Re: Calvin Johnson Plans to Retire
 

Calvin Johnson announces his retirement from the NFL, with quotes from Johnson http://on.freep.com/1p5eKOH via @freep

just got a notification on my phone, he's officially retired now

it feels odd now but I wouldn't be surprised that players in the future only play to get one maybe two huge contracts and then retire in their early 30s due to not wanting long the health problems when they get older

Re: Calvin Johnson Plans to Retire
 

Good for him, get out while you can still walk, :) ... we've been waiting on him to pull that trigger. Too bad he couldn't go out with a championship, but that's the way the Lions do their stars, #smh.

You da' man, Calvin, one of the greats ... a class act all the way. Thanks for the memories, :).

http://www.6magazineonline.com/wp-co...ttle-blue1.jpg

Re: Calvin Johnson Plans to Retire
 

Such a shame to retire in his prime.

The only time I can remember the Lions giving him a decent supporting cast was in 2011 when we met them in the wild card round.

Re: Calvin Johnson Plans to Retire
 

Are you still in your prime at 30 as an NFL WR? I don't know what the averages are. He was beat and some of the injuries he played through were pretty bad ... sad to see him go, but man, he would outline some of his injuries in interviews & you couldn't help but just wish the guy would make that decision.

When I think of what a "professional" athlete should be, Calvin's at the top of the list. He's one of those guys I feel fortunate to have been able to see, ie, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Tretiak, Hank Aaron, Nolan Ryan, Magic Johnson, Larry Byrd ... you get the idea, guys that'll go down in history as the best, :).

Re: Calvin Johnson Plans to Retire
 

Not long ago it seemed like 30 wasn't very old for a WR. Guys like Rice, Tim Brown and Cris Carter had careers spanning parts of three decades and remained productive deep into their thirties. I'll never forget Jerry putting up a thousand yards at over 40 years old.

But as soon as that generation retired, the longevity of players at just about all positions fell off the map. Guys slow down fast, and it makes no sense with receivers, in particular, given all the wuss rules to protect them over the middle. Makes me wonder if the old guys were all on steroids, or if the new generation just doesn't know how to take care of themselves.

Re: Calvin Johnson Plans to Retire
 

That older generation didn't know of the health risks that comes with a 10-15 year NFL career like the players today do. Soon long careers will be few and far between. Don't like it but it's coming

Re: Calvin Johnson Plans to Retire
 

I understand that they are more aware of health risks now, but I'm not just talking about choosing to retire earlier. Players are declining at a much faster rate. Guys like Curtis Martin, Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton took forever to show signs of any decline at the RB position. When Barry Sanders retired at 30, or whatever it was, it was shocking... He was still putting up around 1500 yards.

There are numerous examples like that, including the one's I gave in my previous post. Players just aren't holding up like they used to, and they have a LOT more rules protecting them. It's strange. I think the long careers have already become few and far between. QB's will always be able to play a long time, but that's about it. (I'm not counting kickers)