Anybody who ever played in a pickup football game as a kid knows all about "that guy." He's the guy nobody can cover, the one who would invariably catch the ball and take it in for a touchdown whenever it was thrown in his general direction.
My guess is that Calvin Johnson was "that guy" when he was a youngster. I come to this conclusion because he still is "that guy."
As you've probably noticed, nobody has been able to cover Megatron this year. In fact, trying to covering him at all seems to be a useless gesture. His numbers—29 receptions, 451 yards, nine touchdowns—are a fine testament to just how useless it is.
Nevertheless, it is now the San Francisco 49ers' turn to give covering Megatron a shot. Rest assured, they will fail.
That Johnson is "that guy" is the primary reason I say this, but there are other reasons as well.
Chief among these is that stopping the pass is not the 49ers' forte. Their beastly front seven has given them one of the league's stingiest rush defenses, but the secondary has not held up its end of the bargain in pass defense. The 49ers currently rank 23rd in the league against the pass.
The other thing that worries me is that the 49ers have had issues against top-flight wide receivers so far this season. Miles Austin burned them for nine catches for 143 yards and three touchdowns in Week 2, and DeSean Jackson got them for six catches for 171 yards in Week 4.
If they can succeed against the 49ers, Megatron certainly can. Moreover, Matthew Stafford should have no trouble finding Johnson on that one play they run where Stafford throws it up for grabs. Johnson towers over all of San Francisco's corners, who will be totally outmatched in jump ball situations. Which, of course, is true of all corners who go against Megatron.
I'm not so sure Megatron's efforts will lead the Lions to a win, mind you. He's definitely good, but the 49ers are good enough to undo his damage in other facets of the game. At the end of it all, the Lions may very well need a big catch from Johnson.
Unless the 49ers sub in Optimus Prime, Johnson will probably come up with one.
Prediction: seven catches, 130 yards, two TDs.
Francisco Cervelli Chad Moeller Jorge Posada Lance Berkman Reegie Corona Juan Miranda
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