Is anyone else really upset that the Lions drafted Calvin Johnson?

Question

No offense to Calvin who I hear is quite good but the Lions had much bigger needs then reciever. I would have loved them to take Brady Quinn or even Joe Thomas but not Johnson. Matt Millen needs to be fired.

Answer 1

Not even close to upset... I am upset that the lions drafted Charles Rogers and Mike Williams though. This was the one year I actually wanted them to take a reciever.

Answer 2

This is the first thing Millen did that I agree with. He found no trading partners that suited his liking, so he took the best player in the draft with the second pick. That was a virtual no brainer. The Lions didnt NEED Calvin Johnson, but take an example from last year's draft. Did the Saints NEED Reggie Bush? Not really. They had Deuce McAllister in the fold who looked faster than ever after the ACL injury. But they took the best player in the draft with the second pick. They went 10-6 and went to the NFC Championship Game. I'm not suggesting the Lions will have similar results, but Johnson does improve the team dramatically. Millen sucks as a GM, but this decision didnt increase his overall suckability

Answer 3

The NFL Draft is just a part of the offseason, when you look at the holes in their roster you also have to analyze what they've done in free agency and on the trading block. Here were the Lions needs coming into this offseason:

QB: Drafted Drew Stanton of Michigan State

RB: Picked up T.J. Duckett and Tatum Bell in a trade with the Broncos giving the Lions one of the best backfields in football.

WR: Signed Shaun McDonald from St. Louis in free agnecy and picked up Calvin Johnson in the draft

OL: Signed Edwin Mulitalo (G) from Baltimore, signed Zach Piller (G) from Tennessee, acquired George Foster (T) in the Dre Bly trade, and drafted Manuel Ramirez (G) from Texas Tech in the fourth round.

CB: Signed Travis Fisher from a respectable St. Louis secondary, drafted AJ Davis from North Carolina State (fourth round) and drafted Ramzee Robinson from Alabama (seventh round).

DE: The Lions drafted Ikaika Alma-Francis from Hawaii, this guy has a huge upside, if he transitions well he'll be feared in the trenches.

I think you're most upset because they didn't take a QB with their first pick, so let's analyze Brady Quinn (BQ) vs. the career averages of the other three big name QBs, Drew Stanton (DS), John Beck (JB) and Trent Edwards (TE):

Completion Percentage:
1. DS - 69.93%
2. JB - 63.27%
3. BQ - 57.05%
4. TE - 55.68%

Yards:
1. JB - 3385
2. BQ - 2940
3. DS - 2161
4. TE - 1360

Touchdowns:
1. JB - 25
2. BQ - 24
3. DS - 14
4. TE - 9

Interceptions:
1. TE - 8
2. DS - 9
3. JB - 10
4. BQ - 10

QB Rating:
1. JB - 145
2. DS - 136
3. BQ - 131
4. TE - 112

Average placement over these five cateogories:
John Beck - 1.6
Drew Stanton - 2.2
Brady Quinn - 2.8
Trent Edwards - 3.4

Statistically Quinn isn't as good as Beck or the Lions second round pick, Drew Stanton. And while Brady Quinn did have an NFL style offense in college he still has to live up to the hype of being drafted in the first round, something that many quarterbacks don't do, I think the name Joey Harrington comes to mind. The difference in talent level between Brady Quinn and Drew Stanton just wasn't enough to warrant passing up a sure thing like Calvin Johnson in a position where they already need help. It isn't like Jon Kitna is going to fall over dead next season, the Lions have a couple of years to search for and groom a new QB. I think the Lions had a fantastic offseason, including the draft.

Answer 4

I peronally thought it was an excellent pick... The Lions took their pretty good offense to could be one of the best... as a Viking fan I am a little worried about going up CJ twice a year... Now I know how they felt up against Moss (not saying CJ is a Moss, was is probably the best WR of all time besides Rice)

Bottom line is you don't take by need with a top 10 selection...

Teams that do, you find still stay on the bottom

Lets see last year:

Picked By Need:
Houston - Mario Williams 6-10

Picked By BPA: (if it fills a need then all the better)
New Orleans - Reggie Bush 10-6 (made it to NFC Finals) Already Had McAllister

Answer 5

key words "who i hear is quite good"

you obviously aren't a knowledgeable football fan
-and that's not meant to sound rude....it's just that if you've watched college football, you've heard how good Calvin Johnson is....and if you've watched a GT game aside from Clemson i believe, you can probably see why he's so good.

Brady Quinn over CLEARLY the best player in the draft is insane no matter what you NEED

you did however manage to be very correct about something...
Matt Millen does need to be fired.
and it seems like the Fords need to sell the team in order for that to happen

Answer 6

How could you be upset, he was the best player in the draft. Plus, it allowed them to unload that bust Mike Williams to Oakland. They got a good QB prospect in Drew Stanton. If they give him time to learn the offense he'll be a decent starter and with weapons like Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson he'll have a great career for the Lions. Just be patient and have faith.

Answer 7

Drew Stanton to Calvin Johnson, Touchdown!
Drew Stanton to Roy Williams, Touchdown!
I think the Lions made an excellent decision. Look for an awesome offense from the Lions for years to come because of this draft.

Answer 8

I agree that they should have taken Brady Quinn and that Matt Millen needs to be fired...When Johnson is yet another WR bust in Detroit, fans can only hope Millen's time is up...

Answer 9

Maybe Calvin Johnson is the one that is upset. After all. he has to play for a team that sux and has no chance at being good anytime soon. Poor Calvin!!!

Answer 10

im a HUGE Lions fan and im not that upset over it........

hes the best player in the draft........

and yes we have much bigger needs elsewhere.........but those can be filled in the future........sometimes it takes a few years......

and yes Millen needs to be fired

but im just tired of the NFL Gods mocking us by making a wide receiver the "best player available" every year for us in the 1st round