Originally Posted by Larry Lage, Huffington Post

DETROIT -- Calvin Johnson gave the Detroit Lions, and their fans, something to feel good about in a sour season.

In yet another loss, he had a record-breaking night.

Johnson has been a bright spot during the losing streak and throughout a miserable season in the Motor City, surpassing Jerry Rice's NFL single-season yards receiving mark.

Johnson also became the only player with 100 yards receiving in eight straight games and the first with 10 receptions in four games in a row in league history. He had 11 receptions for 225 yards, giving him 1,892 this season with one game left. Rice had 1,848 for San Francisco in 1995,

After making the record-breaking catch in the fourth quarter, Johnson jogged over to the sideline and handed the football to his father.

"That was a very special moment," he said.

There haven't been many of those this season for the Lions, a season after they won 10 games and ended an 11-year postseason drought.

The Lions (4-11) have been relegated to playing for pride this month and that hasn't been going very well, losing seven straight games in what has become the league's longest active losing streak.

Detroit hasn't had this long of a losing streak since it had one lasting an entire season when the laughingstock of a franchise became the league's first to go 0-16 in 2008, when Johnson was in his second season.

Johnson surpassed one of Rice's records with his 10th catch in the fourth quarter that put him over the 200-yard mark in the game. He needed 182 to surpass Rice's mark.

He had more than 100 yards receiving for an eighth straight game, breaking an NFL record set by Charley Hennigan in 1961 and matched by Michael Irvin in 1995.

It was Johnson's 11th game with 100 yards receiving this season, tying Irvin's league mark. In the first quarter, Johnson surpassed Herman Moore's single-season franchise record of 1,686 yards.

"I've been an NFL fan my whole life, dating back to watching Johnny Unitas and Raymond Berry as a kid, and I've coached in this league for 19 years," Schwartz said. "I've seen a lot of Hall of Famers, but I've never seen a better player than Calvin Johnson.

"He just broke a record set by Jerry Rice, who is arguably the best player in this history of this league."


Calvin Johnson Record: Lions WR Breaks Jerry Rice's Single-Season Receiving Yards Mark, Falcons Win

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/915805/thu...large570.jpg?6

Originally Posted by WhoDat!656 (Post 467214)

Brees broke Marion's single-season passing record against the bird droppings last year and last night Calvin Johnson broke Jerry Rice's record against them!

Originally Posted by atltillidie (Post 468525)

They can have their record. We'll take the game. And home-field in the playoffs.

Originally Posted by vpheughan (Post 468550)

Prime example of a meaningless statistic. The team is horrible. I agree with Terry Bradshaw that the only record that matters is the number of superbowl wins.

Originally Posted by SloMotion (Post 468558)

But would you feel that way if roles were reversed and it was Roddy White or Marques Colston breaking that record? Yes.

Originally Posted by SloMotion (Post 468558)

But would you feel that way if roles were reversed and it was Roddy White or Marques Colston breaking that record? I don't think so.

Enough of the sour-grapes. Calvin Johnson is an unstoppable force, a man-among-men who deserves nothing but recognition for his achievement. There is no doubt that he could have played during the Jerry Rice era and put up similiar numbers as well.

Yeah, it's a meaningless statistic for a player playing for a historically poor organization, but you'd both want him on your team, eh? :mrgreen:.