Calvin Johnson can't carry the Lions' hopes forever
Follow my logic here. Calvin Johnson is the Lions' best player, by far. When he's injured, their offense shrinks dramatically. I think he'll play Sunday against St. Louis with a banged-up knee, but if he can't, the Lions easily could lose to a winless team.
Which leads us to the problem for the Lions (uh, one of many): As long as Johnson is their undisputed best player, they won't be any good.
That's not a knock on Johnson at all. It's a knock on the rest of the roster, and further evidence why no consistently good NFL team ever, ever builds around a wide receiver. A great one can be schemed out of a game. And any receiver needs a decent quarterback, a decent offensive line and a decent running game to achieve maximum effectiveness.
Enjoy watching Calvin. When he's healthy, he's terrific.
But the Lions won't be making progress until they have a defensive player, or an offensive lineman, or a running back (I doubt it'll be Kevin Smith), or a quarterback to challenge Johnson as the team's star.
Matthew Stafford will do it eventually, theoretically. But sorry, Stafford is a year or two away from any chance of being the Lions' best player.
That said, here's your pick: Lions 23, Rams 16.
