Category Archives: Calvin Johnson

2015 NFL Team Preview: Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions have been known to take one step forward and ten steps back. They haven’t been able to patch together two decent seasons They were 10-6 in 2011, but then had back-to-back losing seasons before rebounding last season with an 11-5 record.

I expect a big year from both Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. Stafford has thrown for 4,000+ yards for four straight seasons, but struggled with turnovers for a few seasons. The addition of Golden Tate last year kept him from constantly throwing to Calvin Johnson when he was double and triple covered.

Detroit hasn’t won a division title since 1993. Can they defy the odds and overtake Green Bay in the North?

Here is the 2015 NFL team preview for the Detroit Lions.

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2013 NFL Week 15 – Betting Picks Against Spread

I had a good week. I had some really nice hits on the marquee games and only had a few stumbles (NY Jets/Oakland). I now have a 107-74-10 record against the spread so far this season.

It’s a pretty poor slate of games this week. Many games pair two under-performing teams against each other. Last week could possibly be our final week with a full slate of competitive NFL football games. Teams will start benching players in favor of keeping them healthy and a few more teams could further quit on their coaches. There are a few games (Packers/Cowboys & Bears/Browns) that the line could drastically change mid-week depending on the health of their starting quarterbacks. Make sure to keep an eye on the NFL lines at Topbet.eu, which have up-to-date point spreads.

In December, weather reports become more important than ever. Those must be looked at before you make a decision. It is also important to look at division records. If one of the teams in a game has nothing left to play for, it could sway your decision in the right direction.

We pick every NFL game against the spread and throw out a few upsets in Week 15 of the NFL season.

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2013 Fantasy Football: Top 50 Wide Receiver Rankings

Here we go again. NFL training camps are right around the corner and we start to focus on fantasy football. It’s never to early to begin studying, right?

Calvin Johnson had a better statistical season than Jerry Rice and Randy Moss last season. Do you think he’ll regress in 2013? Nope, not a chance.

The #2 spot is up for grabs with A.J. Green, Julio Jones and Brandon Marshall the consensus favorite to be ranked at that spot.

Here are our Top 50 Running Backs rankings for the upcoming 2013 NFL season. Continue reading →

2012 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers

Calvin Johnson is on the cover of the new Madden game, I guess that should factor into my wide receiver rankings…but it doesn’t. Johnson was a stud in 2011 and Matthew Stafford is going to throw even more than he did last season. The Detroit Lions have zero running game and will need to rely on their vertical game to win games. The New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers are also in similar situations.

A few teams have quarterback issues and you wonder if it will hurt the wide receivers fantasy stock. If the Jacksonville Jaguars had an above average quarterback, I would predict a good rookie season from Justin Blackmon, but I don’t trust Blaine Gabbert. Continue reading →

2012 NFL Team Preview: Detroit Lions

I posted a picture of former Detroit Lions GM and current bad ESPN analyst, Matt Millen, to show the Lions fans how far they have come. They suffered for a long time and can now reap the rewards of sticking with their team…and hopefully beat all the bandwagon fans off with old Buick LaCrosse bumpers.

In 2011, Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson had career years on the offensive side and Ndamukong Suh bought the commish a new house with all of his fines. The Lions finally have playmakers on both sides of the ball, but with the Packers and Bears looking like playoff teams, they will have to be perfect to win the NFC North.

Can Detroit be able to run the ball or will Stafford need to pass for 6,000 yards to make the playoffs? Will the entire team get DUIs by the end of the season? Here is our 2012 NFL team preview for the Detroit Lions.

2011 Win/Loss Record: 10-6

Key Additions: CB Jacob Lacey, S Sean Jones, OT Riley Reiff, WR Ryan Broyles, QB Kellen Moore, CB Dwight Bentley, LB Ronnell Lewis and LB Tahir Whitehead.

Key Losses: CB Eric Wright, LB Bobby Carpenter and QB Drew Stanton.

Non-Division Schedule: AFC South and NFC West

Fantasy Sleeper: WR Ryan Broyles – After the draft, I listed Mikel Leshoure as the fantasy sleeper on the Lions…then he found himself in a lot of trouble this off-season. He is currently awaiting his punishment from the commissioner’s office. There will be a running back emerge as their featured back, but it’s messy at the moment. Jahvid Best, Keiland Williams or Kevin Smith could surpass Leshoure during his suspension, but it’s too early to tell. What I do know at the moment is that Stafford will throw the ball A LOT in 2012. Johnson will be getting double-teamed non-stop, so receivers will be open. Broyles is coming off a knee injury, but he has elite hands. He could fill the possession receiver role and end up with a double-digit reception game by the end of the season.

Team Analysis: Detroit will be a tired team by year’s end. The NFC North will arguably be the toughest division in the NFL. They jumped out of the gate hot in 2011, but couldn’t beat elite teams down the stretch. With experience being one of their faults, the young team has another year under their belt. Stafford is due for another MVP-type season, Calvin Johnson is still a freak receiver, and Suh will still be Suh, even though he has been fined a gazillion dollars for excessive hits. The running game will be the biggest issue for Detroit. It could all play itself out, since teams will be playing their safetys back. The Lions should be able to sneak some runs in for decent gains. Green Bay, Chicago, and Detroit will all have fantastic years this season. I predict that all three will win at least eleven games (poor Minnesota). This is Detroit’s year to finally win the NFC North.

2012 Wins Over/Under Line: 9 (Prediction: OVER)

2012 Projected Win/Loss Record: 13-3

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