Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford set NFL records in Detroit, records they'd surely exchange for a Super Bowl. Stafford can finally win one Sunday with the Rams, for himself and for all his former teammates.
"You dang right," Johnson said on the Rich Eisen Show. "We want Matthew to win because you come to Detroit and people are like, 'Oh, that’s a graveyard.' But it’s not. You got guys that are fighting their tail off trying to be great, and it just happened to be in Detroit."
Johnson caught passes from Stafford for seven seasons, including in 2012 when he set the NFL's single-season record with 1,964 receiving yards -- a record nearly broken this season by Stafford and Cooper Kupp -- and in 2011 when Stafford threw for 5,000 yards for the only time in his career. But the prolific pair had nothing to show for it in the playoffs but a pair of quick exits.
In his first season removed from the Lions, Stafford won his first division title and his first three playoff games. Now he's one win away from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
"I got a chill running through me when you said that. I feel like it’s going to be part mine too, because that’s my teammate," Johnson said. "But nah, I’m going to be extremely happy for the guy. I’m gonna try not to shed a tear, might get a little emotional."
Johnson said he's been texting with Stafford throughout the season. When the Rams beat the 49ers to reach the Super Bowl, his message to his former quarterback was one word long: "Championship."
"That’s all it said. Just extremely happy. I’m not going to talk to him this week. I just want him to go out there and get the job done and I fully expect him to win it," Johnson said. "But I’m really hoping that he does because one, he’s a friend. Two, just really proud of what he’s done. In his first year there, they brought you in there to go to the championship and you’re ready to do that, so that’s just awesome.”
Stafford smiled Monday when Johnson's name came up during his Super Bowl media day press conference.
"He was such a big part of my success in Detroit," Stafford said. "It was such a great learning experience for me to watch a guy that’s the greatest at his craft at the time. The way he went about his business, the way he treated people, the way he did everything, really, with such great class and work ethic, it was so fun for me to be around that and see that. I appreciate him so much."
Clearly, the feeling is mutual. Stafford's arm helped Johnson become a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but it was his toughness that endeared him to Megatron -- and the city of Detroit -- when he arrived as the first overall pick in 2009.
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"The first thing for me was his toughness," Johnson said. "I saw that his first two years. The shoulder, he had multiple injuries and played through them and we got to see that. But not only that, the guys that showed up earliest in the facility, Dominc Raiola, I was one of those guys, you saw Matthew start to follow the trend. He started to hang out with the pros and the pros that were really trying to do it right, and it was just the effort of him trying to become the best version of Matthew on the field."
With a win Sunday, some might suggest Stafford would fill the last hole on his Hall of Fame resume. That can be debated, but Johnson, for his part, "would say the same thing."
"The main thing for quarterbacks is winning that championship," he said. "I think that’s a big barrier for them. Obviously having success in the regular season, Matthew’s had that, he has the big arm, all that. He just needs to add (a championship). I think that would solidify (his case), I do."
We'll see about all that. For now, Johnson is looking forward to Sunday, eager to watch Stafford win one for both of them.
"I will be in Georgia watching with the family, watching Matthew take down the surging Bengals," he said.