Calvin Johnson Doesn't Regret a Thing

[Mike Honcho 4,033]

SI

Quote

 

He excelled at that job, but his employer kept failing. The Lions did not win a playoff game in his nine years. Their ineptitude was comical, unless you cared. One coach hired his son-in-law to be defensive coordinator. A general manager decided on draft night to use a first-round pick on a player he didn’t even want. Veterans would join Detroit and tell Johnson about everything the team did wrong. Eventually he started to notice himself. The front office and coaching staff were rarely aligned. The massage therapist who was there on Fridays and Mondays would be gone the next year. Stuff like that.

Here is a story. In Johnson’s second year, quarterback Jon Kitna said—well, take it away, Calvin: “He left the meeting room one day, and he told the coaches and the whole team that we’re not gonna win a game if we go into the season with [this] system. Somebody should have listened. Because we were 0–16 after that.”

 

Article is pretty funny, as long as you aren't a fan of the Lions.   

[supermike80 1,285]

It's no secret that the Lions are a completely inept organization.  Nothing has changed.   Shame we destroyed HOF players like Barry and Calvin.

WIll keep happening too.  Same old Lions  #SOL

[Hardcore troubadour 12,644]

Either do I. I went 3 WR in 2008 with Calvin being one of them. Championship! I was ahead of my time. Even that stiff Braylon Edwards, my first pick, couldn't stop me, thanks to Calvin and Larry Fitz. And a rookie RB named Chris Johnson.  

[Mike Honcho 4,033]

3 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

Either do I. I went 3 WR in 2008 with Calvin being one of them. Championship! I was ahead of my time. Even that stiff Braylon Edwards, my first pick, couldn't stop me, thanks to Calvin and Larry Fitz. And a rookie RB named Chris Johnson.  

Jeez, that's one hell of team, nicely done.   

Fitz is on my Players Not on My Fav Team-Team.   

[Hardcore troubadour 12,644]

6 minutes ago, Mike Honcho said:

Jeez, that's one hell of team, nicely done.   

Fitz is on my Players Not on My Fav Team-Team.   

I took Calvin in the third, and caught grief for it draft night. 

[RLLD 3,455]

It's tough for me to feel sorry for them. They got paid, that is what they care about, so what if they didnt win playoff games, what matters to them is getting paid, even if it means fans cant go to a game because its too focking expensive.

Boo hoo, poor wealthy man didnt win a playoff game.

[MDC 5,891]

7 minutes ago, RLLD said:

It's tough for me to feel sorry for them. They got paid, that is what they care about, so what if they didnt win playoff games, what matters to them is getting paid, even if it means fans cant go to a game because its too focking expensive.

Boo hoo, poor wealthy man didnt win a playoff game.

If what mattered to Calvin Johnson was getting paid, wouldn’t he keep playing?  

i don’t think the NFLPA is setting ticket prices.

[Frozenbeernuts 1,652]

When will teams learn not to hire an ex Pats coach? McDaniels will get another shot, and he will ruin another team yet again. It's comical how the Pats toy with the league, and then the other teams just pick up whatever scraps the team doesn't want. The scraps pretty much never turn out to be worth it, and then the Pats just take their scraps back to win more with them. Anyone who hires an ex Pats coach or signs an ex Pat player to a huge contract is pretty much a cuck. 

[TBayXXXVII 2,117]

2 hours ago, RLLD said:

It's tough for me to feel sorry for them. They got paid, that is what they care about, so what if they didnt win playoff games, what matters to them is getting paid, even if it means fans cant go to a game because its too focking expensive.

Boo hoo, poor wealthy man didnt win a playoff game.

I agree.  If he wanted to win so bad, and felt that he was in a losing situation, why did he re-sign there?  He wasn't drafted and forced to sign a 9-year contract.

[Cdub100 3,380]

He's mad the lions made him pay back a portion of his signing bonus? I'm sure his agent told him as much. Want out of your contract? Fine, but here is what it's going to cost.

 

Also fock him. He was in a position to make positive change and he didn't do sh1t. Now he's throwing shade at the Lions who everyone knows is one of the worst organizations in pro sports. Nah Calvin you had enough star power to make a difference and you didn't do anything. After reading that he deserved to be on the Lions.

[lod001 1,237]

I bet it only took him a handful of games to realize Matt Stafford sucks big d1ck. 

Edited September 21, 2019 by lod001

[JustinCharge 2,397]

There are 2 models to building a successful NFL franchise.

1.  The owner is an NFL expert and knows how to identify good talent for his front office and coaching staff.  (Steelers)

2.  The owner is NOT an NFL expert, so the franchise focuses on hiring successful head coaches and letting them call the shots. (Seahawks, Chiefs).  Option 2 is tricky because it doesn't guarantee a 100% success rate.  The WORST move to make (and its happened a few times) is to hire 1 successful coach, it doesn't work out, and then you go back to rummaging thru co-ordinators who never held a head coaching job before.  You're going to have to COMMIT to #2 and give it 4 shots.

The Lions are a franchise that actually started going down the correct path and doing #2.  They hired Bobby Ross, a successful head coach with the Chargers.  They fired him (resigned cough) even though he was 5-4 in 2000.  After a brief disaster with Morningweg, they hired Steve Mariucci, a successful head coach with the 49ers, and that didn't work out.  Then they abandoned plan #2 and went on a hiring binge of coordinators.  This means there is no NFL expertise in the building so they are just a mess. 

This is a franchise that needs to hire Jim Harbaugh, Mike McCarthy, Nick Saban, Bobby Petrino or Urban Meyer.

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

On ‎9‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 8:45 AM, riversco said:

This is a franchise that needs to hire Jim Harbaugh, Mike McCarthy, Nick Saban, Bobby Petrino or Urban Meyer.

... and this is why teams like the Lions suck for so long.  I could have highlighted all 5 of those names and it would have been the same thing, but Petrino is by far the worst of that group.  

Looks like Patricia at least has them on the right path.  

[JustinCharge 2,397]

1 minute ago, Patriotsfatboy1 said:

... and this is why teams like the Lions suck for so long.  I could have highlighted all 5 of those names and it would have been the same thing, but Petrino is by far the worst of that group.   

Looks like Patricia at least has them on the right path.  

You make the critical mistake.  I prefer to give them the benefit of the doubt.  If they've had success, give them a shot.  Don't overthink it.  Many many times we get surprised one way or the other.  Stick to the plan.

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

1 minute ago, riversco said:

You make the critical mistake.  I prefer to give them the benefit of the doubt.  If they've had success, give them a shot.  Don't overthink it.  Many many times we get surprised one way or the other.  Stick to the plan.

This doesn't even make any sense.  

Harbaugh - fine.  Made it with the 49'ers, but he wasn't buying the groceries

McCarthy - again, might be okay, but he is not a personnel guy

Saban - great college coach.  Failed as a pro guy because he knows he can win in college because recruiting is the most important part and he is great at it.  No recruiting in the NFL.

Meyer - college guy who can't even stay at a school.  See Saban with respect to the Pros.

Petrino - where to start? Sucked in the NFL and bailed on his team mid-season.  What is he doing now? Nothing because he was fired from Louisville last year after a 2-8 season.  Are you his kid or something?

[nobody 2,039]

Thread title says he doesn't regret a thing.  He may not regret retiring, but it sure sounds like he wants that $1.6M they took back.

By the way, I think the team should take the pro-rated signing bonus back.  You retired, prior to the end of your contract.  Why would you expect to get the full signing bonus?

[RLLD 3,455]

On 9/20/2019 at 3:11 PM, MDC said:

If what mattered to Calvin Johnson was getting paid, wouldn’t he keep playing?  

i don’t think the NFLPA is setting ticket prices.

Whether or not a player continues playing is a decision that is predominantly in the hands of the employer, what makes you think Calvin Johnson was the sole decision maker?

[Hardcore troubadour 12,644]

2 minutes ago, nobody said:

Thread title says he doesn't regret a thing.  He may not regret retiring, but it sure sounds like he wants that $1.6M they took back.

By the way, I think the team should take the pro-rated signing bonus back.  You retired, prior to the end of your contract.  Why would expect to get the full signing bonus?

Because he's stupid and doesn't understand how it works, despite it being explained to him over and over? 

[MDC 5,891]

14 minutes ago, RLLD said:

Whether or not a player continues playing is a decision that is predominantly in the hands of the employer, what makes you think Calvin Johnson was the sole decision maker?

Yes I think Calvin Johnson, being a 6x Pro Bowler and one of the best receivers of alltime, solely decided to retire. I don’t think the Lions wanted him to quit and even if they did, I think Calvin would have found a home on another team. I don’t think that’s in dispute.

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

46 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

Because he's stupid and doesn't understand how it works, despite it being explained to him over and over? 

It is up to the team whether they go after that money.  Ask the Colts who did not go after Andrew Luck's money.

[Hardcore troubadour 12,644]

5 minutes ago, Patriotsfatboy1 said:

It is up to the team whether they go after that money.  Ask the Colts who did not go after Andrew Luck's money.

I'd be willing to bet the Colts have insurance to cover most of that. And I also think the Colts did that with an eye towards him coming back.   Which we all know he's going to. 

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

10 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

I'd be willing to bet the Colts have insurance to cover most of that. And I also think the Colts did that with an eye towards him coming back.   Which we all know he's going to. 

I figured the odds of Calvin Johnson coming back were bigger than with Luck right now.  That is just me, personally.  

I don't know that teams have "retirement" insurance. 

[Hardcore troubadour 12,644]

11 minutes ago, Patriotsfatboy1 said:

I figured the odds of Calvin Johnson coming back were bigger than with Luck right now.  That is just me, personally.  

I don't know that teams have "retirement" insurance. 

Well, he retired because of injury. Pretty sure they have insurance for

that. 

[vuduchile 1,941]

21 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

I'd be willing to bet the Colts have insurance to cover most of that. And I also think the Colts did that with an eye towards him coming back.   Which we all know he's going to. 

 

10 minutes ago, Patriotsfatboy1 said:

I figured the odds of Calvin Johnson coming back were bigger than with Luck right now.  That is just me, personally.  

I don't know that teams have "retirement" insurance. 

Luck seems like a guy that doesn't care all that much about football.  

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

17 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

Well, he retired because of injury. Pretty sure they have insurance for

that. 

Luck or Johnson?  If you are talking about Luck, they have insurance if the injury causes him to be unable to play and he has some guarantees (guaranteed for injury vs. guaranteed for performance), but it does not cover any already paid signing bonus, which is what he got to keep.  It is the same situation with Luck and Johnson.  Both retired.  Luck kept his money and the Lions went after Johnson's.  

[nobody 2,039]

50 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

I'd be willing to bet the Colts have insurance to cover most of that. And I also think the Colts did that with an eye towards him coming back.   Which we all know he's going to. 

I wouldn't pay that out if I was the insurance company.

[Hardcore troubadour 12,644]

8 minutes ago, Patriotsfatboy1 said:

Luck or Johnson?  If you are talking about Luck, they have insurance if the injury causes him to be unable to play and he has some guarantees (guaranteed for injury vs. guaranteed for performance), but it does not cover any already paid signing bonus, which is what he got to keep.  It is the same situation with Luck and Johnson.  Both retired.  Luck kept his money and the Lions went after Johnson's.  

Well, we don't know the particulars of an insurance policy. I'm speculating they have some. Bigger picture is they want to hold on to his rights, because they think he'll be back. So do I. 

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

2 hours ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

Well, we don't know the particulars of an insurance policy. I'm speculating they have some. Bigger picture is they want to hold on to his rights, because they think he'll be back. So do I. 

They still hold his rights even if they get the money back.  Even Johnson is not a free agent.  

[kilroy69 994]

The fords are comically inept. I expect to see space flight to be a thing well before the lions go to the superbowl. 

[RLLD 3,455]

4 hours ago, MDC said:

Yes I think Calvin Johnson, being a 6x Pro Bowler and one of the best receivers of alltime, solely decided to retire. I don’t think the Lions wanted him to quit and even if they did, I think Calvin would have found a home on another team. I don’t think that’s in dispute.

Can you support those assertions? You seem to be firm in these notions so I am guessing you have some quotes or articles where he essentially points to these positions.  I ask because i do not recall anything that would lead me to think this way from what I read back in the time when this was happening. But I also know that I cannot get to all of them....

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

4 minutes ago, RLLD said:

Can you support those assertions? You seem to be firm in these notions so I am guessing you have some quotes or articles where he essentially points to these positions.  I ask because i do not recall anything that would lead me to think this way from what I read back in the time when this was happening. But I also know that I cannot get to all of them....

I remember it similarly, although I think the part of playing on another team never got serious because the Lions were not going to let him do that without compensation via trade.  They still hold his rights.

[MDC 5,891]

8 minutes ago, RLLD said:

Can you support those assertions? You seem to be firm in these notions so I am guessing you have some quotes or articles where he essentially points to these positions.  I ask because i do not recall anything that would lead me to think this way from what I read back in the time when this was happening. But I also know that I cannot get to all of them....

Sure. Here’s a link to a story about Calvin’s retirement statement, where he repeatedly refers to his decision and says the decision to retire was made after a lot of deliberation by himself and the people closest to him etc. 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/14927247/calvin-johnson-detroit-lions-retiring-nfl-nine-seasons

The Lions issued this statement so they never contested it. Seems pretty open and shut to me.

What part are you struggling with?

[Voltaire 4,559]

On 9/21/2019 at 5:04 AM, Frozenbeernuts said:

When will teams learn not to hire an ex Pats coach? McDaniels will get another shot, and he will ruin another team yet again. It's comical how the Pats toy with the league, and then the other teams just pick up whatever scraps the team doesn't want. The scraps pretty much never turn out to be worth it, and then the Pats just take their scraps back to win more with them. Anyone who hires an ex Pats coach or signs an ex Pat player to a huge contract is pretty much a cuck. 

Stop that.  The Pats are our farm club.

[Voltaire 4,559]

On 9/21/2019 at 7:44 PM, lod001 said:

I bet it only took him a handful of games to realize Matt Stafford sucks big d1ck. 

Best Lions QB of my lifetime and it isn’t close. We can win with him. We just don’t.

[Hardcore troubadour 12,644]

4 hours ago, Patriotsfatboy1 said:

They still hold his rights even if they get the money back.  Even Johnson is not a free agent.  

They want the good will that they have given returned. You don't think they gave him the money to be nice, do you? There's an angle. Always is. 

[RLLD 3,455]

4 hours ago, MDC said:

dioSure. Here’s a link to a story about Calvin’s retirement statement, where he repeatedly refers to his decision and says the decision to retire was made after a lot of deliberation by himself and the people closest to him etc. 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/14927247/calvin-johnson-detroit-lions-retiring-nfl-nine-seasons

The Lions issued this statement so they never contested it. Seems pretty open and shut to me.

What part are you struggling with?

Will read it later, thanks for providing  

[JustinCharge 2,397]

15 hours ago, Patriotsfatboy1 said:

This doesn't even make any sense.  

Harbaugh - fine.  Made it with the 49'ers, but he wasn't buying the groceries

McCarthy - again, might be okay, but he is not a personnel guy

Saban - great college coach.  Failed as a pro guy because he knows he can win in college because recruiting is the most important part and he is great at it.  No recruiting in the NFL.

Meyer - college guy who can't even stay at a school.  See Saban with respect to the Pros.

Petrino - where to start? Sucked in the NFL and bailed on his team mid-season.  What is he doing now? Nothing because he was fired from Louisville last year after a 2-8 season.  Are you his kid or something?

Remember, I'm discussing an owner that isn't a football expert.  They should just hire successful head coaches.  Most people will likely fail at trying to pick through the weeds anyway because there are too many variables.  Let the head coaches build a staff and trust in his expertise. What youre doing is exactly what a novice owner shouldn't try to do.

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

20 minutes ago, riversco said:

Remember, I'm discussing an owner that isn't a football expert.  They should just hire successful head coaches.  Most people will likely fail at trying to pick through the weeds anyway because there are too many variables.  Let the head coaches build a staff and trust in his expertise. What youre doing is exactly what a novice owner shouldn't try to do.

So, you are some smart owner and you hire Petrino? Dumb. 

[JustinCharge 2,397]

18 minutes ago, Patriotsfatboy1 said:

So, you are some smart owner and you hire Petrino? Dumb. 

I'm saying an owner that has no expertise in the NFL should just plow thru successful head coaches.

[RLLD 3,455]

17 hours ago, MDC said:

Sure. Here’s a link to a story about Calvin’s retirement statement, where he repeatedly refers to his decision and says the decision to retire was made after a lot of deliberation by himself and the people closest to him etc. 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/14927247/calvin-johnson-detroit-lions-retiring-nfl-nine-seasons

The Lions issued this statement so they never contested it. Seems pretty open and shut to me.

What part are you struggling with?

The article supports your assertion that he decided to retire on his own