deliver the stellar production he has throughout his career.
"What'd I miss - four, almost five games last year, still came up with just over 1,000 [yards]," Johnson said Thursday. "I still have some production left."
With offseason workouts, OTA practices and mandatory minicamp in the rearview mirror, Johnson said getting ready for those activities has not gotten more difficult as he has gotten older.
"It's a mindset more than anything," Johnson said. "If you have injuries, it's tough, but I'm feeling good right now.
"I'm just playing my game, doing what I'm supposed to do, do what the play tells me to do, and that's it," Johnson added.
With Johnson battling injury last season, Lions wide receiver Golden Tate stepped up and filled the void. He was the team's leading wide receiver with 1,331 yards on 99 catches. Johnson joked that he wishes the best to the 26-year-old Tate on putting up those kind of numbers again, but if Tate wants to amass more yardage than Johnson, the future Hall of Famer plans to make it tough on him.
"I hope the young kid can put up more," Johnson said with a smile. "I'm going to push him, though."
