They are not such strange companions.
You can take Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford out of their separate areas of Georgia. You can even remove the Tech-Georgia rivalry — for 51 weeks a year anyway — as a hindrance to their relationship.
As teammates with the Detroit Lions, little has gotten in the way of what the duo is accomplishing against NFL opponents. The wide receiver-quarterback combination has helped lead a resurgence of the Lions, doormats of the league for so many years.
“That relationship has the makings of certainly one of the best in the NFL right now,” Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. “But it also has the makings of potentially being one of the best in the history of the National Football League.”
The Lions (5-1) host the Falcons (3-3) at Ford Field on Sunday. The Lions drafted Johnson, No. 2 overall in 2007 out of Georgia Tech, and Stafford, No. 1 overall in 2009 out of Georgia, to be cornerstones of a rebuilding project to resurrect the long-suffering franchise.
There had previously been only glimpses of what the future may hold. Injury was the only real obstacle. Stafford played in 10 games his rookie season with knee and shoulder injuries. He was limited to three games last season with another shoulder injury.
“It’s taken some time,” Stafford said. “I did get some time with him the first two years, not as much as I wanted. We spent some time in the offseason both years getting to know each other and getting to know how we play. This year we’ve taken it to another level and played pretty good football together.”
Stafford is indeed healthy. He ranks sixth in the NFL in yards passing with 1,729. He has thrown 15 touchdowns — nine to Johnson — against only four interceptions.
“We’ve been working together for a while now,” Johnson said. “So, just with the repetition, we have been able to build up that chemistry.”
Johnson leads all receivers in touchdowns and is fifth in the league in both receptions (36) and yards (564). After just six games, his nine touchdown receptions are three shy of his career-high for a season of 12, reached in 2008 and 2010.
When asked recently if the combination was the best in the NFL, Johnson said, “People have put that on us. That’s fine if that’s how they feel. That’s what we work hard for day-in and day-out during the week so that we can go out there and do what we do on Sundays.”
There is more than chemistry between the former college foes. Earlier this season, Pro Bowl receiver-turned analyst Cris Carter said he did not consider Johnson, dubbed Megatron by coaches and fans, an elite receiver. Stafford came to his defense via social media.
“Does anyone think 8 tds in 4 weeks will change chris carters mind about an “elite” receiver? #megatron,” Stafford tweeted.
Johnson has since talked with Carter to smooth things out.
“He even put that to the side himself, but I wasn’t tripping about it,” Johnson said. “There wasn’t any peace to be made. I wasn’t tripping over it. I don’t really worry about that. I just go out there and do what I have to on Sundays.”
Johnson and Stafford met just once as collegiate rivals. Georgia claimed a narrow 15-12 victory in 2006.
They have moved on. Some still entrenched in the rivalry can understand.
“Calvin Johnson is a beast,” current Georgia tight end Aron White said. “He was [at Tech], my freshman year, of course I didn’t want him to do well against us. But once he left and got into the league, he is one of the wide receivers I look up to with the way he plays the game. I don’t blame Stafford throwing to him because I could probably go out there and throw it and he’d catch it.”
Said Georgia coach Mark Richt: “If I was an NFL quarterback, I’d want to throw to him, too.”
Stafford insists the in-state rivalry no longer exists, but for every Saturday after Thanksgiving.
“It’s over except for the one week they play, then we talk about it,” Stafford said. “Other than that we are trying to win games around here. We don’t pay much attention to the other stuff.”
It was easy for the 6-foot-5 Johnson to become Stafford’s favorite target. Opposing defensive backs have more than their hands full handling a receiver with Johnson’s height, speed and strength. When the Lions get near the end zone, the fade route is a staple — throw it up and let Johnson go get it.
“There are a lot of diva wide receivers around the NFL, and he’s not one of them,” Schwartz said of Johnson. “He’s a really hard worker and an extreme talent. Nine touchdowns in his first six games? That’s a lot to respect right there.”
What’s a defensive back to do?
“Every corner in the league that goes against him, not just me, is dealing with the same stuff,” Falcons cornerback Brent Grimes, generously listed as 5-10, said. “There aren’t any 6-5 corners. The tall corners are 6-1. They are all dealing with the same things.”
Despite a glaring size advantage, Johnson is expecting a tough matchup with the Falcons.
“They definitely have a talented group,” said Johnson, when asked about the Falcons’ secondary. “They’ve got some new guys over there since the last time I played against them. We know that we are going into battle against a good team.”
Staff writer Steve Hummer contributed to this article.
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